Catherine Miller: Winner of the 2015 Katie Fforde Bursary

We're thrilled to hear that Catherine is the recipient of this year’s Katie Fforde Bursary. We managed to catch up with Catherine soon after the awards presentation to chat to her about the award and her busy life

Photo courtesy of Jan Jones

When did you hear that you were to be the recipient of this year’s award and what was your reaction?

Katie contacted me in January. It was completely out of the blue and I thought it was related to something else so I was shocked and over the moon.

How did you feel at the award ceremony? Did you have to make a speech?

I took my mum as it was a very proud moment. It was also a memorable moment, because I managed to drop the top half of the trophy. Fortunately it’s made of metal and is very durable so no harm done. I did make a short speech, after dropping the trophy it didn’t seem so daunting!

What does winning the award mean to you?

A tremendous amount. I can’t shout the praises of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme loudly enough. It has taken me from having no idea of how complex novel writing is to having a manuscript that is far closer to the real deal. Katie’s bursary award is an amazing boost knowing I’m heading in the right direction and I hope I’m able to follow in previous winners' footsteps, many of whom have gone on to achieve publication soon afterwards. The RNA is a wonderful association and I’m so glad to be part of it. 

When did you join the RNA New Writers’ Scheme?

This will be my fifth year on the NWS, after joining in 2010. I found out about it from my local writing group and the feedback I’ve received so far has been invaluable.

Have you managed to submit a manuscript each year?

I have, just about. Overall I’ve written two manuscripts in that time and for the past two years I’ve sent a partial. I remember very clearly in 2013 managing to send a first chapter only because at the time I had six-week-old twins. It took some effort, but we managed to get down to the Post Office.

How do you fit your writing around your busy life and have you always wanted to be a novelist?

Since having the twins I’ve reverted to pen and paper. When I get a spare few minutes I scribble during the day. I then type it up in the evening. I rather like doing it this way as it means I notice errors easier.

I started writing in my teens but, as a dyslexic, developing my writing wasn’t encouraged any more than making sure I knew the difference between there/their/they’re, which I still have to think about before typing. Instead, I qualified as a physiotherapist and even at university

I attempted a novel. Early in my career, I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, an auto-immune condition and eventually it meant giving up my job to maintain my health. Lots of people had told me I wouldn’t be able to become a physiotherapist, and I didn’t listen to them, so why listen to my own doubts about being a writer? If I couldn’t be a physio (a job I loved), I was going to follow my ultimate dream of being a writer.

Thank you, Catherine. We are sure it won’t be too long before you graduate the New Writers’ Scheme and we see your novels in our book stores.

The RNA blog is brought to you by:

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like you write for the blog or have an idea for a feature or series please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

ASHLINN CRAVEN: Keep up...if you can

We are delighted to welcome Ashlinn Craven to the blog today. She was happy to answer a few questions for us:

2014 was a busy year for you with the publication of High Octane: Ignited followed by High Octane: Unleashed. It’s evident from the titles that they are fast paced. Is the excitement of the genre reflected in the speed of your writing? Tell us something about your working day.

Hi Natalie. It’s such a thrill to be on this blog. Yes, the High Octane books are set in the Formula One (F1) racing world, and there’s nothing faster on the planet. I wish I could say the same for my writing speed … I write in snatches, sometimes at 5a.m., sometimes lunchtime, sometimes on a Sunday evening, always tapping away in my three-fingered manner. Not an exact science, but maybe four months later I’ll have that first draft.

Explosive and Kick-ass are just two of the expressions I’ve seen to describe your books. Had you visited the world of Formula One before? I imagine there was a good deal of research involved.

Oh yes, behind all the money and international glamour there’s much to learn, some of it even interesting. The day-to-day routine for an F1 driver is Spartan--they have to be sickeningly fit to survive at their level. An average person has a resting heart rate of 70 bpm but drivers have more like 45-50, which ramps up to 180 during a race. A normal person could survive two, maybe three, laps at F1 speeds before they’d crumble under the g-forces. And as for the mental training … drivers need to enter a meditative state before the race to cope at all. So, to give them relationship issues to deal with at the same time seems almost unfair of me, but, heck, I do it anyway!

What would be your choice of reading? Something in your own genre or a complete change? A favourite author?

