Showing posts with label Liz Harris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liz Harris. Show all posts

Monday, July 31, 2017

FOCUS ON: London and South-East Chapter

After a gap of more than three years the RNS blog is revisiting the London and South-East Chapter. Juliet Archer tells us how the chapter has evolved.

We last had the pleasure of talking to Jean Fullerton about the London and South-East Chapter way back in January 2014. Since then it has undergone many changes, including venue. Could you give us a pocket history?
Down in the Cellar
with Jenny Haddon
It’s lovely to have this opportunity to talk about our Chapter – thank you! Yes, we’ve seen plenty of changes since 2014 – new faces at our meetings (one of them even rashly volunteered to be our new organiser!), new speakers, and a new venue. We also have plenty of familiar faces, especially at our Christmas lunch, which provides a sense of continuity. The most obvious change is the venue. We used to meet in The Lamb in Lamb Conduit Street, but moved to the Sir John Balcombe for our 2015 Christmas lunch and have stayed there ever since. It’s a pub with historic cricketing connections – for anyone who’s interested! – near Marylebone Station, and we monopolise the Cellar Bar downstairs.

How many members attend your meetings and is your chapter open to non-members of the RNA?
We welcome all writers, published and non-published, RNA/NWS members and non-members, on a ‘pay as you go’ basis (£4 each meeting, to cover expenses). We cover a wide age range, represent several writing genres, offer lots of friendly support, and even see occasional males at our meetings! We attract attendees from all over South and East England because of London’s great transport links. Typically we get around 20 people at our meetings and nearer 40 at our annual Christmas lunch and bi-annual workshops. Our mailing list has over 200 contacts, and we’ve recently set up a Facebook group for sharing news in between meetings.


You’ve had many outstanding speakers and presenters but not all of your meetings follow this format. At your more informal get togethers how do you promote discussions and exchanges among those attending?
Anita Chapman & Juliet Archer
We meet every 4-6 weeks, which means 8-9 meetings per year. 3 of these don’t usually involve a speaker – July, December (the Christmas lunch) and January – but we still tend to have a theme where everyone can contribute. Our January meeting is usually an informal chat about our best reads from the previous year, and our July meeting often focuses on ideas for next year’s programme or the future direction of our Chapter – but we’re always open to other suggestions!



While we’re on the subject, can you give an outline of speakers/guests you've had in the past year?
Organising speakers is a time-consuming task and our Chapter has a great track record here – thanks to the dedication of people like Jean Fullerton, Linda Chamberlain and currently Lucinda Lee. Our speakers are often drawn from the RNA’s ranks, continuing its tradition of generosity and support. So far this year we’ve had Jenny Haddon on getting our manuscripts to sparkle, Anita Chapman on social media for writers, and a double act from Liam Livings and Sue Merritt on characterisation and conflict. In the last 4 years, we’ve also run a couple of workshops mixing industry views with interactive sessions, and both very well received.

Lynne Shelby & Fiona Harper
What do you have planned for the second half of 2017?
Our July meeting was an informal chat to share our best writing tips, September will feature R.J. Gould on ‘The man in roMANce’, in October Liz Harris will talk about plotting, and the year will end with our Christmas lunch on 9th December. We may even have a little baby in our midst – if Lucinda, who is due to give birth in November, can make it! 

What would you say makes your chapter of the RNA so special?
Sheer variety – of attendees, speakers, and topics for discussion. Whatever your question or problem, there’s bound to be someone in our Chapter who can help. And we are always keen to welcome new faces at our meetings!

Does your chapter have a website, Facebook page or Twitter account?
We have a Facebook group called ‘RNA London and South-East Chapter’, and send out regular emails to our mailing list.

Who is the contact for new members?
Please email juliet@julietarcher.com, or phone 07814 173779.

It’s always a pleasure to hear about our Chapters, be they long-standing or recently set up. Thank you for joining us today, Juliet

About Natalie:
Natalie Kleinman writes contemporary and historical romantic novels. Her latest Escape to the Cotswoldsis set in the beautiful English countryside and was published by HarperCollins HQ Digital in July 2017. 








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






Friday, September 9, 2016

New Releases

Welcome to the first in our news series ‘New Releases’ brought to you by Sheila Riley. Each month Sheila collates a list of the latest releases by members of the Romantic Novelist Association.
  
Liz Harris, successful writer and RNA Library Liaison, also sends the list to libraries across the country along with her quarterly newsletter. Libraries receive a lot of catalogues from publishers, and Liz has it on good authority from a number of libraries that they value the list she sends.

