40 for 40 - Anna Campbell

When I first met today's guest, she was a Virgin!
No - I mean she was an RNA Virgin. 10 years ago, I started  a scheme for people who were attending the RNA Conference for the very first time. It started as a casual thing, but later became the official 'First Timers' network.   The original  group consisted of just  four people - you'll meet two of them later in this celebration. The  following year, I  ran the scheme for the first time officially  and the group acquired the nickname the RNA Virgins.  I am truly delighted by just how many of those Virgins are now established and multi-published authors.

One of them was today's special guest  - Anna Campbell.  She describes herself back when I met her as 'A lost Aussie'  because she had come over from Australia to be at the conference, but the truth is that she fitted in just fine - she was as daft as the rest of us. 

In 2007 I was thrilled to see Anna's first book,  Claiming the Courtesan published and since then she's gone from strength to strength, collecting awards as she goes.

As she's in Australia, I don't get to see her often enough so I'm really glad she could  come here to celebrate with me.

Welcome Anna Campbell.


Happy anniversary to Kate and her lovely Babe Magnet!

Wow, 40 years! Clearly you’ve kept each other young because I wouldn’t have believed that for a moment. Even with the proviso that Kate was such a child bride, she was still playing on the swings (mind you, I still like to play on swings so that’s no guarantee of youth!).

Congratulations to both of you! And many more happy years together.

Thank you so much for asking me to blog here to celebrate this wonderful milestone in your lives. Your invitation sent me off on a trip down memory lane - and do you know what? Next year is OUR 10 year anniversary, Kate! How cool is that? Perhaps we should plan another blog party to mark the occasion!


We met way back in 2004 before I was published when you very kindly shepherded newbies through the Romance Novelists Association conference at Leicester. What I particularly remember from that was your warmth, your generosity and your wonderful sense of humor.

You were a very popular visitor to the Romance Writers of Australia conference the following year and at last, I got to witness the glory that is the Babe Magnet! I still use examples from your plenary session (with appropriate credit to your brilliance!) when I'm doing workshops. You're a great speaker!

Then we met again in 2007 during a flood of Noah proportions at Betty's Tea Rooms in York. Oh, what fun that was, even if I nearly drowned getting to the train station afterwards!

About time we met again, don't you think? Would love to be there to raise a glass in honour of the big 40!

Actually on a personal note (well, a booky personal note), ten years seems to be on my mind at the moment. The childhood sweethearts in my 2nd July release (sadly only available in North America at present, we are working on other territories!), DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES, have been parted for ten years. There's something iconic about that decade figure, isn't there?

You can read an excerpt of DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES on my website here: http://annacampbell.info/daysofrakes.html

So congratulations again to Kate and the Babe Magnet. I'm suffering nostalgia for a wonderful high tea in Old Blighty with you both.

If our commenters could have afternoon tea with us anywhere at all, where would it be and what would they like to see on the menu?

I've got a download of my new e-novella DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES for a North American commenter today and a download of my e-novella THE WINTER WIFE for a commenter outside North America. Good luck!

Amazon

 

Website: www.annacampbell.info

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaCampbellFans

Twitter: @AnnaCampbellOz

 Blog: Romance Bandits  

40 for 40 - Zoe Sharp

Another friend from Caerleon for you to meet today. And  a different sort of fiction from romance.
 I met Zoe Sharp  when she came to teach  a crime writing course at Caerleon Writers' Holidays and,  apart from the fact that we got on really well from the start, when I saw a quote about one of her books :
'Zoë Sharp grabs hold of the reader's throat in the first sentence of  the Charlie Fox debut thriller and never lets go " it just made  me want to read her book right now.

So because I'm generous to my readers I knew I wanted to invite her along to this celebration so that those of you who missed her first visit back in 2007 (was it really that long ago, Zoe!)  can find out about her and her books. I may be a romance writer but I love a good crime novel/thriller - and if you do too  you can be in with a chance to win one of her titles if you join in the conversation in the comments list.

So here's Zoe

Keeping the flame well lit

Zoë Sharp

I was so pleased to be asked to help celebrate the Ruby wedding anniversary of Kate and Steve The Babe Magnet™. They’re a wonderful couple and to have survived forty years together without resorting to murder is certainly cause for celebration!

Not for one moment that I’m casting aspersions on this lovely pair, but being a crime thriller author that’s just the way my mind tends to work.

Relationships fascinate me. I feel they are at the heart of all good fiction and are not the exclusive preserve of well-known romance writers like Kate. Being engaged by the characters and wanting them to resolve their difficulties—with the situation or with each other—are all part of what keeps us turning the pages to the very end.

My main character, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Fox is an ex-Special Forces trainee who was robbed of her army career and instead became a bodyguard. KILLER INSTINCT: Charlie Fox book one was published in 2001. The latest—out at the start of the year—is DIE EASY: Charlie Fox book ten.

It would have been very easy to make Charlie a celibate character, or have her drift in and out of relationships that never quite went anywhere, mostly likely because she was already married to her work.

Instead, right from the start is the back story of her turbulent love affair with Sean Meyer. He was her training instructor in the army, so what was between them had to remain illicit. And when that blew up in both their faces they parted on the worst of terms.

