Jenny Barden On Bumping Into Editors At The Conference

Jane Holland (Commissioning Editor for Salt Publishing) has bought some ‘violent heels’ for Greenwich. Help! I’ve only just found out, and now my already jangled nerves are close to squeaking point. Why, I keep asking myself, since everyone at the last Conference (my first) was overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming? The reason is that this year I know for a fact I’ll be ‘meeting’ editors, rather than simply (and only maybe) ‘bumping into’ them - like this…

Me (at the Pure Passion Awards): ‘Super do, isn’t it?’ (Hic) ‘What a pity we don’t all wear name badges then I’d know who I was talking to! Do you write?’

VIP: ‘I’m with Pan Macmillan, actually.’

Me: ‘Ah…’ (Attempt at an intelligent smile whilst brain goes into overdrive)

VIP: ‘My author’s over there…’

But this time it’s going to be different because I’ve had chance to prepare: an opportunity to do all that background research that editors find so impressive. Yes, Jane Holland and Lyn Vernham (Director of Choc Lit), and Julie Cohen for that matter, and you too, Mistress of the Blog, just see how hard I’ve been working:

I’m on my way!…

And So It Begins - Margaret Mounsdon Shares Her Envy

I'm really envious of you all being at Greenwich for the 50th anniversary Conference especially as way back my ancestors being watermen all came from Greenwich. I can remember when I was a little girl my grandfather telling me that his great grandfather used to wear a tricorn hat and row people across the Thames for a penny. I wish I'd listened a bit better. Do you think I could be related to Elizabeth I? She came from Greenwich didn;t she? Anyway I intend to catch up on all my little writing jobs this weekend. Have a great time and let us know all the news when you get back.

Margaret 
Out now...Margaret's A MATTER OF PRIDE - My Weekly Pocket Novel 
--
mounsdma@sky.com
www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

Conference Countdown - Sarah Duncan's Tale Of Her First Conference

Sarah Duncan tells tales of hangovers and talks...

My first book had been published in the summer of 2004, and I'd been invited to be a speaker at the RNA conference.  I'd not been before so had little idea of what to expect, but everyone was incredibly friendly.  Too friendly.  I have a vague recollection of Mandy Grange topping up my glass in the bar at about two in the morning. I think I got to bed at four.  None of this would have mattered if my talk hadn't been at nine the next morning.

I struggled out of bed feeling - oh, beyond dreadful.  You know, that sensation that your skin is sliding off your face into a grey-green puddle on the floor. That bad. I couldn't give a talk.  I had to give a talk.

I remember sitting on a chair because I thought I'd fall over if I stood.  I can remember looking at Jenny Haddon sitting in the front of the audience and thinking I was about to throw up over the RNA chair.  Which would have been memorable, to say the least.

But what I remember most is hearing Julie Cohen's talk in the next door room.  It sounded as if it was going really, really well.  I discovered afterwards she'd brought in a life-size cardboard cut-out of Hugh Jackman which seemed an unfair advantage.

I'm speaking again at this conference.  I've got the nine o'clock spot again.  And in the next room will be...Julie Cohen. But this time I'm ready.  She may have Hugh Jackman, but I've got magic publishing pixie dust and I won't be hungover.  Much...

Sarah's latest book is out now 

Kissing Mr Wrong (Headline Review)

www.sarahduncan.co.uk

www.sarahduncansblog.blogspot.com @sarahduncan1

Conference Countdown - Steve Wade, A Male Perspective On The Conference

Conference veteran Steve Wade offers his thoughts...

I’m sure you women writers have often stopped to give a momentary thought to the bloke in the corner as you sip your wine and talk editors, chapters, deadlines and focus groups. Well, although I’m a writer, I’m also quite often the bloke in the corner, merely observing, and trying to understand why women never run out of words while men grope for the right words, give in and use the nearest one, and then feel sorry for months because they used one that got them into trouble. That happens a lot at a conference, but it also has a wonderful romantic element too, and I think a poem is the best way to explain this delicious, unsteady and tentative little journey into love – the central theme of all the writers at the forthcoming conference. Because the journey into the experience of the conference is a little like that other journey, the one we long for, pain and joy on the road like pebbles and sunrise – but boy we need that trip into something unknown and maybe revolutionary. Or just as strange as a hot curry in a desert.

Wonderful Journey

Welcome to a country called Love.

You need a visa. Nobody knows you.

You need a road map.

No road-signs to affection here.

You need a phrase book:

She’ll speak woman-talk.

You need an emotion licence

Or you’ll crash into a barrier of grief .

But once inside her borders,

All this wonderful journey-

You never want it  to end

 

Conference Countdown - Sarah Callejo Shares Her Excitement

Newbie Sara Callejo talks about the anticipation...

