RNA Conference - Harper Adams University, Telford

We are thrilled that RNA member Liz Fenwick was able to put pen to paper so quickly to write about her experiences of the RNA’s conference held this past weekend at Harper Adams University in Telford, Shropshire.

I’ve attended every conference except one since I joined the RNA as an unpublished writer in 2005.

Liz Fenwick

And each and every year I have come away with something wonderful…frequently unexpected but always needed. This year has been no different. The conference is my time to be with my tribe where the writer part of me is allowed to be fully present and no one thinks it is at all strange.

In the past the brilliant sessions have been my focus…things to bring my writing up to speed. But this year proved different. The sessions I attended were exactly what I needed to hear, but it was the time sitting quietly with other writers that was what I needed most. Whether it was the quick chat on the stairwell, the one in the queue at the bar, or the leisurely ones in the kitchen.

One of the popular panel discussions

These past twelve months since the last conference haven’t been the easiest. I have kept on writing but it’s been hard and at times truly lonely. What this conference gave me was love and belief from my fellow writers…they believed that I could still do this writing lark. They reminded me that I am a writer not by saying it so much, but by the joy in the discussions. The moments when I could provide the tip or the writing hack that might help them out of a tight corner while they gave me the same. Crucially the pep talk that they gave me that the book I was editing all weekend was good even if it needed more work.

Then there were those long conversations where we all bared our fears that we weren’t good enough

The beautiful wall hanging to commemorate
the life of much missed Carole Blake

or our stories weren’t. Then came the high points when we toasted our successes and that wonderful feeling of being a part of those achievements. I remember the divine Katie Fforde saying to me, when my debut novel came out, that every time a new writer she has known reached that magic moment she loved it…it was a little like living through it all over again. There were many of those joyful moments this weekend as writers I’ve watched on their journey shared their joy.

So I’ve come away from the conference much more whole. The many hugs I received have helped put me back together. On the industry panel Isabel Dixon said the thing she would tell writers… is to be generous…generous to other writers and to readers. I can say hand on heart that the RNA does that and this weekend’s dose of generosity has renewed this writer’s soul. I’m already counting the days until next year.

About Liz:

Writer, ex-pat expert, wife, mother of three, and dreamer turned doer....

Award winning author of The Cornish House, A Cornish Affair, A Cornish Stranger, Under A Cornish Sky, A Cornish Christmas Carol (a novella) and The Returning Tide. After nine international moves, I'm a bit of a global nomad. It's no wonder my heart remains in Cornwall.

Thank you for writing such a special piece for the RNA blog, Liz. x

A few of our members have also been blogging about their experiences at this year’s conference:

Anita Chapman

The Write Romantics

Debbie (JB) Johnson

Liz Fenwick: Finding ideas...

We are delighted to welcome Liz Fenwick to the blog today. Liz writes about unlocking ideas for our novels - something we all need  help with at times.

One question that writers are frequently asked is where do their ideas come from? The creation of stories is a mystery to many - even writers but is never a mystery to any child I have ever met. Those wonderful days creating magical worlds in the woods or playground. It's as if once you learn to drive a car a switch in the brain is flicked and the magic is gone. That switch seems to remain 'on' for writers. However, even their ideas can sometimes become exhausted and too stretched to let their own 'magic' imagination work.

As writers, we observe the world, notice and store things that interest us, or simply catch our attention. Most of the time we don’t even realise we are doing it. That overheard conversation of the woman snapping into the phone; ‘That’s a decision for your wife to make’ leads the brain onto many scenarios.

1.     Is she the mistress?

2.     Is she the PA?

3.     Is she the daughter talking to wife number two or three…

Why not play with that to encourage your writer’s brain to work…ask why, ask what if? Take a snippet of overheard conversation…my mother never wore knickers…write for ten or twenty minutes and allow yourself to be surprised.

