Our Team

We have a dedicated team with different areas of expertise to make Zest For Life a reality.

EDITOR/FOUNDER – Emma-Jane Barlow

Emma-Jane Barlow is twenty-two-year-old writer from Manchester with a BA honours degree in Creative Writing. She has contributed to many different magazines, including Women Make Waves, The W Review, Female First and VIVA Lifestyle. She is currently working as a Lifestyle, Health and Beauty editor at Female First and in her spare she is working on her first poetry collection called ‘Human.’ She loves to inspire and be inspired and is interested in possibly becoming a primary school teacher. Follow her on twitter here.

Proofreader/Social Media Executive – Samantha Lyon

Samantha Lyon is a freelance writer and editor. She has a BA in Publishing with English from Loughborough University and a MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She has been published twice to date, and her third book, “Supernatural Serial Killers”, is to be published in late 2015. Samantha runs LyonEditing, a professional editing site, and is passionate about language, literature and grammar. During her spare time, she likes to paint and watch terrifying true-crime documentaries. You can follow her on twitter here.

Contributing Writer  – Rebecca Hayes

Becky Hayes is a twenty-two-year-old writer with a BA honours degree in Creative Writing. She lives in Southport with her crazy border collie and two very spoilt guinea pigs! She has published work to sites such as The Purple Revolver and Women Make Waves, which have ranged from fashion and beauty tips to the latest film and TV reviews. She is currently pursuing her writing career whilst volunteering at a local dog shelter in her spare time. As well as writing, she has always had a huge love for design. Be it photography, drawing, editing or Photoshop; Becky is at her happiest when she’s creating something.

Contributing Writer – Tasha Williams

Tasha Williams is a Creative Writing Graduate who spends the majority of her spare time reviewing books on her YouTube channel, The Book Kitten. She is a reviewer for various publishing houses including Bloomsbury, Hodder & Stoughton and Headline, and has three short stories published on Amazon Kindle. Her first children’s title, The Snow Kitten, was a bestseller in December 2013 and has been sold in over 7 countries worldwide. She is currently working on editing her first novel, and making a master plan for her upcoming Young Adult Fantasy series. You can follow her on twitter here.

Contributing Writer – Lifestyle & Health & Wellbeing – Diane ‘Eliza’ Maccabe

Diane ‘Eliza’ Maccabe was a designer and dressmaker. She then decided to venture on a different path. She took a leap of faith and studied Creative Writing. Diane was fuelled by her passion for writing and created a blog to inspire others. Through her own illness, she has found a way to talk about her amazing journey and talk about ways to improve health and wellbeing. Now a Health and Wellness coach, Diane helps people on a one-to-one level. She is studying Lifestyle Enhancement, Creating Miracles and Positive Thinking and hopes to one day be a spiritual coach.

Contributing Writer – Travel & Lifestyle – Hope Lowe
Hope Lowe is a 24-year-old lifestyle and travel writer currently based in London. Having spent the best part of two years travelling the world, she has written her way across 6 continents, building up a network of contacts along the way. She currently freelances for a range of glossy magazines and online publications. Adventure is her passion and she’ll never pass up the opportunity to visit a new country or try out a new activity. But ultimately, she loves nothing more than curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and good book to read.

Contributing Writer – Travel & Lifestyle – Ally McLaren 

Ally is an aspiring writer, a huge daydreamer and a hopeless romantic who wants to travel the world and own many cats. She is 21 years old and has just graduated from The University of Nottingham with a degree in Psychology. Interests include reading, writing, watching numerous American sitcoms and eating food with friends. She is now just travelling and seeing where life takes her, and if you want to find out what this pizza lover is up to you can check out her blog here and follow her on Twitter here.

 

Contributing Writer – Travel & Lifestyle – Lydia Osborne
Lydia is a 21-year-old writer based in the glorious city of Liverpool. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in Contemporary Literature and is a regional editor for The University Paper. In her spare time she travels, writes book reviews on her blog and Instagrams everything in sight. Follow her on Twitter here.

Contributing Writer – Lifestyle – Emma Corr

Emma is currently in her third year at Oxford Brookes University studying History and History of Art. She has a great appreciation for the arts and enjoys visiting exhibitions, particularly in London. Emma is a student writer for The Telegraph and is also a frequent contributing writer for her student newspaper, The Underdog, and for her local community newspaper, The Narborough Journal. In her spare time Emma enjoys keeping fit, exploring historical places of interest with her dog Tilly and updating her blog. Follow her on Twitter here.

Contributing Writer – Lifestyle – Erin Voysey

Erin Voysey is a recent graduate from Aberystwyth University where she studied English Literature and Creative Writing. She has a particular interest in writing short stories, but has often tried (and failed) to write her own novel. In her spare time she enjoys playing Nintendo games and she is currently overly obsessed with an animé and manga called Attack on Titan. Along with her indoor activities, she also likes going for long country walks providing there’s no rain involved. Her wardrobe probably contains far too much maroon. You can follow her on twitter here.

Contributing Writer – Lifestyle – Savannah Lloyd-Smith

Savannah Lloyd-Smith is a 26-year-old freelance journalist and lifestyle blogger from Manchester. She likes to write uplifting stories and reads a lot of positive quotes and self-help books. Her blog Journo Savvy focuses on lifestyle, fashion, beauty and travel. Savannah currently writes for several online magazines and is a mother of one. You can find her on Twitter here.

         Contributing Writer – Health & Wellbeing
– Jacqueline Coleman 

Jacqueline Coleman is passionate about all things yoga. She teaches classes in yoga rhythm, vinyasa flow and hatha yoga. She also has a background in science and psychology and has worked in academic and healthcare research for the past thirteen years. She is interested in how the body works on a physical, mental and spiritual level. You can follow her on twitter here.