It must make their job much easier, to have a highlighted list of books they can trust.
So here, without further ado, is the list of September Releases:

                                                 
Carol MacLean
HER HIGHLAND LAIRD

Ulverscroft
Paperback
August release
Fleeing her unfaithful fiance, Lara finds herself in the cool summer of the Scottish Highlands.
Here she meets Cal, the brooding Laird.
As romance turns to love, Cal is called back to America and his own painful past.
Will their love survive or will Lara's Highland Laird prove to be only a summer romance?

   
Louisa Heaton
SEVEN NIGHTS WITH HER EX

Mills and Boon
Traditional and e-book
Book shops and Amazon.co.uk
1st September 2016
Neurologist Beau Judd heads to the wilds of Yellowstone National Park
to take part in an Extreme Medical Survival Course, expecting to find adventure
and something completely different. Instead, she finds the man that jilted her at the altar twelve years ago.
Cardiologist Gray McGregor once had to make a dreadful decision, but now, reunited with Beau,
can he win back the woman he loves in just Seven Nights?

   
Ellie Holmes
THE TREGALIAN HOARD (First in series)

Indie published
print and ebook
Available on Amazon
2nd September 2016
With her engagement in tatters, Portable Antiquities specialist, Jonquil Jones,
moves to Cornwall for a fresh start. When a report arrives of a treasure trove that has lain
hidden underground for centuries, can Jonquil, with the help of the landowner’s handsome son, Drew Danvers,
uncover the ancient landscape’s secrets in time or will plundering treasure hunters beat them to it?
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Cornish countryside and combining heart and soul with a dash of danger.

   
Zara Stoneley
THE HOLIDAY SWAP

HarperImpulse
e-published
2nd September 
Can a quaint, cosy, traditional Christmas mend Flo's heart?
Can a sunshine-filled break in buzzy Barcelona give Daisy the courage to turn down an unexpected proposal?
Join the two girls as they swap homes and rediscover the important things in life in this heart-warming,
festive rom-com about love, friendship, and making your dreams come true

   
Susie Vereker
TROPICAL SHADOWS

CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform /Endeavour Press
Buy on line
Published 3 Aug 2016
Julia’s teenage sister Emily has been thrown in jail on a South-East Asian island for alleged drug smuggling. 
What’s more, Emily's baby daughter is missing. Emily put her child in the care of a trusted friend who has since disappeared
and no one can find them. Leaving her disgruntled husband behind in England, Julia flies to the rescue. 
She’s desperate to find the baby and get Emily out of jail, seeking help from anyone she can, including the British Embassy,
the Prince and the enigmatic Doctor Duncan.

   
Rosemary Morris
MONDAYS CHILD.

Books We Love
Amazon
E-published.
4th September, 2016
In March 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile in Elba.
In Brussels, 18 year-old Helen Whitley, knows that war with France between Britain and her allies,
is inevitable. A talented artist, Helen is aware of the anxiety and fear underlying
the balls, breakfasts, parties, picnics and soirees, held by the British.
In an attic, she paints scenes and portraits in which she captures the realities
and emotions of daily life during the hundred days before the Battle of Waterloo.

   
Rachel Ennis
‘SUMMER LOVING’  (Polvellan Cornish Mysteries 5)

e-published
Accent Press
Available on Amazon.co.uk
5th Sept.
Jess Trevanion’s relationship with Tom Peters is in trouble. 
Trying to prove a woman innocent of infidelity she uncovers long-hidden secrets,
then Ben and Morwenna’s wedding plans are turned upside down by two huge shocks.

   
Freda Lightfoot
FORGOTTEN WOMEN

Lake Union Imprint (Amazon Publishing)
epub, print on demand and audio
Available on Amazon, Gardners, Kobo,Barnes & Noble, etc.
 6 September 2016
It is 1936 and Spain is on the brink of civil war. Across Europe, young men are enlisting in the International Brigade
to free their Spanish brethren from the grip of fascism, leaving sisters and lovers at home.
But not all women are content to be left behind. In England, Charlotte McBain and Libby Forbes, friends from opposite sides of the class divide,
are determined to do what they can; in Spain, Rosita García Díaz, fiercely loyal to her family and country, cannot stand by and watch.
Three brave women, inspired by patriotism, idealism, love and even revenge, dare to go into battle against tradition and oppression.
Tying them all together is Jo, Libby’s granddaughter.
Five decades later she travels to Spain hoping to make sense of a troubling letter hidden among her grandmother’s possessions.
What she learns will change all of their lives forever.
Deceit, heartbreak and a longstanding fear of reprisals must all be overcome if the deeds of the forgotten women are to be properly honoured.