You can feel the excitement bubbling across twitter and emails. People are exchanging photos of their shoes for the RNA Gala Dinner and searching frantically for smart outfits whilst doing unbearable sacrifices to actually fit in them.

As a newbie I dared to ask if the RNA Conference was worth the effort for yet-to-be-published writers and I immediately received a string of emails from RNA members praising their experiences at their first RNA Conferences. Although each person described their own experiences, there were a few common factors I could draw from them: by the end of the weekend you will have made friends who will give you invaluable support during the years leading to publication and you’ll be back taking home a large basket of inspiration, advice and newly found energy for your writing. There were also quite a few mentions of kitchen parties at midnight...

All the messages were so enthusiastic that I quickly convinced my husband that this was a very serious conference which was vital to improve my work and I “forgot” to mention any details about fun, drinks and chatting to friends about our muscly heroes. He must be quite baffled at my palpable excitement whenever I mention the “boring conference with a bunch of very serious women”.

The truth is I feel like a schoolgirl about to go on summer camp. I feel a surge of bubbly excitement whenever I remember that I will soon be talking to the many friends I've met through email and twitter. But I’m also looking forward to days full of interesting sessions given by people who I admire for their writing and advice. I’ll be learning whilst having fun, what more could you ask for? Well, maybe one or two rays of sun...

Conference Countdown - Julie Cohen Talks About The SHOE Question

Shoe Lover Julie Cohen gives a glimpse into her thought process of shoe selection for the gala dinner on Friday...

Like any good romance, the relationship between the Romantic Novelist’s Association and shoes is complex and passionate.  It’s not that you need to have the perfect shoes for an RNA party.  But if you do happen to have the perfect shoes, there will be much rejoicing.

Of course, I’m all about making others happy, and if I can cause much rejoicing merely by my choice of footwear, who am I to deny the world a little bit more happiness? 

So my obsessive planning about what outfit to wear to the RNA’s Gala Dinner at the conference in Greenwich, celebrating the 50^th anniversary of my favourite writing organisation, isn’t because of vanity.  Oh, no.  It’s about spreading the joy.

The question is, which shoes will cause the maximum happiness for others?  This is a complicated equation, which has several different factors.  Should it be new shoes, or a pair I already own?  My bank balance will thank me if I don’t have to buy any more, and the RNA is actually very welcoming of shoes that have had a previous outing.  They welcome them as if they were old friends.  But this is a gala dinner, and surely something a bit special is required.  New shoes, then, or shoes I haven’t worn to an RNA do before.

They must be photogenic.  There are several RNA members (naming no names, ahem *your blog editor*),who go around pointing their cameras at the ground and who then post the resulting photos of shoes on their blogs and websites for all to see.  So shoes that look good on camera, and that preferably don’t have a big wad of gum or toilet paper on the heel.

They don’t have to be expensive.  In fact, they should either be super-expensive, or super-cheap.  I cannot forget the crowd that gathered around Penny Jordan’s red Louboutins at the Romantic Novel of the Year awards lunch.  You could hear the gasps of admiration from across the room.  On the other end of the spectrum, I wore a pair of electric blue cork-heeled slingbacks to a Summer Party last year and got great satisfaction from telling everyone who asked, “They’re twelve quid from Primark.”  There’s a reason for the saying “Cheap and cheerful.”

The comfort of my own feet, of course, doesn’t figure in this at all.  This is altruism, pure and simple.

I think I have the perfect pair in my closet.  Black patent leather, extremely high heeled platform court shoes with a red sole and a certain designer’s name on the bottom, which have not yet seen an RNA party.  They tick all the boxes, they are things of beauty, they don’t even hurt that much, and they are bound to cause rejoicing.

Now, what about the dress?  Well, that’s another complicated equation...

**

Julie’s latest book, which features, among others, red slingback Fendis and black strappy Jimmy Choos, is NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM (Little Black Dress, March 2010).  There are indigo crocodile stilettos in her next book, GETTING AWAY WITH IT (Headline Review, October 2010).  There’s some romance in there somewhere, too.

For more about Julie and her books, visit http://www.julie-cohen.com

Conference Countdown - Kate Walker's Packing List For First Time Attendees

Conference veteran Kate Walker gives a bit of advice of what to pack...

I still remember how  it felt to head for my very first conference back in 2000. I was so nervous. But I soon got  settled and this year I’m back for my 10^th – how did that happen?

In 2002, I helped introduce some ‘newbies’  (aka Conference Virgins)  to the Conference experience  and then for the next 2 years I ran the first timers’  welcome scheme and newsletter – something that’s now an established part of the conference. So when I was asked to write a blog post about the things a first-timer should pack, I just had to go back over my past newsletters to collect up my list.

