I have a professional background in electrical engineering and experience in local politics. I have served as a breastfeeding counsellor and breastfeeding counsellor tutor. Most importantly, I have been raising two daughters. My interest in artificial intelligence (AI) started in my teens, when I became a fan of Isaac Asimov, and was re-ignited when Rollo Carpenter asked me to create a character for his chatbot Joan, which went on to win the Loebner Prize in 2006. I fed into my books the things I learnt then and subsequently about contemporary AI, along with my life's other influences and wisdom. I am now taking a break from active promotion of my books to campaign for railway improvements in the English East Midlands, but remain happy to talk about them, and the myriad issues they touch upon, 'if you call me'.