Leigh Andrews recently had the opportunity to review Elise Chidley's latest book, Married with Baggage. Chidley is also author of The Wrong Sort of Wife. The following questions provide some insight into what goes on behind-the-scenes in her life.

1. What was your first job/ where did you start?
My first job was as a secretary for a travel agency in Durban, but I was fired because I couldn’t type. My first real job was as a features writer for Living & Loving magazine. I loved it!

2. What made you want to build a career in your profession?
Writing was always the thing I could do best, and from the moment I read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, I knew I wanted to be a writer, like Jo.

3. Describe a day in your life at present.
I get up at 06:30 and start the process of getting my kids (I have three) out of the door for school. The eldest must be at the bus stop by 07:20, the others only start at 09:00, so it’s a long morning of making breakfasts and packing lunches. I straighten up the house; empty the dishwasher; and put in a load of laundry during this time. Then, ideally, when the house is quiet, I sit down at the computer and work. The first thing I do is check my email messages. I’m a bit of an email addict and often wonder whether I wouldn’t be more productive working on a computer without a connection! On a good day, I’ll work on and off until my daughter walks in the door at 15:00. The rest of the day is devoted to driving to activities; helping with homework; and getting everybody fed.

4. How do you unwind behind the scenes? List your favourite song; movie; and book.
Favourite song: Mad World by Adam Lambert. Photograph by Nickleback. Ask me in five minutes and I’ll tell you something different…
Favourite movie: I like Whitnail and I because it’s funny and dark, and Richard E. Grant was born in Mbabane, Swaziland, like me.
Favourite book I’ve read recently is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Lifetime favourites include I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I like Wilkie Collins; Jane Austen; Charles Dicken;s and Georgette Heyer. Also Marian Keyes; Catherine Alliott; and Nancy Mitford.

5. Who would you most like to meet – dead or alive, and why?
Jane Austen. I’d like to know whether she was as witty in person as she was on paper, and why she never married. Did her sharp tongue scare all the men away? And what was her writing-life like? How did she manage to be so productive, given that she lacked a laptop?

6. What has been one of the most important lessons you have learnt?
As a writer, I’ve learned persistence and to have faith in myself. It’s a tough profession, and you have to deal with a lot of rejection.

7. What is your secret indulgence and your three ‘can’t live without’ items?
Chocolate has always been my number one secret indulgence. I can’t live without mascara; long hot baths; and my weekly tennis sessions.

8. Who do you think is getting it right in the industry?
Marian Keyes is getting it right. She manages to make the transition between the UK and the USA, and she has moved from writing ‘chick lit’ to dealing with more serious issues, taking most of her readership along for the ride.

9. Which person in the industry do you think is making waves?
In the publishing industry right now, those writing for the young adult market are making waves with books like The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and Graceling (Kristin Cashore), both of which feature strong, even militant female protagonists.

10. Who is your alter-ego?
Oh gosh. I have my hands full with just the one ego, thank you! Then again, my sister Debbie is so like me that I often think that she’s living my parallel life in South Africa, while I’m here in the USA.

11. What is your favorite perfume?
Dior Diorissimo. The jasmine in it takes me straight back to my parent’s farm-house in Kwazulu-Natal, in the spring time.

12. Which car would best personify you, and why?
I am, of course, a Lotus Elise. Sleek; fast; impractical; high maintenance; gas guzzling… Hang on. No. I’m a Volvo—not flashy; but classic and dependable.

13. What is your favorite reality TV series?
I’m not a fan of reality TV, but I do watch American Idol.

14. Who is someone you truly look up to, and which qualities do you most admire about them?
I look up to Charles Darwin for the imagination and sheer courage he showed in advancing a theory that went against conventional wisdom and the accepted belief system of his time.

15. What’s your stance on social media?
I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do with it, but I’m willing to learn! I blog at elisechidley.wordpress.com, mulling on topics like: ‘Are You a Super Mom?’, ‘Should you Give a Kid a Kindle?’, and ‘Beware the Mobile Dog Groomer’. My website is www.elisechidley.com.