Helen Garvey writes under the pseudonym, Girl With A Dirty Mind, although she has authored The Horny Book of Happiness. In 2008, she quit her administration job after "gut instinct," told her to and has never looked back. She has had her fair share of rejections, but Faith Bicknell-Brown, Managing Editor from NY Publisher; Freya's Bower praised her erotica collection saying, "With determination and dedication, however, you could have a wonderful collection that would wow a publisher."
She first submitted several of her erotica to The Next Big Writer and gained great feedback, most of which detailed how her stories were original and unique, but needed more description, dialogue, and character development. It was there she met her ex-lover Keith. He was so dazzled by her originality and open sexuality that he recommended she write The Horny Book of Happiness (previously The Sexual Mind).
After sending several queries to Literary Agents who dealt in non-fiction, she visited Robert Smith, whose clients include The Hamilton's, Amanda Barrie, and Theo Phaphitis, amongst others. As a way to gain publicity for herself, she wrote a romantic 6000+word story for Playboy called Audacious Angel. They responded after six months, but by then she was working on The Horny Book of Happiness and thought nothing of the late response, which is disrespectful toward any aspiring writer and author.
She has suffered minor setbacks with her writing from 2010 onward as a spot of depression or spiritual darkness has crushed her concentration. She has written over 100 erotica stories, but she is currently revising her erotica and looking forward to publishing her first erotica volume late 2012. She sells eBook singles through Amazon, Bibliocracy, and Smashwords. Future projects include Sane or Insane: My Journey Through The Dark Night of The Soul, Murderous Minx, The Transfixer, and a volume of short horror stories.
Writing is the only thing Helen feels motivated toward. In the past, she dabbled with holistic therapies whilst working full time for Hopwood Hall College. She offered Indian Head Massage, Reiki, and Swedish Remedial Massage, but she felt it wasn't her chosen path. She has struggled to find her true-life path, but after three years, she finds writing to be therapeutic and worthwhile, although the money can be low. Working in the Youth Service was also an area of interest for Helen, but too many rejections in this field made her feel it wasn't worth the pursuit!
After three years of joining the very competitive field of writing, she is working toward her goals. She would love to buy a cottage in a quiet countryside with enough garden space for fruit trees and vegetables, and to drive a classic purple mini!
