A flash giveaway

Charlie thanks everyone who has sent him get well messages.  The bite in his neck is healing well and cleanly  and apart from   boredom which is driving him crazy he is  so much better.  He chased his sister Ruby around the house at  speed in the middle of the night (using our bed as a launch pad!) just to have something to do. It sounded more like a  herd of buffalo than 2 small furry creature. Well, small where Ruby is concerned!
Anyway, I think  he's feeling  so  much better and the cone comes off v soon so that will please him.

While I'm away for the weekend, I'm going to run a flash giveaway to celebrate the weekend. But this time the book isn't mine - remember how I promised I'd try to persuade the Babe Magnet into letting me off  a couple of copies of his  book for writers to share with you - well, he's agreed, and I have two copies of Write Your Self  to give away.

This book got a great 5 star review from Simon Whaley on The Business of Writing.

There are many books about how to write. There is plenty of advice online about how to journal. What Write Your Self does is merge the two together - become a better writer by journalling your journey of exploration, as you discover your inner writer-self.

This is a practical book, packed with exercises, and oozing with examples. Stephen begins by raising a theme, issue or idea, and then follows through with an example. After that, it’s time for you, the reader, to have a go … (top tip: treat yourself to a brand new journal at the same time as you buy this book).

What makes this book different is the way Stephen encourages you to learn more about yourself as a person, as well as about yourself as a writer. Doing so not only helps you explore the direction in which you’d like to go with your writing, but it also helps you mine your wealth of life experience for potential material to write about.

Despite not being a poet, I particularly enjoyed the poetry chapter, and the idea of taking an observation from the day and creating a short haiku from it. Most people can manage 17 syllables, yet after a month of observations you have at least 30 of them in your journal. That in itself is an impressive body of work. But you’ve also learned more about how you, as a writer, observe the world around you.

I’d recommend reading this book at least twice: once right through, to absorb the idea and premise behind the text, and then a second time, with your journal at the ready. Tackle all the exercises within the book and Write Your Self will map your journey from thinker and observer into a thought-provoking writer.


There's a great interview with the author on there too.

To enter, just leave a comment below - sending get well wishes to Charlie, or saying why you'd like to win this book.   Giveaway open internationally; prizes posted next week; nothing to do with FB and all to do with me; you don't have to buy anything to enter; and names will be drawn at random.  

 Charlie will pick the winners - a little something to keep him from getting bored  and an allowance of extra treats on the names of entrants  for him to choose when I get home on Monday. (And then he'll be  able to go outside again!)

. Have a great weekend.

Cats!

Charlie the Maine Coon has been out fighting again. He has a nasty cat bite on his neck.

 How does he know I've planned a weekend away with friends?

 He wants everyone to know that extra treats (mixed with antibiotics) are no compensation for being kept a prisoner indoors and being forced to look like this:

Happy Birthday Ruby!

Today is Ruby's 4th birthday.

Well, that's as close as we can get to the likely date, seeing as she was found wandering as a lost stray at about 8 weeks old when we adopted
her from the Cats' Protection League.

 She happily posed for her birthday portrait, but Charlie wasn't interested - wake me when you bring out the birthday treats, he said.

 So Ruby got first go at the special tea - and now is happily snoozing in her favourite spot with her head on the Babe Magnet's feet (rather her than me! But she loves the scent of socks and slippers!)

Great weekend in Keele.

What a fantastic weekend - even though I was officially 'working' - running the Writing Fiction that Sells weekend for Relax and Write at Keele, I had so much fun that the weekend just flashed past in learning, laughter, friendship, enjoyment and fascinating discussions. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us and made the weekend a real delight. The only flaw was that sadly Lois Maddox couldn't be with us. She was missed.

So that's it for my teaching for this year. I need to draw breath and look at my own work now! Next course will be at Fishguard in February with WritersHoliday - the Advanced Romance Writing course but that is already booked up!