By the time they meet again a lot has changed, but not Charlie’s feelings for Sean. Nor her realisation

that he’s a reflection of her own dark half. Her own father recognises this when he tells her in ROAD KILL: Charlie Fox book five: “If you stay with Sean Meyer you will end up killing again. And next time, Charlotte, you might not get away with it …”

But despite knowing she should make a different choice, Charlie can’t let Sean go. Through the ten books so far they’ve put their lives on the line for each other. They’ve killed and almost died for each other. Sean’s pushed her away and still she refuses to entirely give up on him. The on-going story of their impossible relationship is what keeps the series constantly fresh and exciting for me as a writer.

And judging by the emails I receive, it seems to be working pretty well for my readers, too.

After all, all action and no heart does not a satisfying story make.

Kate and Steve’s story, I hope, contains a little of both :)

Many congratulations!

To help celebrate Kate and Steve’s Ruby wedding anniversary, I’m delighted to be giving away a signed copy of any of the ten Charlie Fox books so far (see my website for the full series list).

But in return I need your help. Some very good (non-writer) friends of mine have their eleventh wedding anniversary coming up in September. Eleven is Steel. Hmm, not exactly inspiring when it comes to ideas for anniversary gifts. So, the signed book goes to the most appropriate and inventive suggestion!

 

Zoë Sharp wrote her first novel when she was fifteen, and created the no-nonsense Charlie Fox after receiving death-threat letters as a photojournalist. Her work has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Benjamin Franklin, and Macavity Awards in the United States, as well as the CWA Short Story Dagger. It has been used in Danish school textbooks, turned into a short film and optioned by Twentieth Century Fox TV. Zoë can regularly be found telling silly jokes on Twitter (@AuthorZoeSharp) and Facebook where you can Like or Friend her. To read extracts from the books and find out more please visit www.ZoeSharp.com.

40 for 40 - Louise Allen

 
 
Many years ago I thought I wanted to write historical novels. I even began a romance set in the time of the Civil War before I realised that this was just not for me. Having tried it once, I have always had a great admiration for writers like today's guest, Louise Allen who manage to combine the research and factual details needed, getting the 'flavour' of the period right - and wrap it all up in a really good story.  I met Louise through the RNA -  where she runs their New Writers' Scheme  absolutely brilliantly,   - and of course  through Mills & Boon. I'll be seeing her again  at the conference in Sheffield this weekend - so looking forward to that.
See you soon Louise!

And  here's Louise herself:



Many congratulations to Kate and the lovely Steve – and many thanks for the invitation to join in the celebrations.

 It makes me think of my wedding, which was a very small affair indeed. My father had taken against my beloved in a big way (they ended up the best of friends) and we had no money, so as soon as we had managed to find a miniscule flat in London (those were the days!) I got a slot at the registry office for crack of dawn the next Saturday and invited the handful of friends who were in town. In the end my father did turn up with a case of champagne, but left after the ceremony to go to the Boat Race, telling my highly impressionable new mother in law that he was off to a Soho strip join. We were the second wedding of the day, after a group of Hell’s Angels – the bride was in black leather, studs and white tulle – and then went to sunny Hampstead Heath for photos, then up the Post Office Tower, just for the hell of it, and ended up in a pub by the river in Richmond. It probably wasn’t the most conventional of wedding days but it was great fun and, years later, we’re still very happy. One lovely romantic touch was the discovery that the registry office was opposite the church my great great grandparents had married in.

I love weddings, big and small, grand or informal and I really enjoy writing them. My latest book, Regency Rumours: Scandal Comes to Wimpole Hall, ends with a wedding. It is set at the real-life Wimpole Hall and written in association with the National Trust. (Available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Regency-Rumours-Mills-Special-Releases/dp/0263906701/)


Read more at www.louiseallenregency.co.uk http://janeaustenslondon.com http://www.facebook.com/LouiseAllenRegency and @LouiseRegency

I’m giving away a copy of Regency Rumours.

For a chance to win, tell me which wedding in the past – real or fictional – you would like to have been a guest at, and why.

40 for 40 - coming up

There's still time to tell Jane Jackson  your answer to her question and be in with a chance to win her prize. And today's guest blog will be appearing soon.

Coming up - I need to tell you about a change in the line up for the next week or so - I originally announced that my guest for the 10th would be Fiona Harper - well,  there's been a bit of a reshuffle and now my guest tomorrow will be crime novelist Zoe Sharp - and Fiona will be here in a week.

So the line up for this week will be:
Historical novelist Louise Allen
Crime writer  Zoe Sharp
Historical novelist Anna Campbell
Medical, RIVA, Romance (you name it!) writer  Kate Hardy
Romance writer Donna Alward
And then a special guest or two  . ..!

I hope you'll keep coming back to meet my friends, learn about their books, and  join in the party.

40 for 40 - Jane Jackson

If I'm honest I can't quite recall when I met Jane Jackson. I know she was writing for Mills & Boon - but we really became friends when we were  both teaching courses at the wonderful Writers' Holiday in Caerleon.  Too often we would both be on our way to teach a course -  or back from doing just that - so that we only had time to snatch a few words. But then one year we found ourselves with a bit of free time and we started to talk - and talk  .. .  Caerleon's like that. You can make good friends there. And Jane is one of the great friends I've made. And as with friends I like so much, the rule seems to be that I'll like their books. So someone today will be lucky enough to win one of Jane's  historical novels.

