Charlie's Diary - A Big Day!

 

It’s been a while  since I wrote my diary  but I have a special reason for  posting today. It’s my birthday! I am two. (My Mum says that I look like two cats stuck together because I’m so big but I’m talking about years here.)

Anyway, today is my birthday so I’m having a celebration.  Started off well with special  chicken chunks for breakfast, followed by a quick snack on some Dreamies, then out into the garden. Luckily the rain of yesterday has stopped. I don’t like rain!  Tonight I am having a party with cat pate and  crunchies – great stuff.  The only down side is that I have to share with Flora the Diva.  But then I’ll get to share when it’s her birthday next month.

My Mum asked me to pose for my special  2nd birthday portrait so she can post it for you to see. So here I am – being two! I’m also reading the Telegraph, as you can see. I like to keep up to date with what is going on. I also like to watch TV – the Olympics were great. I specially liked to try and chase the runners, and the cyclists, and the jumping horses though I got quite bored with the swimming. I don’t like the wet.  I ordered sunshine for my birthday and so far that’s what I’m  getting.

I have a message  from My  Mum – to explain why this blog has been so quiet lately. It’s because she  hurt her hand and so couldn’t type very much. She was chopping vegetables for soup  and she sliced into her finger – right through the nail.  You should have heard the shriek!  It has  been  a bit sore – well, a lot sore, for some days but hopefully it’s healing up now. Personally, I think  she’s daft cutting up veg anyway – I mean, who wants to eat veg?  I know I don’t.  I wouldn’t swap my chicken chunks for chunks of broccoli – broccoli ! – or onions.

Anyway, that’s why  she hasn’t been posting. Typing has been a bit tricky.  So it’s a good thing I’m here to say hello and  make sure you know this blog is still active. Not that I’m feeling all that active right now – I’ve been in the garden all day, climbing trees, chasing Flora,  pouncing on  butterflies. I even tried eating a butterfly. The taste wasn’t all that great – and it was little more than a mouthful so I don’t think I’ll bother again.  It’s almost time for my  posh paté  and then I think I’ll have a little snooze on the sofa.

I like birthdays – I wish they came round more often.   But At least now I’m two! My Mum says I have some more growing to do yet – it’ll be fun to pounce on  Flora if I get any bigger.

Happy Birthday to me!



Kate's Corner day

It's the 15th of the month so today is my day for posting over on the We Write Romance Blog in my regular Kate's Corner  post.

Today I'm talking about some of the new things coming up with the advent of autumn (or Fall!)  One of these is the lauch of the big international So You Think You Can Write contest which is now launching -
All the details,  rules and regulations  can be found here

And the other piece of news is  that he brand new designs for the RIVA covers have been launched today - you can see them here - with more on that blog.

The're very different - what do you think? What do you think?

Bag A Bargain

To mark the success of the Olympics,  Mills & Boon is offering a huge special sale with 70% off a huge selection of titles - both print and ebooks over on their Mills & Boon  web site.

Along with many others you can grab yourself a copy of The Devil and Miss Jones for just 0.99p -print or ebook! That's  a reduction from the original price of £3.49  saving £2.50!

Lots of other books on offer too. So if you haven't already grabbed a copy of The Devil and Miss Jones, now's your chance - with a great saving!

But hurry - this offer closes at 12 noon BST tomorrow August 13th!

Advanced Writing Romance Course

Just to let you know that if you were thinking of booking for my Advanced Contemporary Romance Workshop in February 2013 -  There are now only EIGHT places left for the whole set of  Winter Workshops at Fishguard.

And that's between all the courses - and there are five of them!  So if you want to be assured of a place on my course  - book now!

Book online now and save £10 at www.writersholiday.net

Good News and Bad News

I had a wonderful time on Friday  when I visited Bridlington Library and spoke to their Writers’ Group.  The turnout was great – the librarian told me that they had the most people attending than at any other meeting in the past. So thank you to everyone who came. I hope you enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did.

As an added benefit, the sun shone and the day was warm so the Babe Magnet and I enjoyed a day beside the sea, strolling along the seafront and relaxing. We even found time to visit Bempton Cliffs to see the huge gannets whirling in the air high above the sea as they feed their chicks which were perched in nests in what seemed like tiny cracks in the cliff.

This will be my last Writing Talk/Workshop for some time – that is, unless any events are planned for the So You Think You Can Write. But that reminds me that I need to bring you up to date on the news about some of my other planned events – which is why the good news/bad news scenario.

Bad news first – Sadly, the week-long writing course at The Watermill in Posara has been cancelled. I’m really disappointed about this, but the decision was out of my hands.  It seems that they didn’t feel they would get enough bookings even though there are still two months before the course actually starts (and they actually cancelled some weeks earlier than that.) So I’m sorry if you were hoping to attend . I’m really sorry too, as I had a great course planned out and I was very much looking forward it.

But the good- the great news is . . . Remember this post back in June?

That was when I feared- dreaded  - the possibility that the wonderful Caerleon Writers’ Holiday might be coming to an end. When the Babe Magnet and I – and the organisers Anne and Gerry Hobbs thought that this fantastic week might not happen ever again – ort if it did it wouldn’t be on  the campus of the University of Wales Caerleon and in  the lovely surroundings of  Caerleon village and its fantastic  Roman remains.  

But the good – the great news will be that Caerleon Writers’ Holiday will be back again next year. Everyone involved was so relieved and so thrilled that we’ve been smiling ever since we heard the news.  The details of next years’ event will be posted  here just as soon as Anita gets the details, but one thing I can assure you of and that is that I will be there, running my COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ROMANCE course in July 2013.  Which reminds me that I must just send a special wave to everyone   who was on my course this year. They were a great group, we had a lot of fun as  well as learning a lot (well, I  always learn a bit more each time I teach.)  We had a wonderful week with blue skies and warm sunshine – the temperatures went up to 26 on two days  - with all the usual great Writers’ Holiday events, the courses, the speakers, the poetry reading, the Male Voice Choir. And  I’m looking forward to seeing so many of my students  back again at Fishguard for the Advanced Contemporary Romance  Workshop in February 2013.

Because of course these two workshops are linked and students need to have attended the Introduction course in order to be able to apply for the Advanced. In Fishguard. Numbers for the Advanced course are strictly limited to 15 and I know that at least half of those places are already booked up. So if you’d like to attend, the sooner you get  your booking in the better.

For me, it’s great news that I will be able to be back in Wales, with my dear friends , and enjoying the warmth of their hospitality, in both February and July next year – and hopefully for many more years to  come.  Not for nothing are  Caerleon and Fishguard two red-letter dates in my calendar. 

Oh yes – and if you’ve visited Caerleon this year or before, we now have a special Writers’ Holiday page on Facebook. There are lots of great photos of this years’ event up there.

Pink Heart Day

It's the first Friday of the month. As you read this I will be beside the sea in  Bridlington,  talking about writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon to a library writing group. And this ties in with my topic in A Date With Kate over on The Pink Heart Society this month.

With the huge So You Think You Can Write contest launched by Harlequin, I'm looking at possible ways to learn more about your craft - and  maybe make  new friends in the process. It's all about Conferences, Courses, Critiques .. .

I'm also looking for questions on the writing craft that I can answer to help anyone who's entering SYTYCW - and there's a copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance to someone who asks a great craft question.

So see you there! (When I get back from the seaside.)