The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.

Like most little girls, I found the lure of grown-up accessories astonishing - lipstick, perfume, hats and gloves. When I write female characters in my historical novels, getting these details right is vital.

Sometimes I create a character from a scrap - a mere mention that has been left behind.

I didn't expect to love being online as much as I do. I've met some wonderful people and discovered that however arcane some of my interests that there are people out there who are interested too.

The law don't like jazz clubs. No one wants anything to do with that kind of trouble.

I had loved poetry and the theatre. Now I loved adventure more.

Historical fiction of course is particularly research-heavy. The details of everyday life are there to trip you up. Things that we take for granted, indeed, hardly think about, can lead to tremendous mistakes.