JANUARY PUBLICATIONS!

 JANUARY 2017 PUBLICATIONS

Thank you to Sheila Riley for compiling another bumper list of the latest romantic novels from our members. 

TRADITIONAL PUBLICATIONS

JILL MANSELL

Meet me at Beachcomber Bay

Hardback and ebook

Headline Books

12th January

Back to St Carys in Cornwall for a summer of fun, when

Clemency falls for someone she really can't have.

JANET WOODS

Whispers in the Wind

Severn House

Hardcover

He is an earl who was left at the altar. She was his true love. Fate brings them together again.

LAURA E. JAMES

What Doesn’t Kill You

Paperback

Choc Lit/Dark Choc Lit

09/01/17

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger – but how strong can one person be?

It's Dorset coastguard Griff Hendry's belief that everyone is worth saving –

which is why he can't forgive his father, Logan, for what he did, nor can Griff

understand why his estranged wife, Evie, and his troubled step-daughter,

Tess, are keeping secrets from him. As the truth is uncovered, Griff is forced

to accept that perhaps he's never understood what real strength is.

GWEN KIRKWOOD

Moorland Mist

Ulverscroft

Large Print

Emma Greig has seen little of the world at fourteen when she goes to work at Bonnybrae Farm.

Maggie Sinclair welcomes her warmly, Jim and William gently tease her, but their mother is haughty

and disapproves of their friendship with a maid. She is determined to keep Emma in her place,

so when a closer bond develops between Emma and William she sends Emma away without a reference

and banishes William from the farm he loves.

JILL BARRY

Puppy Love

Large Print Paperback

Linford Romance

1st January 2017

When pedigree dogs start to go missing in the village, Hannah,

her granddad and local artist Ryan, form an unlikely trio of amateur detectives.

Cute puppies and mysterious visitors keep the sleuths busy but there’s still time for romance.

ANNA JACOBS

GIfts for our Time (#4 in Rivenshaw series)

Hodder & Stoughton UK

January 2017

Christa fled from Germany during WW2 and as the war ended,

she found herself in Rivenshaw with Daniel and his aunt,

helping the struggle to keep the old house from being taken over by the council.

And will the secret cellar reveal its secrets at last?

SUE FORTIN

Sister, Sister

digital and paperback

HarperImpulse

6 January 2017

Two Sisters. One Truth. Reunited after many years apart, sisters Clare and Alice reacquaint themselves in adulthood,

but as events take a sinister turn, nothing is at it seems and everyone must question who they believe.

E-BOOKS

KATHERINE GARBERA

Pushing the Limits

Format paperback,

e-book

Harlequin/Mills&Boon

January 1, 2017

"Houston, we have a hot-astronaut problem…"

Survival expert and control freak Jessie Odell has faced the most hazardous environments on earth.

Training astronauts should be a cakewalk. Nope. Enter candidate Hemi "Thor" Barrett and his hot, ripped bod,

and suddenly Jessie is breathless with raw excitement—something she hasn't felt for a long, long time—and it scares her to death.

Hemi isn't just some sexy distraction. Jessie actually likes the guy—and that makes him more treacherous than an Everest ascent.

It also means Hemi's that much harder to resist. With every hungry, heat-fueled encounter, Jessie skirts closer to that dangerous edge.

Falling for this space cowboy is definitely high stakes…but could the payoff be worth the risk?

VIRGINIA HEATH

Miss Bradshaw's Bought Betrothal

e-book and paperback

Mills and Boon

17th January

She'd done it! Plain, invisible Evelyn had escaped

Fed up with being a doormat to her evil stepmother, heiress

Evelyn Bradshaw pays a dissolute rake to pose as her betrothed so she can secure her freedom.

But then her fake fiance leaves her with his estranged brother Finn Matlock and disappears!

Having withdrawn from the world, Finn knows the last thing he needs is the temptation of a woman,

especially one like Evie. She has an irritating habit of causing chaos wherever she goes and being

in places she shouldn't including, as he soon learns, his heart!

APRIL HARDY

Kind Hearts & Coriander (a New Forest romantic comedy).

E-book

Accent Press

16th Jan (paperback to follow in March)

On her mother's death, sous chef Polly learns she may be New Forest hotelier Charles Hetherin's illegitimate daughter.