So here is the Virgin’s/First Timer's Packing List.   Hope it helps!

• Clothes you can  live in for a day of  workshops/sitting on chairs/taking notes/taking part/drinking tea or coffee/eating lunch/talking/meeting people.  Be comfortable  - dress code is pretty casual.

• Layers – this is England

• Rain protection – umbrella/ jacket to run from accommodation to workshops etc

• Shoes you can walk in from bedroom to workshop to coffee to workshop to lunch to queue for lunch in to workshops to tea to your room . . .

• Glitz  for the celebration dinner – this is the time to wear shoes to flaunt  and have photographed for the blog . Some people dress up to the nines, other just  up to five – use it as an excuse to glam up if you want.

• Notebook File Pens – you may be provided with some of these – if fact I know you’ll have a pen because I’ve donated them – but it’s amazing how many people forget that they will need to take notes  etc The goody bag usually has paper in it but if you have a preference for a particular sort of notebook, bring one.

• A bag to carry them around in and collect up handouts from workshops  papers will slip and slide in your hands. Straps long enough to go over your shoulder help – specially when trying to drink tea/coffee/eat bacon rolls etc

• It can be useful to have a small fold-up/cotton bag to go inside your other bag to carry the books you inevitably buy from the bookshop

• Don’t bring book(s) to read – your goody bag will provide some and there is always the bookshop

• Small bottle of water to carry round  - specially in workshops etc if it gets warm and have water  in our  room to avoid hangover  see below!

• Cash for  books, drinks, extras

• Tissues

• Alarm clock  - you don’t want to miss anything

• Paracetamol  for ‘overload’ headache

• And/or   hangover cure – water/paracetamol/milk thistle. Every year the bar staff are warned the Romantic Novelists can shift a little wine. Every year they don’t quite believe it – until they have to send for fresh supplies!

• Ear plugs if noise bothers you – it’s a place you’re not used to and people do gather and chat in the kitchens etc.

• Toiletries shampoo etc

• Hairdryer if needed

• Minimum makeup stuff – do you really think you’ll have time for a full glam up for the evening?

• Pyjamas or similar for wandering from room to kitchen/staying and chatting in kitchen

• List of books you want to get hold of/authors you hope to meet

• Camera

• Laptop/ipad/blackberry/whatever if you really can’t live without email

• A pack of disposable plastic tumblers are a good idea – wine drinking back in the digs can be difficult with no glasses....  (Thanks to Anna Louise Lucia – one of the original ‘virgins’  who reminded me about this one!)

• Anna also says:” I bring a note of my workshop choices, so I don’t have to double check.”

• As Jan says in the Conference pack you might want to bring extra tea bags.

Other points you might want to consider:

Pace yourself 

The RNA is quite a small conference, particularly when compared to America’s RWA – but it doesn’t always seem that way when it’s your first time and you don’t know many people. You don’t have to do everything and even if you attended all the workshops you wanted you probably won't take everything in if you're rushing frantically from A to Z. One of the important benefits of a conference is meeting and talking with fellow writers - people who actually get what this is all about.  Balance this with the workshop benefits and take time out when you need it. It's so easy to get swept away in the hype, the networking, the fun but taking a moment to regroup your thoughts/grab a caffeine boost can set you up for the rest of the conference. If you give yourself some "break" time, it'll stop you feeling overwhelmed and give you a chance to absorb what you've heard.

Meeting authors and others

Remember that published writers are only human - this means that they  will  usually be easily approachable and happy to talk - if you approach them at the right time.  Specially if you want to ask them to sign a book! But published authors can get as overwhelmed as new writers. When an author is talking with an agent/senior editor - any editor is not the best time to approach. But if they are looking a bit lonely or in a queue for lunch  that's a good time to stop and say Hi.

Smile and say hello to people.  Introduce yourself. You never know who you might end up standing/sitting next to

Above everything else, have fun  and enjoy yourself.  If you have a problem  or feel lost – ask. There will always be someone who’ll know the answer or if they don’t they can find someone who will help.

See you there

Kate

http://www.kate-walker.com
http://kate-walker.blogspot.com/
 

July Releases

Here are the releases for July from members of the RNA...

