I think I’m a born storyteller. Inspiration is all around me. I can read a newspaper article and come up with an idea for a book.
I know that I am very popular in Holland, in fact I have visited Amsterdam several times to publicize my books. I have a great publisher in Holland and they have published all of my books in Dutch.
I wake up in the morning and I still have a passion for what I do, and I’ll be doing it when I’m 105, I’ll be scribbling away. If it was 100 years ago I’d be sitting by the campfire, saying, “Have I got a story to tell you.”
I woke up last night and thought: ‘I must call somebody in my next novel Casablanca.’ It’s such a great name. I don’t want to call anybody Fred or Jane or Susan, so when three people get into bed together, you don’t know who they are.
I’m a storyteller; I write what I want to read.
I try not to bore my readers.
I don’t plan my books. I don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s why I could pick up any one of my 30 books and I could continue the story on.
I write synopses after the book is completed. I can’t write it beforehand, because I don’t know what the book’s about. I invent something for my publisher because he asks for one, but the final book ends up very differently.
You’ve got your hands full if you have three children under 2 years old.
There’s always things that you know about that nobody else, because everybody’s life is different. So you write about what you know. That’s number one.
Love does not appear with any warning signs. You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. No time to think about what’s happening. It’s inevitable. An event you can’t control. A crazy, heart-stopping, roller-coaster ride that just has to take its course.
The husbands, who sometimes have another family who’s grown, are going, Now I can spend time with my baby. Oh yeah, I bet your other family is really thrilled.
People are intrigued by fame, power and wealth and I think Hollywood is the only place where you get all three together.
I like to design my clothes; I design my jewelry, yeah. It’s fun.
I have written 20 books, and each one is like having a baby. Writing is not easy; some people want to write books but just can’t put a story together. I can put together a story that interests both me and my readers.
I have visited Australia several times, and I always try to make a point of going to Melbourne because it’s almost my favorite city there, Melbourne and Sydney. But I shouldn’t say that because I haven’t been everywhere-and I’m very fond of Perth too!
Authors change publishers because it’s like being married for a long time and suddenly you want to go out and have a wild affair! No, not seriously, sometimes the deal is more interesting with a new publisher, and other times they have more enthusiasm for your books.
Where was Paris Hilton a year ago? She’s a fabulous character to write about.
I don’t like being in one place too long. Five days just about does it for me because I have a very low threshold for boredom.
As soon as I reach my destination I have a cup of tea, something to eat and then sleep for about 13 hours. I make that an absolute rule and I always feel fresh afterwards and never have jet lag.
For a perfect holiday I need my iPhone and my writing tools. I write all my books by hand so black felt pens and yellow legal pads are a must. And my eyebrow pencil. I’m very low-maintenance.