Having grown up watching her mother do without, she's furious. The Hetherins have it all - including fabulous Hetherin Hall country house hotel.

Determined to discover the truth, Polly's mistaken for a job applicant but takes the waitressing position to get to know the family who may be hers.

Romance is the last thing on her mind, but she can't deny the sparks flying between her and Oliver, the grumpy but gorgeous restaurant manager.

However, it seems nobody is quite who Polly thinks they are ...

BETH ELLIOT

Scandalous Lady

Ebook

Endeavour Press

17 December 2016

Constantinople 1811. Ice cool diplomat Lord Berannes is involved in negotiating peace between the Turks and the Russians.

Then he encounters fiery, rebellious artist, Olivia Hartford. And after that, nothing goes to plan – for either of them!

LESLEY COOKMAN

Entertaining Death

Ebook

Accent Press

December 31st

The second novella in the Alexandrians series about an Edwardian Concert Party.

SHEILA NORTON

The Vets at Hope Green: Part 1, Escape to the Country

Ebook

Ebury

19 January 2017

Working as a receptionist in a London vets, Sam is always broke,

rents a tiny flat and is constantly arguing with her boyfriend.

But the worst part is that her career is going nowhere. Something’s got to give ...

will a visit to her Nana Peggy's small picturesque village be the answer?

VICTORIA CORNWALL  

The Thief's Daughter

eBook

Choc Lit

6th December, 2016

Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away …

Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet

casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm

onto the beaches and smuggling prospers. Terrified by a thief-taker’s warning as

a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. When her brother, Silas, asks for her help

to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the

dangerous world of the smuggling trade.Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs

in revenge for his father’s death. Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover

their lives are more entangled than they first thought. Trust and loyalty are tested

to the limits, but can there ever be love, as Jenna is a thief’s daughter –

where blood always runs thicker…

JULES WAKE

From Rome With Love

E Book/Print on Demand

HarperImpulse

January 20, 2017

A holiday in Rome, staying in a beautiful apartment with a gorgeous guy, sounds like the perfect trip, right? Wrong

When Lisa finds herself saddled with childhood-friend-turned-enemy, Will Ryan, romance is the last thing on her mind.

She’s got more important things to focus on, like hunting down her estranged father.

But as they dig into the past, neither of them is prepared for the long-buried secrets they reveal.

Secrets that will turn both their world’s upside down …

VIVIEN HAMPSHIRE

How To Win Back Your Husband

ebook

HQ Digital

18 January 2017

Nicci has made one stupid and seemingly unforgivable mistake and, after eight years together, her husband Mark is divorcing her.

Her best friend is determined to help her get over it, start enjoying life again and move on, but Nicci knows getting over Mark

just isn't an option - she still loves him and she wants him back! With no clear plan in mind and only thirty days left until

the divorce is finalised, the race is on to prove her love, regain his trust and save her marriage, before it's too late.

A debut romantic comedy with a sprinkling of winter magic! 

MORTON S. GRAY

The Girl on the Beach

Ebook

Choc Lit

24 January 2017

Who is Harry Dixon?

When Ellie Golden meets Harry Dixon, she can’t help but feel she recognises him from somewhere.

But when she finally realises who he is, she can’t believe it – because the man she met on the

beach all those years before wasn’t called Harry Dixon. And, what’s more, that man is dead.

For a woman trying to outrun her troubled past and protect her son, Harry’s presence is deeply unsettling –

and even more disconcerting than coming face to face with a dead man, is the fact that Harry seems to have

no recollection of ever having met Ellie before. At least that’s what he says …

But perhaps Harry isn’t the person Ellie should be worried about. Because there’s a far more dangerous

figure from the past lurking just outside of the new life she has built for herself, biding his time,

just waiting to strike.

MERRYN ALLINGHAM

The Buttonmaker's Daughter

Paperback/ebook/audiobook

HQ, HarperCollins

12 January, 2017

May, 1914. Life at Summerhayes appears to offer the perfect country idyll,

but a feud in the Summer family and growing conflict in Europe, has tensions running deep.

