Thursday 17 April 2008

Gold for Liz Fielding!

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Today I'm over at Liz Fielding's blog, helping her celebrate a golden year. Her 50th book came out earlier this year, and April sees her 50th M&B romance.


She is inspirational, industrious, and a thoroughly nice person to boot.


Way to go, Liz!

Sunday 13 April 2008

Fair Deception - taken!!!


Yippee! Yahoo! O frabjous day!

Not quite enough words to do justice to my excitement, but you get the general idea.

Here it is, then. The announcement .......................

I've sold my Regency novel Fair Deception to Robert Hale Ltd !!!

As the novel opens, Susanna Fair is employed as an actress at the Sans Pareil theatre in the Strand, London. (Print courtesy of the Arthur Lloyd website).

Susanna is being opportuned (I just love Regency-speak) by the Dishonourable Rafe Warwick. Fortunately, heroic devil-may-care Kit Kydd is at hand...

Don't know yet when the book will be out, but you can read the first chapter on my website.
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Wednesday 9 April 2008

RNA & M&B at the OLF

Nice outing to the Oxford Literary Festival last week to enjoy the M&B-sponsored panel on the changes in fictional heroes and heroines over the past 100 years.

After being introduced by Oxford-based journalist Mary Zacaroli, the panel of Matt Dunn, Katie Fforde, Daisy Goodwin (chair), Joanne Harris and Nicola Cornick then dissolved into laughter as everyone in the marquee was reminded to turn off their mobile phones.
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There was plenty of good-humoured discussion on whether H&H have changed (strong, silent heroes have now loosened up a bit, heroines allowed to be themselves more), before questions from the floor posed such interesting conundrums as which family member you wouldn't want to read your book (mothers/daughters in an equal tie), and how many of us skip the sex scenes when reading.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a glass or three of bubbly provided by Mills&Boon, whose Centenary Year it is, and then repaired en-masse to an extremely nice restaurant with our goody bags.

This photo of me, Louise Allen and Nicola Cornick was taken by Louise's husband after the bubbly, but before the food. Which may explain it.

Thursday 3 April 2008

Spring!!!

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Hmmm. The sun has shone for two days now, so it's possible Spring has arrived (though there are rumours of snow again this weekend).

Enough of an excuse to post a photo of my daffs before they get battered all over again by the wind and the rain.


There's a poem to go with them too. Now, this isn't the most erudite piece of writing I've ever composed so don't go getting your hopes up, it's just a bit of fun.

It does, however, convince me that I'll never cut it in the greetings-card industry.


Daffodils by Jan Jones

We always look for flowers
As a sign that winter's passed
Yet crocus grow
While there's still snow
And open though
The winds still blow
Then fickle, foolish creatures they
Shut up their faces fast.

But daffodils, now daffodils
Are all-or-nothing men
They stand up straight
They throng the gate
Spread out to wait
And mass in great
Bright welcome for the knowledge that
The year has turned again.