I've almost finished a novel called "A Moment In Time". The trigger is a large Tudor Court House I visit to work on the garden. There is a tremendous sense of history here. You are always aware of the ghosts around you. I thought it a likely place for times to mix and, in my story, to be able to stumble into the past. I have set the story against the background of the Throckmorton family of Coughton Court who were also powerful in the Feckenham area, where my story is set. I will need to send it first to the present day family to ensure they don't object to the character profiles I have used!

There is quite a wide range: Terry Pratchett, Dick Francis, Dennis Bagley, Agatha Christie (even when I reread them, I still get the murderer wrong), Arthur Ransome, Ann Cleeve and Judith Kerr, Susan Hill, Daphne Du Maurier, Susan Cooper and Alan Garner. I could probably write another page, but this will do for now

Bubble, my cat, leaps on me demanding breakfast at 5am every morning. Admittedly, we sometimes get back into bed for a snuggle once the food is dealt with. A blue sky and beautiful sunrise over the ridge line - my bedroom faces southeast is great encouragement to get out there with a camera, but also my gardening work is exciting and satisfying, and in the Summer starts at 6.30am and goes on until 6.30pm

Gardening in some fantastically beautiful gardens, or sailing or walking. I used to cycle a lot but as I get round my gardening customers by bicycle it is nice to walk when I get the chance.

To be honest, I prefer paper books which can be read in bed

I wrote loads at school. One was called "Cut off by the tide" and involved a boy discovering a magical cave when he couldn't get back the way he came. I also filled a whole exercise book with a story about a bunch of nails and screws that escape from an attic and go to live in a forest because they do not realise that the dreaded fingers do not eat nails, only attach them to walls etc. The happy ending is them proudly holding a child's picture up on a wall and being proud of their responsibility. I was 12 when I wrote that

A lot of my writing seems to go to my fingers without passing through my conscious brain. When the idea comes, it just has to be written. The concentration comes when the first draft is done and I need to improve the similes, metaphors, conversation etc

I think it was "I am a bunny" and I loved the simplicity of the rabbit's year - a season on each double page. I can still remember the pictures and the last line "In Winter, I curl up in my hollow tree and sleep until Spring" - totally inaccurate of course!

My publishers do most of the suggesting here although I want it to portray the more exciting parts of the story inside

Masquerade by Terry Pratchett - because he gets me to laugh at the stupidities of the human race - especially the nations that are supposed to be civilised. Mog's First Christmas because the story is simple , realistic and has a happy ending, We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea - because it suggests that the world of adventure is within reach and the pride shown by father for son gives me a warm glow, Decider by Dick Francis - a flowing story where good conquers evil by use of brain rather than muscle, Acorn Winter or Dolphin Sunrise - Elizabeth Webster has a beautiful way of helping people deal with death - I normally have a good cry and feel better for it

I am making my way through the crime section of the library at the moment because it exercises my brain but Dick Francis and Terry Pratchett get picked off the shelf for a reread on a regular basis

Not very experienced at this. I just prefer a paper edition (sorry)

Walking around saying to people "Do you want to look at my book?"
I'm trying to contact schools, but only one school has so far bothered to respond which I've found disappointing
The local paper did a great article but only two people actually responded to it
I'm now trying ebay and my own website but no luck so far. Maybe facebook will help?

No desk, laptop on my knee wherever the sun will shine on me and not dazzle the screen! and normally a cat draped across the keyboard lending her knowledge and experience to the writing.

I was born in Reigate Surrey, moved to Wick in Wales when I was 2, then Chester when I was three and back to Farnham, Surrey when I was 14. A Difficult Age is based on my moving house at 14, which I hated. My first sail was on the River Dee at Chester aged 6, which was the beginning of my sailing experiences leading to teaching sailing from the age of 22.... and this is where the second book comes in.......When I moved aged 14, I also kept in touch with my old best mate from Chester and we regularly sent each other stories and pictures about a village we made up in America called Solbaiile. The stories went from its discovery in the 1700's to daily life in the late 1800's. Quite an epic! My whole life has been accompanied by cats and they are the influence for my three cat stories for bed time reading.

Aged seven but I never got anything published until my thirties when a few poems were published over a five year period

The cats I have grown up with have had these adventures and wanted me to pass them on - my cats taught me many of the rules of life. I would like the next generation to learn from their experiences too

I'll tell you later