As the sweltering heat of 1914 builds to a storm, Elizabeth Summer must decide how best to

save her family from danger and keep the man she loves. One thing is certain: nothing can stay the same.

SELF-PUBLISHED

JAN JONES

An Unconventional Act

self-published

Kindle

1st January 2017



A mysterious bookkeeper. A damaged actor-manager. An earl hell-set on increasing his

land by fair means or very, very foul. Secrets and subterfuge in the Regency theatre

LOUISE ALLEN

Loving the Lost Duke

Epub for Kindle.

Self-published

(Dangerous Deceptions Book 1) The first in a new series of historical romance with a twist of mystery. Seven years ago the young Duke of Calderbrook left England for the self-imposed exile that seemed the only way to save his life. Now he’s returned, to take back his birthright and discover who so nearly killed him – even if they prove to be someone he loves.

The truth and revenge are Cal’s aims, but his quest is stopped in its tracks by Society beauty Sophie Wilmott. He wants Sophie and Sophie, armoured against love by her own secrets, wants Cal. He needs to keep her safe, she needs to guard her heart – but death is waiting at the heart of the Duke’s great house and only courage and love are going to give them the strength to overcome it.

Morton S Gray: My Path to Publication

It is always a thrill to hear about our members’ new books. To know that a book enabled an NWS member to graduate to full membership makes it extra special. Today we welcome Morton S Gray who shares the story of her journey to publication.

Like many writers, I’ve dreamed of publication for many years, but I still have to pinch myself to

remind me that my debut, The Girl on the Beach, will be launched into the world by Choc Lit on 24 January 2017.

A love of stories comes from my early years. My mother always read to me. We visited the library as a family on Saturdays. My nan read to me too, usually falling asleep at a good bit, and she watched films with me on those long ago Sunday afternoons. I loved Enid Blyton, wanted a big brother called Julian and longed to be whisked away by a dark hero on a tall ship with the sails billowing, after watching so many Errol Flynn swashbucklers.

In my early teens, I would hide away in the little attic room behind the chimney at home, writing poems and stories. I had a box of pictures and items that inspired my writing. I still have this fascinating time capsule that also contains the pages of my first novel. It was typed on an electronic typewriter on A5 pages and I gave it to a school friend to read aged fourteen. I taught myself to type to help with my father’s fledgling business. My nana and my dad are sadly not here to share my publication success.

Then … life happened. I didn’t write much apart from academic assignments, work reports and training materials for thirty years.

In 2006, I was recovering from two operations. Someone locally launched a short story competition to advertise their new publishing venture, I entered and unbelievably won. I was looking for a new direction, feeling a little lost at the time, so I enrolled on a creative writing course to see if I could write. My friend joined me in this adventure and we had great fun speed writing in cafes and sharing our work with laughter and coffee.

The academic course I studied introduced me to plays, flash fiction, short stories, poems and memoirs. I’ve always loved learning, but quickly realised this was taking me away from where I wanted to be - longer fiction and novels were calling me. I read, Sue Moorcroft’s Starting Over and found my genre.

Mills and Boon called for entries for a competition and after a day course on heroes and heroines with Iona Grey in Cheshire, I wrote my chapter and entered it. I didn’t get anywhere in this competition, but I met lots of other writers online, many of whom I’m still friends with and a fair proportion I’ve now met in real life.

Sue Johnson, whose weekly writing course I attended for many years, suggested I join the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and I was lucky enough to gain one of the competitively sought after places in 2012. The yearly critiques have helped to mould my writing and proved invaluable. I have moved heaven and earth to make sure I submitted a manuscript each year.

Attendance at the RNA events is so helpful too. I relish the yearly conference and love chapter meetings. I’m a member of Birmingham Chapter and can still feel those butterflies when I arrived for my first meeting at the library steps in Birmingham and saw someone else looking anxious at the top. It turned out to be Janice Preston and it was her first meeting too. We’ve been friends ever since.

I entered a chapter and was shortlisted for the 2013 New Talent Award at the then Festival of Romance and again met writers whom I number amongst my friends – Bella Osborne, Lynda Stacey, Catherine Miller, Lucie Wheeler, Lizzie Lamb, Vanessa Savage, Kate Scolefield to name a few. We’ve done well, girls!