Rosy Thornton THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE
Headline Review
8 July 2010

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. Her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, and the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours - including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's forthright sister, Bryony?
http://www.rosythornton.com


Janet Gover GIRL RACERS
Little Black Dress
July 8th
£6.99

Fasten your seatbelt! It's a red-hot race to the finish line as two women take on the men in a gruelling car rally through Australia's Snowy mountains - and discover that winning isn't always about being first across the line.

www.janetgover.com

Kate Walker A GOOD GREEK WIFE?
Harlequin, Mills & Boon
2 July 2010
£3.19

He was declared missing at sea – but now notorious Zarek Michaelis has returned and is ready to take control. He wants his business back - but does he still want his wife?
http://www.kate-walker.com
http://kate-walker.blogspot.com/

Rachel Brimble THE ARRIVAL OF LILY CURTIS
July 23rd
The Wild Rose Press
$13.99 print or $6.50 eformat

At the mention of an arranged marriage, Elizabeth Caughley feels her life is over at the age of three and twenty….so she hatches an escape plan. She will reinvent herself as a housemaid. Overnight, Elizabeth becomes Lily
Viscount Westrop wants nothing more than his legacy to be passed to his own son one day. Even though he feels insurmountable pity for the unborn child already, he knows how much pain a broken promise can cause and will do what is right. But with the arrival of his new housemaid, his plans are thrown into disarray. Lily is funny, feisty and the most beautiful creature on earth – Andrew is thunderstruck. But if anyone suspects how much he wants to ravish her and endlessly love her, Andrew’s lineage will be in peril. And he cannot let that happen…
www.rachelbrimble.com

Chrissie Loveday FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE
My Weekly Pocket Novel
July 1
£1.55

Amanda meets rising tennis star, Sacha Manon. They are immediately attracted to each other but she fails to admit she is really seeking an interview for her magazine. A whirlwind romance and the future looks great .. until he learns the truth about her job ...

Chrissie Loveday LEARNING TO LOVE AGAIN
Chivers
Large Print Edition

Following her husband's death at sea, Anna is trying to build a new life for herself and little daughter. Dare she risk allowing another man into her life? Especially one who is a medic on call for the lifeboat service.

http://www.ChrissieLoveday.com
http://www.Rough-Clay.com

Kate Hardy NEUROSURGEON... AND MUM!
Mills & Boon
July 2010
£3.19

Neurosurgeon discovers love in the most unexpected place.
http://www.katehardy.com
http://katehardy.blogspot.com

Liz Fielding SOS: CONVENIENT HUSBAND REQUIRED
Harlequin Romance
July US
She's about to lose everything, he's been left holding the baby - they haven't talked in years, but maybe it's time to call a truce.

http://www.lizfielding.com

Janet Woods SALTING THE WOUND
Severn House
$10.99

Charlotte Honeyman jilts her long-time swain, and on the spur of the moment marries a stranger. His pride damaged, and his matrimonial plans overturned, sea captain Nick Thornton threatens to take revenge. Charlotte's younger sister Marianne, takes pity on Nick and secretly boards his ship, where she meets with an accident. Nick regards Marianne as the perfect tool with which to get his own back, but in the process falls in love. The rift between the sisters widens, and scandal erupts when it becomes apparent that Marianne is expecting Nick's child. Then fate intervenes to change the course of their lives, perhaps forever...

Sarah Mallory WICKED CAPTAIN, WAYWARD WIFE
Mills & Boon
£14.50
Large Print Edition

Evelina's peaceful life is overturned when she marries Captain Nick Wylder - and is immediately widowed! A swashbuckling adventure romance.

www.melindahammond.com

Cara Cooper LEAVING HOME
Ulverscroft
July 2010

'Flora Canning's bags are packed for her new life in New York, but a family tragedy leaves her with her sister's baby, and a mysterious stranger Nate Campbell who has his own reasons for wanting a relationship with Flora and the new baby.'

Margaret Mounsdon LONG SHADOWS
Linford Romance Library

Fiona Dalrymple is shocked to learn that Doreen wasn't her grandmother. Then when she discovers she also has a brother her life changes completely, especially when her new brother disappears and she sets out to look for him.
mounsdma@sky.com
www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

A Trip To London by Sandra Mackness/Toni Sands

Sandra Mackness/Toni Sands shares her enjoyment of a few days in London...

Earlier this month I spent some time in London with my niece. We stayed at the New Cavendish Club. After schlepping down Oxford Street we sipped early evening cocktails and ate dreamy desserts in Gordon’s Bar (Selfridges). I enjoy writing food descriptions and this pit stop was a very decadent treat. Usually I have a quick glug of wine while aiming to get supper on the table for 6.30pm to fit my (diabetic) partner’s routine. He’s very supportive of my writing and he works at home too so I try not to get so immersed in a story that I eventually drift downstairs to find him opening a can of baked beans.

