Kelly Florentia

About Me

The question that people ask me most frequently when I tell them that I write short fiction is 'Where do you get your ideas from?' That's quite a tricky question to answer, but ideas for plots do actually arise from everyday situations and quite often when least expected, so I always make sure I've got a notepad and pen in my handbag!

I've always enjoyed writing and was a bit of a poet when I was younger. I began to take creative writing more seriously a few years ago when I became self-employed and had more control over my schedule. I had my first story published in Best magazine in February 2004 and subsequently my short stories have appeared in popular women's weekly magazines in the U.K such as Best, Chat It's Fate and Take a Break Fiction Feast. My stories have also been published in Sweden and Australia.

My short story, 'Table Manners', was published by Accent Press in the popular charity anthology, 'Saucy Shorts for Chefs' in 2005, and my story,' I've Been Expecting You' was published in ''Sexy Shorts for the Beach' in 2006 .
Although fiction is my passion, I also write non-fiction articles that have been published on ezines and various commercial websites.

So, what else can I tell you 'about me'? I'm a middle child - two sisters. I was born in North London and still live there with my husband. My first job was within the travel industry. I worked in the admin/business house department of a travel agency in Central London for 5 years. I then moved into Catering when my family opened a restaurant in the heart of London, and although it was very hard work, it was also very rewarding.

When I'm working on a new story I'll often be found in a local café editing over a cup of coffee or two. Despite the fact that it can get quite busy in this type of environment, I find that I can switch off form the surrounding noise once I'm involved in a plot and seem to get more work done when I'm away from home distractions!

I belong to an online writers group called the Wild Geese, which is an all women International forum. Whilst I work mainly from home I do have to travel to the West End a couple of times a week, which gives me a fab excuse for some retail therapy!