Fiona Field
CIVVY STREET

Head of Zeus
Paperback. Ebook. Hardback
all good bookshops. Amazon. Kobo.
8th September 2016
Susie Collins's world has fallen apart. Her husband, Mike, has been made redundant from the army.
But worse is to come when Susie learns that the family finances are much rockier than she realised.
Their rebellious twin daughters can't stay at their fee-paying school and there's almost no money left to buy a decent house.
These are desperate times and Susie knows she must find a job quickly. But Mike is being difficult about her plans and the girls impossible.
How are they all going to cope? Life is tough for newcomers on civvy street.

   
Kate Field
THE MAGIC OF RAMBLINGS

Accent Press
paperback and ebook
8 September 2016
When Cassie runs away and takes a job as companion to an old lady at Ramblings,
a Victorian Gothic mansion in a remote Lancashire village, she hopes for a quiet
life where she can forget herself,her past and most especially men.
The last thing she wants is to be drawn into saving a community that seems determined
to take her to its heart – and to resuscitate hers…

    
Ruth Frances Long
A DARKNESS AT THE END (Dubh Linn, Book 3)

The O'Brien Press
Traditional and epublished,
12th September
The final book in the contemporary fantasy trilogy set Dublin: and Dubh Linn, the fae world that exists
in the cracks and corners of reality. Angels, fae demons and humans are drawn into lethal conflict as the
fate of the world hangs in the balance in the final installment in this urban fantasy.
Holly, the fae matriarch, tries to seize the power of heaven for herself, while Izzy has lost her memory and Jinx is dead ...
or is he?
    
    
Liz Fielding
A SUMMER'S LEASE

Classic Romance Publishing
eBook
12 August 2016
In a midsummer's dawn, high in the woods above Beaumont Court, Charlotte Palmer encounters a man
who at first sight she thinks is the ghost of Harry Beaumont, the buccaneer who built the Court in the 16th centu 

    




Angela Britnell
YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT

Choc Lit
e-published
13 September 2016
What if you didn’t want to fake it anymore?
Sarah and Matt meet on a European coach tour and find themselves in a fake relationship for their own reasons.
But as the holiday ends they realise they’re not happy with their pretend relationship and want the real thing.

     



Elizabeth Bailey
IN HONOUR BOUND

Self-published ebook
Releasing mid-September
Orphaned. Abandoned in a house of strangers, one as cruel as her only relative.
Will her guardian Richard save Isolde or use her for his own ends?
    







Juliet Greenwood
‘THE WHITE CAMELLIA’

Honno Press
Traditionally published paperback and ebook
September 15th 2016

Cornwall, 1909. A family ruined, a house lost.
Bea Tressillion finds new hope among the suffragists of the White Camellia ladies’ tearoom.
Sybil hates the Tressillion family, but falls in love with their lost house and garden.
Threatened by terrible danger, will Bea and Sybil prove enemies, or allies?



Mary Jayne Baker
THE HONEY TRAP

HarperImpulse
Traditionally published ebook (paperback published 3rd November)
19th August 2016
Angel, a young journalist looking for her next big scoop,
is sent by her editor to set up handsome - and married - film director Sebastian Wilchester
for a scandalous exclusive. But what happens when pretence turns to passion, and a kiss and tell becomes something real?





Jennifer Young
RUNNING MAN

Tirgearr Publishing,
e-published
21 September
At 21, Giorgia Manfredi is a wealthy Cinderella in a golden cage.
Trapped in her family's business — a luxury hotel on Italy's Lake Garda —
she yearns for a normal life.
When jogger Danny Davies rescues her from a mugging, Giorgia finds that love comes at a price,
bringing with it hostility, deceit — and conflict.
Can she forgive those she loves and find happiness with the man who’s stolen her heart?


Lizzie Lane
WAR ORPHANS

Ebury Publishing
Paperback
Amazon, Supermarkets, bookshops
22nd September 2016
In the first week of war 350,000 household pets were put down.
A puppy left to die finds refuge with an orphaned child,
gives new hope to a grieving old man and leads to a young woman falling in love
and changing her life.




About Sheila:
Sheila has been a member of the RNA since 2004. She’s written four Annie Groves novels for Harper Collins and is also a member of the Historical Writers Association and The Society of Authors. She is now writing under her own name.


Thank you Sheila and good luck to our members with their latest publications.