She had spent three years writing her first book, and after 4 re-writes, was ecstatic to sell it, at the tender age of 20. She was significantly underwhelmed when she received her cheque, only $3000. She wrote several more while working 12 hours days as a management consultant, a job she loathed, and has hinted that some of the particularly nasty characters in her books are based on former bosses (usually the male that meets a grizzly end). The Perfect Husband was the book that brought her international attention, and soon after, as she puts it, she was throwing away her pantyhose and discovering daytime television. She loves her job, not that she regards writing as much of a stretch. She enjoys the variety it offers, such as visiting the FBI academy at Quantico, Virginia for research.