Back

It's Monday so I must be back from London . . . right? I think I left part of my brain in the capital as it has taken me till now to catch up with all I have to do.

And I had such a great time meeting up with friends old and new and talking and drinking a little wine . . .

Let's see, Wednesday afternoon was spent settling into the hotel, making a mad dash to Oxford Street to find a book for the Babe Magnet - I told him his History Magazine wouldn't be enough to read - but I think that was just an excuse to make sure he 'needed' to raid the bookshops. Then we met up with Michelle Reid and Sandra Marton and had a wonderfully relaxed evening with them. At RWA Sandra always invites everyone to a pizza party on the first evening and although this wasn't RWA we continued the tradition with pizzas for all. Great fun and an opportunity to talk . . . a lot.

Thursday was the day that Sharon Kendrick had invited some of us to lunch in her home so I met up with American authors Lynn Raye Harris and Jennie Lucas who were over for the AMBA meeting, and Abby Green who was over from Dublin and we all made our way to Winchester. We had a brief tour of the city, including the Cathedral where - for the first time ever (what a confession for a romance writer) I was able to visit Jane Austen's grave there.

Thursday evening there was a dinner for what seemed like a roll call of Presents/Modern authors - Sara Craven, Sandra Marton, Michelle Reid, Abby Green, Natalie Rivers, India Grey, Jennie Lucas, (these two are pictured here) Lynn Raye Harris, Christina Hollis, Sara Morgan.

Friday was of course the date of the AMBA lunch itself. I took my camera and then got completely involved in talking with friends - I was lucky enough to be seated next to lovely Liz Fielding - forgetting to take any pictures most of the time. The same with the Mills & Boon toast to their writers which was held after the event. So I'm indebted to Kate Hardy for this pic of myself (centre) together with Sophie Weston (in brown) and Joanna Maitland at the 'toast' . (Kate also has more detail on the venue and food on her blog if you'd like to see it. )

Among the things talked about were the New covers - which are now appearing on the bookshop shelves all ovder the country - the New Voices contest, and the upcoming Leander Rowing Calendar which will be appearing on the M&B site in the next few weeks - so watch out for that.

Special thanks have to go to Natalie Rivers and Sharon Kendrick for organising the event so efficiently and making it so enjoyable.

By the end of the evening, I was just about talked out and my feet were protesting at being in smart shoes all that time. So with the Magnet, Michelle Reid and her husband and Brigid Coady who came to join us after the 'toast' we headed for a casual dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Saturday morning, we just had time to share breakfast together - Michelle, Sandra and I and our husbands - before sadly packing up and heading back home. It was a fantastic few days and I'm always astonished and delighted by the warm friendships that are forged in spite of living in different countries and hundreds of miles away from each other - as a result of this job of writing romance that we all share. It's something that I never anticipated when I started out, but it's one of the very best benefits of the career I've had.

Kate's Corner and AMBA

I'm busy planning and packing . Yes, I'm on the road again. Or, more accurately, taking the train this time. I've barely had time to breathe, turn round, unpack my case and do the laundry after the trip to Durham and NAWG, and now I'm off again.

This time I'm heading for London and the annual meeting and lunch of the Association of Mills & Boon authors. I'm so looking forward to meeting up with old friends, making new ones, and learning everything that's been happening since we last met. This time several authors are coming over from America so tonight I'm having dinner with Sandra Marton and Michelle Reid. And tomorrow I'm heading for Sharon Kendrick's lovely home to have lunch with her and Lynn Raye Harris, Jennie Lucas, and Abby Green. Then that night we're having dinner with another of my own personal romance writer heroines and favourite authors - Sara Craven and a whole bunch of Presents writers. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

But as today is the 15th of September (is it? How the heck did it get to the 15th already?) I have my regular post for Kate's Corner over at We Write Romance's blog. So that's where you'll find me today while I dash around here flinging things into a suitcase and wondering just what to wear.

Oh, and while you're there why not check out the great review for The Good Greek Wife?

