Interview with Angela Britnell

Today I’m delighted to welcome Angela Britnell to the RNA Blog. Angela grew up in Cornwall which she left at eighteen to join the Royal Navy. While serving in Denmark she met her US Navy husband with whom she has three sons. After many years of travelling they now live in his native Tennessee. She volunteers at her local library, and frequently returns to Cornwall to visit family and friends. 

I love Cornwall, having lived there myself, but we'd love to know, Angela, what made you want to write and how you got your first break. 

I discovered a love for writing about ten years ago and sold my first novel in 2006. As an empty nester I have a lot more writing time now, but you only have to look at my school reports as a five-year-old to see that even then I loved English and hated Maths. Nothing has changed. I did a creative writing class mainly to escape my three rowdy sons for a few evenings! I was immediately hooked, started with short stories then moved on to finally complete a whole novel. I was lucky when a small Nashville publisher was looking for contemporary romance manuscripts for a new line they were going into.

Today, being Friday 13 is supposed to be unlucky, so maybe you'd better not send anything more out until tomorrow, although I can see you aren't the sort to rely on luck. Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop, TV, or music playing. What is your favourite mode of working?

I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m writing and prefer it fairly quiet although I’ll sometimes put on some background music. I’m fortunate to have my own office having taken over my oldest son’s bedroom and painted it a pretty peach colour when he moved out. You’ll see in the photo there’s a tea table in the background – essential to keep the creativity flowing. For more inspiration I’ve also got some of my father’s paintings, many Cornish pictures, plus a very tempting Johnny Depp calendar.

You look very comfortable there, Angela, so how do you set about starting a new novel? 

I often envy plotters who have everything neatly planned before they start writing but don’t think I’ll ever be one. I start with a vague idea which might be the main characters and/or a story idea. My first chapter always gets rewritten multiple times as I discover through some bizarre process where it might be headed. It sounds crazy but seems to work for me.

Do you find time for interests other than writing? Do you think it important for a writer to take time off?

I still read a lot although not always romances. I love a good mystery particularly by Elizabeth George or P.D.James. I do water aerobics several times a week and enjoy spending time in my garden. It’s definitely important to have time away from writing although that doesn’t mean it always leaves you alone - I’ve got story and character ideas in many different places from airport departure lounges to church!

Tell us about your latest book, and what inspired you to write it.

My latest book is called OPPOSITES ATTRACT and is based on a dating agency which purposely mismatches people.

Why can no one believe Holly and Brett are content with their single lives? Certainly not their interfering parents who decide to take action. The "Opposites Attract" dating agency has the theory if normal matchmaking hasn’t worked they’ll turn it upside down. The uptight British policewoman and the laid back Southern writer are complete opposites and so make the perfect mismatch. A weekend in Paris turns magical but secrets, lies and sheer stubborness threaten this romance before it hardly gets off the ground. 

This pair will fight love all the way and it’s a question of who’ll give in first. The idea took seed when reading about online dating sites and how differently many people start relationships these days. My characters are an English woman and a Southern man - I’m from Cornwall and my husband is from Tennessee - so you can draw your own conclusions where a few of the ideas might have come from!

What a good idea, that sounds fun. And now for some less serious questions: 

Are you ever driven to write by hand?

Rarely. I started off writing by hand until I discovered the story emerged far quicker on the computer and was so much easier to edit. I can’t imagine how Jane Austen managed! If you could know the future, what would you wish for? Probably the obvious - health and happiness for my children, many more years with my amazing husband and of course to see as many books as Nora Roberts!

When do you write best? Are you a lark or an owl?

A lark. I always wake early although don’t usually start writing then. I try to get all the routine life-gets-in-the-way jobs done in the morning and then settle down to write after lunch. If I’m on a deadline I might do some more after dinner but generally by nine in the evening my brain cells are pretty much closed down for the day. When it’s American football season here I write a lot more as my husband is usually laid out in the recliner yelling at the TV and doesn’t notice if I’m in the room – or even on the planet sometimes!

Can you multitask? 

How can you even ask that of a mother of three sons? I had to learn to in order to survive - I think most women are experts.

I can see that as a woman in an all-male household, multi-tasking will be essential, so what do they think of your books? 

