October Releases

Carole Matthews WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS
Little Brown
paperback
25th October 2012
£6.99

Can the imperfect family really have the perfect Christmas?

Juliet Joyce adores Christmas.  She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit is upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand. Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet’s father, Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day.  And has the chaos got too much for Juliet’s husband Rick?  With the big day fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can stop everything spiralling out of control, because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled… WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS

 www.carolematthews.com

Phillipa Ashley MIRANDA'S MOUNT
Piatkus Entice
ebook
4th October 2012
A sexy, funny contemporary romance set in Cornwall…

When Miranda finds herself fighting for her home, her job and her heart, sleeping with the enemy may not be the best tactic…

With no family of her own, Miranda Marshall has developed a healthy respect – some would say obsession – with other people’s histories. As property manager of a spectacular island castle in Cornwall, she’s made St Merryn’s Mount one of the UK’s most popular heritage attractions. While she may have the castle running like clockwork, Miranda hasn’t bargained on its sexy owner returning to claim his birthright. Dark, handsome and with a rakish reputation, Jago St Merryn not only looks like a pirate but is intent on flogging the Mount to a soulless leisure corporation. Miranda faces the battle of her life as she tries to persuade him to face up to his past and continue the St Merryn dynasty. But Jago has his own reasons for jumping ship and when he throws down the gauntlet to Miranda, she’s forced to delve into painful memories she’d much rather keep hidden…

Liz Fielding FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN

HMB Riva

Paperback/ebook

1 October

£3.49

Armed only with a photo of the house her grandfather stayed in, the village, and the name Lucia, Sarah sets out to find the woman who saved her great-grandfather's life during the war.

www.lizfielding.com

Christine Stovell MOVE OVER DARLING
Choc Lit
Paperback
7 October 2012
£7.99 

When is it time to stop running?  Coralie Casey doesn’t like the hand fate has dealt her so she’s taken charge of her own destiny.  Setting up ‘Sweet Cleans’, her range of natural cleaning products for body and home, she wipes away the past and starts afresh in Penmorfa, a quiet coastal village in west Wales.

Gethin Lewis thinks he’s about to escape Penmorfa for good.  Now an internationally-acclaimed artist living in New York, all he has to do is return to his home village one last time to wind up his father’s estate.

But the people of Penmorfa have other plans.  Securing a new work from a major artist could mean a big boost for the village.  And who better than Coralie to persuade Gethin to help the place that once rejected him – even if she has to go all the way to New York to seal the deal?  Yet it seems everyone in Penmorfa has something to hide; as truths are uncovered which threaten to split the community apart, Coralie also has to face the fact that some stains just won’t go away.

christinestovell.com

Nina Harrington MY GREEK ISLAND FLING

Mills & Boon

paperback and ebook

October

Could writing someone else’s life story mean re-writing her own? Sipping a cocktail under the warm Greek sun, Lexi Sloane can almost taste success. Ghost-writing a celebrity memoir on a postcard-perfect island will be the career breakthrough she’s been working towards for years…but only if she can persuade the infuriatingly guarded Mark Belmont to open up about his famous mother. Mark grew up in the spotlight and learned young to stay cautious and alert to intrusion, so Lexi has her work cut out. Lexi is hiding too – behind the experiences of those she writes about…Could she learn to be the star of her own life?

If you like the films Mamma Mia or Love Actually, you’ll love this.

http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/riva/my-greek-island-fling.htm

Tanith Davenport I HEARD YOUR VOICE

Total-e-book

EBook

22 October 2012

£2.48 on pre-order, £2.75 after

Paranormal investigator Tamar Steele is stuck in a loveless relationship with arrogant medium Reed James - until one night she sings to herself and is knocked down by an invisible force. Somehow she can raise spirits with her voice. And one matchmaking spirit is determined to turn her life upside down.

Website: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1811

Rena George Another Chance

My Weekly Pocket Novel

4th October, 2012

 "Rowan Fairlie, head teacher at Balcreggan Primary School, had no idea how her life would change when wealthy Clett Drummond and his two young daughters, Charlotte and Poppy, took on the tenancy of Ballinbrae Farm.

Clett insists he's come to the Highlands to help the girls recover from their mother's recent death in a car accident, but Rowan suspects there's more to it.

