And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Our Mystery Author this round is from 'down under'. Nicola Marsh was born and raised in Melbourne Australia. She lives there still raising her two children. You will find she sets many of her storie there, sharing the delights of her hometown with her readers.

After you have enjoyed the interview below, visit her at her website!

http://www.nicolamarsh.com/

Thanks, Nicola!

1. Australia is in my top five list of "Places to visit". If I were
coming today, what are some of the must see places while I am there.

Australia is a stunning country. From the beautiful beaches to the vast outback, from the cosmopolitan cities to the mountains, there is so much to see and do.

If you were here today, I’d recommend you visit Melbourne (my home city and yes, I’m biased!) where there’s great shopping, great restaurants, great café culture. Sydney is glorious with the harbour. Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef are spectacular.

2. If given a ticket today, where would you like to go and why?

I’d love to visit Spain. It’s a part of Europe I’ve never been to and the culture intrigues me.

3. Tell us about your family and growing up in Melbourne.

Melbourne is a fabulous city to raise a family, with everything on our doorstep. My two little kiddies love it as much as I do, with regular trips to the museum, the aquarium and the beach (all of which have featured in books I’ve written. Nothing like first hand research!)

4. Did you always want to be a writer?  And why romance?

I’ve always wanted to write but got sidetracked into a medical career! During the 13 years I worked as a physiotherapist, I constantly said ‘I’m going to write a book one day’ and finally got sick of saying it and actually did it!

I love reading romance so that seemed a natural fit for what I wanted to write.

5. What do you find to be the hardest part of writing? The easiest?

Hmm…the hardest part of writing is sitting in front of the computer when I’d rather have my nose buried in a good book! The easiest would have to be the ideas constantly flashing through my head and choosing one to write.

6. Your first book was about speed dating. That sounds like it would be fun to write. What kind of research did you do for that?

Ah… I wish I could tell you I went on a few speed dates myself and funny anecdotes to accompany the dates but in reality, my research was nothing as glamorous as that.

I was between patients (working as a physio at the time) and flipping through a glossy magazine when I saw an article on speed dating. It fascinated me, so I ripped it out, scoured it and used the info as fuel for my first book.

7. Tell us about your new book, being released in the US in February, The Boss's Bedroom Agenda.

THE BOSS'S BEDROOM AGENDA has to be one of my favourite books. The idea sparked when I took my kids to the Melbourne Museum last year, a brand spanking new museum so very different to the old one. It’s such a quiet, peaceful place and I suddenly thought ‘what would it be like to work here if you were bubbly and vivacious and loud?’ and voila! My heroine Beth Walker was born!

Beth is a metal sculptor with a flippant attitude and a serious shoe fetish. She’s filling in as a tour guide at the museum when she meets sexy archaeologist Aidan Voss. Sparks fly between these two from the first meeting and don’t let up!

It’s a fun, flirty read and my first Harlequin Presents release in the US so I can’t wait to hear what readers think.

8. You also have a book being released in March, Two Weeks in the Magnate's Bed. Tell us a little about that.

Interestingly, TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED is the first book I ever wrote! It has been buried in cyber space collecting dust and waiting for the right opportunity, and has ultimately found its home in the Harlequin Modern Heat series. Set on a cruise ship in the South Pacific (and yes, bits may be based on fact but you’ll have to read the book to figure out which ones!) it’s the story of Lana, a museum curator who needs a major image overhaul. She doesn’t expect sexy sailor Zac to help in her quest.

Lana is the geeky cousin of Beth in THE BOSS'S BEDROOM AGENDA. She just had to tell her own story!

TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED will be out in the US in September as Harlequin Presents.

9. And what's next? Have you ever thought about venturing into another genre or aspect of romance (historical, paranormal)?

Next up in May is a Harlequin Romance, THE BILLIONAIRE'S BABY, set in the vibrant Docklands district of Melbourne. Camryn is the ultimate city girl and runs a hip café so her life is thrown into turmoil when her ex returns and wants to whisk her away to the country.

Then I have another Harlequin Romance out in September, A TRIP WITH THE TYCOON, set in Melbourne and India. This book was commissioned by Harlequin as part of their new miniseries ‘Escape Around the World’ and I’m thrilled to be a part of it, especially with exotic locations like Goa and Rajasthan to write about.

As far as venturing into new waters, I’ve written 2 mainstream contemporary romances, which my agent is trying to sell as we speak!

10. What do you like to read?

While romance is my first love (I adore reading anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Barbara Samuel and Adele Parks) I’m also addicted to thrillers, where Harlan Coben and Tess Gerritsen battle it out for space on my overflowing bookshelf.