The aforementioned sons are more into sports, sci-fi and fantasy NOT contemporary romance. Having said that they’re my greatest supporters along with my long-suffering husband. They happily brag on me to their friends as long as I don’t ask them to actually read one of my books! They also help with my web page and are dragging me into the 21st century by getting me on Twitter and Facebook.

We’ve loved talking to you today, Angela, and wish you all the best for the future. 

To find out more about Angela’s books, visit her website: http://www.angelabritnellromance.com

http://twitter.com/angelabritnell

www.facebook.com/angelabritnell 

OPPOSITES ATTRACT Jan 2012 from http://DesertBreezePublishing.com

IT’S COMPLICATED July 2012 from Desert Breeze Publishing

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCE Magna Large Print Books early 2012

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Judy Astley

I'm delighted to welcome bestselling author Judy Astley to the blog today. Judy says that she can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write, but at the staid and traditional girls’ school she attended, fiction was not encouraged. ‘It was feared that all we wild 1960s teenagers would go to The Bad without firm control over our imaginations.’ I’m happy to tell you that she didn’t listen to this advice, and continued to indulge her imagination, to the good of us all. 

So, Judy, I know you are a devoted member of the RNA, can you tell us how you first heard of the organisation, and in what way it has benefited you?

It was Katie Fforde who told me about the RNA when we were doing a bookshop talk together in Guildford, several years ago (and talked so long in the restaurant beforehand that we were almost late, running in all puffed and pink at the last minute). She said I should join as the parties were great – a clincher for me! I’ve met so many terrific people and great friends through the RNA and I love how supportive it is to everyone.

The parties certainly are great, but of course writers have to work hard too. Can you work anywhere or do you have a favourite place to hide away and write? 

I work best on my Apple iMac which is on a glass desk in our bedroom on the top floor, overlooking the Thames. That’s the ‘default’ place, just me with my cat Veronica sprawled across my lap. I do have a little Mac laptop as well which I use on my downstairs desk or if I’m away but the big Mac is where I feel most workmanlike. The river is very calming when I’m having a panic about whether I can ever write another line that makes sense and the cat and those writer-essential fingerless gloves keep me warm in winter.

Do you do much planning when starting a new novel? Would you call yourself a plotter or a pantster?

I wish I could say I’m a plotter and I expect my editor does too. I’m sure it would make life so much easier if I had the whole book worked out before the start but I just can’t. I start with a loose idea, a theme, maybe something that’s made me cross. I get a first chapter down and let it run from there, though I usually have an ending and several key events in mind. It does mean I waste a lot of time dithering and worrying about where to go next but somehow it gets there. The upside is getting those wonderful moments where you sit up in the middle of the night and it comes to you: “Ah – so that needy friend, she’s the ex-lover’s wife!”

Where to you find inspiration for your characters?

My main men are loosely based on people I fancy a bit. I like louche, arty/musician sorts, a bit Keith Richards, Serge Gainsbourg, James May kind of thing. Absolutely NOT George Clooney. And I’ll see people around and think, ooh, I like that look, or how someone speaks. In my new book, THE LOOK OF LOVE, I have an older woman who was entirely based on a woman I saw dining with her family at the Manoir Au Quatr’ Saisons. She was probably over 80, incredibly stylishly dressed and I suddenly ‘got’ what Statement Jewellery meant.

Can you tell us a little about your next book?

This new one, THE LOOK OF LOVE, is a good-fun one about Bella who, having suddenly lost three quarters of her income (plus her ex-husband wants to cash in his half of the home), rents out her house as a location for a clothes makeover show and ends up as one of the participants. There are actually three romances in it as Bella, her mother and daughter all have relationships under way. In fact, in a bid to give older women a better-than-usual deal with fiction sex, the mother gets a bedroom scene with her lover in the Ritz hotel, complete with champagne and cake. Bliss.

That sounds good. Three cheers for the older woman. And now to some lighter questions. What was your favourite book as a child? 

Anne of Green Gables. That and Anne of Avonlea. Both copies in our house had been my mother’s when she was young. I adored Anne and identified with her as my mother used to complain that I never stopped talking. I loved the constant trouble she was in, the wild imagination, the insecurity about how she looked (which I had too). It wasn’t till I was in my thirties that I discovered there were loads more books in the series and I read every fabulous one during a bout of flu.

