Tickled Pink for Breast Cancer

I'm in there somewhere - in the photo that is! And there will be a collection in ASDA a week tomorrow for this valuable cause. 

I'll be in the picture then too - when I know the exact place and time I'll let you know in case you can come along and say hello and make a contribution to the collection.

Mills & Boon authors will be joining in all over the country.#Tickled Pink 

Happy Birthday Charlie

Sadly no prize for the Babe Magnet in the festival story writing contest - but in the top 10 of so many entries is no slouch at all. And he has lots of interesting things coming up in the next couple of months- of which more as soon as I get a moment to breathe. The trip to Malton was lovely and we had a fabulous time there together.


Meanwhile we are celebrating today - cue yet another photo of Charlie Rumpuss the Maine Coon - as we mark his 8th birthday. He was a real little cutie when he first arrived - and he's grown into a very fine cat indeed. 

He has just about forgiven us for abandoning him again when we went 

to Malton - and that forgiveness has been helped along with a large portion of his favourite treats. He says he's sure you'll be happy to see another photo of him - and I'm sure he's probably right. He has more fans than me!

Off again

This is a picture of Charlie the Maine Coon's face when he learned we are setting out *again* and leaving him with his beloved cat-sitter for 2 days.

But this is only a short trip - and it's one where I put on my DH supporting hat (it had better be a waterproof one

considering the storms raging at the moment!).

 We are heading for the Ryedale Book Festival where the Babe Magnet has been shortlisted in their short-story competition. It doesn't matter if he wins or not - to be in the top 10 is a win as far as I'm concerned!

 But I think even Charlie will approve of us leaving for this  - and he does love his cat-sitter!

Manga Editions

I love the Manga editions of my books when they are translated -I should say transformed - into these amazing graphic novels. But there is a special thrill when the Manga titles are translated into an English edition and I can read the fantastic way they condense the story into a very few words and some fabulous art work. 

 So I was thrilled today to be able to download a Harlequin Comic edition of Olivero's Outrageous Proposal on my kindle. 

 And to discover that there is another title coming up - Shattered Mirror - coming in October. As that's an old title, (1994) it's great to see it getting a new lease of life.Manga Books

Back from London - and off again

Quick catch up after the trip to London - It was a great couple of days (if a bit crowded) The highlight of th

e Wednesday night was a trip to The Globe and a performance of Love's Labours Lost in the Sam Wanamaker theatre - a smaller, indoor theatre, built on the same lines as the actual Globe - and all lit by candlelight. Very atmospheric and a really fun production.

Thursday was a guided tour of the Globe itself including a chance to watch a rehearsal of 'EYAM' - a play about the plague of 1665. We were warned to expect rotting 'corpses' and possible nudity - but neither appeared! My long-ago Amateur Dramatics experience at university surfaced as I watched.

Thursday afternoon was a visit to the Harlequin offices, meeting with my editor and Flo Nicholls (Senior editor Modern/Presents) - then dinner with my editor. I don't think we stopped talking for hours. Also took away with me a great booty bag of books for future reading - you have to love working with a company where you're asked 'would you like some books?' (silly question ) then taken to a room lined with bookshelves and told to help yourself! I had to force myself to remember that I had to carry a suitcase as well as the books - and I was 

going on to Kent to visit my sister for the weekend.

The AMBA lunch was so much fun - great to meet up with so many friends - Katherine Garbera, Kate Hardy, Michelle Styles, Liz Fielding, Heidi Rice (with special thanks to Heidi for the photo of the Presents cover of A Proposal to Secure His Vengeance - after a l-o-n-g wait for it to come round in the cycle of covers on display) Abby Green, Trish Morey . . . . too many others to mention.

The weekend was spent in wonderfully sunny Kent meeting up with my sister and her husband - and getting to know my gorgeous great-nephew for the very first time. We spent a fabulous evening at the Gulbenkian Theatre to see a stunning dance production of Medusa choreographed by Jasmin Vardimon 

More food - wine - conversation - family memories - visiting Folkestone . . . until we had to tear ourselves way and head home. Ruby has just about forgiven us for abandoning her . . .I daren't tell her that tomorrow we're heading off again - but only for 2 nights this time. More of that later.

London and AMBA - and Ruby!

Ruby knows that I am heading for London for the Association of Mills and Boon Authors lunch and editorial meetings - she has seen the case being packed and she does not approve. This is her silent 'I will not be moved' protest on my lap!

RNA York Afternoon Tea

The heatwave may have been a happy memory - replaced by low temperatures and heavy rain but nothing dampened the spirits of everyone who was at the fabulous Romantic Novelists' Association afternoon tea in York on  Saturday - fantastic venue, fabulous food and service . And a wonderful opportunity to meet up with everyone and share a chat in a beautiful room - which was so warm and welcoming after the rainy trek across the city. A wonderful occasion.




 Many many thanks to you, Lynda Stacey for the great job you did planning and organising everything. This was the best one yet. 


Thanks too to Jean Fullerton for being such a great guest speaker - I know so many people were nodding along with the points you made. 


Already looking forward to next time - thank you John Jackson for agreeing to take over the reins. Lynda will be  a hard act to follow!