My genre choice is very mood dependent. Currently I’m glomming (buying everything of) Rhoda Baxter, Julie Cohen, Jenny Colgan, Rachel Cross, Nick Hornby, and it kills me to leave out a whole bunch of other fantastic authors but I don’t think you’d appreciate a list that goes to the end of the page!

Your characters all have wonderful names. Do your heroes and heroines choose their own or are you allowed some input?

Thanks. They choose their own names. They’re bossy like that. But I get my revenge when it comes to choosing the cover. Aha yes, that keeps them on their toes.

Have you always been a writer?

If we discount academic papers and computer programs, and we probably should, then no, it’s a relatively recent thing for me. I started writing romantic fiction in 2009 when I did a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism, which was brilliant.

When you’re not working what do you do to relax? I’m assuming you’re not a Formula One racing driver but I could be wrong of course.

<Laughs> I’m a useless driver. To relax, I stay as far away from the road as possible, preferably in warm water of some kind, preferably with friends or family, preferably with a glass of chilled Prosecco, and preferably with a view of the Alps (not too hard as I live I Switzerland). This prevents me from reading, which is probably a good thing.

As all members of the RNA know, romance offers a multitude of genres and opportunities to the writer. Are you ever tempted to try something else or is your foot firmly placed on the accelerator pedal?

Situations that engage the mind and the heart battling it out will always grab me, and the romance genre is perfect for exploring those. I’ve eased my foot off the accelerator pedal and with my next novel (Core Attraction out April 27^th  published by Crimson Romance), I’ve stepped into the world of nuclear power where my heroine is a nuclear plant employee who runs up against an environmental activist who’s returned home from Japan not a happy bunny. Set on my native east coast of Ireland, its theme is tolerance in the face of the unknowable.

About Ashlinn:

Ashlinn Craven writes romantic fiction about people who find love, themselves, and each other, in odd circumstances. When she isn't dreaming up stories that engage the mind as well as the heart, she works in the high-tech sector where she sees the future being rewritten daily. Her favourite part of being an author is hearing from her wonderful readers from around the world.

Thank you for joining us today, Ashlinn, and good luck with the new book.

Website:

Twitter:     

Facebook

Amazon:   

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman.

If you would like to appear on the Blog please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

LYNNE CONNOLLY: Hot and Steamy!

Today we are delighted to welcome Lynne Connolly to the blog to answer a few of our questions: 

I’ve been looking at some of your book covers. They leave the reader in little doubt of what might be found within their pages. Some say a cover sells the book. What do you think – and where do yours come from?

My covers are largely provided by my publishers. For the self-published ones, I do my own, but I’ve had some art training, and I find it fun to do a cover or two as a break from writing. I’ve been very lucky with my covers!

You write romance under three sub-headings: Historical, Paranormal and Contemporary. Do you have a favourite?

The one that I’m writing at the time. Sorry, but it’s true. When I write historicals, I immerse myself into the time and mind-set, as much as I can, but that can be exhausting. The contemporaries and paranormals have their own challenges. I have to keep the world I’ve created for the paranormals consistent, for instance. And in the contemporaries, keep the points of view nice and deep and the characters emotionally compatible.

Arrows of Desire was published this month. With larger than life mythology, do you struggle to keep your characters’ feet on the ground?

It’s a different kind of challenge, and one that constantly fascinates. The basis of this series is completely new for me, but when I read a textbook on the Classical Revival, the “what if…” premise that started it all came unbidden, and I had to work on it, and see if it worked out. It did, beautifully. In this mythology, the gods of ancient Greece and Rome are entities and their attributes that live on after the body dies. So the people in the books are eighteenth century people, but they have to live with the spirit and the powers of the gods that have blended with them. It gives me extra conflicts to play with. Add to that, the enemies, the old Titan gods who want to regain the power they used to have, and the mix makes for delicious storytelling.

When not writing, how does Lynne Connolly keep her own feet on the ground? Tell us a little about your ‘away from the keyboard’ activities.

I have a family that keeps me on my toes! And I make and fill doll’s houses. Creating worlds in a different way, you might say. I love to travel, too, and there are places I have yet to visit. I love visiting my friends in the States, especially Texas, and carrying on exploring Europe.