Which were the first three ebooks you downloaded?
The first to the iPad was Jill Mansell’s ‘To the Moon and Back’, then Kate Long’s ‘Mothers and Daughters’ and Graham Greene’s ‘The End of the Affair’. I’ve got a good fortnight’s holiday’s-worth stacked up ready to read but I still actually prefer ‘proper’ books.

If you could choose to be something other than a writer, what would it be?

Tricky one this. Apart from being an idle, monied lady of pleasure I can’t think of a job I’d rather do. But – and this might sound weird - I do quite fancy running a stylish undertaking business. The 60s generation are starting to die off and I think they’d definitely go for a more sort-of Conran style operation than the grim, beige Dickensian high-street premises that exist. I should get in quick before Mary Portas gets in on the act, though I’d prefer not to be too hands-on.

Have you trained your husband to cook for you while you write?
As a life-long feminist I’m a bit shocked at this question! This is 2012, right? Jon and I both cook, both shop, both deal with laundry. Having said that we do accommodate each other’s work deadlines. If he’s mastering a difficult album (he has a music studio in the house) I’ll do supper and likewise, if I’m on a roll with the book he’ll do it. All I really ask when I’m cooking is that he doesn’t talk to me during The Archers.

What is the most you’ve written in a week and how did you get through it?

Well – I’m a terrible procrastinator (based on the fact that I’m forever sure I can never write another publishable sentence) so I take the deadline right to the edge and end up whizzing frantically through the last couple of chapters. So probably the most I’ve written in a week was 15,000 words a couple of books ago, with the final 6,000 crammed into the last day. Bizarrely, those last 6,000 flowed incredibly fluently, needed no changes at all and I’m still pretty pleased with them. All the same, it’s not a work-method I recommend.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us, Judy. To find out more do visit her website at http://www.judyastley.com 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

On The Twelfth Day of Christmas - Judy Astley Adorns The Tree with a Grenadian Angel Brings Her Grandmother's Ornament

Today our RNA tree is adorned with Judy Astley's Grenadian Angel....

My favourite tree ornament isn’t a very old one.  She’s a black angel dolly from Grenada and we’ve only had her for four years.

Jon and I are very boring about holidays.  Every year we end up, in late November, at the same hotel on the island of Grenada, meeting and having a great sunny time with the same bunch of people.

On our first visit we went to a small shopping mall and discovered a gallery called Art Grenada where we both fell in love with the vibrant naïve paintings of Canute Caliste (http://tinyurl.com/bnbbyqq)who lived on the nearby island of Carriacou.  The gallery owner was called Richard.  He was the thinnest, most unhealthy-looking speciment of humanity we’d ever seen but his enthusiasm and knowledge of Caribbean art was tremendous.  Gradually, thanks to Richard, our Caliste painting collection grew and a gallery visit was a high point of each holiday.

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan devastated the whole of Grenada and it was three years till we returned.  The shopping mall was still there but the Art Grenada premises were now empty.  In a gift shop next door I asked about Richard.  ‘Oh he passed away.’ The lady told me sadly, ‘He wasn’t well for a long time.’   I knew him only through those annual visits but his death made me terribly sad.  I thanked the lady and, with Richard very much in mind, I bought this Christmas angel from her and took her home. 

You can follow Judy on Twitter here.

And her latest book is available from the the 5th January....

When a makeover turns into a nightmare...

On The Eleventh Day of Christmas - Gilli Allan Decorates the RNA Tree

On the tenth day of Christmas Gilli Allan shares a special ornament...

I don’t have one favourite Christmas ornament.  I could offer several, some because they are beautiful, like my feather peacock, or some because they’re cute and funny and make me laugh, like my flying sheep, or my fairy, who looks like an eccentric Ophelia at her most crazy.  Or I could go for sentiment, and offer the red sparkly Santas that my son picked out in Woolworths, when he was tiny, which have graced our tree ever since. 

My mother died in 1986, the year my first book was published. Then Christmas irrevocably changed. No more large, fun, family gatherings at my parents’ spacious home.  From then on my siblings and I did our own thing.  Yet I still try to recreate the Christmases of my youth.  I make my own mince pies, sausage rolls, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding.  I even make bread sauce, solely because the scent of milk and bread crumbs, simmering with the clove studded onion and bay leaves, evokes the warmth of my mum’s ‘Christmas Eve’ kitchen.  