And why does her growing friendship with the family so infuriate the new laird, Simon Fraser?  Is his apparent hatred of Clett merely jealousy because he wants Rowan for himself, or are the two men linked by some terrible way from the past?"

http://renageorge.com/blog/

Annie Burrows HIS WICKED CHRISTMAS WAGER, a short story

Harlequin
ebook

$2.39

The last person Lord Crispin Sinclair expects to see in a disreputable inn is the woman he's there to forget: Lady Caroline Fallowfield. He hasn't forgiven her for marrying another man--or forgotten their mutual passion. When she implores him to come home for his brother's Christmas nuptials, he agrees--if the now-widowed Caroline is willing to share his bed and take another gamble on love...

Ann a Jacobs THE TRADER’S DREAM #3 in The Traders series

Hodder & Stoughton, 11 October 2012

Hardback

£19.99

1869: Bram Deagan dreams of bringing his family from Ireland to join him in Australia, but a typhus epidemic in Ireland decimates the Deagan family, leaving only Maura Deagain left to look after her orphaned nieces and nephew. Forced to abandon her own ambitions, Maura sets sail, travelling via the newly opened Suez Canal. It is only when a storm throws her and fellow passenger Hugh Beaufort together that Maura realises this journey may also give her a chance to realise a dream she set aside years ago – to have a family of her own.

http://www.annajacobs.com/book.aspx?title=The-Traders-Dream&bookID=65

Angela Britnell  HUSHED WORDS

DC Thomson

Paperback

18 October 2012

£1.99

Cassie Moore and Jay Burton have a one-night stand on holiday in Italy but when fate brings them together again it's the start of a rocky ride towards lasting love. Cassie's a single mother of a troubled teenaged son and Jay has forged a successful financial career in London, far from his large Irish family. They rekindle their sizzling romance but Cassie's overwhelming family problems make a future with Jay seem nothing more than a dream. Jay's fear of commitment  and growing dissatisfaction with his extravagant lifestyle lead him to make a drastic change. When he discovers the direction he wants to take Jay finds the courage to lay it all on the line with Cassie.

www.angelabritnellromance.com

Jeevani Mantotta-Maxted Reports on A Reading Library Event - Writing Romantic Novels

New Writers' Scheme member, Jeevani Mantotta-Maxted reports...

I’m in the NWS scheme for the second year now and I’ve finally stopped lurking the background, too shy to say hello to the fabulous published writers. When I finally did break cover, I realised that they were a lovely bunch of people and not scary in the least.

As part of my attempts to get more involved, I went to the Writing Romantic Novels talk given by five RNA members are Reading central library. I was early, but the place was already busy. Clearly there are a lot of romance readers and writers out there. We were offered a free drink and each member of the audience was given a collection of goodies including bookmarks, a funky pink pencil (from Little Black Dress) and a free book!

The panel consisted of Janet Gover, Beth Elliot, Julie Cohen, Ray-Anne Lutener (Nina Harrington) and Tania Crosse. Between them, they covered modern romantic comedy, several lines of Mills and Boon, historical romance and sagas. After the initial introductions, the panel answered questions, some of which they had prepared themselves, some of which came from the audience.

They were asked now many books they wrote before they got published. The answers varied from 2 to 10! The most common number seemed to be four. I found this heartening as, for some reason, I had this idea that most people had their first or second book published.

Also discussed were their journeys to publications. Four out of the five came through the NWS scheme (Hurrah for the RNA!). There was some discussion about the importance of having an agent, as there are so few publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts nowadays. The importance of networking at conferences (and RNA events, of course) was stressed.

There was an audience question, from one of the few men in the audience, about how similar or different heroes in romance novels were to real men. There followed some descriptions of some rather delectable heroes. I think the gist of the replies was that the heroes are realistic, but better than real life. Readers want heroes that are believable fantasies who can sweep us off our feet, without us having to pick up their dirty socks. The important thing is that you should be able to imagine fancying your hero. If you don’t fancy them, how will you persuade your reader to?

The last part of the discussion was devoted to writing sex. Everyone agreed that sex had to tie in with the development of the characters and that the emotional involvement was more important than the description of the mechanics involved. Julie briefly mentioned how much fun it was to write explicit sex for the erotic market, whilst Ray-Anne described a scene that had me thinking about chocolate tiramisu for the rest of the night. Tania mentioned writing a bad sex scene (as in a scene where the sex isn’t pleasurable, not a badly written one!) and how difficult this is to do. It all came down to the sensations felt by the protagonist, so no matter whether the sex scene describes glorious sex or something less than comfortable, so long as the reader can be there with your character, then it’s doing its job.