I love to do historical research, too, finding out more about the people who often inspire my books. The “Emperors” of my other current series, “The Emperors of London” belong to a powerful family of aristocrats, their nicknames because of the outlandish first names they were saddled with, but substitute one of the famous families of the era for them, and it takes one step away from fiction. The Howards, the Pelhams, Grevilles, Foxes and so on had huge power in this time. And their private lives were the stuff of legend! So I spend a lot of time visiting their houses, reading their letters and journals, and generally trying to get the feel of the era right.

Do you have a favourite myth or fable that has inspired one of your own books?

I’ve always had a copy of Bullfinch’s Mythologies by me! For the “Even the Gods Fall In Love” series, I’m working mainly from Ovid. The “Metamorphoses” captivated me in my teens and it’s never let go, so it’s a joy to reinterpret the myths and add a slightly different slant to them. Plus, my awesome editor, Amy Sherwood, who is as passionate as I am about the mythology.

Are you writing anything else right now?

My other historical series, “The Emperors of London” is also set in the eighteenth century, but this is factual, with a little “what if…?” that isn’t too far-fetched. It’s known that the Old Pretender, James Stuart, had mistresses, but what if he also had a deeper secret than that? Taking the political and economic atmosphere of the 1750’s into consideration, when old King George was frail and his heir was a boy, would the Stuarts have tried to do what they failed to do in 1745? They were done with battle, but even a cursory glance at their history tells the observer that they weren’t done with scheming or politics! I’ve just sold a new series of contemporary paranormals, “The Agents of CAT.” But more about that later! It’s secret agents who also happen to be shape-shifting dragons and the like.

How do you approach social networking? Do you regard it as a blessing or a necessary evil?

I don’t like the “buy my book” promotions that thud into my virtual mailbox every day. On a book’s release, yes, and I like to look at the extracts, but on the whole, it’s much more interesting to see what makes a person tick. It also means I can talk to my friends on the other side of the world and keep in touch. I’m afraid I don’t use it like I probably should—as a marketing tool, but that’s not why I write.

Arrows of Desire - a taster: 

Edmund, otherwise known as Eros, steps onto English shores, and stumbles head over heels in love.

There’s something different about Perdita Seaton and her secretive family. Revealing he’s the Duke of Kentmere could cut their courtship short. Yet he can’t abandon his heritage, and leave his family in deadly peril.

Website (paranormal)

Website (contemporary romance)

Blog

Facebook  

Twitter: @lynneconnolly

email:

About Lynne Connolly:

Lynne Connolly is the best-selling author of sensuous historical, paranormal and contemporary romances. Lynne fell in love with the Georgian era at primary school, and never fell out of it, visiting historical sites, towns, battlefields and houses.

Lynne gives the reader a real flavour of what it was like to live and love in the eighteenth century. She lives in England with her family and her Mews. She writes surrounded by the doll’s houses she enjoys making and filling.

Wow, Lynne, you are a truly busy lady. Thank you for joining us today.

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman.

If you would like to appear on the Blog please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

RNA TALK: Eloisa James

Our thanks to Linda Chamberlain who reports on the talk given by Eloisa James at the recent RNA General Meeting.

New York Times best-selling author Eloisa James is a great supporter of literature.

It’s something she does in her day job as Professor of English literature specialising in Shakespeare at Fordham University in New York – a job she would never give up.

And it’s something she does by osmosis as a prolific writer of historical romantic fiction. We all know that it’s the ‘role’ of hugely successful authors to effectively bolster those further down the earnings ladder. With a smile, she reminds us that the entire literary department is included in this scenario.

She is disappointed that so little nurturing of careers goes on in the industry, saddened that so many mid-list authors are thrown out through a perpetually revolving door if their sales don’t improve.  As the writer of, she thinks, 23 books, which have sold in their millions she says a thick skin is essential. Eloisa had some brilliant advice for her RNA audience in London.

Be Machiavellian – know your strengths, your weaknesses and read books that are selling. Stop reading and you lose sight of what is at the heart of the market. Study those ‘reader pleasure moments’ that make a book special and keep the pages turning.

Get in the Zen – she admits to a strong ego. She’s left a publishing house that wasn’t serving her well and she won’t suffer an editor who’s not up to the job. She has sufficient clout to say NO but sometimes she has to accept that she might be wrong and re-write. Remember, she says, ‘Your editor doesn’t own you; your agent is there to serve you.’

Have a thick skin – she describes herself as the queen of such scenes as near-death and outside sex but ‘not everyone will like what you are writing’. High sales increase your chances of nasty reviews and vicious blogs. Never respond. She keeps a book at hand featuring bad reviews for good writers as an antidote.