Blog post for Kate  and Steve's  Ruby Wedding.

 

I'm delighted to add my warmest congratulations to Kate and her babe-magnet Steve on their fortieth wedding anniversary.  I've known Kate

 for 25 years, as a student, colleague course leader and friend, and Steve nearly as long.  They are a terrific partnership, supportive of each other and generous to everyone who has the privilege of attending their courses. As a superb example of the old saying that what you give out comes back to you, I'm betting they will be swamped by the tidal wave of congratulations for this very special occasion.

Wishing you both a wonderful day. Now go for gold!

 

Jane Jackson.

To  help the celebrations along,  I would like to offer a giveaway  prize  -   a paperback copy  of either Eye of the Wind or Dangerous Waters

to one commenter who answers this  question -

Where would you take your beloved for a short break, and why?

 

Answers as usual, in the comments section please!

www.janejackson.net

www.janejackson.net
http://www..facebook.com/JaneJacksonAuthor

Dangerous Waters  Accent Press  Paperback  30th May 2013

Eye of the Wind  Accent Press  Paperback  25th April 2013  

Winners

I have another winner to announce

The winner of Sally Quilford's giveaway is Caroline  for her Highway to Hell story. Caroline please contact me with your  postal address  details so that I can pass them on to Sally

Today's guest blog  will come from the lovely Jane Jackson.

Michelle Styles will pick her winner  later - and you can still enter to win Scarlet Wilson's giveaway.

PS Edited because Scarlet has just picked her winner - as she says in the comments on her post:

Hi folks, my son has picked Laney as the winner. Laney can you contact me via my website with your address? Thanks

So - sorry Scarlet's giveaway is now closed - but don't worry, there's lots more coming up!

Tote Bags 'N' Blogs today

I hope you're all enjoying meeting Scarlet Wilson - and telling her all about your perfect night.  Keep the answers coming in to be in with a  chance of winning.

And talking of winning - I've just been watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon, which is why I'm a bit late coming to tell you that as it's the first Sunday of the month, it's also my day to post over on  Tote Bags 'n' Blogs  today.

What am I talking  about ? You'll never guess!

40 for 40 - Scarlet Wilson

Today's guest is Medical Author Scarlet Wilson.  I was going to tell you how we first met, but I see that she has done that for me in her post! Thanks Scarlet!  But before I met Scarlet as a writer, I 'met' her as a reader when she wrote to me about one of my books - Kept for Her Baby.  So it was a thrill to meet her as a person and then as a new writer for M&B. Scarlet has what I think is the unique honour of having had not just one book nominated for last year's RNA's RONA Rose Award - but two in the same final. Sadly she didn't win  - but that is some accolade for her books.  And you'll have the chance to win  her latest - which is a two in one so some lucky reader will win both titles.

Welcome Scarlet!
Meeting Kate and the Babe Magnet

I was lucky enough to first meet Kate and the Babe Magnet  at the RNA conference in London in July 2010.  I hadn’t yet made my first sale but had a manuscript in with Mills and Boon and had an appointment to meet the editor I was working with and was very excited.  I followed Kate’s blog on line and was delighted she was so friendly and would be going to the conference.

But I didn’t meet Kate first.  I met the lovely Stephen first.  He saw me wandering along aimlessly, outside Greenwich University.  He gave me a friendly smile and the words “Going to the Romance Conference?” which was quickly followed by, “Follow me.”  Stephen actually picked up a few waifs and strays along the way and herded us along to place we were supposed to register.

I met Kate a little later after a few glasses of wine!  I told her about my editor meeting (which had also involved a few glasses of wine! Do you see a pattern emerging here?) and she was full of

enthusiasm and encouragement.  I made my first sale in Jan 2011 and Kate was one of the first to email and congratulate me.

It’s because of friendly people like Kate and Stephen that I love going to the RNA conferences so much.  People who take the time to say hello and give you a smilewhen you don’t know a single person and are just a bit terrified!

I have a double bill out in August this year.

THE MAVERICK DOCTOR AND MISS PRIM

Unleashing the 'real' Callie Turner!

Dr Matt Sawyer isn't afraid to break rules. After losing his wife on a field mission, he thinks life is too short for red tape.  When there's a suspected outbreak in his ER, the last person he wants brought in is someone like Callie 'By The Book' Turner!

Callie is truly in the firing line, but Matt is reluctantly intrigued by the latent beauty under her neat designer suits and sparks are soon flying - in more ways than one - between the buttoned-up investigator and this sexy rebel doctor!

ABOUT THAT NIGHT…

That night…

...when Dr Evan Hunter had no resistance to Dr Violet Connelly in her silver dress and spiked heels...

That night…

...when her kiss made him forget he was her boss, and the consequences of his actions..

And the next day. ..

. . . it was if nothing had ever happened.  Because nothing could happen between them.  Ever.

Until they are sent to Africa on a vaccination campaign together, where the hot climate and the less than ideal sleeping arrangements make working together difficult - and forgetting that night impossible!

