Rhoda Baxter writes contemporary romances with heart and a touch of cynicism. She also writes as Jeevani Charika. Her books have been shortlisted for awards such as the RoNA Romantic Comedy of the Year, The Love Stories Award and the Joan Hessayon ward. Rhoda started off as a microbiologist and then drifted out of research and into technology transfer. When choosing a penname, she was hit by a fit of nostalgia and named herself after the bacterium she studied during her PhD. She has lived in a variety of places including Sri Lanka, Yap (it's a real place), Halifax, Oxford and Didcot (also a real place). She now lives with her young family in East Yorkshire, where there are enough tea shops to keep her happy. You can find her wittering on about cake and science and other random things on her website (http: //www.rhodabaxter.com) or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter). Please do say hello if you're passing. Don't forget, you can get a free copy of one of her books by visiting her website and joining her reader newsletter.