Another course . . .

The day workshop in Nottingham on May 19th  is filling up fast - I just heard from the organisers that more people have  booked so if you're imterested, you need to contact them as soon as possible.

And if you';re thinking about a course and can spare more than a day - if you fancy a week in glorious Tuscany  then don't forget there is the Beyond The Harts and Flowers Course at The Watermill in Italy in October.

You can read more about this fabulous course here at the blog for the Watermill.   There are places left on this course too so you can sign up in good time for October.  You can even add on  3 days in Florence.

PS . . .

It's still raining.

And Charlie does not like the wet!

More rain due tomorrow - so I am keeping  the towels handy.

Wet . . .

So how's the weather where you are? I'm thinking of building an ark, we have had so much rain. As soon as they mentioned a drought and put out a hosepipe ban for nthis part of the country, the rain started - and came down, and down, and down . . .
We had two water barrels to collect rainwater - they both filled up. We added a third on the side of the new kitchen  . . .that has  overflowed twice. We've  drained off water, poured it over flowerbeds - in the beginning. Now those beds are soaked,  looking like bogs.  There's nowhere else to put the water - and still the rain keeps falling.

And I don 't even want to think about the forecast for the weekend! Rain , rain and more rain.
Oh well, as the saying goes, it's lovely weather for ducks. And when we were in   York  earlier in the week there were seem really happy ducks and geese by the river who proved that  to be true.

So wherever you are I hope you're a little drier  - unless you need the rain too! Well, we did but I think now we could do with a break - just a little one!

So it's the perfect time for staying in and working and one of the things I've been doing  is sorting out my web site, getting it up to date.

One of the things I need to make all the details are correct for is the day lon workshop I have coming up next month - May 19th  - in Nottingham.  

So for anyone  who might be interested, here are those details again -

Date: 19th May 2012

Time: 10am - 4pm (including an hour for lunch and tea and coffee breaks)

Location:

The Nottingham Mechanics
3 North Sherwood Street
Nottingham
NG1 4EZ

Cost: £20

Information on booking can be found  here: http://www.nottinghamwritersclub.org.uk/

I checked with the organisers earlier this week and tickets are selling well with many places booked already.  There are a few still left though  - so if you're interested in coming along, I should get your booking organised  asap  so you  don't miss out.
Oh - and  one thing the weather can't dampen is mydelight in seeing the USA edition of The Devil and Miss Jones  flying high on the Booktrack Top 100 list  of bestselling fiction.   That made me feel as if the sun had come out.
My thanks to everyone who bought a copy to put my book on there.

Australian Romance Readers

It's been difficult to get to blogging this week - too much going on. Some of it was fun - we had a visit from the lovely Lesley Horton  who writes gritty crime novels and was running a special Saturday School workshop  for the writing course my husband teaches at Hull University. 

Other stuff has  not come under the heading 'fun' so I've been rather preoccupied.

But today I have a guestblog over at the Australian Romance Readers' Association blog - all  about guilty pleasures (though I'm actually not sure at all why anyone should feel guilty about enjoying something that doesn't harm anyone else.) Anyway, come and join us if you want.

There is a copy of The Devil and Miss Jones to giveaway - which might be the only way an Australian reader can get  the single copy as the book is released in the Mothers' Day Pack in Australia.

We Write Romance

Today is the 15th of April so it's my day for blogging over at We Write Romance - I almost forgot . We were out celebrating our neighbours' birthdays so it was only when I got back jome that I realised it was the 15th and I needed to write a blog.

Anyway, over at Kate's Corner, I'm talking about the importance of names - for people - cats  - and  heroes and  heroines.

And of course with my lates book in mind, the names The Devil and Miss Jones were on my mind too.

I heart Presents

I hope you are all having a lovely holiday. We have vistors staying - lovely author  Julie Cohen and her  young son . So today we've  been out visiting a pets farm and the gardens at a nearby hall in spue of the rain.

And today I'm also blogging over at I heart Presents  where I'm talking about the inspiration that was the 'seed'  that grew into The Devil and Miss Jones.

Happy Easter & Fresh Fiction

Happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating it - and Happy April to everyone!

If you have time to spare from eating chocolate and enjoying the holiday, then I have a blog over on Fresh Fiction today to celebrate the publication of the USA (PresentsExtra) edition of The Devil and Miss Jones  - it's all about working titles for my books.

And there's a special one day contest with a chance to win a copy of The Devil and Miss Jones or one of my backlist books. You just need to comment to win - but you do need to enter today so put down that chocolate egg and post !

The Devil And MIss Jones - for Australian Readers

Because I  - or, rather, Flora and Charlie, were over on the LoveCats Downunder site this week, and people were asking about The Devil and Miss Jones, I went investigating to see when it was out in Australia as I hadn't seen it  on the M&BAu site.  It turns out that it's the lead title in the Mother's Day Pack this year , along with other books by Sandra Marton, Merline Lovelace and others. You can find this collection here on the Mills & Boon Australia site

Today is the first Friday of the month so I'm blogging at the Pink Heart Society in my Date with Kate column -of course the house renovations are still on my ind, hut this time they're working into being a source of inspiration.

Blogging elsewhere - with a difference

Still struggling to catch up - and still coughing for England!   But today there is a special blog on another site. A very special blog.

You see, this blog isn't one of mine but a special Catwalk interview with Flora  and Charlie. Thanks to Sharon Archer who interviewed them both, set up the photo opportunities - and posted the result over on the LoveCats Downunder,  Flora the Floozie and Charlie  have their own special post on the site today. And they're giving away a copy of The Devil and Miss Jones to someone who wins their caption competition.

So if you want to learn more about  Flora the Diva and cheeky Charlie - they're telling all about life with Kate Walker over at Lovecats - so come and visit them.

The Lost Week

I can't believe that it was Saturday 24th  when I last posted.

Well, yes,  actually, I can  now I think about it because this week has really been the lost week.  Just when I thought  the stresses and chaos of the renovations were behind me and that I could relax and enjoy the improvements  (Oh the delight of being able to have a shower again!) - that was when the Babe Magnet went down with a vicious dose of the flu.

And being the generous sort of man he is, he then shared it with me. So we've been sneezing and cooughing and spluttering in stereo. I lost my voice completely,  and I've  not managed to keep up with anything all week.

But now I'm trying to catch up again.  And today being the first Sunday of the month, today I'm blogging over on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs - and as it's April I'm talking about the publication of my latest book. Which is, of course, The Devil and Miss Jones which will be published in  Presents Extra on April 4th.

I'm also celebrating the end of the renovations and the fact that the builders have finally moved out - so to mark this occasions I have a giveaway to share.

See you there!