Carol Marinelli recently filled in a form asking for her job title. Thrilled to be able to put down her answer, she put writer. Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation and she put down the truth - writing. The third question asked for her hobbies. Well, not wanting to look obsessed she crossed the fingers on her hand and answered swimming but, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights - I'm sure you can guess the real answer.

Sharon Kendrick started story-telling at the age of eleven and has never stopped. She likes to write fast-paced, feel-good romances with heroes who are so sexy they’ll make your toes curl! She lives in the beautiful city of Winchester – where she can see the cathedral from her window (when standing on tip-toe!).

She has two children, Celia and Patrick and her passions include music, books, cooking and eating – and drifting into daydreams while working out new plots.

Annie has devoted her life to an intensive study of charismatic heroes who cause the best kind of trouble in the lives of their heroines. As a sideline she researches locations for romance, from vibrant cities to desert encampments and fairytale castles. Annie lives in eastern Australia with her hero husband, between sandy beaches and gorgeous wine country. She finds writing the perfect excuse to postpone housework.

Jane Porter is a London-based illustrator and writer with an MA in Illustration and Animation from Kingston University. She is a winner of The London Book Fair Illustration Prize. A former journalist, Jane has illustrated for a variety of publishers as well as organisations like the London Zoo, The National Trust, English Heritage and Kensington Palace among others.

She also runs creative workshops for children and school art projects. Jane's first picture book as author/illustrator, Pink Lion, was published by Walker in 2017. She's also illustrated Wings!, a picture book by Paul Stewart for publication by Otter Barry Books, as well as a series of early readers for Orion.

When she's not working, Jane can often be found out on the river Thames in a coracle, skiff or punt, looking out for passing bats, cormorants and wagtails.