In 2014, I began to write the story that became The Girl on the Beach on the back of an envelope while my husband drove the car down the motorway. At one point, he asked if I was okay, as I was so quiet. In 2015, I sent this manuscript to the NWS and received my most encouraging report yet with suggestions for tweaking. Thank you to my reader. When the book was revised, I submitted it to Choc Lit’s Search for a Star competition and won!

I guess if I had to give advice to wannabes it would be learn the craft, write loads, enter competitions and submit your work to publishers. There is, I believe, no magic formula, just hard work and persistence.

The Girl on the Beach by Morton S. Gray:

Who is Harry Dixon?

When Ellie Golden meets Harry Dixon, she can’t help but feel she recognises him from somewhere. But when she finally realises who he is, she can’t believe it – because the man she met on the beach all those years before wasn’t called Harry Dixon. And, what’s more, that man is dead.

For a woman trying to outrun her troubled past and protect her son, Harry’s presence is deeply unsettling – and even more disconcerting than coming face to face with a dead man, is the fact that Harry seems to have no recollection of ever having met Ellie before. At least that’s what he says …

But perhaps Harry isn’t the person Ellie should be worried about. Because there’s a far more dangerous figure from the past lurking just outside of the new life she has built for herself, biding his time, just waiting to strike.

About Morton:

Morton S. Gray lives with her husband, sons and Lily, the tiny dog, in Worcestershire, U.K.

She joined the RNA New Writers’ Scheme in 2012. Winner of Choc Lit Publishing’s Search for a Star 2016. Debut novel The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit 24 January 2017.

Links:

Blog: www.mortonsgray.com

Twitter: @MortonSGray

Facebook Page – Morton S. Gray Author

Purchasing link:

Thank you so much for sharing your writing journey with us Morton. Good luck with your book launch.

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

Competition Monthly!

Welcome to Francesca Burgess with the first Competition Monthly of 2017!

A new year and new resolutions, so why not make one of them a pledge to enter a few more competitions?

What I'm going to say this month may sound farfetched, and I'm sure most of you will be saying, What? I'd never do that! But here's the advice anyway.

Don't be tempted to explain on your competition entry form or manuscript where the story originated

or that it's based on something funny that happened to your aunty Doris. Don't attach photos of the setting you've based it on or add illustrations. The judge doesn't want to know or see any of these things and it will make no difference to whether they like it or not. Instead it will seem rather amateurish.

As I implied, this may sound like an unnecessary warning, but competition entrants have seriously been known to do this. If you have to explain your story, then maybe it needs to be rewritten.

There's a variety of competitions this month, though mainly for flash and short fiction. The Reader's Digest one is only 100 words long. Very short pieces are a skill in themselves, but since it's free, what have you got to lose?

Good luck to everyone, and don't forget to let me know of any competition success you have.



Crimson Cloak Story Writing Competition
Theme: See the picture on the website. 1,500 - 3,000 words
Prize: $150 / $100 / $50
Competition deadline: 31 January 2017
Entry: $10 Details


Bath Flash Fiction Award
Theme: Open genre (except children's). 300 words max.
Prize: £1,000 / £300 / £100
Competition deadline: 12 February 2017
Entry: £9 Details


Reader's Digest 100 Word Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, but must be exactly 100 words
Prize: £2,000 / 2 x £200
Competition deadline: 20 February 2017
Entry: Free Details


ChipLit Fest Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, up to 2,500 or 5,000 words
Prize: £500 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: 20 February 2017
Entry: £5 (up to 2,500 words) / £8 (up to 5,000 words) Details


Nottingham Writers' Club Short Story Competition (for new writers)
Theme: Open, up to 2,000 words. Entrants must not have earned more than £300 from their writing.
Prize: £200 / £100 / £50
Competition deadline: Opens 1st February, closes 28th February 2017
Entry: £6 Details


Artificium Short Story Prize
Theme: Open, 2,000 - 8,000 words
Prize: £300 / Prize pot of £100 minimum shared between 1to 4 runners up.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details


Artificium 'In Brief' Prize
Theme: Open, 500 - 1,500 words (includes flash fiction and poetry)
Prize: £150 / Prize pot of £100 minimum shared between 1to 4 runners up.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details


Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,000 - 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £7 Details


Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Theme: Open genre (except children's), max 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £250 / £100 plus Devon prize of £100
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £6 Details 


Wundor Short Fiction Contest 2017
Theme: Novellas & short stories, 5,000 – 45,000 words
Prize: £500. Winner and two runners up will have work published in full or extract.
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £9 Details


1,000 Word Challange
Theme: Must start with 'Stop', in direct speech.
Prize: £100 / £50 / £25
Competition deadline: 28 February 2017
Entry: £5 Details

Best of luck to anyone taking the plunge!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published soon. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

Twitter
Blog



Thank you Francesca!

If you would like to write for the RNA Blog, then please contact Elaine at elaineeverest@aol.com


This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

Sandra Mackness - Wedding bells down under!

We welcome Sandra Mackness to the RNA blog for our first author written piece of 2017. Sandra writes as Jill Barry and had a very enviable 2016.

This time last year, while awaiting the date of my son’s marriage to his Australian fiancée, I knew I’d need to blank out a whole month in my 2016 diary. Once the daffodils began brightening parks and

gardens, I focussed on buying that mother of the groom outfit, knowing UK Spring was the perfect time to find suitable clothes for November in South East Australia.

I was spending less time on writing though I gave a couple of library talks and enjoyed publication of my first psychological suspense novel, plus a pocket novel and two Christmas-theme Linford Library Romances. I also submitted my seventh pocket novel to The People’s Friend and received a swift acceptance. My editor then approved my next idea but advised me to forget writing for a while, saying, ‘go and see your boy married.’ How wise she was.

I left home on Halloween, though not astride my broomstick as one or two of my family suggested might be fun! My travel companion and I met at Heathrow and the adventure really had begun. My writing plans at that stage consisted of a large notebook, several pens, plus my Kindle, to which I’d emailed my current wip, a contemporary romance called Love Thirty, with revisions planned.

The happy couple were blessed by sunshine on their wedding day at Dunkeld and many guests travelled from the UK, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand, so making the occasion even more memorable and joyous. My daughter-in-law comes from a big family and one of her sisters is an airline pilot with Cathay Pacific. She and I discussed flying and possible story lines over a glass of

wine while we stayed at her Hong Kong home, a welcome respite before flying on to Melbourne.

I kept a journal, to remind me what sights were visited and when, as well as taking photographs. But it wasn’t until I was alone for a week, house sitting for the newly-weds and exploring Melbourne while they honeymooned on the Gold Coast, that I realised I had to begin a wedding-inspired story.

Sure enough, the old magic began to work and, using my son’s whizzy computer, I let the characters drifting in and out of my mind, materialise. The word count increased without my even thinking about it and when I made my daily visits to the café down the road, I took my notebook and Kindle along so revisions of my completed novel would be ready to action on my return. You can imagine, serious research was necessary in the form of cake sampling, drinking coffee and chatting up the friendly staff!

They say Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, can experience four seasons in one day. I can vouch for this. So, weather and sense of place are important features of this latest work. Each time I sit down to write another instalment, I’m ‘back again,’ and that feeling is kept alive by frequent viewing of the beautiful wedding video. My British heroine, who takes a temporary job at a country resort specialising in wedding parties, isn’t modelled on anyone in particular. But some of her experiences will mirror my own, including an exciting day at the local races, where the fantastic fashions of the race goers and the colourful jockeys rivalled the size and sophistication of the delicious canapés.

Watching a kangaroo bouncing in the wild? Stopping for lunch at a quirky restaurant? Yes, both these provide more material for my wip. Although a blissful day at Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens, steeped in bird song and blossoms, plus visits to the State Library and other city landmarks aren’t relevant to my heroine’s journey towards her happy ever after, I can confirm the well is not only topped up but

also filled to overflowing.

New Year resolutions aren’t usually for me, but even though I’m not yet planning another trip abroad – give me time – I’m determined to hang on to that joyful, vibrant buzz from my fabulous adventure. Whether visiting a museum, art gallery or historic house, locally or further afield, I know I shall delight in letting my imagination loose, just as I did in awesome Australia. Meanwhile, back to the wip and my final few thousand words.