On the Saturday, while walking to the Tube we encountered the Household Cavalry, boots (and hooves) well-polished for Trooping the Colour later. This great start to the day continued with a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum where we saw all those amazing quilts – each one a story with much love and fortitude sewn in. We oohed and aahed at the Grace Kelly exhibition too. It was back to Leicester Square for early dinner then to the Garrick Theatre to meet up with my partner, whose son, Chris Holland was performing the role of lean, mean Harvey (usually played by Christopher Timothy) in the musical, All the Fun of the Fair. It was great to see Chris on stage alongside David Essex. Lots of David fans outside stage door afterwards. A man walking past called out ‘Ooh, David’ and we all cracked up. Songs are still playing in my head.

Sunday we visited Kew Gardens where we met up with more family. I loved the big Palm house and the butterfly houses - very restful. There were lots of inspirational sights and sounds and after walking for miles it was back to the New Cav for a large G and T and so to bed.

Monday morning we rode the London Eye. I heard John McEnroe being asked on TV this week if he’d experienced it yet. He commented that being at the top would be very scary. Well, I can honestly say that we felt very secure in our ‘pod’ and the cars move so slowly that there’s a seamless transition from ‘down here’ to ‘up there.’ Unmissable. Afterwards, we took a stroll in St James’ Park and almost got mugged by a squirrel. Why are English squirrels so much more aggressive than Welsh ones?

We escaped and took refuge in the Churchill War Cabinet exhibition which included a great audio commentary by Robert Shaw - who else? A staff member passed us, looking flirty with her crimped hair and crimson lips and fingernails contrasting with her utility skirt and blouse. We felt we really had dropped into another era.

At Leicester Square we had a cool drink at a pavement café and watched passers-by happily raindrop dodging. A few minutes’ queuing at the ticket office produced two stalls seats for the evening performance of We Will Rock You. Tottenham Court Road’s only one stop away so there was time for a bite to eat and a glass of wine before the show. Some clever writing has gone into this show. Easy trip home afterwards and so to bed.


Sandra Mackness
www.tonisands.co.uk

Out this month from Sandra/Toni

NORTHERN LIGHTS

ebook

Accent Xcite

0.99p

Lizzie's Icelandic holiday reveals dark, glacial landscapes and lots simmering beneath the surface of the Blue Lagoon which she visits with her best friend and Arni the talented Viking.

Rosy Thornton Talks About Being The Law Don Who Writes Chick Lit

Novelist Rosy Thornton tells a bit about the varied life she lives...

Like many beginner and midlist authors, I have a full-time day job alongside the writing, which pays the mortgage and keeps the children in Coco Pops. Some jobs seem to fit quite well with writing romantic fiction, others, not so much – and I’d say mine definitely falls into the ‘not so much’ category. I lecture in Law at Cambridge University.

It means that if you looked me up on Amazon you’d find I have the strangest backlist of any author I know. There are my novels, with their pastel covers in pink and baby blue, complete with hearts and, in one case, butterflies. And then there is the rather less obviously sexy Property Disrepair and Dilapidations: A Guide to the Law.

My life, as a result, divides into two bizarrely contrasting halves – or three, if you count being a mum. (Good thing it’s Law I teach, not maths!)

Take this week, for instance. The university exams are over, and I have been buried for eight hours a day in the office, and one more at home each evening when the kids are in bed, under piles of examination scripts, marking essays on the minutiae of estoppel-based easements and other incorporeal hereditaments. (Don’t ask!). Today I spent five hours in a moderating meeting, debating how much to penalise a student who had approached a question on the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 as though it were on the Housing Act 1988.

But on Wednesday I bunked off to spend two hours with the Cambridge Chapter of the RNA, gossiping over a pub lunch. And for an hour and a half each morning, before getting the children up and making the packed lunches, I have sat at the kitchen table and imagined my way back into the world of my current novel in progress – a retro rom com set in 1980.

You know how it is when you’re writing a novel. That world, those characters, inhabit a space in your subconscious, and for me, I find that they are there with me all day at work, whatever I’m doing. I might be in the middle of a lecture, or reading recent cases in the library, or at my desk supposedly writing my latest academic article, and snatches of dialogue suddenly intrude, or little twists of plot open themselves up, to be jotted down and saved for tomorrow morning’s fiction-writing time.

Actually, the schizophrenia is at its most extreme during university vacations when my day job consists of writing rather than teaching. Then there are the two files on my hard drive: one technical, turgid, thick with footnotes, and the other pure romantic escapism. It can sometimes be hard, believe me, to force myself to stick to my resolution of working only on the former during office hours, and never succumbing to temptation and flicking to the latter instead.

What do people in Cambridge think of my secret existence as a romantic novelist? Well, Cambridge is a fiercely intellectual place, and likes to take itself horribly seriously. There are plenty of colleagues who look down their noses at what I do. The Barbara Cartland jokes do wear rather thin at times, I must admit.

