In my novels the search for 'True Love' tends to turn into a journey of self-discovery, though there are steamy passages and plenty of romance in them too. I love using humour in my writing because it helps me not to take things too seriously. The biggest buzz I get from being an author is when readers write to me, especially if they say that what they've read has helped them through tough times. My first novel 'Ordinary Miracles' is about the break-up of a marriage and a number of people have said it was like a friend to them when they felt abandoned. That's what I wanted it to be and that's why I wrote it.
Writing is traditionally a solitary activity.
The downside of this is that it can be lonely and also, after a while, the well can start to run dry. The pressure of relentless deadlines can have a negative impact on writing. Grace believes it's very important to have other interests and not to get too isolated and she sometimes takes on office work for a bit of extra variety, though the extra money is very helpful too. If you don't care too much about status and what rung of the ladder you're on your working life is much more flexible. For example I've recently had a chance to observe the many idiosyncrasies of the average hanging file.