Born in Armidale, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, Lorraine Cobcroft grew up in two vastly different worlds. After her father's accidental death when she wa...view moreBorn in Armidale, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, Lorraine Cobcroft grew up in two vastly different worlds. After her father's accidental death when she was just six weeks old, she spent twelve years growing in a close extended working-class family and tight community in a small and very class-conscious country town. Following her mother's remarriage, she spent her teen years as the step-daughter of a successful and wealthy professional in Manhattan Beach, California. There, she experienced an entirely different culture and way of life. But four years later, she was plunged unceremoniously back into her early childhood world after a traumatic experience and involvement in an astonishing legal drama. For several years, she struggled with a sense of misplacement and disconnection and confusion about her future direction. These experiences made her hungry for a deep understanding of the impact of culture, parenting styles and early experiences on character and personality.
After decades employed as a technical and business writer, Lorraine turned to fiction and creative non-fiction in retirement and is enjoying getting to know imaginary characters from diverse backgrounds and hearing their surprising stories. Joining Fairfield Writers (in Brisbane) in 2009, she began writing short stories, many of which have been published in their Anthologies. Her first novel-length work was "The Pencil Case'', a minimally fictionalised account of her husband's life after he was stolen from his family at age seven. "Mortgaged Goods" followed in 2015. Lorraine has also helped several other writers to complete and publish novels and memoirs, and she continues to write software documentation and training courses.
Lorraine loves to delve deep into her characters' psyches to discover how the deepest secrets of their past that have shaped their thinking and their values, and to watch their stories unfold as those thinking patterns determine their life choices.
Lorraine's favourite author is Jodi Picoult, and like Jodi, she favours emotive themes and strives to write stories that are powerful and provocative, featuring unforgettable characters. Her stories tend to be dark, reflecting the pains so many of us endure in real life and the character flaws that haunt us all, but always ending with hope. She strives to show the beauty and strength of the human spirit, the power of love, and the courage and determination of those who battle through significant challenges.
Lovers of misery memoirs, and stories like Oranges and Sunshine (by Margaret Humphreys), Blood Orange (by Drusilla Campbell), Graice's Secret (by Jill Childs) and What We Keep (by Elizabeth Berg) might enjoy Lorraine's novels.
She is currently working on a third novel, "Inheritances'', and a memoir, "The Change Agent".view less