I write something a little unusual. It's a different take on love and romance that I call Romantic Gritty.

I prefer to look at life and love without the gloss. Life isn't tidy or predictable, its pieces coming together in a neatly plotted jigsaw. And love is a serious business that can be messy and difficult. You don't always achieve what you thought you wanted. I believe I write honestly about real situations, and the perils, guilts and drawbacks - as well as the rewards - of love and lust. And I am positive there is a market for the kind of book I write; after all, it's what I like, and I can't be that unusual, can I? But sadly, no one wants to publish it. Well ... actually, someone did ... but fifteen years ago.

The idea that when you write you can play God is a seductive one, but it's not entirely true. Characters and plots have a way of taking on a life of their own and mine dragged me off in the wrong direction . Though I did send the finished article to Mills & Boon, it was quickly returned to me. I knew already that I had not written a 'category romance'. Even at this early stage in my writing career it seems I was incapable of following a furrow ploughed by others.

book cover Just Before Dawn