Pauline Rhodes (nee Rew) was born in Old Stevenage. She has lived in Hertfordshire all her life and was educated at The Barclay School

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Her writing career began at the age of 19, when she was indentured to the Countryside Magazine Group under the expert tuition of Eric Scott. She served three and a half years rigorous training in writing and magazine editing. She attended London College of Printing on their Periodic Journalism course.

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In 1983 she left to work as Production Editor on Creative Cook, a weekly cookery part-work. At the end of this contract, in 1984, she moved to Peter Carrick Associates in Hertfordshire. She married in 1985 and set up her own freelance editorial consultancy in 1988.

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In December 1989 she gave birth to twins and this was the onset of her "Double Trouble" and where this personal story begins..."Tuscany and Beyond" takes up the story of her Recovery Journey fourteen years later looking back over some difficult times and using the pen as a weapon in her fight through mental illness.