Nalini Singh

While I've written a couple of contemporary series (one featuring rock stars, the other rugby players), the majority of my books are either paranormal romances, or romantic urban fantasies.

I love writing huge, sweeping worlds and exploring the power and politics, beauty and cruelty, within. My two major series are very different - the Psy-Changeling series features telepaths and shapeshifters, the Guild Hunter series archangels and vampires - but one thing remains the same: the raw emotions that power the characters in my stories. Love, friendship, and hope are all defining elements of my books.

I do also write stand-alone thrillers set in my home of New Zealand - rugged and moody, the landscape is perfect for stories of suspense and darkness.

I was born on the tropical island of Fiji, and moved to New Zealand as a child. Being in such a distant part of the world, I traveled often through the pages of books - I was (and am!) a voracious reader.

In terms of specific geographical influence - as I mentioned above, NZ is a major player in the thrillers I've started to write. It's a country with stunning landscapes and plenty of isolated roads and forests - the perfect setting for thrillers that send a cold whisper across the back of your neck.

The kind that read the back of the cereal box if that was all that was nearby! I wanted to read ALL the books! In Fiji, I only had access to what we called the "book bus" - a mobile library - and I was determined to make my way through the entire collection.

I have such lovely memories of that book bus.

Then we moved to New Zealand - imagine my astonishment and wonder when I walked into the local library and realized the entire building was full of books! I still wanted to read all of them!

If you're a reader who enjoys contemporary romances, try ROCK HARD, which is the most beloved of my contemporaries with readers. (He's big and growly and also buys her cupcakes.)

If you like paranormal romances full of families (the ones we're born into and the ones we find), loyalty, and fated mates, try SLAVE TO SENSATION - this is the book that kicked off my longest running series, and it remains a fan favorite to this day.

If you like your romances a little darker and bloodier, let me point you toward ANGELS' BLOOD - this is a world of immortals who lost their humanity a long time ago. To them, mortals are nothing but fireflies, here one moment, gone the next. Into this walks Elena, a mortal who refuses to give up who she is even for an archangel. And so begins an epic romance that spans multiple books.

And if you're feeling in the mood for a mystery/thriller, check out any of my thrillers. If I had to rec one for a starter, I'd say go for QUIET IN HER BONES...mostly because it features a writer who may or may not be losing his mind. ;-)

This is an impossible question! I've been a bookworm all my life, so my list of favorites is endless. I will say that Anne McCaffrey had a huge influence on me. I learned how to world build well by seeing her do it over and over. I still reread her books to this day.

Some of the many writers I love and follow include: Alyssa Cole, Vivien Chien, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Jayne Ann Krentz, J.D. Robb, Martha Wells, Nikki Payne, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Sonali Dev, Jonathan Kellerman, Ali Hazelwood, and Michelle Diener. (I could keep on adding names!)

I tend to choose each book specifically for each person, so I mix it up.

The most recent book I gifted was The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - to someone that I knew would love its setting in Kerala, and the sprawling story of a family across generations.

I've also gifted Dark Horse by Michelle Diener to people who I know love science fiction romance, and copies of books in Lee & Miller's Liaden series have made their way into many a hand!

I honestly couldn't tell you. My characters are all unique individuals who I think of as people separate from me, so it's hard for me to see myself in them. I think my readers are the ones who will make that decision in the end!

Can I say two?

Chapter Books & Tea in Auckland, New Zealand. It's my local romance-friendly indie store, stocks my signed editions, and pre-orders all my favorites in for me. It also has a huge selection of specialty teas. So basically, two of my absolutely favorite things in one place! I can't say enough good things about Chapter.

East City Bookshop in Washington DC - Destinee at ECB is such a huge champion of both my books and romance in general, and has been my conversation partner at many a launch event. 

I feel very lucky to have a study that is my dedicated writing space. It's full of light (and plants, because I'm a plant person!)

I've had the same desk since I was about fifteen, and it's got a few stickers and post its on it that I've put in place over the years. I write on a mechanical keyboard that lights up in rainbow colors, and have a single large screen (though I am pondering the benefits of adding a second screen).

To the right of my desk is a wall full of fan art, and to the left of the desk is a cubby-style shelving unit where I keep series bibles, reference copies of my books, as well as cute little things readers have given me over the years, and little treasures I've found on my travels.

I also have a chaise longue for working on printed-out pages (and okay, for the occasional nap!)

On the floor is a silk rug I bought from a collective of craftspeople when I visited India, and across from me is the "stationery shop" AKA the study cupboard.

It's a warm space full of things that bring me happiness, and I love coming into it every morning.

A padded and cozy chair big enough that I could stretch out on it or curl up in it depending on my mood, set up against a window that looks out onto a rainy day. Bookshelves all around, and a fluffy rug on the floor.