Hello, my name is Karen and I've been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I loved making up and telling stories to my friends. Usually scary stories so they were too afraid to go to bed. It got me into a lot of trouble with my mum. 

I currently work as a carer for the elderly, which is very rewarding, but I've always wanted to write. I created a website teaching reluctant cooks how to cook from scratch without panicking. I can write about food until my fingers get cramp. 

I also love animals. I have a 9-month-old German shepherd called Luna and a silver Bengal cat called Tinker. They are my babies.

I live in Harlow in the county of Essex, about 20 miles north of London and have lived there my whole life. It's a pretty great place to live in my view.

My hobbies include cooking (and eating), reading (Stephen King is my favourite author), playing with my dog, walking in the countryside, dining out, shopping (even grocery shopping) and learning new skills.

I would love to work from home again; I used to run my own business from home researching family history and once you've had that freedom you want to experience it again. I can't think of anything sweeter than doing something that I love and getting paid for it. 

I'm sure now that I'm on board with Contena that dream will soon become my reality.