So the ornament I’ve chosen is the one I rescued, after my father died in 2009.  It goes back as far as I can remember   ̶   to those days when we hung the tree with threaded puffs of cotton-wool, to mimic snow.  Those were the days when we woke early, in feverish excitement, with a heavy, crackly knitted stocking across our feet; the days when grandparents, aunts and uncles all visited. The Christmas of my own childhood. 

You can follow Gilli on Twitter here.

On the Tenth Day Of Christmas - Angela Britnell Hangs a Sicilian Glass Ornament

On the tenth day of Christmas Angela Britnell hangs her favourite ornament on the RNA tree...

Every year when I hang this beautiful Sicilian glass ornament on our tree so many memories flood back. We'd only been married a couple of years and were stationed at the US Naval base at Sigonella. Our first son was a month old and we lived in a villa on the slopes of Mount Etna. Christmas was a magical time on the island and to the Sicilians it was a time for family and celebrating the true meaning of the holiday. We still crave the wonderful chocolates they sold and oranges picked straight from the trees and sold in the local streets. On Christmas Day the traditional firework displays and guns shot into the air had to complete with Mount Etna erupting. The sight of glowing red lava against the night sky is something we'll never forget. One day before Christmas we went shopping in the lovely city of Taormina and stopped outside a shop selling hand painted glass. This ornament was hanging in the window and although it was expensive we decided to buy it along with three similar ones. We have treasured them now for twenty-six years and they've survived multiple moves and three rambunctious sons. One day we'll share them between our sons and hope they'll continue the tradition of hanging them in pride of place on their own Christmas trees.

You can follow Angela on Twitter here.

Why can no one believe Holly and Brett are content with their single lives? Certainly their interfering parents don't and they decide to take action. The 'Opposites Attract' dating agency has the theory if normal matchmaking hasn't worked they'll turn it upside down. The uptight British policewoman and the laid-back Southern writer are complete opposites and so will make the perfect mismatch. A weekend in Paris turns magical but secrets, lies and sheer stubbornness threaten this romance before it hardly gets off the ground. Holly and Brett will fight love all the way and it's a question of who'll give in first.  

Interview with Talli Roland

Born and raised in Canada, Talli Roland now lives in London where she is able to enjoy the three loves in her life: rom-coms, cupcakes and Starbucks. Despite training as a journalist, she prefers making up her own stories – complete with happy endings. I think most of us can empathise with that one, Talli, so tell us what made you want to write and how you got your first break?

I don’t even remember starting to write – I just did! I was always scribbling something . . . a poem, a short story, a make-believe newspaper article. When I was nine, I wrote my first travelogue, a non-fiction piece called ‘Disasters in Florida’, based on a family trip to Orlando. My real piece de résistance, though, was my novel called ‘Glint off the Gold’, which I completed on the Commodore 64 at age thirteen and sent off to various publishers. And thus began my long love affair with rejections!

My first big break was when a small publisher contracted me to write a London travel guide. Although non-fiction was never really my dream, I figured being published in any genre was a good first step. It taught me a lot about how the process works.

Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop, TV, or music playing. Or you may need your cat on your lap. What is your favourite mode of working?
I need to be at my desk in my office, and it needs to be silent. I get distracted very easily, and my attempts to write in coffee shops have been disastrous. Usually, I end up spilling sugar on my keyboard, or eavesdropping. My office is a ‘safe zone’, where the only distraction is Twitter.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing? Do you think it important for a writer to take time off?
I drink a lot of wine! I must admit that for the past four years, I’ve been very focused on building up my writing career, and I haven’t taken much time off. When I do feel the urge to get out of the flat, I go for a run through Hyde Park to clear my head. I also enjoy travelling with my family in Egypt and Canada.

Do you have a critique partner, or share your work with anyone before you submit to an editor?

I have a fantastic critique partner. We met through our blogs a few years ago, and she’s been invaluable. I also have several beta readers I use to give me feedback and help tailor the story once it’s at a more readable stage.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft? What method works best for you? 
I power straight through to the end. My first drafts are always rubbish, but there’s no way I could edit as I go – usually because while I know the main turning points, I have no idea how the characters will get there. It’s only once I have everything on paper that I can begin to shape it all into a narrative that makes sense.

