Great Big Blog Party 49 Jenny Haddon/Sophie Weston

I used to think that today's Guest Blogger - was a really scary person. In her persona as Jenny Haddon, that is. A formidably intelligent and capable lady, the Chair of the Romantic Novelist's Assoication no less )for the past two years), she is extremely well read, extremely efficient and very witty with it. Then, as Sophie Weston, she has written some wonderful Romances - Books like The Bedroom Assignment or The Millionaire Affair - and there's another one that I loved - and darn it I can't remember the title. Because I'm in Wales and it's at home in my 'keeper' box, I can't even go and take a look to see what the title is.

Oh, I've found it on Amazon - The Wedding Effect - that's the one.

So there I was, meeting Jenny/Sophie for the first time at a special PR meeting that HMB had organised and I was decidedly nervous - until we started talking about cats - or more properly perhaps - Cats, seeing as we were both under the paw of some very characterful felines - I'll let Jenny tell you all about that in her post. But it's amazing how being subject to something with four paws and fur can unite people. I've never looked at Jenny in the same way.

These days Jenny's two year tenure of the Chair of the RNA is over, and she is about to relaunch her writing career with a romantic comedy that I hope some intelligent publisher will snap up soon. She has also written, with Elizabeth Hawsley, the brilliant Getting the Point - a panic free guide to punctuation for adults. I think ever writer should have a copy of this on their reference shelf - for those dreadful moments when your mind goes blank and you just can't remember exactly where the apostrophe goes!

Jenny is still everything that scared me - but she's also warm and wonderfully generous hostess, a great cook, an even better friend and writer - and a great appreciator of the domineering feline. Sadly, she is currently living in a cat empty house. Jenny - you need some kittens!

BIO Jenny Haddon writes mostly romantic fiction, mostly as Sophie Weston, lives in London and reads compulsively. She has been known to go to Handel opera, Scottish dancing, and South America. With drink taken she has to be restrained from reciting Albert and the Lion.

So here's Jenny - or maybe it's Sophie Weston.

When I met Kate Walker it became rapidly apparent that she and I shared a rare burden - we both lived under the iron paw of a Strong Minded Feline.

Well, several. But in both households there was no doubt who was Top Cat.

Hers was Sir Sidney Portly-Lummox, a gentleman of decided views and considerable acumen, well known on this blog.

In those days, mine was a dim-witted promiscuous fluffball, with a taste for the high life, called James Bond.I say he was dim-witted, and he was certainly slow to learn anything useful like not lying in the middle of the stairs when people were going up them blind, carrying a mountain of washing. But he got his own way quite as much as Sid.

'Does he sit on your manuscript?' I asked Kate.

She nodded.

'When he's just come in from the garden and his paws are muddy?'

'Yes.'

'And then he turns round and round on it, clawing the pages into a comfortable jumble? And leaves unspeakable brown stains all over it? And the smell of wet socks? Old wet socks?'

'Yup.' She paused, coughed, didn't quite meet my eyes. 'Er- how long does James stay there?

Usually.'

I strove with myself. After all, there are things that high-achieving women with enterprise, determination and a good career don't readily admit, even to each other. Like being outgunned by four feet and fur. It was a struggle but in the end I told the truth.

'The rotten toe rag sits there until I either throw his champagne cork for him to play with or coax him off with food. People food, of course. He doesn't get out of bed for Whiskas. Gruyere cheese. Smoked salmon. Or raspberries Romanoff - that's the one with cream spiked with brandy - will usually do it. '

Kate let out a long sigh.

Our eyes met, half ashamed, half relieved to have it out in the open at last. I had found a sister!

Not only a sister, but a kind friend,practical counsellor and all round good egg.

Her Twelve Point Guide to Writing Romance is a wonderful aid to navigation to writers when you've backed yourself down a dark alley. And her glamorous, intense heroes are a dream.

Jenny sent me a link to a pic that looks like her James Bond - but I'm not able to upload it here. But if you want to see it you can find it here

Jenny's website is at: http://www.jennyhaddon.com/ or http://www.sophieweston.net/

GIVEAWAY QUESTION :

Which hero would you most like to be marooned on a desert island with and why?

GIVEAWAY PRIZE :

Signed copies of my desert duo In the Arms of the Sheikh and The Sheikh's Bride.