When I was pregnant with my daughter about fourteen (fourteen?!?) years ago, I read everything I could get my hands on about how to be the best parent and how to raise a loving, healthy child. One piece of advice I came across over and over again was this: if you read to your child every day–before they can read themselves before they can even tell you they’re enjoying the story before they’re even born–you will instill a love of reading in your child that will last a lifetime. Parents, I’m here to tell you, it’s all lies. As a toddler, sure, my daughter loved having me sit in her room reading story after story to her at bedtime. We’d snuggle as we made our way through three, four, ten books at a time. Winnie the Pooh, the Berenstain Bears, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. I would use different voices and she’d laugh along, scolding me if I used the wrong voice or slipped out of character. Finally, I would tell her, “That’s enough for tonight. It’s time to go to sleep.” And I would tuck her in, kiss her goodnight, and tiptoe out of her room with…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Witness Protection Widow 2–What is it about? Allison James witnessed a murder. The only way for her to stay alive and ensure the killer is brought to justice is to go into hiding with the Witness Protection Program until the trial. Ali didn’t expect the man sent to protect her to be the same one who once broke her heart. 3–What word best describes your heroine(s)? Brave. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  His determination not to let Ali down again. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Colt Tanner and Branch Holloway 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? My family and I lived near Winchester for fifteen years. We love the area and still have many friends there. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I typically create a loose, very vague outline but I allow the story to go where the characters take it as I’m writing. 8–What is an ideal writing day for you? Rise early. Drink lots of coffee. Work uninterrupted for several hours. 9–Do you listen to music while…

CHAPTER 3 Mamba Kisiwa na Simu ya Dharura—Crocodile Island and an Emergency Call The day’s shooting went well, starting with a morning call at eight. Pero had hired a fishing boat with Honda outboards, and they embarked from the hotel dock and headed two hours up the lake to Crocodile Island. The water was calm in the early morning, crystal clear, birds dipping beaks on the wing to drink. As they approached Crocodile Island, looking down off to the side, Mary spotted a small herd of hippos. Heep filmed them, lowering the waterproof camera as the blue-black, corpulent giants danced along the shallow bottom near the shore of the island. The morning’s planned shoot was filming the crocodile sand nests, the enormous females waiting just offshore, slowly treading water with powerful tails. Mary donned her wet suit, powered up her video camera, and went snorkeling in four to ten feet of water. Heep and the crew remained in shallow water and used the main underwater camera, filming her filming the crocs. The crew soon found themselves standing in five feet of water, as close to fifteen-foot crocs as anyone sane would ever want to be. While Susanna had adjusted her…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? My new release is called HEADLINERS, and it’s the fifth book in my London Celebrities series. 2–What is it about? Rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have been trading barbs on their respective shows for years, but the competition between them soured into full antipathy after Nick broke Sabrina’s family scandal on his show. With both their careers potentially on the rocks, their only chance to salvage their jobs is to (reluctantly) agree to co-host the network’s struggling live morning show. They have a limited deadline to lift the ratings, but have to contend with an unknown person on set who’s determined to see them fail. In order to make things work, they’re going to have to put the past behind them and pull together as a team. But when it becomes clear that the chemistry between them is not solely antagonistic, the road to true love is as rocky as the path to higher ratings. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Determined. Sabrina has a strong work ethic and she’s determined to make the best of things, and to not let her personal problems with Nick jeopardise her career any…