With each of my books it took one idea to unlock all the other saved gems I had collected. For my latest novel, The Returning Tide, it was my mother-in-law’s experience during WW2. That became the key event around which I built the story. My mother-in-law, June, had been a telegraphist working with Morse Code transmissions to and from boats. She never spoke about it in any detail until one night over dinner we were discussing Exercise Tiger, aka the Slapton Sands incident. There had been something in the paper that morning. June suddenly said; ‘I was working that night with the Americans. It was awful. The men on the boats went from using code to plain language. I heard them die.’ I shivered then and I still do now. I pressed June for more details and she said she would write them down, but never did. She was still under the Official Secrets Act.

So when brainstorming with my editor for book five that moment returned and it pulled out my fascination with sisters - that love and hate that binds them. Putting the two together, The Returning Tide was born.

If stuck for an idea think of things that have intrigued you. The young lovers in the park with matching tattoos, that article you read, the news item that stayed with you… they can all be the starting point. Frequently while researching something else I discover the ‘seed’ for my next book. With A Cornish Stranger, it was finding the old Cornish saying, ‘Save a stranger from the sea, he’ll turn your enemy.’ It was like lightning had struck. I knew the location - the cabin at the mouth of Frenchman’s Creek, and I knew it would be about a grandmother and granddaughter. Until the saying arrived I had no idea that I wanted to write a story set there about a reclusive artist.

Taking time away from actual writing to fill the ‘well of creativity’ with listening, reading, looking and researching means that ideas will always be waiting for the writer who is open and always asking what if. That and remaining an adult child who still likes to create magic worlds. Children know that stories are everywhere, even under the bed. Where will you look for your next story?

About Liz: 

Writer, ex-pat expert, wife, mother of three, and dreamer turned doer....

Award winning author of The Cornish House, A Cornish Affair, A Cornish Stranger, Under A Cornish Sky, A Cornish Christmas Carol (a novella) and The Returning Tide. After nine international moves, I'm a bit of a global nomad. It's no wonder my heart remains in Cornwall.

Links:

Amazon

Website

Twitter

Thank you, Liz. We all love your books and hope you never run out of ideas.

If you are an established author who would like to write for the RNA please please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

RNA MEMBERS - JUNE PUBLICATIONS

Compiled by Sheila Riley here the bumper crop of June publications. 

      

TRADITIONAL PUBLICATION

LIZ FENWICK

The Returning Tide

Paperback and ebook

Orion

June 29th

In wartime Cornwall, 1943, a story between two sisters begins - the story of Adele and Amelia, and the heart-breaking betrayal that will divide them forever.

Decades later, the effects of one reckless act still echo - but how long will it be until their past returns?

HEIDI SWAIN

The Cherry Tree Cafe

Paperback

Simon and Schuster

June 1st

Cupcakes, crafting and love at The Cherry Tree Cafe... Perfect feel-good summer reading for fans of Great British Bake-Off Lizzie Dixon's life feels as though it's fallen apart. Instead of the marriage proposal she was hoping for from her boyfriend,

she is unceremoniously dumped, and her job is about to go the same way. So, there's only one option: to go back home to the village she grew up in and to try to start again. Her best friend Jemma is delighted Lizzie has come back home.

She has just bought a little cafe and needs help in getting it ready for the grand opening. And Lizzie's sewing skills are just what she needs.

With a new venture and a new home, things are looking much brighter for Lizzie.

But can she get over her broken heart, and will an old flame reignite a love from long ago...?

For everyone who loves settling down to watch Great British Bake-Off, the Great British Sewing Bee, or curling up to read Milly Johnson or Jenny Colgan,The Cherry Tree Cafe is a coffee-break treat.

SARAH BENNETT

Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove Butterfly Cove, (Book 2)

E-book

HQ Digital

June 26^th

A second chance by the sea?

When Kiki Jackson’s marriage falls to pieces, there’s only one place that she knows she can escape to – her sister’s little guesthouse in Butterfly Cove. But she’s worried that turning up on bride-to-be Mia’s doorstep, especially with her two adorable children in tow, will spoil her sister’s imminent wedding plans!

Luckily, handsome neighbour Aaron Spenser offers to share his new cottage with Kiki until she’s back on her feet. And as the wedding draws closer, Kiki realises that Butterfly Cove may be offering her little family more than just a new home…

Maybe this is where her new life begins…?

