It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year...

It takes a special RNA member to not only enjoy our party but to go home and write about it for our blog. Thank you, Nikki Moore for your words and images.

If there is one thing I look forward to attending every year just before Christmas, it’s the RNA Winter Party - and this one didn’t disappoint. There may have been gusts of wind shaking the trees outside, but inside the Royal Overseas League it was warm, lively and fun. The wine flowed and everyone chatted, laughed and caught up with friends old and new while staff circulated with delightful tasty mini-canapés.

Welcome!

What made this Winter Party even better were the first Industry Awards superbly presented by Adrienne Vaughan, accompanied by glasses of champagne generously paid for by our lovely RNA President Katie Fforde (we thank you Katie!)

The runner-up for Bookseller of the Year was Michael Cole, who sadly couldn’t attend but whose bookshop always has a corner dedicated to romantic fiction. The winner was the marvellous Matt Bates of WH Smith Travel. What a great day Wednesday was for him! Giving a very touching speech about his long love affair with romantic fiction, he praised the RNA for their dedication, solidarity and passion and gave special thanks to Jenny Haddon and his mum.

Best Adaptation of a Novel runner-up Jamie Patterson (who directed Cally Taylor’s Home for Christmas) gave a witty, sincere speech and explained how he fell in love with his leading lady. The winner of the award was Debbie Horsfield for her adaptation of the Poldark series. Sadly she couldn’t be there due to ill health but her vibrant dialogue and feisty heroines received praise as well as rousing applause (and cheers for the gorgeous Aidan, star of the series).

The Romaniacs

Radio Gorgeous, champions of the romantic fiction genre and a station who regularly feature the RNA and its authors, were runners up for the Media Star award. However, it was a very special moment when the wonderful, hard working ladies of The Romaniacs were presented with the winning trophy. Described as a ‘Tour de Force’ they looked delighted with their win – and well deserved too.

Katie Fforde made the exciting announcement that next year the Romance Novel of The Year award in the RoNAs will be

New sponsor

sponsored by bookshop Goldsboro Books.  So thank you to them for getting on board and providing sponsorship.

Tracy & Elaine

A massive thank you and recognition has to go to Sally Quilford/Tracy Hartshorn who organised the party so brilliantly and tirelessly (truly something to be proud of) who was assisted by Elaine Everest on the door.

There wasn’t a single person I spoke to on Wednesday – be it author, agent or editor – who wasn’t having a great time. As I walked to the tube with aching feet from standing for hours on end and a sore throat from too much chatter, the only thought in my head was I can’t wait for the next RNA party...

I hope you can join us!

Thank you, Nikki, for your wonderful words. We too can't wait until the next RNA event. 

Would you like to write for the RNA blog? Contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Oh I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside!

Today we are delighted to welcome Celia J Anderson

Celia spends most of her spare time writing in as many different genres as possible, including children’s fiction. She also loves teaching drama and literature (now comfortingly called English again but still the best subject in the world.)

With two grown up daughters who have defected to the seaside, Celia’s future plan is to scoop up husband and cats and join them there. Her aim is a writing room with a sea view.

Have you always been or wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always written for fun, but a fantastic creative writing module in 1996 - part of my training to be a teacher - sowed the seeds of something more, and my first novel began to take shape. That one never made it (fortunately for the book world) but it’s actually the prequel to the new one, Little Boxes so the ten year writing process wasn’t wasted!

You graduated from the NWS last year with Sweet Proposal. We’d love to hear about the lead up to, and your involvement in the Joan Hessayan Award Ceremony.

The first time I went to an RNA summer party the Joan Hessayon award was being presented, and it became my dream to be in that line up. The invitation to be there, via email, was a proud moment, especially as two of my best writing buddies/fellow Romaniacs, Laura E James and Sue Fortin were going to be up there too. There were lots of blog interviews beforehand and an article in the local press - it was a fabulous occasion with fizz provided by Joan’s lovely husband and a wonderfully uncompetitive feeling for an event of this sort!

Can you tell us something about your working life before?

It’s more of a now than a before - my last year’s plan was to scale down my teaching workload to give extra writing time but then circumstances changed and I was given the job of assistant head, which is great fun but extremely full-on. It’s a bit of a juggling act to find time to write. Luckily, I wake up early. Strong coffee helps a lot

You’re a member of the Romaniacs Blogging team. How did you all get together?

Meeting the Romaniacs has been the single most significant moment in my writing life so far. Most of us got together at the first Festival of Romance in 2011 - we knew from the start that our friendship was something very special and when the other two joined us shortly afterwards, the die was cast and we very soon began blogging together. These ladies are my writing mainstay, brilliant critique partners, honest sounding boards, but most of all a source of support and ridiculous humour at any time of the day or night. We find it hard to all be in one place at once due to families, work etc. but when we do manage it, the wine and cake intake is legendary.

How do relax when not working?

I cook, eat and drink too much, go for long walks, (in the Derbyshire countryside, by the sea or on the Quantocks whenever possible) and socialise with my family and friends. Oh, and have lovely long naps. And read and read and read and read.

‘Little Boxes’ is released today. What can you tell us about it?

