What, Where, When, Why, How with Christina Phillips

Welcome on this sunny August day to author, Christina Phillips!

What would you say to a half dressed man you caught stealing your tomatoes out of your garden?

In reality I would probably pitch a fit, hide under the kitchen sink and call my husband on his mobile! However, in my fantasy world the half dressed man would be a dead ringer for Clive Owen (oh wait, this is my fantasy isn't it - OK it IS Clive Owen!!!) So I would slink out and enquire in a seductive manner if there was anything else he fancied stealing...

When was the last time you got in a fight?

I'm going to be very boring here and say I don't get into fights. I'm very non-confrontational and would rather just ignore horrible situations. (Unless it comes to my kids, but that's different because that's a Mummy thing!!!) I've found it's easier to just let go of people who prefer to make a huge mountain out of an air bubble. Life is WAAAAYYYY too short for that kind of rubbish!!

Where on your body would you get (or do you have) a tattoo?

I don't have a tattoo on account of my aversion to having needles stuck in me unless it's a life threatening situation, and the fact I avoid any and all unnecessary pain! But if I did get a tatt, I'd have one of those fabulous 3D ones over my entire back. Something really gorgeous, glittery and fantastic incorporating a fantasy wood, waterfall and fairies!

Why shouldn't a heroine be afraid when a wolf with lavender eyes has her cornered in a cave?

With lavender eyes? Wow. I think the heroine would be too mesmerized by those eyes to bother with being afraid! Plus, lavender eyes clearly indicates this wolf is under a Curse, so all the heroine has to do is break the enchantment. Once she's done that she'll be faced with a hot hunk of masculinity with a ripped body and... lavender eyes!!

How long does it take you to write a book?

This varies soooo much. My first book, Foretaste of Forever, started off as a recurring dream over the course of four years. Eventually I wrote it down, just to get it out of my head, but it was another four years before I went back to it and revised it with a view to publication.

Thankfully eight years is NOT the normal length of time it takes me to finish a story!!! My second Scarlet Rosette, Touch of the Demon, came to me one evening as I was sitting at the computer doing some correspondence. The entire plot just fell into my brain, virtually complete, and I started writing it there and then. I think that one took three weeks to finish the first draft.

I moved to sunny Australia from the UK almost ten years ago with my very own hero and our three adorable children. Over the last few years as I’ve actively sought publication for the romances I love writing, I’ve tried my hand at category romance, chic lit, paranormal and now dark erotic romance. My mantra is Never Say Never, because I will immediately go and do whatever I said I could never attempt!