FIONA FORD

The Spark Girl

Hardback

Orion

June 1st

A knock on the door early one morning wouldn't normally be cause for concern but it is 1941, Britain is at war, and Kitty Williams's fiancé Joe is far from home fighting Hitler with the Navy. As Kitty's heart is shattered into pieces hearing the news she had been dreading, resolve kicks in and she becomes more determined than ever to do her bit for the war effort. Signing up to the Women's Army is just the sort of challenge Kitty needs and on meeting new recruits Mary, Di and Peggy, she is happy to learn that the challenge won't be a lonely one. But it also won't be easy and when bombs start to fall on her home town of Coventry, and supposed allies turn against her, Kitty must find the strength she never knew she had to save her family, fix her broken heart and help her country to victory.

ANNIE BURROWS

The Debutante's Daring Proposal

Paperback and ebook

Mills & Boon

June 1st

Miss Georgiana Wickford has a plan to avoid the marriage mart—she’ll propose a marriage of convenience! She hasn’t spoken to the Earl of Ashenden since their childhood friendship was torn apart, but now Edmund is her only hope. Edmund refuses to take any bride, especially the unsuitable country miss who abandoned him years ago. But when he sees beautiful Georgie at the mercy of society’s rakes it arouses his protective instincts. And soon the Earl is tempted to claim the daring debutante for himself!

ANNIE O'NEIL

Healing the Sheikh’s Heart
Paperback

Mills and Boon

June 1st

Brooding billionaire Sheikh Idris Al Khalil wants one thing—the gift of hearing for his daughter, Amira—and he’s willing to pay anything to get it! Enter Dr Robyn Kelly, whose whirlwind approach to life sends his senses into overdrive. Now, as the tension between Paddington’s ENT Specialist and the guarded sheikh mounts, Robyn can’t help but wonder…is life in the desert with Idris and little Amira the family happy ever after she’s always dreamed of?

ALISON ROBERTS

A Life-Saving Reunion

Hardback and ebook
Mills and Boon

Cardiologist Thomas Wolfe’s speciality is mending broken hearts, but no one knows how much his own still hurts five years on…

Torn apart by the sadness of losing their little girl, Tom and his ex-wife, transplant surgeon Rebecca Scott, are virtually strangers, until they’re thrown together again at Paddington’s to save the life of another very special little girl.

Can a miracle surgery prove that it’s never too late to give love a second chance?

LIZ FIELDING

Her Pregnancy Bombshell

Paperback and Ebook

Harlequin Mills and Boon

June 2017

Pilot Miranda Marlowe is too sick to fly her plane, and she must face the truth:

she's pregnant! She knows well enough that her boss, Cleve Finch, is still grieving for his late wife, so needing time to think, she heads for a place she loves, the Villa Rosa.

E-BOOKS

PHILLIPA ASHLEY

Confetti at the Cornish Cafe

e-book

Avon Maze

May 29th

Cal and Demi are preparing to launch their beloved Kilhallon Resort as a wedding venue. Cakes are baking, Cornish flowers are blooming, and fairy lights are twinkling. With the cliff-top setting and coastal views, it's the perfect place for a magical marriage ceremony. But their first clients are no ordinary couple. The bride and groom are internationally famous actors Lily Craig and Ben Trevone. Kilhallon is about to host a celebrity wedding . . .

With the pressure on, Demi and Cal are doing all they can to keep their guests happy and avoid any wedding disasters. But is the unpredictable weather the only thing standing in the way of the Big Day? As secrets surface and truths are told, can Demi and Cal ensure that Kilhallon's first wedding is a success? One thing’s for sure, this will be a Cornish celebration to remember . . .

