Being a very willing exile living in Cyprus, I was delighted to be asked by Paul D. Brazill to join the ‘Exiles’ gang with a short story for the exciting, new noir crime collection. In time, I have encountered many different types of exile, some who have chosen to escape from unworkable or painful situations, others who feel they have been subjected to a type of banishment, both geographical and social, which has been unwillingly thrust upon them.  I have also discovered that state of self-imposed exile quite often occurs as a reaction against a dysfunctional family situation, as it does in my story, ‘Disappearing Act.’

Generally there are parallels between my characters and myself, although at first glance they are not always obvious, even to me! My character in the story ‘Disappearing Act’ is a woman who has spent her life struggling to be appreciated…