About The Author
Who the heck is Tott?
Once upon a time I’d have attempted to write this page in 3rd person, making it seem duly dry and professional.
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But the drawback to that is that it loses personality, and really, that’s not something I want to do.
This site – this project – is not about an aloof, mysterious author producing works of fiction from behind a screen. I want to share my stories, share my worlds, and by definition that involves sharing something of myself as well.
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So, who am I? I'll explain.
To begin with, I alternate between the names ‘Jemma’ and ‘Tott’ – the former being my birth name, and the latter being the online nomiker which has gradually adopted me over the last decade or so. In terms of how I self-identify, there is increasingly little difference between the two.
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I grew up on a diet of fiction and introversion (which honestly has to be one of the most common ‘Fantasy Writer Starter Kits’ going), and make my home these days among books, video games, and a growing collection of cacti. I have two children who – fortuitously enough – share my passion for all three of these things.
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For the last ten years or so, I have also emerged from my shell every November to participate in National Novel Writing Month. Since 2015 that has taken the additional form of serving as Co-ML for my home region of Kent, England, something which brings me a lot of joy.
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I’m also a Spoonie. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, I thoroughly recommend reading Christine Miserandino’s excellent webpage, where she shares its origin. In essence, though, it means that I have long-term health issues which can dramatically affect my day-to-day living. These come in the form of – get ready for the jargon – epilepsy, dissociative seizures, orthostatic hypotension, and hypermobility. It’s okay if you can’t be bothered to remember all that. Most days I don’t, either.
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Health issues are a sensitive topic for a general ‘about’ page, perhaps, but I’ve always been pretty up-front about this facet of my life. I fall down a lot, and have days when words slip through my grasp rather like falling sand - and as a writer that generally sucks.
Still, slow and steady wins the race, and although I’m only able to write part-time, those hours all add up. It’s surprising how much you can get done with a series of twenty-minute time limits and a overarching deadline!
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And that, at its core, is who I am. Wrapped up in chaos and fantasy, chasing words around my brain until I can secure them in print. My body might exist in the real world, but my mind is usually elsewhere, busy looking at everything through a storyteller’s eye.