Thrill of success

English may have been her best subject but Angela Cunningham was advised to take up farming when she left school.

With her dreams of a journalistic career dashed it took 35 years for her to nervously embark on a writing course to see whether there was a writer ‘hibernating within’. ‘From day one I was hooked,’ says Angela, Leeds. ‘My tutors were encouraging, assignments were whisked off in no time at all and magazine editors bombarded with articles and short stories.

‘Every time I was sure this would be the one and every time a rejection came bouncing back which was disappointing, but each one made me more determined.’ Three years down the line her enthusiasm was beginning to flag, just a little.

Then, at last, a story was accepted by The Lady. ‘I was quite unprepared for it. The thrill of approval permeated every nerve ending. I was a writer after all.’