Alyson Sheldrake has an honours degree in sport and a teaching qualification in physical education, English, and drama. She has always loved art and painting, although she found little time for such pleasures, working full time after graduation. Alyson joined the Devon and Cornwall Police and served for thirteen years before leaving and working her way up the education ladder, rapidly reaching the dizzy heights of a Director of Education for the Church of England in Devon.
Managing over 130 schools was a challenging and rewarding role. However, after three years, her husband, Dave, retired from the police, and their long-held dream of living in the sun became a reality.
Alyson handed in her notice, and with her dusty easel and set of acrylic paints packed and ready to move, they started their new adventure living in the beautiful Algarve in Portugal.
She is now an accomplished and sought-after artist and author working alongside Dave, who became a professional photographer. Being able to bring their much-loved hobbies and creative interests to life has been a wonderful bonus to their life in the Algarve.
Alyson is the former editor of Portugal Letter magazine and a feature writer for the Algarve’s Tomorrow magazine. She is the author of the Algarve Dream Series of travel memoirs and the author/curator of the Travel Stories Series of anthologies.
Her animal memoir, Kat the Dog: The remarkable tale of a rescued Spanish Water Dog, was released in 2002, and is a multi-award-winning bestseller.
Her latest book, The Rainbow Bridge, is her first foray into fantasy fiction.
When she is not painting or writing, you can find Alyson walking Zara, their newly rescued Spanish water dog, along the riverbank in Aljezur.