Hmmm, only five? Well, let me see. In no particular order, Sophie Kinsella, Twenties Girl and I’ve Got Your Number. Bridget Jones Diary. Stephanie Plum series, Janet Evanovich (Do I have to pick one?) and Harry Potter, JK Rowling. Other than the Harry Potter series all are light hearted and fun, and I love that. After a long tiring day, I want something that I can read and escape into; a story where I can forget all about work and family and all the other things that wear us down in life. Harry Potter caught my attention in the early days when my son wanted to read them. At the time there was a bit of controversy around them, so I decided to check them out before I gave them to him. By the end of page one I was hooked.

Gemma Halliday, Sophie Kinsella and Catherine Alliott.
When I was in school (it was a long time ago!) we were forced to write in a certain stilted style. I still enjoyed reading but it was only once I’d found Catherine Alliott and then Janet Evanovich that I realised that the style didn’t have to be that way. It didn’t have to be perfect English or have perfect characters. In fact, Sophie Kinsella taught me that it’s better to have imperfect characters! It gave me a freedom to create the way I wanted to, so as far as my style goes, I’d say they were my biggest influencers. However as far as my writing is concerned, Gemma Halliday is my biggest inspiration and influencer (and I’m not just saying that because she’s my publisher, lol). She really encourages me and guides me to be the best author I can be. And I’m truly grateful that I found her and her books.

PS I love you. Not the Cecelia Ahern book. This was in the Sweet Dreams series that I read as a teenager. I cried for weeks whenever I thought about it, and the leading male was the first character I ever fell in love with.

Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series. :) That man is so hot!

Fast, funny novels. I’m not set on a genre, but I love it to include a bit of romance, a bit of mystery, and a lot of light-hearted humour.

Well, that depends on where I am in the writing process. Before I start a new manuscript, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest searching for dream desks. I get loads of inspiration then spend hours organising my workspace because I need it to be neat, tidy and in order, and to allow me the visual freedom my mind needs to create (all good in theory, right?) But half way through a manuscript I often can’t even find a pen under the mess!

It depends on what I’m writing. I usually have a beginning and an end and an idea of what happens in the middle, but everything else generally works itself out as I’m writing. Luckily, I like edits, lol

I grew up travelling between England and Australia. From the age of 4 until I was 18 years old, we moved the entire household thirteen times backwards and forwards across the world. I went to 14 different schools and there were times when we had moved back to England before our possessions had even reached Australia!
When I was 18, we moved back to Australia and I told my parents they could continue to move all they wanted to, but I was staying put, lol. I don’t think all these moves influenced my writing but it definitely influenced me to create worlds in my mind where everything was happy (don’t worry, I’m a completely stable adult!) But as an 8-year-old who had just said goodbye to her extended family and all her friends, a happy place was where I wanted to be.

I’m working on the third instalment in a cozy mystery series, The Aloha Lagoon Mysteries. My MC Samantha seems to get herself involved with some serious issues in that town. Luckily, she has her super-hot boyfriend to help her out of them. :)

I love it! I love creating new characters and sending them on adventures that I would never dream of getting myself into. I also love that my stories can help the reader to escape their lives for a little while and get lost in a world where they can have some fun.

I’d tell myself to start writing when I was younger.

I would love them to know how much fun they are!