JOAN FLEMING

Daughter of Mull (Magic of Mull #3)

e-book

Tirgearr Publishing

June 7th

Anna Ballantyne is devastated when her hopes of meeting her birth mother are dashed. Determined to discover the reason for her mother’s refusal to meet her, Anna decides to track her down on the Scottish Island of Mull, where she lives. As a freelance researcher, she is able to use a commission to investigate the story of The Lords of the Isles as cover for a trip to Mull, and she leaves the flat in Glasgow that she shares with the owner, Roddie Fraser, to journey to the island. But complications soon follow. She finds herself falling under the spell of Finn Ericson who works on the island as an unofficial guide. When Roddie turns up, he makes it clear that his feelings for Anna are more serious than she realised. With her personal life in turmoil, torn between Finn and Roddie, and confused about the value of pursuing a mother who does not want to meet her, Anna has to make some important decisions.

Captivated by the island, she wonders if there is a future for her with Finn on Mull?

Or is she ignoring the whispering of her heart that it is Roddie she truly loves?

CATHERINE MILLER

The Gin Shack on the Beach

ePub

HQDigital

June 5th

You’re never too old to try something new!

When octogenarian Olive Turner is persuaded by her son to move into a retirement home, she congratulates herself on finding the secret to an easy life: no washing up, cooking or cleaning. But Olive isn’t one for mindless bingo with her fellow residents, and before the first day is over she's already hatching a plan to escape back to her beloved beach hut and indulge in her secret passion for a very good gin & tonic. Before long Olive’s secret is out and turning into something wonderful and new. Only a select few are invited, but word spreads quickly about the weekly meetings of The Gin Shack Club. Soon everybody on the beach wants to become a gin connoisseur and join Olive on her journey to never being forced to grow older than you feel.

A journey of friendship, defiance and a quest for the perfect G&T.

JILL STEEPLES

Summer at the Dog & Duck

E Book

Aria

1st June

Ellie Browne has found happiness running The Dog and Duck pub in the idyllic village of Little Leyton, and her blossoming romance with tall, handsome property developer, Max Golding, is going swimmingly. With her new best friend, Digby, the black Labrador at her side, life just couldn't be sweeter. But their peace is shattered when Max's younger sister, Katy, turns up unannounced with a whole heap of attitude. And Max's loyalties are stretched further when his glamorous ex, Sasha, re-appears with her own burgeoning secret. With the master of the manor preoccupied with the demands of his 'other women', Ellie's forced to consider if she has any role to play in Max's life or in the village of Little Leyton. Can Ellie get her life and relationship back on track in time for the summer charity ball at Braithwaite Manor?

ROXIE COOPER

The Law of Attraction

E-Book

HQ/Harper Collins

June 23rd

Amanda Bentley has always dreamed of being a barrister…

But as a platinum blonde bombshell from the wrong side of town, with a perfect tan and sleek high heels, she doesn’t exactly look the part – or fit in with the brash public school boys and cold posh girls of Newcastle Crown Court’s robing room. Amanda’s never been one to back down from a challenge, and so when she wins a prestigious pupillage following law school, she’s determined to make the most of her chance – and make all her dreams come true. Only three things stand in her way: Sid Ryder – the sexy, irresistible barrister who she absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, sleep with. At all. Marty Gregg – her smarmy law school nemesis, who she's in direct competition with for the top job. And her big, dark secret that could jeopardise everything she's worked so hard for. Who said that following the laws of attraction was going to be easy…?

VIVIEN BROWN

Lily Alone

Ebook, with paperback to follow

Harper Collins

ebook:

June 15th (paperback: 5th October)

What sort of mother would leave her all alone? A gripping and heart-wrenching domestic drama that won’t let you go.

Lily, who is almost three years old, wakes up alone at home with only her cuddly toy for company. She is afraid of the dark, can’t use the phone, and has been told never to open the door to strangers. But why is Lily alone and why isn’t there anyone who can help her? What about the lonely old woman in the flat below who wonders at the cries from the floor above? Or the grandmother who no longer sees Lily since her parents split up? All the while a young woman lies in a coma in hospital – no one knows her name or who she is, but in her silent dreams, a little girl is crying for her mummy… and for Lily, time is running out.