Are you involved in social networking and blogs? Any tips for other writers? Social networking has been a great way for me to meet other writers and get the word out about my novels. Being published with a small publisher means that I do all my own promotion and marketing (with a very low budget!). By taking the time to build up a network on Twitter and in the blogosphere, I was able to get a small army of supporters behind the launch of my first two novels, which drove them into the top 100 on Amazon Kindle on release day. One of the most important things in social media is interaction, and I spend at least an hour each day reciprocating comments – if someone comments on my blog, I visit theirs and comment, too. It’s only by building relationships that people will be eager to help when it comes to spreading the word about your novel.

In what way has the RNA helped you or your career?

I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme a few years ago as an unpublished writer, and I received very detailed and helpful feedback that definitely helped me become a better writer. Although that manuscript was never published, I rejoined the next year as a full, published member. Before I heard about the RNA, I felt very isolated – like I was writing in a cave, groping around in the dark and unsure which way to turn. Meeting members of the RNA made me realise there’s a very supportive community of people who want you to succeed.

With the increasing popularity of ebooks, how do you think digitisation might change your own career as a writer? 
Ebooks have helped my career enormously. My first two novels were published by a small publisher, and distribution was an issue. However, with ebooks, there are no distribution issues – you have equal shelf space – and this was definitely a factor that helped my debut novel succeed. Ebooks and the ability to self-publish have also provided authors with options other than hopping on the query-go-around, and I’m taking advantage of that. I recently made the decision to leave my publisher and self-publish BUILD A MAN, my latest novel. It was a scary step to take, but for me, it was the right one.

Tell us what inspired you to write it. 

BUILD A MAN follows an ambitious tabloid reporter who goes undercover to construct the nation’s perfect man. It’s set in a cosmetic surgery clinic, and it was inspired by my time working in a five-star spa in one of London’s wealthiest boroughs. I had so much fun writing it, because my main character gets to express many of the things I would have liked to!

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today, Talli, and we wish you every success with your new book. Talli’s debut novel, THE HATING GAME, published by Prospera Publishing, was an Amazon Top 100 bestseller and shortlisted for Best Romantic Read at the UK’s Festival of Romance. Her second, WATCHING WILLOW WATTS, was selected as a 2011 Amazon Customer Favourite. BUILD A MAN is her latest release. You can find out more about Talli on her blog here. http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

Interviews on the RNA Blog are conducted by Freda Lightfoot and Kate Jackson. If you would like an interview, please contact me at:freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

On The Ninth Day of Christmas - Tamsyn Murray Adds A Toy Soldier To The Tree

On the ninth day of Christmas Tamsyn Murray adds a toy soldier to the RNA tree...

My favourite ornament is this wooden Toy Soldier from The Nutcracker. It was a gift to my daughter when she was about five from an aunt and, despite the fact that it doesn't sparkle and glitter like the other decorations, it has found a place on our Christmas tree ever since. If you look carefully, you can just see the red string hanging from the bottom - pulling it makes the soldier leap in the air as though he is dancing in the ballet. My daughter was fascinated by him and made me tell her the story of The Nutcracker over and over, although she always questioned the wisdom of fighting an army of mice with gingerbread soldiers.

It soon became one of our Christmas Eve traditions, as much a part of the celebrations as leaving sherry and a mince pie out for Father Christmas, or trying to sneak a stocking full of presents into her room without waking her up. She's too grown up for such things now (apart from the stocking, because you're never too old for those) but I'm looking forward to introducing my newborn son to the Toy Soldier and the story of The Nutcracker in the years to come. If nothing else, at least he'll learn never to rely on gingerbread soldiers.

Tamsyn's latest book is My So-Called Phantom Lovelife. You can find out more about it and her at www.tamsynmurray.co.uk.

I knew the boy was different when I saw him walk on water…

When fourteen-year-old Skye Thackery meets Owen Wicks, it’s not exactly love at first sight. She’s getting over a broken heart and he’s – well – a ghost. But as Skye gets to know him, she can’t help wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Dating a ghost isn’t easy, and things get worse when Owen declares he’s found a way to stay with Skye forever. His plans make her uneasy – the shadowy organisation which claims to be able to help him is bad news, and it seems Nico, her ex, is involved too.

