Daphne decided to be a writer when she was eight years old and won her first literary prize for a school essay.
Since then she has won other literary prizes both in her native New Zealand and other countries. These include the prestigious Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award, with Dying Light, a story about Alzheimer's Disease, which was filmed by Robyn Murphy Productions and shown at film festivals in several countries. (Starring Sara McLeod, Sam's wife in Lord of the Rings). There is a page about the film here.
Her first short story was published when she was sixteen and she's been writing and publishing ever since. Nowadays she earns her living from writing, something her well-meaning teachers and guidance counsellors warned her she would never achieve in New Zealand.
Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and a collection of them was presented in Crossing the Bar, published by David Ling, where they garnered wide praise.
As well as short stories, Daphne has written poetry, articles and many novels. She is best known for more than 70 contemporary romantic novels written as Daphne Clair and Laurey Bright, with millions of readers worldwide, but has also written regency romances and a fat historical novel that was well-reviewed in her native New Zealand.
She lives and works in the "winterless north" of New Zealand with her Netherlands-born husband, where they run a retreat for working writers and Daphne conducts writing workshops for aspiring writers.
A bit of a workaholic, Daphne periodically lifts her head from the word processor and remembers there is something out there called The World. At these times she likes to have a barbecue or dinner with friends or find a nice lonely beach and walk on it with her husband.
Sometimes she even takes a plane and sees a bit more of The World on the way to a writers' conference. Or travels within New Zealand and occasionally further afield to teach other people about writing.
She loves reading, swimming in summer, sitting by a roaring fire with a good book in winter, and the internet, because it keeps her in touch with other writers and readers all around the globe. Oh--and her five children. (Are you out there, kids? Uh--you left home? When was that?)
Actually, she has the nicest, most talented family in the world, who have been totally supportive of her writing and are almost as proud of her as she is of them.
