Janus's Month - looking backwards and forwards

This is the post I meant to put up a couple of days ago.


I’ve spent much of today taking down and packing up the Christmas decorations. The house looks strangely bare – but much more ready for work and getting down to a new year. But if ever there was an occupation that is guaranteed to have you looking back wards and forwards at the same time, then this is one of them

So as I worked, I was thinking – and remembering what 2006 had contained. One of the problems, I think, with the idea of a new year, and New Year Resolutions, is that the need to resolve to do better, be thinner, become more organised etc etc implies that what we were before wasn’t good enough. That we need to improve, become the ‘New You’ when in fact the old one was perfectly fine, it just needed a dust down and a spruce up. There are people I know –scary Kate – you know who you are! them who will come out with phrases like ‘I only wrote 10 books this year’! And add, like in a school report, ‘must do better.’ Hmmph! That’s why I love the Best Year Yet book – it makes you look at what you have achieved, rather than berating yourself for what you haven’t.

So - 2006

Books- obviously, there were books. Books published and books written. The books published were The Antonakos Marriage. The Italian’s Forced Bride (UK edition) and At the Sheikh’s Command. The USA publications were slightly different – The Antonakos Marriage, At The Sheikh's Command - and an older book, The Married Mistress finally made it into America (and sold out on eharlequin). All the USA books hit the Waldenbooks Top 10 lists for Romances for 2 or 3 weeks. Antonakos was the #1 bestseller for the month it was out in the UK – and the ebook was in the ebook top 10 for weeks on that site. Oh yes, and The Twelve Month Mistress was shortlisted for Romantic Times Best Presents award and The Italian’s Forced Bride won CataRomance’s Best Mills & Boon Modern Romance in the Reviewers’ Choice Award.

Books written – this time last year, I was starting out with a new editor. And that is always a slightly scary, unnerving time. You get to know how one editor’s mind works, the approach they have, the things they like – dislike – and you settle into a routine. A change of editor jolts you out of that routine, makes you adjust and learn all about this new person. That’s not a bad thing. It stops complacency settling in. My current editor is wonderful – and I’m not just saying that because she’s flatteringly complimentary about my work. She’s the best sort of editor – an editor who comes to the books having been a reader first and you can’t learn that instinctive appreciation any other way. I love working with her. We’ve worked together on three books – the three titles together now – four if you count the fact that she took over the preparation of At the Sheikh’s Command. And I love the way that she ‘gets’ my books – she understands my heroes, and she falls in love with them just like me.

So this year, I have three new books written – including the two linked Sicilian Brothers stories. One of which will be my 50th title for HMB – but we’ll come to them when I’m looking forward, not back! But one thing my new editor does is encourage me to go for things. She was right behind me with the Sicilian Brothers project and so I’m thrilled that she’s my editor for that important 50th book.

But it’s funny the things you forget – before I could even get those books written, I had to have eye surgery – the second of 2 operations to remove cataracts. Looking back on that, I can recall how scared I was of the first one – but by the time the second one came round I was a lot more confident. Now I’ll tell anyone thinking about the operation to go for it. Before the surgery I was groping around in a haze without my contact lenses – sometimes even with them! – now I have the sort of sight that I haven’t known since – well, I don’t remember ever seeing things thins clearly! I was 12 when I was prescribed my first pair of glasses.

Teaching – one of the greatest things about last year was watching the way that the reputation of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance grew. I kept seeing it mentioned on the internet and I was thrilled by the way that people said it helped them. Newly accepted authors like Abby Green and India Gray both mentioned the book in their ‘call’ stories, which was a huge compliment. I taught three courses on the book in 2006, one in Kent (a one day seminar) one in Caerleon – where I did a 5 session course at Caerleon Writers’ Holiday in some of the hottest weather I can remember – and finally there was the November Novel Weekend in Fishguard just a couple of months ago. Each of those was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion – I had some lovely students and some great fun. Also under teaching comes the work I did with the RNA New Writers’ Scheme. I read and critiqued 8 manuscripts – all of varying standards and there were two authors in that mix who I hope I will one day see make the leap from New Writer to newly published writer. That was another delight, learning that another New Writer I had worked with in the past had had her first book accepted – look out for The Kristallis Baby by Natalie Rivers coming in summer.

Which reminds me to remind anyone reading this who wants to be part of the NWS scheme – don’t forget that numbers are limited and if you want to join – get your application in to the RNA.

What else happened in 2006 – the start of this blog for one thing . I’d been blogging on eharlequin and that got me hooked. So in February I launched this blog – and now have had over 10,000 hits (since I set up the stats recording ) from 69 countries. As a result, the entries for both the Bag of Books Contest and the Christmas Stocking Contest went through the roof (much to Sid’s delight). There were other contests too, both on my web site and through my Newsletter where I run special Members only Contests and through all these ways I’ve been able to get in touch with so many readers from all over the world. I just heard this morning from Jenny in Singapore who was one of the Christmas Stocking winners. And the Here come The Brides Contest has entries from India, Malaysia, Bulgaria.

People - there were lots of great people in my life 2006 – old friends and new ones. Students on all the courses, members of the RNA at the Conference or the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards at the Savoy. Other M&B writers who came to the Association of Mills & Boon Authors lunches . . . new authors Abby Green and Christina Hollis who came to the Presents authors dinner – where Sandra Marton joined us from America. Of course there was Anne McAllister who came on a far too short visit (Sid would never forgive me if I missed her out), Lovely Anne and Gerry who run Writers’ Holidays and the Fishguard weekends, that new editor I mentioned, The Girls ( you know who you are), fellow authors and friends Michelle Reid, Kate Hardy, Michelle Styles, Susan Stephens. Duck in a fleeting but so welcome visit from Dubai - together with Mr Duck (Mr Drake?). The founders of the Pink Heart Society, Lee from My Tote Bag, Heather and Terescia from We Write Romance who designed and set up my fabulous new web site (have you visited it yet?) . . . no – I can’t mention everyone but I have to give a special mention to the gorgeous and adorable Nathaniel - my ‘cyber grandchild’ - welcome to the world Nate! I hope I get to meet you properly very very soon.

As well as people there were lovely creatures in my world in 2006 – the cats of course, Bob, Spiffy, Dylan and The Cat Sid. Mysp onsored guide dog puppy Uffa, ‘my’ lions – Raffi and Anthea who sadly died during the year and Achee the young lioness who became my adopted lion instead along with Roque, my adopted tiger . I hope to have more news of them in 2007

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Phew! That was quite a year. A very satisfying year to look back on. And yes, a great antidote to the ‘must do better’, New Year New You syndrome that’s filling so many papers and magazines right now. I have areas of my life that need a bit of dusting down – some of them need a real sort out - but even the imperfect, ‘old’ me achieved plenty, did plenty, lived plenty in 2006.

And I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2007.