When Charlotte French discovered Enid Blyton’s Famous Five as a young tomboy, she didn’t just want to be George—she wanted to be an author. Despite early attempts on the old Remington in the basement, it would take a migration across continents, half a century, and everything from dish pig to boutique owner before she’d face her deepest fear.

Charlotte grew up on a chaotic hobby farm with horses, sheep, a donkey, and parents juggling full-time jobs. After her parents’ divorce hit during her teens, she spent years floundering between odd jobs, avoiding all talk of serious education.

The floundering stopped when she visited her older sister in Australia and met her future husband. Marriage, motherhood, and mayhem followed. Once the kids were at school, Charlotte threw herself into making collectible teddy bears for eight years, then ran a boutique/gallery for another eight. Through it all, she kept dreaming about writing a book. One day. She was just too busy.

Then her mother passed away. Mortality whispered truth. The dread of regret won over fear and doubt. In 2018, Charlotte closed the boutique and signed up for an online creative writing course.

Charlotte completed two courses with the Writer’s Studio in Sydney, won her first short story competition, then began her first novel. She finished it, shelved it, and wrote Agnes Treading Water which she published in 2023. Due to supporting her husband through a long arduous cancer journey, Charlotte released her second novel, The Secret Life of Jasper Scragg, in 2025.