Little Black Dress Author: Kate Lace

1. When I left school I joined the army instead of going to university – there were 500 men to every woman when I joined up – yesss.

2. While I was there I discovered that there were more sports than hockey and lacrosse and learnt to glide, rock climb, pot hole, sail and ski. I also discovered that I wasn’t much good at any of them but I had a lot of fun.

3. I met my husband in the army. We’ve been married for donkey’s years. (I was a child bride.)

4. Since I got married I have moved house 17 times. We now live in our own house and have done so for quite a while so we know what is growing in the garden. Also, our children can remember what their address is.

5. I captained the Romantic Novelists’ Association team on University Challenge the Professionals in 2005. We got to the grand finals so I got to meet Jeremy Paxman three times.