As Owen prepares to risk everything, Skye begins to wonder if she really has a future with him, or if his desire to be more than just a ghost will cost them everything.

In Memory of Penny Jordan - Best Selling Romantic Novelist

Penny Jordan died on 31st of December 2011. 

Penny Jordan was a global star of Mills & Boon, not only in Category Romance, but an international best seller when they first ventured into single title, under the Worldwide imprint, with her stunning revenge novel Silver (1989). She loved and continued to write category romance, but latterly she had added novels for Harper Collins -- wartime romances under the pen name Annie Groves, which she loved writing, drawing on family history for some of her inspiration, and also big family sagas like Silk and Scandal, under her own name.

She was phenomenally hard working but could always find time to support other writers, especially those still aspiring to be published. She was generous and the success of authors she had advised was an on-going delight to her. 

In March 2011 Penny Jordan received a lifetime achievement award from the RNA.

We miss her and here are some of the comments from her fellow writers....

The sadness and love expressed by so many of us say a lot about Penny
herself.

Not only is she a talented storyteller - she is a kind and generous soul -
who always has words of encouragement for others.

She has always been a wonderful ambassador for our work and our association.
She been an inspiration to me in more ways than I can say.

Like so many others I am deeply saddened to hear of her illness - and my
thoughts are with her and those closest to her.
                                                                                        [Janet Gover]

We've had a few chats at various "dos" and she is always so friendly.  A very talented lady, who never flaunts her bestseller status. [Gail Mallin]

  

She is a a real RNA stalwart and a true star. [Jenny Harper]

 She's a true inspiration for all of us, so incredibly hard-working and always kind and generous with advice. Long before I came to England and joined the RNA, I had heard of her and seen her books in many different countries, but although I was in awe the first time I met her, she soon put me at ease. Am thinking of her. [Pia Fenton writing as Christina Courtenay]

She is such a wonderful and generous person - a role model for us all. [Katie Fforde]

She is always so self-effacing and generous to others. [Jan Jones]

Like so many I'm in shock and unbelievably sad. Penny was a friend and a
mentor. I cherish memories of shopping for handbags with her in Dubai and
comparing shoes at RNA events. Her glamour.... a goal to try an reach....

She is a writing pro who never stopped growing as writer - never happy with
just good enough and as other have said has encouraged many of us on our
way...

My prayers are with her.  [Liz Fenwick]

This is sad news indeed. Penny Jordan is a name I've known since I was a young girl, with many of her books lying about the house, and my mother an ardent fan, of course. My thoughts are with her and her family. [Jane Holland, daughter of Charlotte Lamb]

I wouldn't presume to say I knew her well but having chatted to her on many
occasions in the past nine years I have always found her unfailingly kind
and very modest.

I know she was genuinely interested in helping and guiding aspiring authors
and that over the years, she has mentored several unpublished members of the
RNA.

I can completely understand why she wanted to keep her illness private as
people, even talented, vibrant people like Penny, who have a terminal
diagnosis often become defined by that rather than the person they truly
are.

But as a true storyteller she will leave a wonderful legacy for her family,
friends and fans alike; over 200 well-crafted and page-turning romances.

[Jean Fullerton]

Like everyone else, I am devastated by this terrible news. Penny was a huge support to me when I was getting published and encouraged me during the many times I wanted to give up.She is a truly special person and the world will be a poorer place without her. [Julia Moffatt]

I'm greatly saddened to hear the news about Penny, a highly successful author, who was never too busy to offer advice to others trying to get on to the ladder of publishing success.  I was one such beneficiary.

I shall always remember her with affection  - her generous nature, her warmth as a person and her enviable instinct for glamour. [Liz Harris]


I never met Penny but corresponded via e-mail from time
to time. She was so generous in her support and praise for all new and
inexperienced writers- as I was six years ago. [Fenella Miller]

Penny is an inspirational woman. So hard-working and dedicated to her craft. And, on a more superficial note, always so elegant. [Gilli Allan]

My thoughts and prayers are with her family. She spoke at the first RNA meeting I first went to in Circencester. She was an inspiration and as a result I joined the RNA. God bless her.  [Sheila Johnson]

I met her first at the Cheshire RNA chapter, where she was
incredibly kind to this newbie author who only had one book out with a tiny
publisher. [Lynne Connolly]

How shocked I am at the news about Penny. I have many, many Penny Jordan books. They are keepers. [Vonnie Hughes]

On The Eighth Day of Christmas - Julie Cohen's Own 'Faberge Egg'

On the eight day of Christmas Julie Cohen adds her favourite ornament to the RNA tree...

