The Gala Pictures Part One- RNA Conference 2010

Kate Johnson, Jane Lovering, Immi Howson,Sarah Callejo, Karen Critchley, RF Long, Stephanie Cage

Biddy Coady, Jane Smith (@hprw), Sue Cook & Liz Fenwick

The Writers of the RNA Looking Absolutely fabulous

The beautiful table settings...

The balacony

Lynne Connolley, Elaine Aulton & Linda Hooper

Eileen Ramsay & Di Pearson

RNA President Di Pearson and Catherine Jones

Jan Jones, Carole Blake and Sue Cook

Liz Fenwick, Biddy Coady and Katie Fforde

The best conference organizers - Roger Sanderson and Jan Jones

RNA Conference 2010 - The Shoes of the Gala

On the flight yesterday, your scribe withstood the withering glances from the woman seated beside her while she cropped image after image of shoes. Your scribe thinks the woman began to panic when your scribe glanced at her feet when actually in search of lost pen.

Glamour ruled the evening despite the heat. But you don't need your scribe to say this as the photos show so your scribe doesn't need to tell...

Tomorrow some photos of the rest of the Gala.

Location Location Location - Cara Cooper Tells Us OUr Conference

So, here we are finally after all that planning and packing. Greenwich and the Old Royal naval College must be the best location ever for a conference and it's fitting that we should be here for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the RNA. Why is it so fabulous? First of all there's the journey here. Those of us with delusions of grandeur could have travelled by boat like Cleopatra. Wafting down the Thames in a stately manner to Greenwich's pier you could easily imagine you were on the Nile in Egypt because temperatures here have soared to 30 degrees, the sun is relentless and it is hot, hot, hot! For the historical writers amongst us arriving by river is a fabulous journey affording views of the little pebbly beaches along the Thames where fans of metal detecting often find fragments of chain mail and ancient coins.

For most of us though we arrived at Greenwich by underground as I did. Changing at Canary Wharf was a real revelation. I'm a Londoner born and bred but it is years since I have been to Canary Wharf and I was last there while it was still under construction. Now fully fledged it looks for all the world like the financial district in New York. Modern, striking and teeming with smartly suited and booted commuters. If we don't quite have skyscrapers we do have the tower at Canary Wharf with its distinctive pyramid top. As you walk past the coffee shops in the concrete piazzas to the Docklands Light Railway, bright red electronic lights dance around the top of the buildings proclaiming today's share prices. All very whizzy and high tech. I resisted the urge to stop for an iced tea - did I mention it's hot, hot, hot here?

Then, when you reach Greenwich itself, you are catapulted from the very modern back into the past. MPs used to journey down in barges during the whitebait season to feast at the Trafalgar Tavern on the little fishes caught freshly from Thames then fried in batter. We feasted there last night at our gala dinner in cocktail and evening dresses, fanning ourselves and dripping delicately in the sweltering temperatures - did I mention it is hot, hot, hot? As we sat under the huge chandeliers, portraits of great naval heroes like Nelson and Hardy gazed down on us (oops, I am told 'gazed' is an overused word in our world of Mills and Boon and chicklit)...Correction. Nelson and Hardy peered sternly down at us, looking for all the world like the alpha males they were. As we looked across the Thames to the modern city beyond, and we gently melted in the heat I couldn't help smiling to think that we may well have been sitting in one of the rooms where Dickens took  friends to dine. Copious amounts of alcohol were drunk, after all we had to stay hydrated in these unreal temperatures.

Finally there is Queen Anne Court, stately, grand buildings shimmering whitely in the heat where, as you walk to the conference sessions across the brown baked grass, snippets of divine music filter out as the students practice. Greenwich is the perfect location, for the perfect anniversary of our perfect Association. Oh, and did I mention it is hot, hot........?

Cara's latest book is 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.'

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