As the clock ticks past five in Romance HQ, slightly dishevelled editors begin to emerge from flurries of paper, their screen-fuzzed eyes blinking against the evening light. Stretching our stiffened muscles, reapplying our smudged lippy…we begin to feel more human again.

You see, if you work in the world of fantasy and fiction…returning to reality can come as a bit of a shock! At the end of each day, we must remind ourselves that bumping into an Italian billionaire (or Greek millionaire, I’m not picky) isn’t every girl’s future – and that we must make our own! The world is our oyster, there’s a five to nine as well as a nine to five, right?

You would be forgiven for thinking that out of hours, the last thing we would want to come face-to-face with is anything to do with love. However, you would also be wrong. It turns out we just can’t get enough of it…nothing will sate our addiction to romance! Only this week I rekindled my (undying) love for a man in tights, watching Kenneth Macmillan’s stunning production of Manon at the Royal Opera House. Whilst the story may not have the happy-ever-after that we’re looking for in our own books, there’s something truly indulgent in losing yourself in such heartbreaking emotion.

So, this week the Mills & Boon editors have filled me in on what they get up to after hours… 

If you’re looking for Laura McCallen (Assistant Editor/EA), you’re likely to find her working up a sweat at Bikram Yoga…which, she assures me, is absolutely for her health and not because of the half-naked male instructor. It’s hot…so of course, he has to take off his clothes.

And in a month or so, Sheila Hodgson (Senior Editor) will be embarking on a three-week romantic drive around the Cape with her hubby, hopefully enjoying the best Christmas ever!

If you’re looking for Kathryn Cheshire (Assistant Editor/EA), just head to Soho…she’ll be wining and dining amongst London’s finest clientele.

Joanne Grant (Senior Executive Editor) has recently been whisked away on a romantic mini-break, taking glamping to new heights and staying in a Gypsy caravan. 

And not all of us are out looking for the perfect man…for Lucy Gough (Managing Editorial Co-Ordinator), it’s a toss-up between the male species and our more fishy friends. She’ll be at the London Aquarium, helping charities to save marine life across the UK.

Farah Chowdhury (Editorial Assitant) has recently taken her love of Shakespeare’s plays up a notch…re-enacting scenes to help inspire her younger brother to do his coursework.

However, when it comes to after hours activities, none of us can match the deliciously scandalous hero in Emily Forbes’ A Doctor by Day… (Medical, November 2014)! By day, medical intern Jake is a hotshot doctor, committed to saving his patients. But, to pay for med school, by night he transforms into red-hot stripper Judge Jake! After a messy break-up, sensible Dr Scarlett Anderson lets loose for one night of passion with sinfully sexy Jake! Their chemistry is intense, but Scarlett is stunned when she learns Jake is her new colleague…and that their one night has consequences!

So tell us…what do you get up to after hours?!

By The Mills & Boon team