A former teacher, I am a writer who has just completed a fourth book, traditionally published. Two books are contemporary romances and the third is historical, set in the 1960s. My fourth is romantic suspense, which means a blending of romance and thriller.

As a linguist I have lived and worked in a number of different places, and therefore set my books each time in a different country, taking care to give my readers a glimpse of the cultural experience. I am a passionate advocate for the romance genre ready to argue for its ability to provide role models for people of all kinds.

I am always developing new presentations but have presented on the following:

• the history of romance back to the Egyptians
• why romance should be considered a serious genre
• how to write a romantic novel
• the highlights and pitfalls or research. I use PowerPoint to illustrate but am happy simply talking. It depends on the requirements of the group.

I live on the English Riviera with my artist husband.