Back home and catching up

I'm sure that life accelerates or something when you go away. Certainly, when I come back I always find that I have what seemes like twice as much to catch up with as normal.



But I'm back and I'm catching up after a fun and hectic visit to London. A visit that seemed to consist of talking, eating, drinking and more talking. But then that's what I go to AMBA etc for.


From the moment the Babe Magnet and I arrived in London (in the pouring rain - how did that happen? We left sunshine behind in Lincolnshire) it was a rush to cram everything in. The Magnet was busy researching his upcoming books - the Zulu war, artist Thomas Rowlandson who, The Magnet was thrilled to discover, was born in a street just behind the hotel we stayed in. And I was busy - well, busy lunching and dining and talking . . .



There was a wonderful relaxed lunch at Sharon Kendrick's lovely home, together with a roll call of Presents/Modern authors - Penny Jordan, Susan Stephens, Abby Green, Chantelle Shaw, Sabrina Philips. Many of the same authors plus some more (Jacqueline Baird, Margaret Mayo, India Grey, Natalie Rivers, Christina Hollis) all came together for dinner that evening - and again for the Assoication of Mills & Boon Authors lunch in Tuttons, Covent Garden the next day.



The lunch was organised with wonderful efficiency by Historical novelist Michelle Styles and you can read her account of the event over on Tote Bags and Blogs . It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, meet new authors Lucy King (Modern Heat) and Lucy Ashford (Historical) and congratulate them on their first sales.



Documentary maker Julie Moggan whose film project on Mills & Boon I mentioned way back in the centenary year was there filming the event for part of her documentary on the company which has grown from the small affectionate piece she originally planned to a major record of the worldwide phenomenon that is Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is off to Japan and India soon to add to the details she is collating. She persuaded some authors (myself included ) to do pieces to the camera. My mind went blank when confronted by the camera and microphone but I managed to say something and hope I didn't make a complete idiot of myself. I understand that the final project is planned t be shown in July next year.



After the AMBA lunch there was a special Toast to all the authors provided by HMB where presentations were made to mark Mary Masters' 50th title, Margaret Mayo's 75th - and Carole Mortimer's amazing 150th title!


I managed to forget to take my camera so the pictures I have here are thanks to lovely Liz Fielding who took the photo of myself and Kate Hardy - and someone (sorry I don't recall who) who snapped me with - on the left Sharon Kendrick and right (in black and white) Nina Harrington who last year was celebrating her very first acceptance.



The journey home was exhausting and expensive. A fatality on the line meant that all the trains were slowed and held up as they investigated - then ours was finally taken out of service so we were all turfed out on to the platform to wait for a train to Sheffield. This cost us extra as our tickets were advance train-specific ones. Then the train to Sheffield didn't stop at Sheffield because of all the delays. So we had to get another train to Sheffield and another one from Sheffield home - result a 7 hour journey instead of a 3 hour one. At least we were travelling with the wonderful Susan Stephens so between us we managed to make the best of a bad job and at least had some fun and laughter as we chatted through the worst of the delays.



So now I'm back home and working my way through the list of things to do to get up to date again. I've had some lovely emails while I was away, including a great message from the winner of the Summer Sizzler Contest I shared with Michelle Reid - she won a signed copy of Kept For Her Baby and wrote to tell me that she loved it:



Thought it was quite a risky topic area you tackled for Mills and Boon and you managed to capture it well, whilst keeping within Mills and Boon parameters - for that alone you get a gold star! More importantly, as a health visitor who has worked with many women with post natal depression, and a few unfortunate women who suffered post natal/partum psychosis (don't believe the facts - its not as rare as its made out to be!) I thought you gave credibility to the fear the women have of harming their children, how jumbled their thoughts can be, and how difficult it is to explain their feelings. Bravo Kate!



As the subject of the book made it quite a tricky one to write, I was thrilled to get this wonderful response.


Oh yes - and while I was at the Author Toast, I had some good news about an upcoming publication in the UK that I'll share with you when I have all the details to let you know.

