Like most writers, I learned to read early and fell in love with books. The passion was strong enough that I would literally 'have my nose in a book', absorbing it, as if the plots and characters seeped through my skin and down to my bones. The world just seemed so much bigger in the pages of a book, and sometimes the characters in them were more vivid even than any of the folks I knew. I'm really not sure when I figured out that someone wrote the books I loved to read, and that maybe... just maybe!... I could be one of those people, those writers, but by the time I was about 12, I knew. The only life that really made sense was one that included writing.Of course, after that, it took a loooong time before I connected the two facts; my love of writing, and that it was possible to choose it as a career. I dilly-dallied for a long time, doing anything but writing.So I've done a lot of different things as 'work'. I've been a sales clerk, and a receptionist. I cleaned people's homes, and I've worked in a factory. But for the last ten years I've been an author, and it's everything I hoped it would be, and much, much more.I first decided to try my hand at romance novels solely because there was a market for them, but then I fell in love with Regencies! I'd read all of Jane Austen's books, as well as Maria Edgeworth, so I had a little background in the period, though it was woefully inadequate for what I needed. I read a lot of Regencies, too, though: Mary Balogh, Patricia Veryan, Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney. But the fun really began when I wrote my first Regency romance for a (very small) publisher, then wrote another and approached Kensington with a quivering stomach and loads of fluttery butterflies.I was lucky. They were enthusiastic about Lord St. Claire's Angel, and voila, I had a writing career. I loved writing Regencies, but before long it was time to branch out, and since then I've written mysteries, contemporary romances and paranormal romance. What I love most about writing is creating characters and weaving their lives, tormenting them a little, then letting them find happiness, love and fulfillment. I write what I like to read, and I love mystery in my romance, and romance in my mystery!Do I have a life outside of writing? Well, of course! I have a lot of other interests, among them cooking, the outdoors, crafts (beading, cross-stitching, etc.) collecting vintage cookware. I like to read, especially mysteries. I enjoy a nice glass of wine with friends, and summer evenings on the patio. I'm lucky to be surrounded by wonderful family and lots of friends.I hope you enjoy my books, and come back occasionally. I've got lots more stories up my sleeve, and won't rest until I put them down on paper!Have a great reading day!Donna Lea Simpson