Be a businesswoman – you have to understand royalty statements and contracts.

Writing can be high risk and humiliating – there were murmurings of understanding from her audience at this point. Writing about relationships and sex bring the inevitable questions of what does your husband think? Have you done all those things? Remember that romance is a fantastic genre; its triumphs may be small but it helps people through the bad times.

Beware of critique groups – they can iron out ‘that voice’, the thing that makes your book original. Better to have one critique buddy.

She finished her talk with a reminder that will resonate throughout the RNA with its remarkable New Writers' Scheme.

‘You have to nurture the bottom if there’s to be a top,’ she said. ‘Readers need great books to read.’

Eloisa is prolific but she can’t write all of them.

Report by Linda Chamberlain

Thank you, Linda

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman.

If you would like to appear on the Blog please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com

A NIGHT FOR ROMANCE

All roads led to London for the annual Romantic Novelist Association’s Romantic Novelist of the Year Awards (RoNA’s) held this year in the Gladstone Library at the Liberal Club, One Whitehall Place.

Bubbly

Members, guests and finalists met to chat over a glass of bubbly before the main event of the evening got under way. We had a chance to peruse the books that were up for awards under the six sections as well as catch up with friends and fellow members. The RNA is nothing if not friendly and we love a celebration and a party. Who would win and what else was in store during the evening ahead?

Canapes and Introductions

Jane Wenham Jones & Barbara Taylor Bradford

After finding our tables and partaking of the delicious canapes our Chair, Pia Fenton welcomed everyone to the event. Agents, publishers, established authors, new writers, friends and family clapped enthusiastically as Jane Wenham Jones started the evening’s proceedings by introducing our special guest, Barbara Taylor Bradford. There was more than one author in the room who had dreamt of becoming a writer after reading Barbara’s A Woman of Substance. Barbara was warm and encouraging offering advice to any would be aspirant to be focussed and concentrated. Those of us in the room were focussed on Barbara, looking as immaculate as any heroine.

Category Winners

This year, books shortlisted for the RoNA Rose, for category/series and shorter romance, competed for the first time with all other categories for the overall prize of Romantic Novel of the Year. Prior to announcing the overall award winner, Barbara Taylor Bradford revealed the winners of the individual categories and presented them with star-shaped crystal trophies.

Historical – Hazel Gaynor, The Girl Who Came Home

William Morrow, (Harper Collins)

For novels set in a period before 1960

Hazel Gaynor

RoNa Rose – Louise Allen, Scandal’s Virgin

(Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical)

For category/series and shorter romance.

Epic – Ella Harper, Pieces of You

(Avon)

For novels containing serious issues or themes, including gritty, 

multi-generational stories.

Contemporary – Lucy Dillon, A Hundred Pieces of Me

(Hodder & Stoughton)

For mainstream romantic novels set post-1960, and can include chick lit, 
paranormaland romantic suspense.

Lucy Dillon

Young Adult– Joss Stirling, Struck - formerly Storm & Stone

(Oxford University Press)

Featuring protagonists who are teenagers or young adults.

Joss Stirling

Romantic Comedy – Lucy-Anne Holmes, Just a Girl Standing in Front of a Boy

(Sphere (Little, Brown)

For consistently humorous or amusing novels.

Lucy Holmes

The categories and the award winners with Barbara Taylor Bradford.

The Romantic Novelist of the Year Award would be announced later in the proceedings. Who would be the winner?

Outstanding Achievements

A high spot of the evening was the presentation of Outstanding Achievement awards to two of our favourite authors, Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews, both ladies having reached the pinnacle of their careers by having twenty five books published. In her acceptance speech Jill revisited her twenty-one year old self when becoming a writer wasn’t even yet a dream and Carole attributed her fat bottom (not true) and repetitive strain industry to her career. Naturally – because that’s the sort of people they are – they heaved praise and thanks upon all the people who had helped them along the way.

Team of Judges

All too soon the official part of the evening was drawing to an end. A panel of independent judges read the six category winners’ novels before meeting to debate the finer points of each book. The panel included Sarah Broadhurst, formerly The Bookseller; Alison Flood, Guardian.co.uk; Jane Mays, The Daily Mail; Karin Stoecker, ex-Editorial Director, Harlequin Books and Matt Bates of WHSmith Travel.