But my salvation is the undergraduates. Unlike my colleagues, they don’t believe that the only books worth reading – and therefore, by definition, writing – are those on the Man Booker shortlist. They think it’s great that I write novels at all, even if they’re not exactly High Art. The Law don who writes chick lit – it’s funny, it’s different. As one student said to me recently, ‘It’s actually quite cool. To be honest, it’s amazing to find a lecturer who has a life.’

I just wish that sometimes I didn’t feel as if I had two!

Rosy's next book - THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE is out on the 8th of July.

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. Her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, and the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours - including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's forthright sister, Bryony?

THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE is the story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: the portrait of a landscape, a community and a fragile way of life.

For more about Rosy and her books visit http://www.rosythornton.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!

Louise Allen Shares Her To Be Read Pile

Louise Allen’s To Be Read pile…

...which probably should be called the Dipping Into All at Once pile because I keep picking them up and having a nibble, especially the research books.

Cold Comfort Farm is a re-read, and this is a lovely Folio Society edition with illustrations by Quentin Blake. I read another chapter whenever the wind howls and the central heating goes on - yet again - and laugh out loud.

Dan Cruickshank’s The Secret History of Georgian London is a sinfully rich read examining the way the 18thc sex trade influenced every aspect of life in London, even including the architecture. I’ve already been finding locations he highlights in Covent Garden including Constantia Phillip’s condom shop, Lovejoy’s Bagnio and the rather less temptingly named Haddock’s Bagnio.

I haven’t dipped into Maureen Waller’s The English Marriage yet beyond the opening sentence. “Foreign visitors to England were impressed by the status and freedom enjoyed by English wives and the courtesy shown them by their husbands.” Sounds promising!

For the work-in-progress I’m loving William Hickey: Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, in another handsome Folio Society binding. Hickey is a rollicking good read although I’m pretending I’m studying it for his recollections of life in Calcutta at the turn of the 18th/19th centuries and not for his revelations of a misspent youth. Edge of Empire: Conquest and Collecting in the East 1750-1850 by Maya Jasanoff promises to give me plenty of inspiration for the book after the book after next, which is beginning to bubble away at the back of my mind.

For reading in bed I’m catching up on the Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody novels which I unaccountably lost track of over the past few years and was prompted to start reading again by a holiday in Egypt. The Serpent on the Crown promises to be an exciting mix of Egyptology and crime. Another crime novel is Ruso and the Root of All Evils by R.S. Downie. I discovered this Roman detective last summer in my holiday reading pile and I’m looking forward to another unusual mystery.

But all other fiction is on hold while I read the eight volumes of Regency Silk & Scandal, the new historical continuity from HMB. I wrote 1 (The Lord & the Wayward Lady) and 7 (The Officer and the Proper Lady) of this eight-part series, but because we were all writing simultaneously I haven’t read the other titles by Christine Merrill, Julia Justiss, Gayle Wilson, Annie Burrows and Margaret McPhee yet. Although we planned the series closely together it will be fascinating to see how six voices carry the overarching story through the eight individual novels. They are out June 2010-January 2011 and the UK edition has additional research articles as well.

Louise Allen
The Lord & The Proper Lady. Vol. 1 of Regency Silk & Scandal (Harlequin Mills & Boon June 2010)
From Practical Widow to Passionate Mistress. Vol 1 of The Transformation of the Shelley Sisters (Harlequin Mills & Boon June 2010)
www.louiseallenregency.co.uk
http://twitter.com/LouiseRegency

Christine Stovell Talks Of Turning Points and Chocolate

Debut novelist Christine Stovell talks about the moment when she stopped letting others things get in the way of her writing and the importance of chocolate in her life...

Holding a copy of my debut novel, Turning the Tide, for the first time was a thrilling moment. The result of lots of hard work, not just from me, but from everyone who helped to make my dream a reality. My book’s release was also tinged with a little sadness as it coincided with the fifth anniversary of my dad’s death. Maybe, if I’d taken myself seriously as a writer sooner, he might have seen a copy. As it was, it took the loss of someone who was so full of life to make me realise that time does run out.

I’d always written, but somehow The Novel never quite made it to the top of the list. Oh, I’d tried and failed to write a Mills & Boon, joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association and even got as far as attracting an agent in some early chapters of a novel I was working on, but I kept letting other things get in the way. Dad’s death made me reassess my priorities. I completed a novel that I’d thoroughly enjoyed writing then sent it to Hilary Johnson’s Authors’ Advisory Service for a professional appraisal and was delighted when Hilary liked it too.

