Sandra Field

How did Sandra Field change from being a science graduate working on metal-induced rancidity of cod fillets at the Fisheries Research Board to being the author of over 50 Mills & Boon novels? When her husband joined the armed forces as a chaplain,they moved three times in the first 18 months. The last move was to Prince Edward Island. By then her children were in school; she couldn't get a job; and at the local bridge club, she kept forgetting not to trump her partner's ace.

However, Sandra had always loved to read, fascinated by the lure of being drawn into the other world of the story. So one day she bought a dozen Mills & Boon novels, read and analysed them, then sat down and wrote one (she believes she's the first North American to write for Mills & Boon Tender Romance).

Her first book, typed with four fingers, was published as To Trust My Love; her pseudonym was an attempt to prevent the congregation from finding out what the chaplain's wife was up to in her spare time.

She's been very fortunate for years to be able to combine a love of travel (particularly to the north - she doesn't do heat well) with her writing, by describing settings that most people will probably never visit. And there's always the challenge of making the heroine s long underwear sound romantic.

She's lived most of her life in the Maritimes of Canada, within reach of the sea. Kayaking and canoeing, hiking and gardening, listening to music and reading are all sources of great pleasure. But best of all are good friends, some going back to high-school days, and her family. She has a beautiful daughter-in-law and the two most delightful, handsome, and intelligent grandchildren in the world (of course!).