What a joy to finally see my debut crime novel ‘Deadly Diplomacy’ in print. That plot and those characters, who have been rattling around in my head for so long, are at last out and in a real book. Now I can rip up those drafts and manuscripts and properly concentrate on completing ‘Deadly Deceit’, the second in the trilogy.

Why set the first ‘Deadly Diplomacy’ in Australia? Because I lived six years of my life in that beautiful country and loved every minute of it. Waking up to expansive blue skies every morning and exotic birds outside my window lifted my spirits. It’s not just a country, it’s a continent. Huge, diverse and interesting, it’s quite unique in the world and, although it’s a long journey, I like to go back and visit whenever I can.

Writing is such a bug. I remember the first time I sat in the audience and heard a ripple of laughter reverberate around the theatre at something I’d written, I was completely hooked on writing plays. I love making people laugh. If they come out of the theatre smiling, then I think ‘job done’! Mind you, not all of my plays were comedies. And my crime novel definitely isn’t! If you are kind enough to read it, then you will see I like exploring the darker side of life, especially what makes people do what they do. Grit and gore, the Americans often call it!