Hi, I'm Margot Rhodes, born in 1994 in Wellington. Growing up here, between the hills, the wind that sweeps in from the harbor, and the dense patches of native bush, has left a lasting mark on my worldview and on the stories I write. Wellington has a way of changing moods quickly-sunlight, mist, wind, and quiet streets-and I've always been fascinated by how the ordinary can become extraordinary if you simply take the time to observe it closely.

These days I live in Aro Valley, a small, creative neighborhood tucked between green hills and forest. The streets are lined with old wooden houses, gardens that spill over their fences, and people who seem to carry stories everywhere they go. Many mornings I walk down toward Cuba Street, where cafés open early and the city slowly wakes up. I usually bring a notebook with me, settle near a window, and let fragments of conversations, passing faces, and quiet moments find their way into the beginnings of my novels.

I share my home with my cat, Watson, who has the uncanny habit of stepping across my keyboard right when a scene reaches its most important moment. Our house sits on a hillside with large windows that let the soft light in, and just beyond the garden the bush begins to thicken, a green edge where the city slowly disappears into trees and birdsong. It's a quiet place, full of corners for reading, writing, and getting lost in imagination.

Many of my stories are born here-from Wellington's winding streets, its forests, its sudden winds and quiet evenings. I love writing suspense, mystery, and folklore, blending the everyday with the strange, because I believe that it's often in the most familiar places where the most unsettling secrets are waiting to be discovered.