It was with a very happy heart that I submitted The Devil Within Us for publication. I had not intended to write another novel this year, I was supposed to be learning all about marketing in order to be discovered, become famous, and obviously rich. That is what I will – hopefully – be doing next!

I did enjoy writing The Devil Within Us, however. It was not a complicated story to work with. I found the emergence of Artemisia Montessori as the protagonist a very interesting experience. There was always the intent of having a character develop, to change from what they appeared to be to what they really are, but I did not choose her for that role initially. Artemisia just became both fascinating and enjoyable to write about. I do believe that if the author enjoys writing a character then the reader is more likely to…