Rebekah Clayton

Rebekah Clayton grew up in punky 1970s London. Although she was attracted to the energy and rebellion of the times, she also had a passion for nature, 19th C novels, folk rock and Pre-Raphaelite art. Her childhood home had been built opposite a dark and spooky Victorian pile, named 'Bleak House' by the locals. Its forbidding and overbearing presence awoke her imagination, and, along with the short stories of Oscar Wilde and the novels of the Brontes, gave her a fascination for all things Gothic: ghosts, ruins, spirits, fairies, graveyards and times long past. She immersed herself in creativity: writing, reading, painting, learning herb and folklore and music - singing in various rock bands. At college she studied Art and later, at university, English Literature. Rebekah earnt money in various ways from au pairing to being a shorthand secretary. Her favourite venture was owning an organic shop & cafe. Rebekah has two wonderful children and they live in the beautiful county of Derbyshire. She recently achieved a first class honours degree in Creative Writing and won the Percy Snowden prize.