I wish you all much happiness and success with your writing and travelling this year.

Sandra xx

Links:
Twitter @barry_jill
Facebook

Publications:

Puppy Love by Jill Barry - Linford Romance Library, publication 1^st January 2017

Majorcan Magic by Jill Barry - The People’s Friend - pocket novel - publication 14^th January 2017

Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories of 2016 with us Sandra and good luck with your writing in the coming year.

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

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent, Laura Longrigg

Happy New Year! A new year and a new interview with a publishing industry expert. This month, Helena Fairfax meets Laura Longrigg of the MBA Literary Agency.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Laura!

Please tell us a little about the MBA Literary Agency and how you came to be a part of it.

MBA has been an agency for book authors and tv/film writers for over 40 years.  We’re a small team that has worked together for many years, six agents and support staff and we are based in an elegant house in London’s Fitzrovia.  Recent highlights include the publication of award-winning author Stef Penney’s new novel,  controversial footballer Joey Barton’s bestselling autobiography and Bafta winner Robert Jones’ TV series, Murder. 

What do you enjoy most about your job? And least?

I enjoy finding new writing and I enjoy making deals – not very original but always a thrill when my instincts are right that a new author is very special indeed – for instance Sue Wilsher who has a two-book deal with Sphere for her 50s set, Essex-based sagas.

I least enjoy rejections, and having to tell authors about them.  I feel very unhappy when an editor, who has expressed great enthusiasm for a book and really gets it and wants to work with an author, is then not supported by her colleagues and allowed to offer. 

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

Our policy is to ask for a sample of three chapters and a one page synopsis  of a completed novel.  If I like these, I ask to see the whole book.  I look for good writing and plotting, fully formed characters who develop in appealing and authentic ways, convincing POV (either third or first person) narratives, and above all I need to be surprised and emotionally engaged.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

Do your homework about the agent/agency you are submitting to – what do they specialise in, which of their authors do you admire?  Take care to write as ‘selling’ blurb of your work as you can (a memorable one-sentence pitch is a great bonus), and don’t be shy about any literary or relevant professional or personal successes, like short story prizes, published journalism, and number of followers on Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

Have you seen any trends in genre fiction in the past few years, and – the million-dollar question! – what do you think will be the Next Big Thing?

I wish I knew, of course!  I have found more publishers buying up saga writers, and there seems to be more interest in ‘straight’ historical novels too.  You might think that the psychological thriller market is saturated (especially with titles including ‘girl’) but an original take would still attract a lot of interest, in the US too, especially if it included elements of horror, gothic, also something surreal or supernatural. 

What benefits do you feel an agent can offer an author?

Most publishers won’t actually consider authors unless they come via agents nowadays.   In the early days, we provide crucial editorial input to prepare material for submission, and we also know the right editors to send new work to.  It’s hard for authors to have conversations with editors about things they are unhappy about – like their title, edit or cover image – an agent can make a tactful but firm stand.  It’s also very hard for most authors to negotiate financial and other crucial contractual terms with their editors – whereas it’s an agent’s job to get the best deal they can for their clients. We also work closely with our film/tv agent colleagues, who are constantly pitching our books and authors to production companies, here and in the US, and have a dedicated foreign rights manager. 

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

Pride and Prejudice or Middlemarch – not an obvious romance but with an incredible love affair at its heart, I think. 

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

A wonderful short novel, by a Chinese writer, set during the Cultural Revolution, about the power of language and love, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Play and sing music, spend time with my family, read! 

If you could describe your working-day in just three words, what would they be?

Busy, varied, challenging.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful answers, Laura. It's been a pleasure getting to know you, and I really enjoyed your answers. (And if anyone out there writes a gothic psychological thriller, please let me know. I'd love to read it!)

If you've enjoyed Laura's interview, or have any questions at all, please let us know in the comments.

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Helena Fairfax's engaging contemporary romances have been shortlisted for The Exeter Novel Prize,the Global Ebook Awards and the I Heart Indie Awards. Her latest release is a romantic suspense called A Year of Light and Shadows, available on Amazon in ebook and print, and from other e-book retailers.

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Thank you, Helena and Laura for a most interesting interview.

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