The Big Moment!

Barbara opened the red envelope and announced the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year Award to be…Joss Stirling with, Struck. A fantastic achievement and the first time the prize has gone to a novel in the young adult category. Barbara Taylor Bradford presented Joss with her trophies and a cheque for £5000

 

Praise

The five judges were fulsome in their praise of Struck:

            “A fast -paced novel, full of adventure and danger, as well as a satisfying romance with an instant attraction.”

            “Mean Girls meets 21 Jump Street, navigating life and themes of school cliques and bullying.”

            “Main characters were well drawn.”

            “A satisfying developing relationship between heroine and hero. A provocative read which delivered on the romance. Good plot. Great hero and heroine.” 

            “An absorbing read that really pulled you in – I admired the energy and pace.”

Our heartiest congratulations to Joss and indeed to all of the contenders and winners.

Until Next Year

Guests lingered to sip wine and chat before heading for home and your intrepid blogging team took the opportunity to chat to potential interviewees for the blog. Yet another fabulous RNA event had come to an end. Well done to the organisers and the committee for pulling off another fabulous and memorable event. Farewell until next year – but first we have the Summer Party, our Summer Conference and the Winter Party. See you there!

Elaine & Natalie

Barbara Taylor Bradford at the RNA Awards 2015

Members and honoured guests are looking forward to the annual Romantic Novelists Association's Romantic Novel of the Year Awards on Monday 16^th March 2015 at the Gladstone Library, Whitehall place, London. Our special guest who will present the main award is well known author. Barbara Taylor Bradford

Barbara Taylor Bradford is the bestselling author of the enduring novel A Woman of Substance, which has sold over 32 million copies since its publication in 1979 and launched the career of one of Britain’s most beloved and iconic story-tellers. Barbara’s novels have sold more than 88 million copies worldwide, in more than ninety countries and forty languages, and no less than ten mini-series and television movies have been made of her books. Born and raised in England, Barbara began her writing career on the Yorkshire Evening Post and later worked as a journalist in Fleet Street. She is a forthright and popular commentator on everything from marriage to fashion, and her journalism has appeared across the national press.  Barbara lives in New York City with her husband, television producer Robert Bradford. 

We asked Barbara her thoughts as she prepares to be the guest presenter at the Romantic Novelists Association's Romantic Novel of the Year Awards event. “I’m filled with curiosity to know who the winners will be and am looking forward to it. I know there will be a lot excitement and anticipations from the shortlisted authors.”

What would her advice be to the many writers just starting out on their writing careers?

“To do what Ernest Hemingway once said: ‘put your bottom on a chair and sit at a desk for as long as it takes in order to start and finish a novel’. That is how it gets done!”

Barbara’s much awaited 30^th novel, The Cavendon Women will be published on 24^th March 2015 by Harper Collins. A sweeping multi-generational saga for fans of Downton Abbey is set around the stately home of Cavendon Hall as the roaring twenties change the family’s fortunes forever.

The Cavendon Women:

1926. One stately home’s future lies with four very different young women …

On a summer weekend in 1926 the Ingham family gathers at Cavendon Hall, the great house in Yorkshire that has been their home for centuries, summoned by the Earl.  With them are the Swanns who have served the house for generations – and know all their secrets.

The estate is under threat: the aftermath of the Great War has left Cavendon facing ruin.  Its heir is pushing for divorce so he can follow his heart.  And the Earl has a surprise of his own. 

Four young women from both sides of the house will be the ones to shape its future – Daphne, fighting to modernise her ancestral home; Cecily Swann, forging a path as a fashion designer in London; Deidre, the career girl, and Dulcie, the outspoken debutante.  They will change the estate’s future for good or ill as the roaring twenties burn towards the Great Depression. Nothing will ever be the same again …

Thank you for sparing time to contribute to the RNA blog, Barbara and we look forward to seeing you along with all writers at the awards evening.

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to be featured on the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Alison Morton: To Split or Not to Split

Alison Morton tells us why she decided to have two blogs - one for her books and one for writing.

The scientists who split the atom had an easier job. I spent weeks testing and preparing, and on S (for Split)-Day, I worked for hours to ensure the smooth transition to two separate and fully functioning blogs. I’m not sure everything is in place yet!