It’s a story of Molly’s quest to confront the secrets of her past and to begin to move on. The clues for her journey arrive at random times through the post in little boxes, each one designed to make Molly dig deeper into life before her husband’s death. In the process she meets the desirable and charismatic artist Tom, who has secrets and problems of his own.

What has been your experience regarding the publishing process?

My first novel, Sweet Proposal, was published digitally in August 2013 by Piatkus Entice, following a competition win at the 2012 Festival of Romance. The whole process was fascinating, especially the editing - I learned a lot, particularly from Caroline Kirkpatrick. This time I’m published by Tirgearr and it’s been equally interesting. They are so easy to work with - cooperative, friendly and approachable. I’m looking forward to more of the same in the future, fingers crossed.

As no writer rests on her (or his) laurels, what is next for Celia J Anderson?

In the adult writing field, my next project is something more off-the-wall - still romance but with a twist. It’s called Living the Dream and involves mind travel. I also write for children, and my middle grade book Teacher Torture is with a publisher for consideration as we speak. Even more finger crossing.

Blogs:

http://celiajanderson.co.uk

https://theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com

Twitter: @CeliaAnderson1

Facebook Author Page: Celia J Anderson

Publisher: http://tirgearrpublishing.com

Our fingers are crossed for you too. Thank you for joining us today, Celia

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

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

The Right Connection

Laura E James talks about the theme of her novel, Follow Me, Follow You

Thanks to a fantastic Julie Cohen 2013 RNA Conference workshop on theme, I realised my second Choc Lit novel, Follow Me, Follow You, is about reconnecting. Connection is a universal human need, which most likely took root in the days when hunting for food required teamwork ‒ where safety in numbers ensured mankind’s survival. A group can provide protection for the individual and share the workload.

I loved team sports when I was at school – I wasn’t naturally athletic, but I enjoyed the interaction and the process of working towards a common goal. To celebrate a win or commiserate over a loss with others is emotionally more satisfying and healing than whooping or crying alone. Being part of the team gave me a sense of belonging; a sense of being part of something greater than just me. And it gave me a sense of acceptance. This is what Victoria Noble, the heroine in Follow Me, Follow You, is missing. A divorced mother to four-year-old Seth, with whom she has a difficult relationship, and let down by the men in her life, she seeks sanctuary in her virtual world of computers. At work she doesn’t suffer the risk of emotional rejection, as the only connections she has to make are professional, but it’s here she unintentionally fulfils her basic human need of being part of the bigger picture.

However, what strikes me about Victoria is her obvious need to reconnect with the real world ‒ with real people. Her sanctuary, where she escapes the harsh realities of life, is a business she’s built centred on social media. EweSpeak is the number one social networking site, with all sorts of people interacting with one another. Victoria rarely engages with her flock, but she facilitates others to do so.

When we first meet Victoria, she’s beginning to understand the importance of the human connection and wants to fix the broken bond between her and Seth. The problem is she doesn’t know where to

Seth on Chesil Beach

start. ‘The fact he provoked such intense feelings within her was proof she loved him. Wasn’t it? The question banged around her sore head. She wanted love to flow through her veins. She wanted it to flood her heart and be her life force, but it was hard with a child who communicated with words of hatred.’

To secure and nurture the connection, interaction is required, which means both parties need to be open to the idea. To make matters worse, Seth connects with others with astonishing ease. And then there’s a romantic connection with her first love, Chris Frampton, Victoria has to address …

She has a long journey ahead, and she has no idea if she’s taking the correct path. She knows from past experience rejection can lead to negative emotions ‒ anxiety and poor self-esteem, to name two. It’s a tough call.

To my mind the importance is not in how we make those connections, but in the fact we have the courage to pursue them. The human race needs to belong to survive. I am lucky. I have found my place in the world. I have established connections that make me happy. I am secure. I am accepted for who I am, along with my disabilities, limitations and funny ways. I love and I am loved. And for that, I shall be eternally grateful and thankful.

Follow Me, Follow You is available on all major digital platforms and as a paperback.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Follow-Me-You-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B00MJ5YP4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Laura is married and has two children. She lives in Dorset, but spent her formative years in Watford, a brief train ride away from the bright lights of London. Here she indulged her love of live music, and, following a spectacular Stevie Nicks gig, decided to take up singing, a passion that scored her second place in a national competition.

Laura is a graduate of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, a member of her local writing group, Off The Cuff, and an editor of the popular Romaniacs blog.

She was runner-up twice in the Choc Lit Short Story competitions. Her story Bitter Sweet appears in the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Anthology. Truth or

Dare?, Laura’s debut novel, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction Best Romantic eBook 2013 and the 2014 Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Award. Follow me, follow you is Laura’s first Choc Lit novel published in paperback.

www.lauraejames.co.uk

www.twitter.com/Laura_E_James

www.facebook.com/LauraE.JamesWriter

www.theromaniacs.co.uk

http://youtu.be/5IJWZS63lRU

Thank you for joining us today, Laura

This blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman. If you would like to write about the craft of writing or perhaps be interviewed about your writing life please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com