To win a copy just answer this question…

Where would you spend your perfect night?  On a tropical island, in a luxury hotel, on the Orient Express, or somewhere else entirely?

40 for 40 winners!

I have winners!

Dee, Melanie and Anne have announced their winners - and the names of the lucky visitors are:

For Dee -  the winner is Mary Preston 

For Melanie - it's Maria  Perry Mohan

and For Anne  it's Lois

I'm still waiting to hear from Holly -  Sally will be picking a winner  today - and Michelle asked you to reply direct to her. Still time to answer either of these questions and be in with a chance of a prize.

So ladies - if you haven't already seen the message in the comments section  and replied, please send your postal address to me -and the  author if she's left a message to do so, so that we can make sure your prize  goes out to you.

And if you didn't  win this time - it's 40 for 40 remember - so there are lots of chances yet to win a giveaway!
Coming soon - today's special guest  - Scarlet Wilson.

40 for 40 - Michelle Styles

It's  a real thrill for me when I think back to times I  spent on the forum  boards at eHarlequin  and talked about writing or gave advice to people who wanted to learn their craft - and then I look at them today and see that they are now established published authors, with a record of books behind them. Michelle Styles is one of these.  I met her on line, then through the Romantic Novelists' Association - and then, happily, through her well-earned place amongst the Mills & Boon novelists writing for the Historical line. 

The other thing I'm really  happy about knowing Michelle for (apart from enjoying her company and  her books!) is that way back, before she was ever published, she was given the warning  that M&B would never buy a book set in the period of Ancient Rome.   I remember how I refuted that - and said they would buy it if it was well  enough  written. So I was delighted when Michelle proved me right with her very first book - The Gladiator's Honour.  Since then she's written more Romans, books set in the Regency and Victorian times - and of course her 3 linked Viking stories.


So - here's Michelle



I am absolutely delighted to be taking in part in Kate Walker’s 40 Blogs for  her fortieth. Kate and her husband are totally lovely. I have so much respect for them and am pleased to call them friends.

Anyway – a bit of wedding wisdom which was handed down to me before I married was that I should expect one bad thing to happen at the wedding. Something that even the most organised bride can not plan for.

Twenty-five years ago last 18^th of June, I thought I had conquered this curse when it turned out my bridal gown was not ready as promised. Luckily, the dry cleaners’ apologised, found the dress and did get it ready. So I was feeling rather smug the morning of my wedding.

I  worried that I had gained weight from when I bought the dress in a sale earlier that year. I did my corset up another notch – going for the Scarlet O’Hara approach and the dress fastened. I was rather nervous but did have a blueberry muffin and some champagne that my brother brought to my mom’s house. The day was very hot. In fact the hottest day in the San Francisco Bay Area for a hundred years.  In fact they had to move the reception indoors to the church hall rather than having it in the courtyard because the wedding cake which was covered in white chocolate started to melt.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because I fainted at my wedding. I said I do and I went down in a crumpled heap. My husband caught me and prevent me from hitting my head. But it was a dead faint. Everything went black.

My father who knew where the smelling salts were kept acted and waved them under my nose.  There had been some discussion apparently about the need for such things as the priest in his long experience had never had a fainting bride.

Smelling salts revive but they also make my stomach revolt. My husband was brilliant (once again)

and captured the vomit in his sleeve so nothing went on my gown.

I then stood up and we finished the ceremony. We processed to the sound of  clapping. My husband later made a speech that he had  rather anticipated the in health part lasting longer. He also made mentioned of the fact that the day was the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

So this was my one bad thing that happened at the wedding.  And the thing is about bad things happening, they provide stories for later years. A perfect wedding without a hitch would not be memorable in my humble opinion but maybe that is because I like stories.

As my recent book Hattie Wilkinson Meets Her  Match opens on the evening of 18 June 1816,

To win a signed copy of the book, email contest@michellestyles.co.uk  the answer to the following question – which battle took place on 18 June 1815?  I will pick a winner two days after this blog appears.

You can buy a print copy of Hattie from the Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hattie-Wilkinson-Meets-Her-Match-Michelle-Styles/9780263892772  or an ebook wherever  ebooks are sold.

My next book is Paying the Viking’s Price and that is published in November 2013.

My website is www.michellestyles.co.uk where you can learn more about me and my books.

PS from Kate - To be in with a chance to win Michelle's book please email her with your answer at the address she gives.  Don't leave your answer in the comments or you'll give the answer away to everyone!

But please - if you have a story to tell about your own wedding - fainting brides or anything, do share!

Pink Heart Day

Ooops! 

I've been enjoying the guest posts so much - and  been busy scheduling and posting new ones!  - that I almost forgot to tell you that today is the first Friday of the month.

And that means that it is my day for A Date With Kate over on the Pink Heart Society Blog.  So that's where you'll find another post, another giveaway.

And what am I talking about?  I wonder if you can guess? It starts with an a - - - - - - - - - and ends in a y.

So when you've read all about Sally's wedding  and posted your comment for her - you can head over there next!

