I am delighted to be speaking with author Jane Lovering today. Thanks for chatting with me today Jane and welcome to FAR!

To start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

That depends what you want to know... I live in North Yorkshire in Britain, where the sky is bigger than average. It also rains a lot, hence my hobbies of reading and having children, which are both indoor hobbies with no danger of getting wet. I've got five children so far, and if the weather doesn't clear up soon we may have to build an extension. Oh, and I've got dogs and cats too. Damp ones.

Your book Reversing Over Liberace is getting great reviews. Can you tell us about it?

It's a romantic comedy, where the hero isn't a traditional hero, the heroine inherits a nose in a matchbox and everyone gets what they deserve. It's set in the city of York and on the North York Moors. A bit like Wuthering Heights, with extra nose.

Where did the idea for Reversing Over Liberace come from?

I was getting a bit fed up with reading about huge, manly heroes, with enormous faces and craggy chests (or was it the other way around, I forget). The kind of man I tend towards is a bit skinny, a bit unshaven, clever, funny and kind. And not a crag or bicep to boast of. In other words, the kind of man you might trip over in Sainsbury's. I'm not into the unattainable fantasy man, so I set out to write a story where the 'hero' type gets upstaged by a guy with cerebral palsy and a mean way with a computer.

How did you celebrate the release of Reversing Over Liberace?

I seem to remember singing a lot and dancing on the table with my top off...oh, sorry, that was last night. No, for release day I sneaked around school surreptitiously sticking posters on all the notice boards and then pretending to be surprised when everyone asked about the book. I also got interviewed by the local paper. And, obviously, phoned up everyone I knew, to tell them the book was out.

What's one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

I'm soluble in water.

What would you consider your most interesting quirk?

You mean, being soluble in water doesn't count? I don't have quirks then. Completely normal, me. For someone made of cheese.

Is it hard for you to balance your life as a writer? How do you manage it?

I get up at 6:30, run or do an aerobics class for forty minutes, clean the house, go to work, come home and walk the dogs then write for about three hours. Cook the kids' tea, write for another hour, walk the dogs again, kiss my partner, then fall unconscious. I never watch TV and the kids make their own amusement. This does mean that I've raised five kids who can sit staring at a wasp for two hours, and tend to prefer their own cooking to their mother's rather distracted efforts. But it also means I can fit writing into the day.

What was the hardest aspect of writing Reversing Over Liberace? How did you overcome it?

Pacing. It's always the hardest thing for me, not to get all the story done in the first two chapters and then witter on and on and on and on and...well, you get the picture. With Liberace I wrote the synopsis out first. That way I made sure I had enough story, and not just a great beginning and a stonking end with a middle that consisted of people going to the shops. It worked, I think.

What do you like about being a writer? What's it like to win recognition in a book competition? Is it very important?

Best thing about writing? Indoor work, no heavy lifting. And winning competitions is just another form of advertising, it's a way of saying 'here I am, and other people like my writing - go buy my book. Go now. Really. So that, when I'm the 'next big thing', you can say you discovered me when I was only a fairly small thing.

What is your favorite genre to read?

Oh, I'm fickle, I am. I love science fiction, but then I also love romance. Anything with a bit of comedy in it.

What are you currently working on?

I'm doing a couple of re-writes for my editor, one is another romance called Slightly Foxed about a single mother working in a bookshop. The other is a fantasy called Dead Run, about vampires and werewolves and the importance of keeping a filing system in order. Then I've got a brand-new novel called Beethoven Complex which is underway. That's a romantic comedy about a woman in hiding. Oh, and exploding horses.

What would be the theme song to your life?

My Chemical Romance - 'Teenagers'. Or Snow Patrol's 'Chocolate'. I'm working on it being 'My Way' but I fear I'm only going to get as far as 'The Birdie Song'.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

My biscuits. Go on, they're Hobnobs. Take as many as you want, I'll put the kettle on...

Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today Jane. I have really enjoyed hearing more about you and your work.

You can learn more about Jane and the books she creates on her website http://www.janelovering.co.uk/

Interviewed by: Tammy