I acknowledge and pay respects to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians of the ancestral lands on which I write, land that was never ceded.

I’m Lena, an aspiring novelist and award-winning short story writer. I’m half English, half Danish and I now gratefully live on beautiful Kaurna land in Adelaide, South Australia.

I’m currently working on my debut novel, Somewhere In The Middle There’s Me, which is a contemporary family drama with a sprinkle of romance. The novel was long-listed for the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize in 2024. A previous work-in-progress novel was long-listed for the Queensland Writers Centre Publishable prize.

After graduating with an English Literature degree from London University in the 1990s, I lived across north, south, east and west London.  In 2008, I emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia with my family.

I live with my two teenage daughters, two black and white cats, a grey ragdoll kitten and countless goldfish who live in an indoor pond under the staircase. Until recently, I was also carer for my Danish mother, Hanne, who sadly passed away in 2023. The experience of being both a parent and carer was the inspiration for Somewhere In the Middle There’s Me.

I love reading, candles, music, sunsets, and hygge. I probably like rosé wine a bit too much. I love to explore the great outdoors and get my writing inspiration from the beautiful Australian beaches, wine regions and countryside.

I have had narrative non-fiction and factual pieces published in design magazines and The Australian newspaper. My work has been long-listed in national competitions and I’ve had flash fiction works winning and shortlisted in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Furious Fiction competition. 

In between working full time and dealing with teenage angst, I can be found hiding in my caravan where I like to carve out time to write.

My favourite authors (where to even begin?) include Kristin Hannah, Jane Harper, Tim Winton, Donna Tartt and Ian McEwan (and so many more).

The books that I most enjoyed reading in 2024 include The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg  Mason, Thirst For Salt by Madelaine Lucas, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and Ghosts by Dolly Alderton.