40 for 40 - Sally Quilford

How do I introduce Sally Quilford?
She's someone who's aiming to earn the label  of a Kate Walker Stalker by attending as many of my workshops as she can.  She has had stories published in most of the major women’s magazines, and had nine pocket novels (to date) published My Weekly Pocket Novels and one by The People’s Friend Pocket Novels.Sally is a monthly columnist with Writers Forum magazine and has also had articles published in The New Writer. Sally lives in Derbyshire with her husband and four westies. When the weather is nice enough she writes in her shed, hence her own ‘publisher’ on her Kindle ebook being labelled ‘Tales From the Shed’.   She also has so many pen names that I often forget what I really should call her  and she ends up being called by a sort of blend of them all - so . . .

Here's Trally!


My Big Fat Derbyshire Wedding

Our wedding day August 27th 1982

I’m sure everyone imagines romance writers to have very romantic weddings. Maybe on a yacht in the Mediterranean. Or at Blenheim Palace with an orchestra playing in the background. I’m sure that as a teenager I dreamed of such scenarios. They usually involved David Soul if I remember rightly. My wedding was nothing like that.

Oh our love affair started off promising enough. We’d only been going out for three and a half months when we married in August 1982, so it was the epitome of a whirlwind romance. I was also marrying a man nearly fifteen years older than myself. That’s another romantic staple ticked off. Less romantic was that we’d met as a result of CB Radio, where I used the handle White Queen and hubby was known as Cheapskate.

The gossipy older women in the factory where I worked kept looking at my tummy, which remained resolutely flat (those were the days!) Our son was born 11 and a half months after our wedding, on my 20^th birthday. So there! But the events of our wedding day gave everyone cause to give us just a few months before we gave up and went home to our parents. I was surprisingly calm when our wedding day arrived. I only wanted to wake up the next day in our new home with the man I loved, so I didn’t care that our wedding was at the Registry office, followed by a reception at the CB Radio club where we’d met.

Unfortunately the friend who was due to pick me up in his Ford Granada (posh huh?) decided to leave it till the last minute to drop off his girlfriend at the registry office in Chesterfield, before coming back to Bolsover (6 miles away) at quarter to four. This was on a Friday afternoon, and I was supposed to be getting married at four o’clock! So another family friend said they’d take me in their Cortina. I seem to remember that it was black, but one door was painted white. Lovely.

We headed off towards Chesterfield, but then who should be coming the other way but Granada man? So the Cortina driver stopped and there I was, standing at the side of the Bolsover to Chesterfield road in all my finery, whilst Granada man found a place to turn around. I looked as if I was hitching a lift to my wedding! Granada man, who couldn’t understand the panic (!) drove like an idiot, and my abiding memory as we hurtled towards Chesterfield and my nerves finally took hold was that ‘Come on, Eileen’ by Dexys Midnight Runneres was playing on the radio. Too-ra-loo-ra-hey indeed.

 I was convinced that my future husband, Den, would get there before me and think I’d changed my mind. But I made it, just in time.

Unsurprisingly, I was a mass of nerves during the ceremony. So much so that the registrar asked ‘Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to.’

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur, but just to make my wedding as low class as possible, when we reached the club, my father-in-law bet another family friend, Stan, that he wouldn’t get up on the table and do a strip. Stan, now deceased, was a one-eyed man who still lived with his mother. His mother was at the wedding, and when he got down to his underpants, she started hitting him with her handbag. The poor woman was beside herself with embarrassment. Everyone else, including me, burst out laughing. Only later did I think that it was a rotten thing for my father-in-law and Stan to do at our wedding.

So yeah, not the most romantic wedding ever, thanks to Granada man’s poor timing and Stan the stripper. I can’t imagine any of that turning up in a Mills and Boon novel, can you? But do you know what? On 27^th August 2013, we’ll have been married 31 years, proving all the naysayers wrong.

We have two wonderful children and loads of gorgeous grandchildren who bring lots of love and laughter into our lives. Real life romance isn’t about overcoming the odds in order to get married. Real life romance is about overcoming the odds and staying married.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish Kate and the Babe Magnet the very best for their 40^th wedding anniversary. I know they’ve had to overcome a few odds over the past couple of years, yet their devotion to each other is clear to everyone who is lucky enough to meet them. Here’s to the next 40  years!

Our Day I’m offering my large print novel, Our Day Will Come, as part of Kate and Babe Magnet’s anniversary celebration. I’ll let Kate tell you how you can win it.

From Kate  -  To win Sally's Our Day Will Come - answer this question in the comments:

What’s the best song for a first dance at a wedding and/or what’s the worst song you’ve ever heard at a wedding? (you can  answer either of them)

 

Sally says:  I ask that because my novel Let Me Be Your Hero is inspired by Enrique Iglesias’s song and it was played at the hero and heroine’s wedding.    This book is published under my Elise Hart pen name.

 

You can find out more about Sally and her writing at her blog Quillers Place

 

40 for 40 - Anne McAllister

Do I need to introduce you to today's guest blogger?
Anyone who has followed my blog for some time will recognise my dear friend Harlequin Presents author,  Anne McAllister.  She has appeared on this blog many times,  as my friend, fellow author and of course, the late lamented Sid Sidney's Lady Across the Pond.  She's shared Sid, the other cats, the hedgehog family - the Hecks  - and as she now tells you, amazingly her husband and mine share - well, an on-going conversation.

Welcome Anne!

When Kate asked me if I would write a post for the 40th anniversary of her marriage to The Prof (UK version), of course I said YES!

