For me, the greatest joy, is losing myself in a world I've created. The ability to escape from reality, if only for a few hours, and having sheer control over what my characters say/do.
We don't have absolute control of what happens in our daily lives. When you're writing, everything is in your hands.

Everything. Without them, I wouldn't be here.
During the course of writing my first novel, Impulses, I continually said that even if only one soul was touched by my words, by a relationship that I forged in a world I created, then the time in which it took me to finish, would all be worth it.

I am working on a series called Dark Evoke. It's completely different to Impulses. It's much darker, it's fresher, and it's going to be several degrees hotter.

Oh, my Lord, where to start.
S.C. Stephens, Jamie McGuire, Sylvia Day, EL James, I could be here for days.

But truthfully, I think all authors, (Indie) deserve much recognition.
It's a nerve-wrecking time to sit at that desk, hovering over that tiny publish button. Self-doubt always muscles in on your self-assurance. I think it takes a lot of courage to release something that has been a huge part of you for so long. Your book isn't just an accumulation of words, it's your heart, your soul, your baby. And although some may not find it as thrilling as others, in taking that leap and releasing it to the world, you are showing how much courage you habor, because you're chasing a dream.

My son. He's a funny little chap, I can see him having a future in comedy to be honest. Some of the fabrications that fall from his mouth if I want a lay in, just to get me up is absolutely mind-boggling.

I either read, or I'm thinking about what to write next.
Sometimes, I may direct my creativity away from the keyboard, and aim it toward the kitchen. Those are the days in which you could mistake my home for a cake shop and end up with one Hell of a tooth ache, so I try not to do it so often anymore.

When I was younger, I absolutely hated reading. I found it challenging to absorb the words while creating an image in my mind. Many times I'd raise my hand in class, tell my teacher I'd finished just to swap it for something else. But they caught me out eventually.
But everything changed when I read Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackmann, in high school. I could not put that novel down, and I've read the series four times since. Amazing, if you haven't read them, I urge you to. Absolute genius.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much of a technophobe I truly am. I've only just stepped into the 21st century and purchased a Kindle Paperwhite.
But nothing beats the feel and the smell of an actual book.

Cluttered.
All I need is my computer, my jumble of papers with my multicolored notes scribbled on them, a steaming cup of coffee and my BlackBerry. And I'm set.

I was raised in a very creative family. My grandmother was a published poet, (God rest her soul), and I would often join in, making up my own stanzas, and watching her as the cogs churned in her mind.
She would always carry a notepad and a pen in the pocket of her cardigan. I find myself doing the same thing. There's nothing worse than waking up at 3 a.m with a plot-line, and nowhere to write it down.

I started writing when I was in my early teens. The topics of my stories were very mature for my age, most probably because I had to grow up quickly.
When I started writing Impulses, I was in a very bad place in my life, and I was advised to keep writing. So I did, and it was a life changing event for me. I grew as a person, I found myself, and I was able to release hidden memories and feelings onto the paper, and in letting them go, my mind was freed up to concentrate on the more important things in life.
Writing, for me, is very therapeutic, and although sometimes its strenuous, the end result is all worth it.