Stella Kon

I was born in Edinburgh in 1944. I am descended from two old Singapore families: my mother, Rosie Seow Guat Kheng, was a great-grand- daughter of Tan Tock Seng, and my father, Dr Lim Kok Ann, is a grand-son of Lim Boon Keng. My brothers are Lim Su Min, Su Chong and Su Hui, my sister is Sing Lim of Jitterbugs Swingapore. I have two sons with their own wonderful families, in Sydney, Australia, and Harrogate UK.

Most of my life has been spent in Singapore. My childhood was spent in "Oberon," a mansion in Emerald Hill which no longer exists. I own an old terrace house in Cairnhill, and now live in "Pek Kio", an old HDB estate very near KK Hospital.

I've written plays, novels, poems and short stories. My best-known work is the monodrama,"Emily of Emerald Hill."

I have been writing all my life, since my mother used to write down the childish stories I dictated to her, in an old exercise book. My biggest writing successes were in the early eighties, when Singapore's Ministry of Culture organised the National Playwriting Competition in 1979, 1982 and 1985. I won the First Prize on all three occasions. (Then they discontinued the competition!)