About Ronali

I was born and bred in London, to strict Roman Catholic parents of Sri Lankan origin in the early 1970s. I was your typical disappointment of a young South Asian British girl because I showed no interest in a medical career and wasn’t particularly academic, spending all my times either escaping in to different worlds with my beloved books, or leaping about in the several dance classes I took each week, imagining my future life as a ballerina.

I somehow ended up being less of a disappointment by studying law and getting a job in finance where the best part of my day was the Tube ride when I could read. Books have always been a constant in my life - a comfort and a shelter from all that the world throws at me; an escape; an education. Did I ever think I could write one myself? My younger self did before life took over and my dreams receded into the background. A creative career didn’t seem like a possibility for me.

And then I had a family of my own and, as so many women do, lost myself and my dreams in my roles as mother, wife and daughter. As my children began to spend more and more of their day at school and I was left to my own devices, I thought more about what I could do to fill the gap. Was there any spark of that hopeful dreamer left inside me? I applied for a MA in Creative Writing at Brunel University and was stunned to be accepted. Under the supervision of Professor Bernardine Evaristo, I rediscovered that little girl who yearned to tell her own stories, but now had the life experience to do so. For the first time in my life I found academic success with a Distinction - what a difference it makes when you love the subject you study! And somewhere, I found the confidence to apply for a mentorship scheme with a large, renowned literary agency where I met my wonderful agent, Hayley Steed. With her help and guidance, I became a published author at 51. It really is never too late…

If you want to know more about my creative journey, see my article for femalefirst.co.uk on my News page.