RNA Conference Lancaster University

The RNA Conference weekend is always so much fun - and so full of interesting and enlightening events. I had a fabulous time in Lancaster, meeting up with so many friends and making lots of new ones. I went 

to some great workshops, talked with fabulous writers, drank a little wine (just a little!) and hardly slept at all. Now I'm home and have caught up on the Post Conference Lag - I'm happily recalling some extra, personal moments that made me smile just to think of them.

There was the joy of watching friends and ex-students come out of their one-to-ones smiling and full of delight at having been asked to send their full manuscripts to the editors or agents they had seen. Celebrating with another ex student on the publication of her very first novel Something Like Happy. And seeing Vasiliki Scurfield win the 'Love Story in a Tweet' competition with her great story. I also enjoyed her great workshop on getting t

he details right when writing about Greek culture - lots of room for inspiration there!

Also workshops by Fiona Harper, lovely Liz Fielding and so many others. There were the long talks deep into the night on writing, life, anything and everything. I got the chance to sit back and enjoy the Convincing Crime workshop run by my DH and his co-author Stuart Gibbon the authors of ‘THE CRIME WRITER’S CASEBOOK’ and ‘BEING A DETECTIVE’ (thanks to John Jackson for the photo taken at the Gala Dinner.)

Other unexpected delights were the bargain sale of old Mills and Boon titles where I discovered a 1968 title- Still Waters - by Marguerite Lees who was a friend of my mother's and the first professional novelist I ever met - and in whose footsteps I wanted to follow. Then there was a wonderful gift from another friend and student who made the special gesture of having a fabulous tote bag made for me - with my favourite covers on it front and back. I shall use that for any other conferences I go to in the future.

Thank you so much Andrea!

All in all - a fabulous, if exhausting weekend. I'm already looking forward to next year.

And more hedgehogs

I have seriously lost count of how many new members of the hedgehog family we now have living at the bottom of the garden - and needing food!

 Last night we were enchanted to spot this very small new visitor and I managed to snatch a photo without frightening him away. Then I heard crunching and chomping coming from another food bowl -  another tiny hedgie. 

Looking out a bit later, there were two mini hogs at bowl1, another two at bowl 2 - this little one . . .and then 2 large hogs who were facing off - huffing and snorting - over what was left in the bowl!

 Today it's 30 years since we moved in to this house and inherited the hedgehog colony at the bottom of the garden so it feels great to know that we have kept the generations alive all that time - and there are new ones stoking up towards the winter to hopefully still be here next year. With a life span of probably 4-7 years, that means that we must have had around 5 or so generations living there.

Hedgehog update

Hedgehog update - there seems to have been plenty of - er Hedgehog hanky panky in the past year because when I went out to put the kitten crunchies and some meat for the newest recruit I found that there were 3 young hogs all around the bowl. And they were being supervised by much larger hog - possibly a parent?

 The Babe Magnet has spent some of  his latest payment for articles in the Dalesman on a brand new detached hedgehog house so there should be room for all - as the original Hedgehog Towers is decidedly run down.

 But I now have the perfect excuse for the 'running wild' part of the garden. It was meant as a haven for wildlife and seems to be eminently successful in that. The cost of kitten crunchies has increased hugely though!🙂🙂

Not that I mind at all.  I'd rather have the hedgehogs.

Bargain Books

Just checking through book details to make sure I'd completed the PLR form and I've discovered that some of my books are currently on sale on Amazon.co.uk at 0.99p 

- so if there are any past titles you don't have on kindle - you might like to grab these:
The Groom's Revenge
Flirting With Danger
A Throne for the Taking
Hers for a Night
The Sicilian's Red-hot Revenge
A Sicilian Husband
Cordero's Forced Bride
The Married Mistress
The Hostage Bride
A Proposal to Secure His Vengeance.