When I was younger, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So, no, I never saw writing as a career or full-time profession. I ended up studying biology, and during my studies I discovered a passion for writing. This led me into a career as a medical writer, until I finally plucked up the courage to try my hand at writing a novel.
Yes, definitely! For me, inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere, including things that have happened to me, but also things that I have heard or read about, things that have happened to other people, or anything else around me. And then again, some ideas come from seemingly nowhere...
I started my writing journey while studying biology at university, which ultimately led to me working as a medical writer. I had also always been an avid reader and at some point thought that I would like to write a book. But it was only when I moved halfway across the world that I was suddenly inspired to get started on my novel - it was a great distraction from the stress of it all!
I think to write a good book - no matter the genre - you need to be able to make the reader feel like they are living the story with the characters. That comes down to the ability to describe everything the characters are experiencing (be it any of the senses or what they may be thinking) in such a way that it creates a three-dimensional effect, so that the scene comes alive in the reader's mind.