Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I have to force myself to go out and be social. Most people think I’m a very social person because I seem comfortable and confident when out and about but getting me there is an effort because my natural state of being is home with a book or a good TV show.

Why did you choose these themes in your book and were you aware of them from the outset?

Coming home stories have always fascinated me. Also, family is hugely important to me and I wanted to explore what happens when someone loses themselves and returns home to find themselves.

How difficult was it for you to write this book? Did you face any obstacles?

I started it and then life and other book contracts got in the way and it wasn’t until I was chatting with my agent and editor about some ideas that this book came up again and I pitched it on the spot – it had been plaguing me for some time. They both loved the idea and told me I had to write it. However, during the writing of it, I was also helping my best friend of 30 years through the final months of her life (she had terminal cancer), and so it was an up and down process writing this book about friends and loss and family. However, she was one of my biggest supporters and even with everything going on with her, helped me workshop through some of the sticky bits.

Do you always write in this genre or do you like to break out of the box?

I write in this genre and also paranormal romance. I am also working on something which is probably between paranormal romance and epic fantasy. It helps me to feel enthusiastic about each project when I’ve got different ways of exploring and expressing my thoughts and feelings through my characters and the situations I put them in.

What are your writing habits or idiosyncrasies?

I have to start with heating my heat bags and getting a cup of tea. Even in summer, I often heat a heat bag and have a cup of tea – whether I use it/drink it, is another thing. It’s just part of my process. I also like to have my writing playlist on in the background.

What’s next for your writing?

I am working on a few things. I’m just finishing off a paranormal valentine story for an anthology which is coming out next year (it’s called Love Cursed and will be in the Perfectly Paranormal: Valentine Anthology – details to come out on this at the end of the year). I have also just finished final proofs on another novella which is going to be in the Fantasy Realms: Warlords, Witches and Wolves Anthology – coming out in November this year. I am also about to dive into the third novel in the CoalCliff Stud series (Climbing Fear is the first in that series) and then I will start on another romantic suspense series I have playing in my mind. There’s also the paranormal/epic fantasy that I keep chipping away at too. So plenty to go on with.