At the end of the night there was a raffle for more free books and the authors stayed around to sign books, chat and generously share their free chocolates.

All in all, it was an informative and fun evening and a bargain at £3 a ticket. I shall certainly be looking out for more such events and I’m certainly going to find that book with the chocolate tiramisu in it!

Welcome and RNA Member's Books Coming Out in July

This is the first post to the blog for the Romantic Novelists' Association. There is no better way to begin than with a list of the books coming out in July. The Short Stories List will be posted tomorrow and on Friday Veronica Henry talks about her current fitness regime in which she attempts to combat writer's bottom and get match fit in time for publication of next novel.

This month's offerings begin to show the diversity of romantic fiction and, of course, of the RNA's authors.

Which ones will you be reading this month?




Veronica Henry – MARRIAGE AND OTHER GAMES
Orion
23 July 2009 £10.99
When girl-about-town Charlotte discovers her husband has been arrested for fraud, she flees to the wilds of Exmoor to nurse her broken heart ...
http://www.veronicahenry.co.uk/







Olivia Ryan – TALES FROM A HONEYMOON HOTEL
Piatkus
2 July - £7.99
Three couples meet on a romantic honeymoon – but can love conquer all their difficulties?
http://www.oliviaryan.com/
http://oliviaryanblogspot.blogspot.com/












Georgia Evans – BLOODY AWFUL
Kensington
July 7th - $6.99
As the vampire spies gather strength, a lone were fox finds she has more support than she imagined in her quest to foil them. Book 2 in the WW2 Brytewood trilogy.
http://www.brytewood.co.uk/




Anne Whitfield - WOODLAND DAUGHTER
Ulverscroft Large Print
July 1st - £16.99
Eden is robbed of everything, now she must gather her strength and look into her heart to accept what the future offers.
http://www.annewhitfield.com/







Melinda Hammond - MOONSHADOWS
Samhain Publishing
July 2009 - $14.00 (£7.00 approx from Amazon)
Right Man - Wrong Century? A dual-time ghost story
http://www.melindahammond.com/






Nicola Cornick – THE SCANDALS OF AN INNOCENT
978-0373773893 – HQN Books
July 2009 - $7.99 or £4.87
Housemaid turned heiress is courted by a notorious rake
http://www.nicolacornick.com/
http://www.apassionforhistory.blogspot.com/











Louise Allen - DISROBED & DISHONRED
(Undone Historical eBook)
9781426833212 Harlequin Mills & Boon
July 2009 £1.50 ebook
Miss Sarah Tatton has a problem - her virtue. A mysterious and disturbingly attractive highwayman is only too happy to assist her in disposing of this difficulty. But falling in love was never part of the bargain.
http://www.louiseallenregency.co.uk/




Louise Allen -The Notorious Mr Hurst (Those Scandalous Ravenhursts #5)
978-0263867879 Harlequin Mills & Boon
July 2009 £3.79
Lady Maude Templeton wants to marry for love, and she's found the man. But not only is Eden Hurst utterly ineligible, he doesn't believe love exists. It will take all Maude's unconventional courage and the help of her Ravenhurst friends to find a happy ending.
http://www.louiseallenregency.co.uk/






June Francis - TILLY'S STORY
Allison & Busby Ltd.
23rd July £7.99.
After an argument with her elder sister, Tilly Moran decids it is time to fly the nest and moves across the Mersey to Liverpool, but working undercover for a detective agency brings Tilly in contact with the seedier side of the city.
June Francis






Gwen Kirkwood - DREAMS OF HOME
Severn House
£18.99
Steven Caraford longs to get home at the end of the war but he is dismayed to find there is no place for him there, and the schoolgirl who has written to him so faithfully is now a lovely young woman with great prospects of her own.
http://www.gwenkirkwood.co.uk/









Janet Mullany - A MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDY
978-0755347797, Little Black Dress
July 23, 2009 5.99
A racy Regency read about searching for money and finding love instead.
www.janetmullany.com
http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/


Nine Harrington - ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID
Mills and Boon
July
Amy Edler is a baker – not a wedding planner! But along with making her best friend’s wedding cake, Amy finds herself planning the wedding – with only her friend’s disapproving big brother to help!
http://ninaharrington.wordpress.com/