A: I live in England with my husband, my children and the Mews, who helps me to write by sitting on the keyboard. My other obsession (apart from writing) is doll's houses, and I spend a lot of time with my head stuck inside rooms 12" by 7" trying to fix tiny light fittings!

Q: What made you start writing and when did you start?

A: I've always written stories. At work, I used to while away my days by scribbling stories, then ripping them up. The first story I finished was when I was seven, and I wrote a new ending to "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." A romance!

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?

A: Dickens - for the deep thickness of his narrative, for his vivid descriptions, for his sheer, breathtaking skill in writing. Dorothy Dunnett, for her magnificent achievements in the field of the historical novel. No one has written anything like her two great series, before or since. Laura Kinsale, for her ability to take us into her world, and her willingness to take chances with the historical romance genre. Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh for their attention to detail and their vivid storytelling. Tolkein for inspiration. Georgette Heyer for showing us the way, and still being the Queen of Regency romance.

Q: What type of books do you write? Is there a reason you write (for instance) historical romance rather than science fiction?

A: I'm drawn to the historical novel, I always have been drawn to history. When I was little, my childminder was the curator of the local museum, the Newarke Houses Museum in Leicester. I was dragged out to large country houses every weekend. My other love is to explore people, what makes them tick, why they do what they do. Thus, I love the romance, where there is a deep, central relationship at the heart of the book, rich avenues to explore.

Q: How do you come up with the idea for a book? Once you have an idea, do you plot it out, fly by the seat of your pants, or what?

A: I sometimes 'get' scenes, often when I'm waking or just falling asleep. That's why I keep a notebook by the bedside. I put them in an ideas folder, and when I can use them, I work on them, and make them into something interesting. I start with a basic outline of the book. I used to do a scene by scene plan, something I found very useful to keep me on track, going where I want to go, but the characters sometimes won't do it. So I would have to go back and plot it all over again!

Q: Do you ever use real people as the inspiration for characters in your books? If so, why do you choose those particular people?

A: Never directly. I'll take traits and characteristics that interest me. I never use characters that have been fictionalised by someone else, as in a film, as they have been through one filter already. No sense in trying to put my own stamp on someone else's creation.

Q: If you include love scenes in your books, are they difficult for you to write? How do you decide whether to include a love scene at that point in the book, and if so, how explicit to make it?

A: I don't like the vague love scene, the 'waves on the seashore' kind. It has to be explicit, in that there is no doubt as to what is going on, but I dislike the use of crude language, unless it is absolutely necessary because of the nature of the scene. I write love scenes, not sex scenes. It has to be necessary, either for the plot or for character development.

Q: Do you write related books, such as series that revisit characters and/or settings you've written about in previous books? As a reader, do you read other authors' series?

A: I write a series for Novelbooks Inc, though "Vanessa," my Awe-Struck book, is a stand-alone Regency. The Richard and Rose series are more complex to write, because there is character development from book to book and characters reappear. I don't know if I want to let myself into that again!!

Q: What traits do you like or dislike in a hero or heroine?

A: In both - the Too Stupid To Live syndrome. The heroine who goes down to the cellar in a rainstorm, with one flickering candle, without telling anyone. The hero who goes out to fight a known brigand, without taking help. They deserve everything coming to them, but sadly, they rarely get it! Perfection in either a hero or heroine can be boring, it is difficult to pull off, and most authors don't even try.

Q: What's your current writing project? How did you come up with the idea?

A: I'm trying a paranormal, my first. It's still historical, but I've found a whole new set of conflicts with my paranormal characters! They seem to be popular at present, and I've read some I've enjoyed, though mine are different.