I’m guessing it’s due to the unquenchable reading habit I had even as a kid, but I’ve enjoyed writing since middle school, and always wanted to write a book “someday.” I used to email myself ideas and snippets of setting or dialogue when struck by inspiration at my day job as a programmer/manufacturing engineer, but didn’t feel like I had time to devote to writing. It wasn’t until I was lucky enough to be able to quit my day job to be more available to my (then school-aged) kids that I found myself with enough time to pursue writing. Even then, it took me another year before I realized the stories in my head were romances. I haven’t stopped writing since.