On the road again

I'm dashing in to wave and say Hi before I set off on my travels again. This time I'm heading for London where I'll be attending the Association of Mills & Boon Authors' annual lunch on Thursday and also joining a group of Modern Romance/Presents authors for lunch at the home of Sharon Kendrick tomorrow. And many of us will be having dinner together that evening.

It's going to be a great opportunity to catch up with everyone, meet the new writers who have joined the Mills & Boon family since last year, eat lovely food. Even drink a little wine.

Sid, Dylan and Flora the Floozie will be well taken care of when Danny their favourite cat-sitter takes charge. (Who was it who asked what happened if the furs didn't get their favourite cat sitter? Well, the answer is that they tolerate the alternative - ie The Offspring because he does feed them after all. But they prefer Danny as he lives just 3 doors away and they can go and bang on his bedroom window if they think he's late with dinner!)

I'll be back for the weekend. But if you need a blog fix before then - and specially if you're interested in writing and maybe enetering the Mills & Boon Writing Contest, I have a craft post over on the Pink Heart Society blog tomorrow.

See you soon!

Great Big Blog Party 25 - Winner

Time to hand out another prize - this time it's from Sharon Kendrick and here's the message she sent to me:

Cherie J is the winner, Kate - though I really loved reading all the comments.

So congratulations to Cherie J - please send me your postal address and I'll let Sharon know. And thank you Sharon for braving the new (to you) world of blogging to join us.

Can I just remind everyone that it's up to you to keep coming back and checking if you have won or not - and to claim your prize.

Neither I not the generous guests have time to come chasing you if you don't notice your win and send me the details of where to post your prize. I've made things easy by labelling every Winner post at the end of the posting - so if you want to check back all you have to do is to click on that label and a list of all the winners will come up.

Sadly poor Trish Wylie hasn't managed to get an internet connection yet - but her Giveaway will stay open in the hope that she might yet get through - so entries are still possible for her prize - and for Sandra Marton's so check out their posts and comment for a chance to win.

Next up - a very important Guest Blogger (at least in his own mind!) Ruby - this one's for you

Great Big Blog Party 25 - Sharon Kendrick

Today's Guest Blogger is one of the stars of the current Presents line-up - Sharon Kendrick. Sharon started out writing Medicals but these days she concentrates on the Presents novels that have earned her a great reputation amongst the readers.

I can't actually remember when I first met Sharon - but then she's not exactly sure of our first meeting either so I don;t have to feel too bad about that. What I do know is that Sharon always looks wonderfully stylish - right down to the fact that when she broke her wrist just before the last RNA Awards lunch at the Savoy in April, she managed to have a plaster cast that toned in beautifully with her outfit. Having met her daughter, I must also say that Sharon seems far too young to possibly be mother to her two children .

I may be celebrating 50 titles, but Sharon has written over sixty books for Harlequin Mills & Boon and tells me that she has never stopped falling in love with her own heroes. She's currently working with an ebony-eyed Greek who is so arrogant he makes her shiver.

So here's Sharon Kendrick

When I think of fifty - I think of the colour gold - and as Kate is having a party to celebrate her 50th book - it's rather fitting that she has chosen June - traditionally a glorious, golden month.

I can't remember when I first met Kate - but I do remember her smile and her rather scrumptuous taste in unusual jewellery. Over the years our paths have crossed at many authorly functions - when we've angsted about our current books, or leapt for joy if we'd just had one accepted.

All I know is that, like most of us - she loves to write (or should that be lives to write?). So enjoy your special day, Kate - and raise a glass of golden champagne to all your absent friends!

GIVEAWAY:

Sharon is giving a signed copy of her latest book The Desert King's Virgin Bride as her prize

QUESTION:

What kind of book stays in your mind long after you've put it down?

Sharon says:

For me, it's usually when the central relationship has worked so effectively and convincingly that I wonder how the couple are getting along - almost as if I can believe they really exist. I guess what that really tells me that I like books which are character led, not plot driven - and that too many "coincidences" in a romance novel drive me bonkers!

So what makes a book memorable for you?

WEBSITE http://www.sharonkendrick.com/