What else could I possibly say. There are just some people that you find an instant connection with. And Kate and I shared that from when we began corresponding on an authors' loop long ago now.  But there are not a lot of people with whom one's spouse finds an equally kindred spirit in the other's spouse.  Our respective Profs (UK and US) did exactly that.

We met Kate's husband at the Doncaster railway station, having been invited for a few days, and wondered if her spouse and mine would find anything to talk about.  They were both English professors. Surely they could find common ground, we thought.  But mine can go days without saying much, and hers might say more, but not necessarily to order. So we were, um, a tad bit apprehensive. 

Did they talk?

When have they shut up?  They talked their way out of the railway station, at tea, all the way home in the car. They talked in the back garden, in the shops, on the way to a) Lincoln, b) Grasmere, c) Millom, d) York, e) all of the above (answer: all of the above. See first sentence of paragraph,)

They came to visit us. We picked them up in Chicago. We drove them to Denver. We drove to Cheyenne. We drove home again.  They talked.

We met them in New Zealand. They talked.  And talked.

Now they can FaceTime.  My husband, who can talk 30 seconds to his children and grandchildren on FaceTime can explain Complicated Multi-Phase Stuff That He Works On In The Basement to The Prof UK.

They write poetry

.  They spent several soggy days at Grasmere, writing stuff while the saner members of the foursome were out buying raincoats and umbrellas. 

So it's fun to spend time with Kate Walker and her Prof.  We also appreciate their generosity. They have shared their cats with us. Sid, of course.  I have volumes of correspondence from Sid. But  Bob and Spiff communicated now and then, too. And Dylan even write me Potry -- because he attended his dad (The Prof UK's) Potry Class and so He Knew How To Do It.  Now Charlie (aka Chaz) writes me missives and Flora deigns to communicate occasionally. She tends to prefer FaceTime, too, though.  Not a letter writer, our Flora.

They have also shared their hedgehog family, the Hecks.  And, of course, we have shared the McAllister D.O.G.S. with them. 

There are not many couples we know with whom we've had a stupendous time no matter where in the world we are.  Kate and Steve are one such couple. We count our blessings regularly -- and Kate and The Prof UK are right there among them.

So, to both of you, The Prof (US) and I wish you a wonderful anniversary. (Your gift is on its way. Truly.  You must put it whe

re you can see it -- and live by it!).

I would add pictures, but my computer (the REAL computer with the pictures on it) is (I hope) recovering at a friend's house (he's a computer guy who Knows Things and might be able to save it).  So, I can't post any. But chances are that Kate has a few pics that she can add.  If there are pics, thank her.  I will.

 

 

PS From Kate - there are pics. It was easy to find photos of Anne, of  Sid The Cat - the  D-O-G-S. Even The Hecks the hedgehogs were easy to find - but The Profs?   I can't find one of them together!  They must be off somewhere - talking!

Which takes me to Anne's question -
Where  would you  suggest the Profs and their spouses go next (it's like the garden gnome goes round the world) to keep up the conversation?

Anne is giving away a copy of  Breaking the Greek's Rules  to one lucky commenter (if you promise not to look too closely at the cover - it's - er not one of Anne's favourites!)

Happy 4th of July to you and The Prof USA  Anne!  (And to everyone else who is celebrating it.)


You can find out more about Anne on her website

The glamorous life . . .

I'm just organising the next couple of posts for the 40 for 40 celebrations. I have 

some wonderful guests  coming up over the next week or so -
Next up: 

Harlequin Presents author - Anne McAllister

Writer's Forum columnist and novelist  Sally Quilford

Historical romance writer Michelle Styles

Medical romance writer Scarlet Wilson

Romantic novelist Jane Jackson

Historical romance author Louise Allen

Romance  - and KISS  - author Fiona Harper

All with guest bog posts - and giveaways!

But just in case you're imagining the 'elegant lady novelist' sitting at her desk organising all this, I thought I'd better admit to the truth -

I have been wearing a face pack while writing this
And a deep conditioner on my hair (OK - I'll go all the way in my admissions,  I also have a plastic shower cap on my head to help the conditioner work!)
I've just made a HUGE pan of mixed vegetable soup so my office (which is just off the kitchen) and my hands smell strongly of onions
And I have a large grey Maine Coon cat on my shoulders. (I think she likes the smell of the conditioner - or maybe it's the rose face pack!)

But I do occasionally look like the pic above!
Hope you're enjoying 40 for 40  so far -  get your comments posted for our guests over the past few days.,  Winners will be drawn on Saturday!

40 for 40 - Melanie Milburne

Today's guest is the prolific and glamorous (well- look at that photo!) Melanie Milburne.  I have known Melanie for some years but only met her infrequently when we're lucky enough to connect at Romance Writers of Australia or  R W America conferences.  I envy her the fact that she lives on the beautiful island of Tasmania where my eldest  sister lives. The Babe Magnet and I were lucky enough to visit once - we'd love to go back.

Here's Melanie:

Congratulations Kate and Steve on your fortieth wedding anniversary! What a wonderful celebration of two people who have lived and loved together for so long. Where on earth does the time go?