After two very near misses, I had a Mystic Meg moment when I read in the book press about Sue Moorcroft being signed to Choc Lit. You see, it was winning a tin of chocolate at primary school in a national essay that started it all for me! It wasn’t just Choc Lit’s name that attracted me; I also really enjoy writing from my hero’s point of view so I felt that my novel would be a good fit for a publisher ‘where heroes are like chocolate – irresistible!’ Luckily Lyn Vernham, Choc Lit’s Marketing Director and the team at Choc Lit agreed.

Turning the Tide is based in a sleepy seaside town on the east coast. It’s the story of one woman’s quest to keep her father’s boatyard afloat and the town she loves unchanged. When a handsome property developer arrives with ambitious plans for the area and quickly gains local support, it looks as if thing can only go one way, but there are plenty of surprises ahead.

Choc Lit have wrapped my story up in the most gorgeous cover, but there’s one person who will never see it... if you’re reading this because you want to write a novel, take my advice – just do it!

ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID, NEVER THE BRIDE

Linda Gillard talks about being short listed for awards...

In conjunction with the RNA, Woman’s Weekly has just published their list of thirty of the best romantic novels published in the last 50 years, inviting readers to vote for their favourite. My third novel, STAR GAZING is on that list and I’m rubbing shoulders with my literary idols – Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Dunnett. Gosh.
I’m thrilled to bits, of course, but if I’m honest, my excitement is tempered with a sense of déja vu. You see, two of my three novels (EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY and STAR GAZING) have already been short-listed for five awards, none of which I won.

But surely just being long- or short-listed is wonderful? Well, as my friend Adèle Geras said, “Being on a shortlist is a thousand times better than not being on a shortlist”, but it can be something of a mixed blessing.

Book awards present wonderful PR opportunities that won’t necessarily be grasped by your publisher, so if you exploit its potential, a short-listing can make drastic inroads into your writing time. If you’re lucky enough to be short-listed alongside a famous author (in my case Cecelia Ahern for Romantic Novel of the Year in 2009) you’ll find publicity generates itself. It’s tougher if the short-list includes no big names. STAR GAZING was short-listed for the UK’s first environmental book award, presented at the Edinburgh Book Festival, but as the short-list was a celeb-free zone, there was no press coverage at all.

Being short-listed for awards may not boost your sales significantly. There’s usually only a few weeks between the short-listing and the announcement of the winner and it’s difficult to organise author events at such short notice. To maximise the benefits of being short-listed you need to be internet-savvy and publicise your book using Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Personally, I wish the whole process stopped (with a huge party) at the short-list stage. Award ceremonies are stressful and if you lose, your “failure” is very public. It doesn’t matter how many people say it was a wonderful achievement to be short-listed, when they read out someone else’s name, you feel like a loser.

Paradoxically, I found the accolade of STAR GAZING being short-listed twice in 2009 led to a big loss of self-confidence and in the tired and disappointed aftermath of the award circus, I got very little writing done. I lost focus. When you’re trying to immerse yourself in the fragile world of a new book, it’s distracting to have to promote another, one that you maybe finished writing two years ago.

But the upside of being short-listed is making contact with a lot of people who are passionate about books, especially yours. You meet other authors, librarians, booksellers, readers and the indefatigable volunteers who organise the award. In cyberspace you befriend book bloggers who will follow your career and keep your books in the public eye long after a winner is announced.
Being short-listed for an award can be a time-consuming and emotional business, but ultimately I’ve found it rewarding – not in terms of sales, or my standing in the book world, but because it was exhilarating to have my work celebrated and acknowledged publicly as outstanding. And that’s what a short-listing means: your book stood out from the crowd. It still means that, even if you don’t win.

I’ll try to remember that the next time I lose.

www.lindagillard.co.uk

Publications Coming out in June

Here' June's offerings from the members of the RNA...

Katie Fforde PERFECT PROPOSAL
Century
10th June
£14.99
Sophie Apperly's family has never taken her seriously. Fiercely academic, they see her more practical skills as frivolous whilst constantly taking advantage of her. So when her best friend Milly invites her over to New York, she jumps at the chance. It'll do her ungrateful family good to do without her for a while. What s more, she's on a quest America holds the key to solving her family's financial woes, even if they don't deserve her help.