KAREN ALDOUS

Under a Tuscan Sky

HQDigital

June 14th

A summer she’ll never forget…

When Olivia Montague’s grandmother passes away, she decides it’s finally time to make some changes in her own life. So she breaks up with her ‘going nowhere’ boyfriend and embarks on a journey to her Nonna’s home in Tuscany. Until now, Olivia has always believed that she’s incapable of love, after being abandoned by her parents as a baby. But with each day spent at the gorgeous villa nestled in the rolling Italian hills, she feels her heart begin to flutter…

And when handsome antiques dealer Hugh St. James arrives on the scene, she realises things might be about to change forever! Escape to Tuscany this summer with Karen Aldous’s brilliantly uplifting read. Perfect for fans of Erica James and Cathy Kelly.

CHARLIE COCHRANE

Broke Deep

Riptide

June 5th

Morgan Capell’s life is falling apart by small degrees—his father’s dead, his boyfriend dumped him, and his mother’s in the grip of dementia. His state of mind isn’t helped by his all-too-real recurring nightmare of the wreck of the Troilus, a two-hundred-year-old ship he’s been dreaming about since his teenage years. The story of the Troilus is interwoven with the Capell family history. When amateur historian Dominic Watson inveigles himself into seeing the ship’s timbers which make up part of Morgan’s home, they form a tentative but prickly friendship that keeps threatening to spark into something more romantic. Unexpectedly, Dominic discovers that one of the Troilus’s midshipman was rescued but subsequently might have been murdered,

and persuades Morgan to help him establish the truth. But the more they dig, the more vivid Morgan’s nightmares become, until he’s convinced he’s showing the first signs of dementia. It takes as much patience as Dominic possesses—and a fortuitous discovery in a loft—to bring light out of the darkness.

ROSEMARY MORRIS

Yvonne, Lady of Cassio. The Lovages of Cassio. Book 1

E-book and print book.

9th May

Books We Love

When Yvonne and Elizabeth, daughters of ruthless Simon Lovage, Earl of Cassio, are born under the same star to different mothers, no one could have foretold their lives would be irrevocably entangled. Against the background of Edward II’s turbulent reign in the fourteenth century, Yvonne, Lady of Cassio, contains imaginary and historical characters. It is said the past is a foreign country in which things were done differently. Nevertheless, although that is true of attitudes, such as those towards women and children, our ancestors were also prompted by ambition, anger, greed, jealousy, humanity, duty, loyalty, unselfishness and love. From early childhood, despite those who love her and want to protect her, Yvonne is forced to face difficult economic, personal and political circumstances, during a long, often bitter struggle.

LINDSAY TOWNSEND

Dark Maiden

Prairie Rose Publications

May

Beautiful Yolande comes from an exotic line of exorcists—a talent she considers a gift—and a curse. In fourteenth century England, a female exorcist who is also black is an oddity. She is sought after and trusted to quiet the restless dead and to send revenants to their final rest. Geraint the Welshman captures Yolande’s heart with his ready smile and easy ways, and the passionate fire of his spirit. An entertainer, he juggles and tumbles his way through life—but there is a serious side to him that runs deep. He offers Yolande an added strength in her work and opens his heart to her with a love such as she’s never known. But Yolande is not free to offer Geraint her love completely—not until her “time of seven” has passed. Can the powerful attraction between them withstand the powers of evil who mean to separate them forever?

Yolande’s conscience and conviction force her to face this evil head-on—but can Geraint save his Dark Maiden…

Georgia Hill

Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Cafe: Summer Loves

Harper Impulse

June 2^nd

Will there ever be a happy ever after for Millie and Jed? With diva Dora, in town for the summer, it’s looking unlikely!

NATALIE KLEINMAN

Escape to the Cotswolds

e-book

HQ Digital

June 21st

Can love blossom in the countryside?

Artist Holly Hunter is turning her life upside-down! She’s leaving the bright lights of London (and a cheating husband) behind her and hoping for a fresh start as she escapes to the peaceful Cotswolds countryside. Men are off the cards for Holly. Instead, she’s focusing on her little gallery and adopting an adorable Border Collie puppy named Tubs. Or so she thought…

Because no matter how hard she tries to resist him, local vet Adam Whitney is utterly gorgeous. And in a village as small as this one, Holly can only avoid Adam for so long!