My favourite ornament

My mother is both artistic and deft and can create beautiful things for her family and friends to enjoy. The walls of the house where we grew up are decorated with her framed embroidery; she made me Hallowe'en costumes and beautiful beloved rag dolls when I was growing up. She used to decorate wedding cakes with delicate hand-made sugar flowers and she has made her home both comfortable and elegant. 

When I was about seven years old, she went through a phase of making Christmas ornaments out of egg-shaped styrofoam balls, covered with velvet ribbon, jewelled pins and sequins. They were things of baroque beauty, every one different and marvellous. Every year I would set them out carefully in a row to savour the differences. My personal favourite was made of pink velvet and crusted with rhinestones, topped with an elaborate pink bow. Later, when I saw my first photograph of a Faberge egg, I would think of that ornament. When we decorated the Christmas tree, I always put that pink velvet ornament in pride of place, right in the front of the tree at eye level, where it would catch the light and sparkle.

I tried to make one myself. While I'm reasonably artistic, I've never been gifted in crafts, like my mother; when I made my ornament, the ribbon wouldn't stick to the egg, the pins were all wonky, the bow was bedraggled. You could see white styrofoam peeking through the decorations. Mom wouldn't let me throw it away. Ashamed, I hung it right at the back of the tree, where no one would see it. But mysteriously, it kept on migrating to the front of the tree. In pride of place. 

I know now that my mother moved it. It was her favourite.

My latest book: The Summer of Living Dangerously: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Living-Dangerously-Julie-Cohen/dp/0755350634/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

I have a free Christmas-themed read up on my website, to read or download: 
http://www.julie-cohen.com/books/the-black-sheep/

January Releases

JoJo Moyes ME BEFORE YOU
Michael Joseph
£7.99
5th January
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Judy Astley THE LOOK OF LOVE
Black Swan
Paperback
£6.99
5th January

When a makeover turns into a nightmare...

Benita Brown I'LL BE SEEING YOU
Headline
05 Jan 2012
£18.99 Hardback

As the tragedy and uncertainty of the Second World War takes hold, a young woman must learn to let go of the past in this enthralling, romantic and heartbreaking novel.

www.benitabrown.com

Essie Fox SOMNAMBULIST
Orion
5th January
£7.99
'Some secrets are better left buried...' When seventeen-year-old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, she risks the wrath of her mother Maud who marches with the Hallelujah Army, campaigning for all London theatres to close. While there, Phoebe is drawn to a stranger, the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels, who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women. When offered the position of companion to Nathaniel's reclusive wife, Phoebe leaves her life in London's East End for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire - a house that may well be haunted and which holds the darkest of truths...

Leah Fleming THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER
Simon and Schuster
Hardback
19th January

Two women meet in a lifeboat as the Titanic sinks. May and her family were outward bound for Idaho but her husband and baby are lost in the sinking. Wealthy Celeste, returning from her mother's funeral in Lichfield to her son and abusing husband, befriends this third class passenger. Then the Captain rescues a child and May clings on to her with relief. As dawn comes and the Carpathia rescues the survivors, a friendship destined to last a lifetime is forged despite social differences but then May makes a startling discovery. Her split second decision  changes all their lives for ever.

From the streets of New York where Angelo waits in vain for his Italian wife and baby, to Lichfield's Cathedral Close, via Tuscany's rolling hills, the unfolding story spans fifty years, two continents and the secret of that fateful night reverberates through three generations of these survivors.

