So it's my turn...

What are your favorite books from childhood?

Blinky Bill. Dorothy Wall.
The Gumnuts, Bib and Bub, by May Gibbs. In fact when I grew up I was on the Committee to save her house on the foreshore of Sydney.
My mother has a book, it's full of fairy tales and illustrations. We were only allowed to touch it on days we were sick and had to stay in bed. It was a bribe to stay there, but played a big part in my future direction into children's literature and creating them.
and of course -Little Lord Fauntleroy

...Cedric had gone into the store to rest, and had found Mr. Hobbs looking very fierce over a piece of the Illustrated London News, which contained a picture of some court ceremony.
"Ah," he said, "that's they way they go on now; but they'll get enough of it some day, when those they've trod on rise and blow 'em up skyhigh, earls and marquises and all! It's coming, and they may look out for it!"
Cedric had perched himself as usual on the high stool and pushed his hat back, and put his hands in his pockets in delicate compliment to Mr. Hobbs.
"Did you ever know many marquises, Mr. Hobbs?" Cedric inquired - "or earls?"
"No," answered Mr. Hobbs, with indignation; "I guess not. I'd like to catch one of 'em inside here; that's all! I'll have no grasping tyrants sittin' 'round on my biscuit-barrels!"
And he was so proud of the sentiment that he looked around proudly and mopped his forehead.
"Perhaps they wouldn't be earls if they knew any better," said Cedric, feeling some vague sympathy for their unhappy condition.

Ahhhh and there's Ceddie - little earl in waiting.

2. When did you start writing romance?

Twelve. I wrote about ten chapters of a book that looked remarkably like Gone with the U-no-wot.

Seriously though, it was two years ago. I had children's book manuscript I did not want to illustrate. I suddenly thought, I'd love to write something for big people. I want to fly and stretch my wings and not think about illustrations! So I did. And found that because I'd been writing children's books and the discipline of writing them, that I was so much better than I'd ever been. And loving it. Of course I write comedy. And I'm a hopeless romantic, who can watch Sleepless in Seattle umpteen times and Pride and Prejudice so many times without getting tired of them... of course I would tend to write romantic comedy.

3. If you ran the world for a day, what would you do?

I'd send them all off to their bedrooms for a day to think about it.

4. Who is your favorite romantic hero?

Darcy of course.
And Heathcliffe.

5. Complete this sentence... There is nothing more important in life than...

thinking of the positive.

6. How do you find the time to write?

It finds me. When it needs to be written it gets written. Life does have a way of getting in the way. And yes it's frustrating. When my kids were little, it was late nights, all my own. But now they are big. And I'm lucky enough to have a very supportive dh. So my nights have turned into day. I have a little puppy under my feet. A thermos on the desk left beside my orange juice prepared by my husband before leaving for his work, and I write.

Having said that though, internetting does get in the way. But it also keeps me company. So between my characters and my internetting activities, my day goes way too fast.

7. What books are you reading now?

Reading a few. Just two days ago I went to an exhibition, currently in Sydney. Diana's clothes and memorabilia from her childhood and Princesshood. I actually found the whole thing rather sad and poignant. And I've always admired her ability to rise above that family and survive it despite their lack of support. Especially in her ending. So I'm reading some of the books I bought after the exhibition. I tend to read history. And I'm also reading a few other books, mostly romantic comedy... I was told my style is kind of Briget Jones meets Cruisie - so I set out to read them...

8. I'm going to add a question of my own. What's my current WIP?

I enjoyed this anthology so much, the writing of it. With a brief set by our editor, we set out on adventures to find our heroines their loves... and it was set in 1678, and it was set in the Scottish Highlands, and it was a faerie story, and it was so outside of my conscious writing experience that I enjoyed it. So I didn't want to leave the area in a hurry, and therefore started a story still set in the highlands. This one is aiming at the 50-60,000 word market, comedy/mystery, and is finished but for the last chapter.

I have an appetite for another historical though.

:-)