On Writing and Reading…

What do you love most about being a writer?

The opportunities it gives me to live many different lives.

What do you like least about being a writer?

I can’t think of anything that I don’t like. My least favourite job is correcting galleys, because by that time I’m deep into another book, and it’s hard to wrench my mind back.

Do you have a favourite locale or setting for your novels? What is it and why is it your favourite?

My favourite setting is Italy, specifically Venice, because it is there that I met my husband, who is Venetian. I used it as the setting for Virtue and Vice, Enchantment in Venice, and Seduced by Innocence. Apart from Venice, my favourite city is Rome.

Which of the books you have written is your favourite?

Farelli’s Wife.

What is your favourite recent Mills & Boon or Silhouette or MIRA title by another author?

The Great Montana Cowboy Auction, because it’s bigger and better than any Anne McAllister book! I get to meet a lot of my old Code of the West friends and get a new hero, Sloan Gallagher, to dream about.

On Romance...

Describe the ultimate romantic meal.

One that is cooked for me by my husband, who, as well as being a romantic Italian, is also a marvellous chef.

What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?

I used to be a journalist, and once, when I had to do a job that took me away for several nights, I arrived back to find my husband waiting for me at the railway station. He was holding three red roses, each bearing a little gift tag. The first one said, I, the second Love, and the third You.

How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship?

What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?

A beautiful pastel portrait of a Regency lady. I had seen it in an antique shop on holiday, sighed over it, looked at the price - and walked away. On my birthday my husband took the day off, drove the two hundred mile round trip and bought it for me as a surprise.

Where is the most romantic place you’ve ever travelled?

Venice, Italy, because that’s where I fell in love with my husband.

All About me...

Besides writing, what other talent would you most like to have?

I’d like to be an opera singer.

Who is someone you admire and why?

The late Princess of Wales for the way she refused to give in.

Do you have a good luck charm or superstition?

I have a set of small penguins that I line up on the desk when I start a book.

Share one of your favourite indulgences with us.

I love munching ice cubes. I’ll actually get up in the night and go downstairs to sit eating ice cubes and watching TV. It’s also a great way of controlling your weight, because you have the satisfying feeling that you’re eating something, but actually you’re only drinking water.

What quality do you most admire in a man?

Kindness and honesty.

What is the one thing you've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to try?

Ride on one of those loop-the-loop roller coasters.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

An actress.

What quote or personal saying do you live by?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.