Victoria Connelly DREAMING OF MR DARCY

Sourcebooks

Paperback

$14.99

When a new version of Jane Austen's Persuasion starts filming in the seaside town of Lyme Regis, Austen fan Kay Ashton can't believe her luck especially when she catches the eye of the handsome actor playing Captain Wentworth.  But is he really the perfect hero?

www.victoriaconnelly.com

Benita Brown writing as Clare Benedict SOPHIE’S WEDDING
Ulverscroft/Magna
Large Print
Hardcover
£20.99
01 Jan 2012

As they gather for their best friend’s wedding three friends find themselves at turning points in their lives. Alison wonders if she can find happiness again; Francine must decide between an old love and a new opportunity; Carol asks herself if her own marriage is worth saving. One thing is certain-change is in the air!

www.benitabrown.com

Charlie Cochrane ALL LESSONS LEARNED

Samhain Publishing

ebook

The Great War is over. Back at St. Bride’s College, Orlando Coppersmith is discovering what those years have cost. All he holds dear—including his beloved Jonty Stewart, lost in combat. A commission to investigate a young officer’s disappearance gives Orlando new direction…temporarily. The deceptively simple case becomes a maze of conflicting stories—is Daniel McNeil a deserter, or a hero? As he hovers on the brink of despair, a chance encounter in France brings new hope and unexpected joy. But the crushing aftereffects of war could destroy his second chance, leaving him more lost and alone than ever…

Janet Woods ROMANTIC INTERLUDES
Belgrave House
Electronic download
USD $5.00
A collection of fourteen contemporary romance stories from a prize-winning novelist.
http://www.belgravehouse.com

Janet Woods TALL POPPIES
Severn House Hardcover
$19.99
Two men hold the key to Livia's heart and happiness, both WW1 heroes. Through no fault of his own - one of them nearly breaks it.
http://www.janet-woods.com

Margaret Mounsdon - THE MATTER OF THE HEART

People's Friend 696 -

Pocket Novel

£1.99

When Dominic Talbot award winning screenwriter leaves his briefcase in the back of one of Georgia Jones's mini cabs it sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever

www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

Margaret Mounsdon - SECOND TIME AROUND

My Weekly

Pocket Novel

£1.99

Widowed Elise Trent thought no one could replace her beloved husband Peter in her affections, until she met policeman Mark Hampson 

www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

Vanessa Devereaux CATER TO ME

Cobblestone Press www.cobblestone-press.com

99 cents

e-book-short story

January 4th

Sometimes doing something wrong is heavenly

Vanessa Devereaux HOW I MET MY LOVER

Evernight Publishing  www.evernightpublishing.com

e-book-novella

January 20th

The last thing Emily expected to do when she returned to Seattle was run into her old school buddy, Mia. Mia was always quite the girl so Emily isn’t too surprised to hear she’s an escort. Emily against her better judgment decides to give it a try and meets the man of her dreams.

Matt’s been a career bachelor and a tough undercover cop so you’d think posing as a client for an escort would be a piece of cake. What he didn’t count on was Emily opening the door to him and his heart.

Vanessa Devereaux FORBIDDEN

Total E Bound www.total-e-bound.com

e-book

January 23rd

When Maggie falls for Dr. Jon Gunderson she not only loses her best friend’s trust but her life takes an unexpected turn.

Julie was Maggie’s mentor and has been her best friend for as long as she can remember.

When she finally gets a change to visit her on the island of Majorca, she falls for Julie’s son, Jon, and the two enjoy a week of sexual bliss.

When Julie finds out about their affair, she can never forgive Maggie.

However, Maggie carries a secret that will have life-altering changes not only for herself but for Jon too.

Portia Da Costa FAR FROM PERFECT
Samhain Publishing
Trade Paperback
$14.00
Enduring passion, turbulent emotions, and an engagement of convenience... can Nick and Anna be together without reliving a painful conflict from their past?
http://www.portiadacosta.com/farfromperfect.html

Angela Britnell OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Desert Breeze Publishing

Available in ebook format

$5.99

Why can no one believe Holly and Brett are content with their single lives? Certainly their interfering parents don't and they decide to take action. The 'Opposites Attract' dating agency has the theory if normal matchmaking hasn't worked they'll turn it upside down. The uptight British policewoman and the laid-back Southern writer are complete opposites and so will make the perfect mismatch. A weekend in Paris turns magical but secrets, lies and sheer stubbornness threaten this romance before it hardly gets off the ground. Holly and Brett will fight love all the way and it's a question of who'll give in first. 

www.angelabritnellromance.com