Di Castle

I was born and brought up in Harpenden. After Grammar School I went to St Albans College of Further Education to train as a secretary although I had always wanted to teach. That was if I couldn't be a writer, of course. The skills learned on the course enabled me to enter teaching some years later at Uxbridge College and then working with dyslexic students at East Berkshire College, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth and Bournemouth University. I have tried to retire from teaching several times but cannot give it up altogether. An article about my struggle to change my identify is on my wordpress blog.

Grandma's Poetry Book - a book of poems charting first grandparenthood and the grandchild's milestones was published in November 2014. Local artist, Denise Horn has provided brilliantly funny illustrations some of which will appear on this page. My memoir of growing up in Harpenden will be out hopefully in 2015. My novel about a hearing girl growing up with her deaf sister is nearing completion and I have good feedback from agents.

Another project is a Nanonovel (written in November 2011) about a childless unmarried woman taking early retirement with disastrous results. Two books written in the 1980s require massive re-writes and I will get to them eventually.
I blog at http://www.dicastlewriter.wordpress.com

I have won awards
2010 First Prize for the 2000-word Retirement Competition at Winchester Writers' Conference. I have subsequently had two 'Highly Commended' for this subject.
2012 First prize for Sustaining the Environment competition at Winchester Writers' Conference

I contributed to Our Royal Wedding an anthology which was sent to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after their wedding. Excerpts centre on a variety of royal events. My own contribution was my experience at the wedding of Charles and Diana when a friend and I provided entertainment for a large number of children at our local street party. Very tongue in cheek!