Denise Lysaght

Who is Dee? A Bio

A prototype wild child, but back in 70s I was just deemed to be a ‘problem teenager’ who my mother, on good days, would have had adopted. On bad days she called the police. Now an ageing rock chick with a past, no doubt any late-in-life celebrity status I achieve will turn into notoriety as skeletons in myriad closets vie for vicarious fame.
Bright but wilful, I left private school at fifteen. Wake-up time was taking qualifications at night school, while holding down a full time job and running a home. It was my English teacher in 1980, who suggested I should try my hand at writing comedy. So I did.
In between working full time and avoiding pregnancy, I have always found some time to write, but never enough. I’ve had a short story published, an article on giving up smoking, and penned a quarterly news letter for a MENSA group called “Through the Cat Flap” which was a satirical take on current affairs from a feline viewpoint.
A reluctant boater, I found myself canal-side which spawned my first novel, Champagne Perry. ‘Nigel, The Ordinary Boy’ was conceived when an internal transfer saw me having an almost complete mental breakdown whilst working on Crisis Loans at Job Centre Plus. Submitted to the Brit Writers Awards 2011, this was shortlisted in the adult category novel from 23,000 entries. Writing fiction is wonderful as it starts with fact, character or experience and because it’s yours, you can parody and embellish at will. They say you should do something dangerous or exciting every day. As a Health & Safety trainer breaking your neck is not included as it seriously tarnishes your rep! However, I am spending the time I should have been dead or paralysed dedicated to my writing projects, and book number three is already on the move - an inept safety officer who demonstrates how things really shouldn’t be done....