I met my husband via my big brother. We’d first met when I was seventeen but it wasn’t until we were at a conference when I was twenty-two that I actually spoke to him. I used to think he was so shy and reserved and boring! Little did I know that behind that cool reserve was a razor sharp intellect and a killer sense of humour. One quick-witted comment from him and my heart was won! I knew on our second date he was the man I was going to marry. I still can’t explain it. It was the most amazing lightning bolt of realisation -this is THE ONE. Luckily he felt the same way! We got engaged within six weeks and were married on the 3^rd of July. It was a freezing winter’s day in Sydney, only 16 degrees Celsius, but I didn’t notice the cold even though I was wearing French lace. I wore my mother’s wedding gown and we were married in the same church my parents had been married in thirty odd years before.

We had a lovely traditional ceremony and then our reception was at our very dear friends’ lovely home on five acres. We had a marquee set up around the gorgeous gardens and the swimming pool where flowers and candles floated. It had occurred to us that there was a danger someone might fall into the pool after one too many champagnes but thankfully no one did. However, one of our elderly guests –a lovely old fellow who was known for his bumbling - fell in the fountain at the front of the house as we were leaving for our honeymoon!

 

I have my own celebration this year. My 50^th book is out in September. Never Say No To a Caffarelli is Book One of my Caffarelli trilogy.

 I have a signed copy of it as a giveaway to the best answer to this question:
 what is the thing you would do differently if you were to have your wedding day all over again, or, if you’re not married, what is the one thing you would absolutely insist on having at your wedding?

Best wishes,

Melanie Milburne 

www.melaniemilburne.com.au

http://www.facebook.com/melanie.milburne

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Milburne/351594482609?fref=ts

Twitter- MelanieMilburn1


PS From  Kate - I hope you all noted the date Melanie was married  - that's why her post was scheduled for today.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY  Melanie  to you and your husband - and thanks for sharing your special day with us.

40 for 40 Holly Jacobs

Holly Jacobs is  another friend I made on line through eHarlequin  - and then became a true friend when we met in person at RWA. She's someone who has always made a joke about the way I use the word 'lovely' - as you'll see from her post. But then, with Holly 'lovely' is an easy word to use. About her and her books - so here's my lovely  friend Holly.

Holly wanted to send  a photo of her and me together but couldn't find it. I said I'd post one. This is one of my favourite pictures ever of me (at the back) Holly (in front) and in the middle is our 'third twin' Donna Alward. (you'll meet Donna later in the celebrations.)


So here's Holly:



You all might know Steve as The Babe Magnet, but to me, Kate and Steve are 'my lovely friends.'  

 

When I wrote my June book, A Walk Down the Aisle, it was about the 'perfect' couple.  Everyone in Valley Ridge thought of them that way.  But it turned out they had their imperfections...but they learn that those imperfections helped make them who they are.  And who they are is two people who are meant to be together.  Two people who might not be perfect, but fit perfectly.  That's how I think of Steve and Kate

...two people who fit with 'lovely' perfection.

And Kate and Steve, Happy, Happy Anniversary!

So, in order to celebrate their anniversary, I'm giving away my new trilogy...which includes A Walk Down the Aisle.

Okay, question...:

 

 My husband occasionally sends me flowers, and when something that needs celebrating happens, he'll take me out for a Guinness.  But really, the gestures that mean the most to me are the small ones.  

 

For instance, he doesn't think beds need to be made in the morning...and I do.  So, on days he makes the bed, I know he did it just to please me.  I know, it sounds silly*, but I look at that bed all neatly made and feel loved. 

 

 

And I love leaves on the ground in the fall...he doesn't.  So, when I rake the lawn for him, I'm saying the same thing...I love you.

So, what small gestures have ever touched you personally, or did you read in a book and think..."ahhh, now that's love"?  

 

Answers in the comments section please .  We'll draw a random entry!

 

Again, Happy Anniversary to one of the loveliest couples I know!

Holly

PS from Kate - *Doesn't sound silly to me at all, Holly. In fact it sounds just lovely!
Holly and her husband celebrated their 30th anniversary last week - belated Congratulations to you both, Holly!  I hope you had a lovely day.

You can find out more about Holly on her web site.  Her newest title is a departure from her romance stories - as you can see from the cover above.  STEAMED: A Maid in LA Mystery  -Cleaning is Murder on the Manicure - is available Summer 2013 for Kindle

40 for 40

40 years

40 guests

40 posts

40 giveaways

Come and visit the blog all through July and join in the celebrations.

Hope to see lots of you here to meet my guests, answer their questions . . .  join in the chat in the comments . . . and maybe win a prize.

40 for 40 - Dee Tenorio

My very first guest is Dee Tenorio I first met lovely Dee on line when she was a host at eHarlequin. We chatted a lot in the forums. Then we IMed each other and finally - finally - we met at RWA Conference in New York. 

I have one very special thing to thank Dee for - and that is that without her I would never have written or published the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  That happened because we were once having an IM discussion about writing for Presents   and I said/wrote 'There are 10 things you need to know about writing for Presents  and - off the top of my head - I listed the 10 important points, with notes about them all.  Luckily I kept those notes and I added an extra two points  and when I realised that these points  could actually be used for all romance writing not just Presents, I expanded them and so the 12 Point Guide was born.

Thanks Dee!

