Barbara Butcher was born in Wembley in north west London and was bought up in Buckinghamshire.

She moved to Devon to stay close to her daughter, first spending a couple of months in Kingsbridge then Chillington for the past 18 years.

She is a writer and hypnotherapist who has written several books including a political thriller called The Other Canal, A Collection of Life Stories, Words Unbidden and a collection of poetry entitled Tamisha’s World.

She has also written for a number of magazines including History Today and The Lady.

She has been writing since the age of 12.

Unfortunately Barbara suffered from a stroke last year which has given her aphasia which means she sometimes has difficulty with words.

Barbara wanted to be an actress but said her shy mother put her off:

“When I was quite young, I used to make different accents and I could talk to my mum in Irish.

“I went to the Barbican in London and did some drama exams”

Barbara is a hypnotherapist and has several certificates.

She explained her work: “I help people who can't sleep, have a lack of confidence, want to give up smoking or anything like that really.

She also helps parents to communicate better with their children.

As to the future, Barbara is always looking for ideas to inspire her writing.

Barbara hopes to give relationship advice once a week and anyone who is interested can contact her by e-mailing: [email protected]