Sue Cross never planned on becoming a writer, in fact it’s something she says happened “almost by default”.

“When I retired I wanted to do something interesting so thought I’d try some painting,” she said.

“I wanted to go to a local class while I was living out in Spain but it was full. There was a writing class in the same building, I asked if they had any space and they said, “there’s one space left and it’s yours.”

After writing memoirs in the class and finding she both enjoyed and had a knack for it, Sue returned to Cheltenham and joined a local writing class.

“We were shown a Jack Vettriano print,” she continued, “of two girls and asked to write a thousand-word story on it. I found I have quite a vivid imagination.

“Next, my tutor showed us a print of a man and woman arguing, and I thought it could be a follow up to my first story. Then as I was writing it I thought it could be a novel.”

That novel became Sue’s debut publication, ‘Tea at Sam’s’, which tells the story of three Cheltenham girls in three countries around the world, who’s lives upon return to the town become interwoven.

The book was so well received that a sequel called ‘Making Scents’ soon followed, and Sue explains how her working life inspired so much of both novels.

She said: “I lived in Mauritius for two and a half years before it became a tourist destination, that gave me a lot of inspiration.

“I also ran a beauty salon in Hong Kong which is where a lot of ‘Tea At Sam’s’ is based.

“When we came back to the UK I started a skincare company. As that grew we needed a bigger premises and that brought us down to Cheltenham, where I had lived from the age of 16 until I got married.”

Sue’s experiences in the beauty industry are reflected upon in ‘Making Scents’, which follows a successful businesswoman running her own skincare and perfume range.

After finishing her second novel, Sue began compiling and writing short stories, and her latest release, ‘Stories to Go’ is a culmination of 93 stories.

“Where a novel takes about 18 months to write, some of these stories have been written in hours, over the last six or seven years,” said Sue.

“They’re very varied, there’s no theme. Each story only takes about five minutes to read, so they’re perfect for people on the go, in waiting rooms, commuting.”

For more information on Sue and her work, visit www.suecross.com