Happy to have you here!

My wonderful childhood memories of Africa are imprinted in me like a Polaroid—especially the salt-soaked air of Beira, Mozambique, where I was born, and our adventures on the bowls of a fading barque, the old shipwreck half-buried in golden sands in front of the iconic Farol do Macuti. We climbed its rusted ribs, balanced on slippery decks surrendering to the tides, and turned every wave into wild make-believe—splashing, scraping knees, and laughing through the chaos. That masterful passion for exploring and nature took root there, echoing vividly in my heart to this day.

My father's excitement over our first Polaroid camera sparked my love of storytelling. We'd wave fresh prints right under our noses, inhaling that sharp, heady chemical whiff—super-toxic, yet utterly homely, the scent of magic. (I wonder if that's where glue-sniffing started—our innocent "Polaroid high"?) Photography and words intertwined for me: letters into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs. Pure alchemy.

As a little girl, I watched a deep solar eclipse turn midday to haunting dusk through Dad's soot-coated glass viewer. "Preparation is everything," he smiled. That awe made me an eclipse chaser before I knew the 1973 event's duration would be the longest in my life time.

Leaving Africa in 1976 brought heartache amid the family adventures and misadventures, yet deepened my passion for exploring nature's wonders has no end.

In Ireland, I studied film at IADT, teaching at DCU, and earned a Higher Diploma in Art and Montessori Education. Today, I find joy working with children with additional needs in Dublin.

My journey with books!

Writing has been my most constant companion throughout life. During the pandemic, I poured years of gathered memories, logbooks, and notebooks into the "Beehive Secrets" series, centred on Bella the Bee, the wise and brave soul who guides every heartfelt tale.

The series includes "Kaida Brightscales and the Magical Meadows," "Kaida Brightscales and Rare Pollinators," "Kaida Brightscales and the Queen Bee," and "Kaida Brightscales and the Wise Owl"—gentle stories that enchant young minds with the excitement of discovery.

For school visits, I created a Pollination Board Game where children step onto the board as the playing pieces—a playful adventure in learning. The Beehive Secrets Activity Book – Part One (ages 5–12), built around carefully researched questions and aligned with the Montessori's nurturing spirit, will launch with the Series Bundle in Spring 2026. Both will be available worldwide and through lightshadowandink.com.

My journey with photography!

My passion for photography began with that childhood Polaroid, a spark that has guided me ever since. Inspired early, I later brought short films to the Venice Biennale, co-wrote a feature script with Tom Hopkins of One Productions, and represented Ireland with my short film Elodie at the inaugural Split Film Festival.

I fell deeply in love with my Minolta X700 cameras—one dedicated to vibrant colour, the other to timeless black-and-white and surreal infrared explorations. As an eclipse chaser, I documented celestial wonders through those trusted lenses for years, travelling to remote and sometimes near-impossible corners of the world to witness those fleeting moments of alignment.

The shift to digital paused my craft, but now, I'm joyfully back. Adding haiku poetry to my images has become a gentle discipline: limiting the number of shots I take and the poems I write to accompany them—a perfect blend of enduring roots and vibrant new creativity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Xanda in film School - Photo by Bindi Weir

If I buy an ebook, how do I read it? Or get it to my favorite device?

Once you purchase an ebook, you will get an email from help@bookfunnel.com with a link to download the ebook, or you can send the ebook directly to your favorite device. If the email hasn’t arrived in 20 minutes after purchase, please look at the Spam folder.

You can also find your ebooks in your Bookfunnel library at https://My.BookFunnel.com. Log into BookFunnel with the email you used to purchase/download your books.

If you need help with getting the ebook to your device, just email: help@bookfunnel.com or check https://getbookfunnel.com/

If I buy an audiobook, how do I listen to it? Or get it to my favorite device? 

Once you purchase an audiobook, you will get an email from help@bookfunnel.com with a link to download the audiobook, and instructions for how to download and listen in their app, or on another device. If the email hasn’t arrived in 10 minutes after purchase, please look for it in your Spam folder.

You can also find your audiobooks in your Bookfunnel library at https://My.BookFunnel.com. Log into BookFunnel with the email you used to purchase/download your books.

If you need help with getting the ebook to your device, just email: help@bookfunnel.com or check https://getbookfunnel.com/

If I buy a paperback, how long does it take to get to me? 

It depends which country you're in, and which shipping option you choose at checkout. It won't be 'next day shipping' though! 

Each book is printed and sent to you specifically from the independent printer I use here in the UK, or sometimes in the US, depending on the format. 

In the UK, it can be 7-10 working days, and 10-15 working days to reach you outside the UK. Thank you for your patience!

Why would I buy a paperback from you when I can get it on one of the big online stores for a cheaper price and free shipping? 

Thank you for asking. There is no way independent authors can compete with the big online stores, so basically, you are supporting me and also my independent printer. We appreciate your custom.

The books are excellent quality and soon we may make book for the US available via the US printing facility. Please see Shipping Policy for more details.

Does it help if I buy direct? In what ways?

If you buy direct, authors and printers and all other collaborators in the store, get paid within hours or days, rather than months. Thank you!

While authors love to have their books in big stores it is not as easy to have books distributed by the Big Publishers. Direct stores allow authors and their collaborators to feature our products without having other products advertised against them. 

How can I contact you with any more questions? 

You can email me: lightshadowandink@icloud.com, use the chat function on the right hand side. I will answer within 24-48 hours.

What is available on the Merchadise Menu?

The Merchandise, section has two subsections: CLOTHES and LIVING. T-shirts and hoodies are in the clothes section, and water bottles and lunch boxes are listed under the Living section. All items are based on the characters in the Beehive Secrets Series. So you can choose which character you love and then choose the items based on your character preference.