Valerie O’Connor traces the moment she switched careers, started a blog and began to love her work

The next few weeks sees the launch of my third book Val’s Kitchen, so-called after my blog of the same name which turns 10 this year. 

I started blogging in October 2006 as a young mother of two boys, recently separated and working in a job that I thought I’d like a lot more than I did.

Being a press photographer for a busy red-top held plenty of excitement but running around from one event to the next with heavy gear and being under constant pressure, didn’t really fit in with the rigid hours imposed by creches and babies.