To celebrate the launch of my new Tarrin’s Bay series with THE JANUARY WISH and FEBRUARY OR FOREVER now available, I’m running a special interview segment called ‘At Home With…’

Today, we’re paying a visit to Jane Linfoot!

1. Hi Jane, where are you from and how long have you lived there?

I’m in Matlock Bath, in Derbyshire, UK. It’s a Georgian Spa Resort, built in the Derwent Gorge, and I’ve lived here for seventeen years.

2. What do you love about the place you call home?

I love how homely and welcoming my cottage is – it was built in 1755. I love living at the top of a hill, and I love that it feels as if I’m in the country, with cows going past the garden, and woods to walk out into, and yet it’s only a five minute drive from a station and a town with lots of people.

[Juliet ~ Sounds lovely!]

3. Do you have a favourite local cafe, restaurant, bar, club, business, or store? Give them a plug here!

I have to say that I love Bow Boutique in Matlock. It has so many lovely things, great style, and it’s fab that it’s also opened as a café now too! Pop onto the website, for pics, and you’ll get what I’m saying.

4. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

I have Yoyo, a ten year old, Old English Sheepdog with a hint of something else in her, and two cats, Tinkerbell, who is seventeen, sleek, and grey and white, and Umberto, who is fifteen, orange, and rather tubby!

5. What is your favourite room in the house and why?

The kitchen is my favourite room, because that’s where the Aga is – great for bottom warming – and from the window I get a view right down the valley, and away to the distant hills.

[Juliet ~ I confess, I had to look up what an Aga is! I’ve learned something new today 😉 ]

6. If you had to evacuate your house, what three items (apart from people and pets!) would you take?

I’d take a box of photos of the children growing up, my laptop, and my grandmother’s black satin high heeled dancing shoes!

7. If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about your home or your town?

I’d cut a lot of trees down – over-grown self-seeded trees are a big problem here!

8. It’s movie night at your place, the popcorn’s out, and everyone’s nabbed their favourite couch corner or armchair… what movie/s will we watch?

Anything french, any rom com….

[Juliet ~ Or a French rom com perhaps!]

9. Imagine you have the luxury of a chef for a night and you’ve invited people over for a dinner party, what would you have the chef cook?

Wow! Fabulous! If he didn’t have any suggestions himself, I’d request salade Perigourdine, bouillabaisse, and plum and almond tart.

10. Name three books on your To Be Read bookshelf or e-reader:

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane, The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke, Summer of Surrender by Zara Stoneley

11. Name something unique or uncommon that you have in your pantry or fridge:

Eye drops!

12. If you could live anywhere for one year, where would you go?

Nepal or Provence, France

13. You’ve just received a phone call from a friend or relative, and they’ll be arriving in five minutes for a visit. What do you do?

a) Relax on the couch until they arrive.

b) Put the kettle on; place some (probably homemade) snacks onto a tray; set the table; put flowers into a vase; and light a candle (and maybe even make some place cards with your super calligraphy skills).

c) Put the kettle on; tip out a few cookies onto a plate; check your reflection in the mirror, and wait.

d) Freak out; shove excess household clutter under beds, in cupboards, drawers, and the garage; trip over something in the process; hold an ice pack to your bruised forehead while swearing profusely; check the mirror to see if you’re still in pyjamas; frantically change into suitable clothing whilst simultaneously holding ice pack to your head; fall over again; alternate ice pack between head and location of new injury; then shove ice pack under bed and greet visitors with the fakest smile of pure calm you can muster.

Probably d – unless things are SO bad it isn’t worth rushing, so then it would be c!

>> Even though Jane would probably love you to pay a visit, why not visit her online right now?

Website : Blog : Facebook : Twitter

>> And help her pay for that in-house chef (or housekeeper) by buying a copy of her book here:

Amazon / Amazon UK / Other links at Harper Impulse

How to Win A Guy In 10 Dates 

The 10 Date Challenge

Day 1: Take one loaded commitment-phobe explosives expert, embarking on the impossible–a challenge to have ten dates with one woman.

Day 5: Add in a fiercely independent and feisty burlesque teacher who has sworn off men.

Day 10: She’s so not his type and he’s so not in her life-plan. But the heat is sizzling and the attraction is explosive. And they’re fighting it all the way….