It's different with each book, but generally I try not to over-think it. I plan all my stories on one sheet of paper only. If I need help with the chain of events I'll write them all down on post-its and juggle them around until I get it right. After that I write about 5K words and then go back over them and edit. After that first 5K though, I usually get into the swing of things and push on without further edits until I'm finished. I round off with a couple of thorough edits, one final edit and the proof-read. Once I've published the story I do another double/triple check. There's always something I miss the first time round.

I was a big fan of the short stories you get in comics so that was my usual reading material when I was a child. The first actual book I remember reading was Flat Stanley about the guy who's so flat he can be sent through the post in a giant envelope when he wants to go somewhere. There was also a book of Aesop's Fables I remember reading. I loved them.

Anything I can get my hands on! I'm a big fan of chick-lit and I have been known to read erotica, although it has to be good quality erotica and not just any old nonsense. I also love fairy tales, especially re-workings of classic stories.

My Kindle. I do read Kobo books on my tablet using the free Kobo app but nothing beats my plain old Kindle.

I was once a very vocal supporter of KDP Select since it helped me get to number 1 in the UK's free charts but I think the success you get with that is a poisoned chalice. Yes, it puts your work into the hands of thousands of people who would never normally have taken a chance on a new author, but those readers would never pay for books anyway so are unlikely to buy your next release unless it's dirt cheap - yet they will still take a pop at it with a one star review if they didn't like it.

When I was 7 I wrote my first book. It was about a butterfly who fell in love with a flower and it was stapled together with Care Bear stationery. I dedicated it to my Gran.

Right now I'm working on a few different projects. The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries are ongoing, and I sometimes think they always will be. I'm also working on the Candlelight Lane Mysteries, which are a little different, but still involve cats and Scotland. I write under other pseudonyms too. As Heidi Hendren I write travel romance and the other pen names have to remain a secret because they're for erotica and I don't want my family to ever read it.

Nick Hornby, Belinda Jones, Irvine Welsh and Russell Brand.

Usually my bladder. I'd love to give some philosophical answer, but it just wouldn't be true.

Usually planning books. I like going to concerts, I love to travel and I just bought a new electric car so I plan to do a lot of road trips in that!

Usually word of mouth. If somebody online has discussed a book and it's particularly good or particularly shocking, I jump on it. I also read my competitors' books because I want to know what they're writing so I can write something different. Although lately I've been stuck on non-fiction in a bid to improve myself.

Yes, I do. It was the one I mentioned in another question about a butterfly that falls in love with a flower. I wish I could remember the name.

I used to be so clueless about covers. I have a very kind friend who helped me out with a couple of them and didn't charge (he's a graphic designer) but I also spent a small fortune on covers that weren't that great. I even hired someone once (a friend of a friend who was trying to set himself up as a cover designer) who promised me a bespoke, original cover, but when the time came to send me some drafts to approve, he sent me one that I had already seen on his website it was one of his "buy this pre-made cover for a fiver" ones. I was furious.

So, being thoroughly fed up with artists taking advantage by either being dishonest or charging me huge fees that I don't have (as a writer I'm supposed to be rich, you know), I instead invested in a course with the California Institute of the Arts in graphic design which I'm still working my way through. I don't think I'll ever have a natural talent for design but I can put together something half decent myself now that I'm happy with. And I have 100% control over what goes on the cover.

I just bought a new one. It's white, it's attached to the wall and folds down to save space. There are shelves attached to it to hold all my bits and pieces.