                                  

INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED

ELLIE HOLMES

White Lies

Ellie Holmes

June 27th

A wet night: a car crash; three lives are changed forever…

Sam Davenport is a woman who lives her life by the rules. When her husband Neil breaks those rules too many times, Sam is left wondering not only if he is still the man for her but also if it’s time to break a few rules of her own.

Actions, however, have consequences as Sam soon discovers when what starts out as an innocent white lie threatens to send her world spiralling out of control. White Lies is a warm, engaging read about love, deceit, betrayal and hope.

CASSANDRA GRAFTON

A Quest for Mr Darcy

Indie - paperback and eBook

White Soup Press

June 22nd

Struggling to overcome his rejection by Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy decides to go travelling in the summer of 1812, keen to distraction. He returns to England a year later, convinced he is over his foolish infatuation with the lady and with a plan, both to protect the estate of which he is guardian and to ensure his sister's happiness: he intends to do his duty and secure a wife at the earliest opportunity.

Duty; a path from which Darcy knows he should never have been diverted. Duty was safe and nothing would persuade him from it a second time. Soon restored to his home in Derbyshire, Darcy puts his quest in motion, preparing to welcome guests from Town, one of whom is a suitably eligible young lady he has earmarked as his future wife. But what of the new tenants on the estate named Bennet? Is his path fated to cross with Elizabeth's once more? Keeping his mind under good regulation and his quest intact is a far greater challenge than anticipated when Darcy discovers the truth of the matter. With the addition of his friend, Bingley's, mischievous twin younger

sisters, mysterious letters from a stranger and a shadowy lurking in the grounds of Pemberley, Darcy's carefully laid plans are soon in tatters as the rigid protection he has placed around his heart begins to falter.

JAN JONES

A Question of Thyme

E-Book

Self-published

June 2017

A contemporary romance with Great War echoes.

When Jen answers an advertisement to create a 1915 herb garden for a TV documentary, she expects it to get her out of a money hole, not to change her life.

Borderline recluse Theo Grainger is scarred mentally and physically from an appalling fall seven years ago. Adjusting to the presence of a TV documentary team next door is one thing, dealing with Jen Matlock, who helps people in trouble whether they want her to or not, is something else entirely. Set in the gardens of a Shropshire manor house, A Question of Thyme blends humour, herbs and healing with two generations of romance, a hundred years apart.

MADALYN MORGAN

Foxden Hotel

E-Book and Paperback

Self-published on Amazon 

June 10th

Foxden Hotel is a story of intrigue and secrets, threats and blackmail, romance, happiness and love. The fifth novel  in the Dudley Sisters Saga, Foxden Hotel, brings the Dudley sisters; Bess, Margot, Claire and Ena together with their husbands and friends to celebrate the opening of the hotel on New Year’s Eve 1948 - ten years after the first novel Foxden Acres on New Year’s Eve 1938. In the crowded ballroom, as the countdown to 1949 begins, a terrifyingly familiar voice from Bess’s past rasps a New Year’s message in her ear. Bess turns, a camera bulb flashes - and the man has gone. The uninvited guest, an enemy from the war years, threatens to expose a secret that will ruin Bess’s happiness and the new life she has worked so hard to create. Bess’s husband, Frank, throws the man and his friends out. Worried for the safety of the man’s young girlfriend - as well as make sure the man leaves the property -

Bess and her sister Margot follow them out into a snowstorm. Is that the last they will see of him? Or will he show up again when they least expect? Bess had hoped fascism was a thing of the past, buried with the victims of WW2. Little does she know the trouble that lies ahead, not only for herself, but also for her husband and sisters.

LIZZIE LAMB

Girl in the Castle

New Romantics Press

April 25th

paperback and kindle 

Fate takes academic, Henriette Bruar, to a remote Scottish castle in Argyll to auction off  its ancient library to pay the laird's mounting debts. Cue a phantom piper, a lost Jacobite treasure, and a cast of characters who - with Henri’s help, encourage the MacKenzies to confront their tragic past and move on.

However - will the Girl in the Castle be able to return to university once her task is completed, and leave gorgeous, sexy Keir MacKenzie behind?