On Writing and Reading… What do you love most about being a writer? I love immersing in my characters and stories. For me, writing a book is much like reading it, I get completely sucked into their world, their issues, and often they are revealed to me as I’m writing them—just like when I’m reading. There’s nothing like those first two chapters of a book… Getting to know my characters, finding out what makes them tick. Being able to work at home with my dogs at my feet is a really close second. What do you like least about being a writer? Perhaps the uncertainty of being self-employed? I’ve always been a stickler for financial security so throwing all of that to the wind to be an artist… Scary. What happens if I wake up one day and all the ideas are gone…? Do you have a favorite locale or setting for your novels? What is it and why is it your favorite? All of my stories are nature-based so I tend to set them in fabulous wild places (or if they’re urban I give them a nature focus). I tend to set stories in Australia and my home-state (Western Australia) simply because I live in one of the richest natural settings in the world. There’s no shortage of terrific, interesting material. But I’m open to other settings, whatever the story requires. My current project is set in New York, for instance with a heroine who works with the urban raptors that live in NY’s high rises. I love bringing nature and wildlife to people around the world. I believe the danger and richness of wild places perfectly mirror the passion and risk of falling in love. Which of the books you have written is your favorite? Oh, tough question. I like them all for different reasons. I really liked my wounded ex-military hero in The Soldier’s Untamed Heart, but my resilient recovering alcoholic heroine in Friends to Forever. But if I had to pick (…and I guess I do…) I’d say the first category novel that I wrote—Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong—holds a really special place in my heart. This was the book that brought me to the attention of Harlequin Mills & Boon. It’s set on remote Pulu Keeling Island a thousand kilometers off the coast of Western Australia and features a physically and emotionally scarred heroine and the sexy maritime archaeologist who draws her out of her self-imposed isolation. Turtles, shipwrecks and stunning tropical beaches. *sigh* What’s not to love. What is your favorite recent Mills & Boon or Silhouette or MIRA title by another author? Liz Fielding’s Wedded in a Whirlwind was the reason I signed with the Harlequin Romance line. I thought any line that could publish a book that takes place almost completely in the dark would be able to tolerate my authorly eccentricities. It is a wonderfully crafted story with very human, flawed characters. I’ve always appreciated something a bit different…. On Romance… Describe the ultimate romantic meal. I have a ‘get in, eat, and get out’ relationship with food so for me the location makes a meal romantic. Somewhere on a deck, in a forest, overlooking a bay twinkling with reflected stars. What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received? Two dozen anonymous red roses on valentines day. The source never came forward and never dropped any ‘notice me’ hints. They just did it to make me happy. And it worked. How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship? With great difficulty! We’ve been together ten years and it’s so easy to let day-to-day concerns override everything else. We love to travel together, so we try and throw the dogs in the car and go find a forest somewhere to spend ‘us’ time together in. What tip would you give your readers to make their lives more romantic? Notice each other. Recognise that true romance is not found in gestures or gifts or fancy words but in the every day little things that two people do for each other. Where is the most romantic place you’ve ever traveled? Western Australia’s southwest is full of caves and I find standing with my other half deep below the earth looking at crystal pools and stunning stalegmites to be romantic. There’s something about being accountable to the Earth in that environment… All About me… Besides writing, what other talent would you most like to have? I would love to be able to compose classical music. More story-telling, just a different medium. Who is someone you admire and why? My mum. She has been my lifetime role-model for a woman who can do anything in this world. She raised two daughters alone and turned them into good, successful people. She’s bright and witty and compassionate. Do you have a good luck charm or superstition? I have a freaky kind of superstition. When I was little I had a dream that I was supposed to be the person who helped lost animal souls get to heaven, so when I saw an animal that had been struck by a vehicle I was convinced it wouldn’t know where to go or what to do. So my job was to call the angels to help it find its way. And if I didn’t it might not get to heaven. I do it so unconsciously now whenever I see an animal that has fallen foul of a vehicle. I’ve perfected it down to a two second, brief blink kind of job. I may be superstitious but I’m efficient! I also have terrific denial…. What about all those animals around the world that I don’t see…. La la la la…can’t hear you… Share one of your favorite indulgences with us. I love curling up on the sofa under a warm quilt and watching entire chunks of a DVD series. Hours in a row. Or spending all day playing video games. Or reading an entire book. No real time for that anymore which makes it extra special when I can do it. What quality do you most admire in a man? Capability. I love a man who could get me off a desert island if we were stranded. But right behind that is compassion. I couldn’t be with someone who wasn’t kind to animals and children, for instance. What is the one thing you've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to try? Nothing. If I wanted to do something I would do it. There’s plenty of things that I wouldn’t be brave enough to do (sky diving, bungee jumping) but I don’t have a particular urge to do them. Life is too short for regrets. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? A wildlife documentary film-maker. Same nature focus, just a different voice. What quote or personal saying do you live by? Who said it? Pee or get off the pot. I believe my Nanna taught me that. Do something or quit whining about it. I cannot stand people who complain relentlessly about things they do nothing to change. I’m a huge believer in self-determination. Own your mistakes, own your successes, and if you want something, go for it.