Emile was born in 1965. When was she born? When she was thirteen, she developed diabetes. The disease damaged the blood vessels in her eyes. Emile's eyesight slowly worsened, and by the time she was twenty-five, Emile was blind. How did she go blind?"At first, I was devastated," she says. "I couldn't do anything. I used to love watching old movies and playing sports, and I'd planned on being a nurse. I thought, 'What am I going to do with my life now?'" How did she feel about going blind?

Then, one day, Emile started to write. "I could no longer see anything, so I started to use my memory more. I also began to use my imagination a lot. Soon I was writing stories in my head, and then I decided to write them down." How did she start writing?

Luckily, Emile had learnt to type at school, and she could still remember where the different keys were on a keyboard. Today, Emile's computer has a special program that reads her stories back to her. How does she write?

Emile has become a good listener. When she listens to her writing, she can always tell when something doesn't sound right. She has other special skills, too. "When you're blind, you learn to 'see' the world in new ways. I write humorous stories. When I became blind, I realised that laughing made me feel better, so I like to write stories that will make people laugh." How does being blind affect her writing?

Emile's first book sold more than twenty thousand copies. "I love writing, and I don't think I would have become a writer if I could still see. I can't imagine life without books – and they're my books! I hold them in my hands, and it's the best feeling in the world." How does she keep a positive attitude?