I'm a gastronome first and foremost. I have several bookshelves in my home full of cookbooks, foodie magazines and food writer books and I am always on the hunt for a great recipe or local foodie haunt to try.

I always think of it you know building a business, building a brand, a friend of mine gave me a metaphor for it which I think is really true it's like building coral, you don't see it happening it's just little little little and when you step back you think wow.

We are so excited for what's next. I think that's what I love most about it, the energy and the excitement that comes from that.

You never really know if it's going to happen or not do you but the vision was always for [Karen Walker] to be a global niche luxury product.

We grew up with social media. There was no iPhone when we started! I love technology; I love what it does to my life. What I really love about social media and the Internet is that it has shifted the power it has democratised everything.

Even when I'm writing in character I'm normally still writing about things I know or things that have happened to me or using that character to start an exploration of my own consciousness. Really though, any character that you can examine is just an examination of a part of your own consciousness.

Well there are a lot of things I like to eat but at this time of year I'm finding I'm making fig and chèvre salad at least once a week and that's a combo that's hard to beat.