I left home at 20 and joined a big chain store in Harrogate, measuring men’s inside legs and slicing bacon (though not at the same time). But eventually I realised that there had to be more to life than this and I married, began a small printing business and started a family - in that order. And over the next twenty years the business grew to employ 140 people and the children into two of the most wonderful people I know.

But throughout that time, the pleasure and fulfilment of my life was matched by the fear of the gender problems lurking around every corner ready to ambush me. So in 1980, driven by a fear of who I really might be, and the worry of upsetting the lives of those around me, I took up running. First marathons, then, within 5 years, ultra distance races of anything up to 140 miles in one go, and training up to 180 miles a week. My athletic ‘career’ and my flight from my problems culminated in the 154 mile Sparta to Athens race in 1992 (which I finished in 32 hours).

But, by this time, I’d had enough of running away and I’d had quite enough of pretending to be someone who I wasn’t. I began to let go of the notion that ‘these things happen to other people’ and started to believe in myself. In 1996, everything began to become right and I underwent ‘corrective’ surgery finally assuming the life I’d always known was right.

I thought that was that. (Well you would wouldn’t you?)

But there was more. Within the space of a year, I realised that I was not the heterosexual, stereotypical woman that I had taken myself for. It was a shock (a nice one) and, from the moment that I identified as lesbian, all the pieces fitted perfectly.

Within the short space of three years I wrote my first book Needle Point, opened Libertas! Women’s Bookshop in York and fell in love with the woman who is now my life partner - my gorgeous Ann. (We tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in 2006.)

I found the job of running a women’s bookshop both exciting and fun and, with Ann, I also enjoyed organising the first four of the big Lesbian Arts Festivals in York which attract thousands of friendly lesbians to the city every year. It has been a privilege for me to be able to give something back to a women’s community that has been so supportive of me. Don't believe the stereotypes - lesbians are warm and wonderful women.

Libertas is now owned and run by others and the festival, too, continues to thrive with the help of a hard working group of women who took it over in 2004.

For me, I continue to love writing. I love giving people pleasure through storytelling. Eventually, I hope to have a fourth book published - something a little different this time.

More than anything though. I enjoy who I am. And I am who I want to be.

The destination has been worth the journey.

And the journey has been a homecoming.