And thank you too for launching my very special 40 for 40 celebration!

Still In Love After All This Time...   Dee Tenorio



"You guys are so cute. It’s kind of sickening.”

 Ah, yes, the supportive words of a friends and family that I hear at most family events. After twenty-some years together, you’d think they’d be used to it, but no. Every event, someone finds a reason to say it. We gross them out." How?, you might ask. I mean, we’re not lewd or anything. Tempting as it is, I don’t pat him on the butt whenever he passes by. We have yet to make folks super-ill by making out in public (though, it could happen folks! You know we never want you to feel safe or anything!).

Nope, all we do is treat each other nicely. He’ll bring me a drink after holding my chair for me. We still hold hands most everywhere we go. Sometimes, we lean in and tell each other stuff in whispers so as not to bother people or just for a private giggle. Apparently, after twenty some years, we should be over that. Like, totally. Snort.

Maybe there’s something wrong with us, but if there is, in the immortal words of Luther Ingram, I don’t wanna be right. I mean, wasn’t that the whole point of marrying my best friend? So we could enjoy each other’s company and have private jokes and hold hands and treat each other like precious parts of our hearts forever? *scratches head* Well, that’s why I got married anyway. :) And I hope that when my husband and I reach 40 years, we’re still able to play, to tease, to flirt. To smile at each other. At the thought of each other.

I hope that we’re as happy together as you are with your hubby, Kate. I hope we, too, never stop being a man and his bride. Because that’s a true romance story. It’s what we all long for and I’m so glad that’s what the two of you have.

Wishing you another 40 years filled with happiness. With joy and love, come good or bad, rain or shine, and what the hey, go ahead and throw a little inappropriate public displays of affection, just cause you have every right! Congratulations to you both!

Much love, Dee


PS — what kind of guest poster would I be if I didn’t throw a little giveaway in? Just for fun! So, answer the following question in the comments and be entered in a drawing for a copy of my upcoming release from Samhain Publishing, "Trust In Me"! (It’s about an old-fashioned Viking-kind-of-guy who falls like a redwood for a sassy, absolutely-not-having-it lingerie designer from the shop across the street. She’s got secrets, but he’s got determination. I have to warn you, this one may require a lot of tissues. And, uh...a fan. Just sayin'.) Ready for the question? Here it goes: What's the funniest thing you've ever seen at a wedding? Winner will be chosen randomly from the commenters so it's not about the funny—though I'd love to laugh my head off! Have at it, folks! Let's get the party started!


About the Author: Dee Tenorio is a sick woman. Really sick. She enjoys tormenting herself by writing Contemporary Romance (preferably with sexy, grumpy heroes and smart-mouthed heroines) and sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning dramas with the occasional drop of suspense all the way to erotic romance. But why does that make her sick? Because she truly seems to enjoy it. And she has every intention of keeping at it!


If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please visit her website at www.deetenorio.com. Dee’s next book, "Trust In Me"—Book 5 in her Rancho del Cielo Romance series— releases July 23rd from Samhain Publishing.

It's July - so it's time for 40 for 40!

It's 1st July -  1st July 2013
And so it's time for 40 for 40

What? Why? Where?

Ok - I'll start with the 'why' first -

This July is really important to me  and to the Babe Magnet. We're going to be celebrating something really special  , and I’d love to have   my wonderful friends - and you share in the celebrations.

Celebrating what  - well, Steve aka The Babe Magnet  and I are celebrating a big wedding anniversary. (Yes, I really was a child bride – I can’t possibly be old enough to have a wedding anniversary with a Ruby in it! ) Well, yes, I admit it, we will have been married for 40 years on July 14^th (and all the jokes about the storming of the Bastille were done at our wedding back then.)  After a difficult year I want to celebrate the good stuff and this is well worth celebrating.

What?

So I'm asking  my writer friends – hopefully 40 of them! -   to come and join me here on my blog  to party.

I'm still collecting up names but there are some of the brightest and best in romance writing  - and  other authors I've met at Caerleon, other writing events, or perhaps just through the internet and they've all become friends.

Melanie Milburne,  Kate Hardy,   Anne McAllister, Julie Cohen,  Michelle Styles,  Michelle Reid,  Sandra Marton,  Lesley Horton, Liz Fielding,  Louise Allen,  . .  . Posts are still coming in so watch and see it your favourite authors are coming to the party.

They'll be  contributing  a small blog post.  A post on weddings or anniversaries   or meeting your partner -  or even something about Kate Walker and the Babe Magnet. And because my friends are lovely, generous people, there will be prizes and giveaways galore. All you'll have to do is  to join the party -  to chat in the comments section - answering the question that day's guest has asked.

And every day one of those comments will be chosen as a winner - with a giveaway prize for  everyone chosen.

Where?
Here, obviously, on my blog - every day there is a 40 for 40 post there will be a new guest and a new giveaway.

Each question will be open for a few days so if you miss the moment a post goes up, don't worry - you can still comment for  4 days afterwards.

So I hope you'll visit every day - meet my friends, answer their questions  and join in the celebrations.

 

And now I'm off to welcome my first guest  - a little late  - but of course on an important date my computer had to go into meltdown   but I hope we're back on track now . . .

 

Come in and party!