When I started my blog in 2010 on World Book Day, I called it ‘Write a Novel? – I Must Be Mad! I had just signed my indentures as a mad newbie writer so it seemed an appropriate title.  But three years later on 1 January 2013, a few weeks before my first book, INCEPTIO, was published, I took on all the wisdom of the Internet(!) and changed the title to include my name and the series name, hence ‘Alison Morton’s Roma Nova.’ I had survived the initial apprentice phase and was passing into the journeyman one where I hoped to produce novels on a reasonably regular basis.

In those first three years, I had combined my blog and former website to produce a blogsite. As well as maintain the static pages  (About, Contact, etc.), I posted about my writing, people I’d met, writing craft, courses, conferences, literary social events (the posh name for RNA parties!), decisions, disappointments, things I’d learned, guests and Roman-related posts. I carried on with these topics, when I changed to ‘Alison Morton’s Roma Nova’ but added in posts relating to my books – excerpts, launches, background, reviews and events.

Then it reached That Point.

In January 2015, a vague unease that had been grumbling away for a few months was confirmed by an outside assessment of my blogsite.  As I read the report – similar to reading the dreaded NWS report – I wiped away a mental tear and realised the awful truth. I was trying to please two distinct groups of readers at the same time. People looking for my books had to wade through a raft of writing topics; others looking for writing and publishing post fought their way through Roman and Roma Nova stuff. My site resembled two chariots trying to race in opposite directions, but tied to each other at the back. Neither could win. The stark conclusion: sharpen up my message and ditch the writing part if I wanted to focus on selling books.  Sob. All those posts about writing, publishing, parties and people into the bin?

Being an author today means developing entrepreneurial skills, especially marketing ones - setting out your wares, and creating an environment that supports that. But being a writer also means sharing accumulated knowledge, experience and techniques. While in no way setting myself up as a guru, I wanted to pass them on as well as exploring new topics.

Now with the fourth book, AURELIA, on the way, it was decision time. I put my site-splitting gloves on and decided to develop in both directions. I purchased another domain name, alisonmortonauthor.com, to become my new writing blog and installed WordPress on it. Next, with my IT expert husband’s help, I exported a copy of the original blogsite to that new domain. Although it was live, I didn’t tell a soul about it as I needed to redesign the site, write a new front page, upload new photos, check and change all the links, the graphics and reformat pages as well as make sure the content was appropriate for a writing blog. I didn’t zap any old posts in case they were linked elsewhere in the digiverse.  

As a relief from all that, I drafted and formatted new pages for the re-vamped Roma Nova book site. I used an old spare domain with WordPress installed to practice and fiddle with the new pages. Originating graphics and new content, checking every single link, learning the arcane lore behind tables and buttons took time. My HTML skills increased exponentially…

On S (for Split)-Day day, armed with a large cup of coffee, I glued myself to the keyboard (almost literally) and performed the split. The writing site was relatively easy, the new book site was more fiddly, but I had all the coding ready on my practice domain to transfer over. The worst bit was agonizing about what to zap on the books only site but the newsletter managed to keep its place!

Now I have two separate sites, serving two distinct sets of readers and sending out two different messages.

On Writing Blog you’ll be able to find my posts about writing, independent publishing, marketing, fabulous guests, research, author-entrepreneur skills, writing life and what I’ve been up to!

The darker Roma Nova Thrillers features my books, plus this is where I’ll concentrate my photos and posts about Rome, alternative history and background about Roma Nova. And I have a very serious photo and tough new bio there…

SUCCESSIO – Roma Nova (Book 3) Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Roma Nova – the last remnant of the Roman Empire that has survived into the 21^st century – is at peace. Carina Mitela, the heir of a leading family, but choosing the life of an officer in the Praetorian Guard Special Forces, is not so sure. 

She senses danger crawling towards her when she encounters a strangely self-possessed member of the unit hosting their exchange exercise in Britain. When a blackmailing letter arrives from a woman claiming to be her husband Conrad’s lost daughter and Conrad tries to shut Carina out, she knows the threat is real.

Trying to resolve a young man’s indiscretion twenty-five years before turns into a nightmare that not only threatens to destroy all the Mitelae but also attacks the core of the imperial family itself. With her enemy holding a gun to the head of the heir to the imperial throne, Carina has to make the hardest decision of her life…

Book trailer

Links:

Website

Blog

Facebook:

Twitter:

Thank you, Alison

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman.

If you would like to appear on the Blog please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com