From the moment Sophie hits the bright lights of Manhattan she's determined to enjoy every minute of her big adventure. So when an evening at an art gallery throws her into the path of Matilda, a spirited old lady who invites her to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, Sophie willingly accepts, much to the dismay of Matilda's grandson Luke. Undeniably attractive but infuriatingly arrogant, he is very protective of his grandmother and seems to doubt Sophie's motives for befriending her. No match for the formidable Matilda, he eventually admits defeat, but first he has a proposal to make. He'll help Sophie in her quest to save her family from financial ruin if she repays the favour. But just what does she have to do in return...?

www.katiefforde.com

Sue Moorcroft ALL THAT MULLARKEY
Choc Lit
1 June
£7.99
Revenge and love: it's a thin line... The writing's on the wall for Cleo and Gav. The bedroom wall, to be precise. And it says 'This marriage is over.' Wounded and furious, Cleo embarks on a night out with the girls, which turns into a glorious one night stand with... Justin, centrefold material and irrepressibly irresponsible. He loves a little wildness in a woman and he's in the right place at the right time to enjoy Cleo's. But it s Cleo who has to pick up the pieces of a marriage based on a lie and the lasting repercussions of that night. Torn between laid-back Justin and control freak Gav, she s a free spirit that life is trying to tie down. But the rewards are worth it!
www.suemoorcroft.wordpress.com

Carol Townend HER BANISHED LORD
Mills & Boon
4th June 2010
£3.99
Disgraced, stripped of his title and lands, all Hugh Duclair has left is his pride. Will the beautiful Lady Aude, once a childhood playmate, win his heart as she risks everything to help clear his name?
www.caroltownend.blogspot.com

Louise Allen PRACTICAL WIDOW TO PASSIONATE MISTRESS (First in The Transformation of the Shelley Sisters trilogy)
Mills & Boon
June 2010
£3.99
Widowed and betrayed, Meg Shelley is stranded in France at the conclusion of the Peninsula War, her only hope of rescue the brooding and wounded Major Ross Brandon. Can they heal each other or is Meg on the road to further ruin?

Louise Allen THE LORD & THE WAYWARD LADY (Regency Silk & Scandal continuity no.1)
Mills & Boon, North America: Harlequin
June 2010
£6.99
Murder, scandal, treachery - a vengeful spirit brings a 20-year old scandal to life. Marcus Carlow must chose between honour and passion to save both his family and the woman he loves. (First of 8 books by 6 authors)

Christine Stovell TURNING THE TIDE
Choc Lit
30 June 2010
£7.99
Harry Watling has fought to keep her father's boat yard afloat, but now she has to fend off property developer Matthew Corrigan.

Portia Da Costa A GENTLEWOMAN’S RAVISHMENT
Harlequin Spice Briefs
Ist June 2010
$2.99
Mrs Prudence Enderby gets more than she bargained for when her fantasy of being kidnapped and ravished by a masked brigand comes true!
http://www.portiadacosta.com

Amanda Grange The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
Constable and Robinson
June 24
£7.99
Collection of Regency stories including Amanda Grange's story The Dashing Miss Langley. Miss Annabelle Langley is a dashing aunt, but has love really passed her by?

Jennifer Bohnet ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST.
8 part serial in The People's Friend.
Two very different women arrive in town for the Cannes Film Festival.
Anna, with a past that is about to implode on her present life and Daisy, a young journalist at a crossroads in her life. By the end of the festival both women's lives will have changed irrevocably.

Charlie Cochrane LESSONS IN LOVE
Samhain Publishing
1st June 2010
£9.08
He didn’t think he had a heart. Until he lost it.
www.charliecochrane.co.uk
http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/

Jo Beverley THE STOLEN BRIDE (Reissue.)
Penguin NAL
When Beth Hawley journeys to Lord Wraybourne's castle to help young Lady Sophie Kyle prepare for her wedding, she has to share her carriage with two unexpected travelers, the rakish Sir Marius Fletcher, who is stranded after his curricle overturns, and an unidentified elderly woman, found unconscious in a wrecked carriage.
As the date of Sophie's wedding draws near, Beth realizes some mysterious shadow from the past seems to haunt the bride and groom. The elderly woman, suffering from memory loss, may hold the key. Beth turns to Sir Marius for help, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn as she encounters a most unlikely villain-while her only ally seems to have his mind set more on romance than the danger at hand...

Monique DeVere MORE THAN A PLAYBOY
The Wild Rose Press26th May 2010
$3.00
She has a shield...he has one too...and they’re both hiding secrets.
Karen Abbott HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAMS
My Weekly Pocket Novel
£1.55
Impoverished at the death of her parents, Emily is too proud to let the man she loves know of her change of circumstances. Flung upon the mercies of her malicious aunt, she is forced to work as a servant...but her dreams linger on. Will she ever regain her position in Society and her lost love?

Toni Sands NORTHERN LIGHTS
e-book
Accent Xcite
1st June 2010
0.99p
Lizzie's Icelandic holiday reveals dark, glacial landscapes and lots simmering beneath the surface of the Blue Lagoon which she visits with her best friend and Arni the talented Viking.


Liz Fielding INSTANT FIRE
Linford Large Print Romance
A case of mistaken identity leads to love at first sight, but don't they say "marry in haste..."?
http://www.lizfielding.com