So the one after that will be a Focus on Writing Romance - a Writing Retreat at Cirencester in April . Again, numbers on this course are strictly limited - and I know  4 or 5  places are already booked. So if you're interested please get in touch with Relax and Write to get your name on the list.

Another teaching weekend.

Right - after a very busy day  yesterday, planning, sorting, organising, printing, I think I now have everything I need for my weekend course at Keele University this weekend - Writing Fiction that Sells  with Relax and Write,   Setting off today.


 Sadly,  Lois  Maddox won't be able to be there with us, but I hope everyone else will have a great time. Travel safely and I'll look forward to seeing you all tomorrow afternoon.

A Sad Loss to Romance

More years ago than I care to calculate, I went to my very first ever Mills and Boon Author Day - back in the times before we had the Association of Mills and Boon Authors Lunches. I didn't know anyone - except an editor or two. My then editor promised to introduce me to another of her authors, a lovely lady from Liverpool called Jennifer Taylor who, at that time, was writing for the Romance line but later became a real superstar of the Medical Romance

line.








Jennifer Taylor receiving her award for 75 books.

 Jennifer and ...I -two Northern Lasses - took to each other from that start - and later that day we also made friends with the fabulous Michelle Reid - another writer from up North! Later we formed our own 'Northern AMBA' (known affectionately as the Nambies - with Jacqueline Baird and, occasionally, with Roger Sanderson (writing as Gill Sanderson). Many times we met for a long, laughter-filled lunch at Huddersfield (a point midway between everyone's home towns) and Jennifer always used to arrive in her smart little red sports car, much to everyone's admiration.


 Later the Babe Magnet and Jennifer's smashing husband Bill used to join us - and Michelle's husband - when we got together in London for the official AMBA.


 There were times when life was far from kind to Jennifer, family tragedies, losing Bill, and her own health problems knocked her hard but she always wore her wide bright smile and shared her wicked sense of humour in spite of everything.


Jennifer wrote 85 medical romance novels over almost thirty years, entertaining millions of readers and capturing their hearts with her heartwarming stories set mainly in GP surgeries, country hospitals, or in the Mediterranean, a place she loved.


 The last time I saw her was when we both met at the Harlequin Offices to meet with our editors last year. She was fighting her illness with grace and courage and refused to feel sorry for herself. Instead she carried on writing and publishing and the legacy of books she left behind are a great tribute to a strong and brave personality who refused to be knocked down. Her daughter and her grandchildren brought an extra sparkle to that smile and it was wonderful to see her enjoying being a grandmother so very much.




Sadly Jennifer recently  lost her battle with myeloma but she will always be remembered by her family, her friends - fellow writers - and of course the thousands of readers who loved her romance stories.


Rest in peace, dear Jennifer - you are someone I will never forget.

Another 'grim' day

 I'm  just setting out on  another day as PA the the other half of the 'Crime and Passion' duo. The Babe Magnet is speaking today at the Ilkley Literature Festival - in a discussion about  Crime in Your Back Yard   with fellow Yorkshire writers Liz Mistry   and A A Dhand  (at the Playhouse at 5pm  ).

I'll  be the back up team this week  - next weekend I'll be the one doing the work at the Writing Fiction That Sells weekend course at Keele University.

Looking forward to that, but the treat this week, is that we get to have afternoon tea  at Bettys in Ilkely - no doubt we'll bring home  Fat Rascals (and I'm not talking about DH!)

The weather is supposed to be untypically mild - so long as this storm Ophelia doesn't hit us  so I'm looking forward to the trip.

Tote Bags Day

The 12th of every month is the date that I write a post for the Tote Bags 'n' Blogs  Blog. 
So that's where I have posted today . 
(well - a couple of days ago - I've only just  caught my breath to remember to come and post here to tell you about it!)

Anyway, I've written about being one of two writers in the family and how my DH - aka the Babe Magnet  is a writer of  Local History and True Crime - and the history of Crime.

So you'll find out about him on Tote Bags  - and about his new books coming out - that's Write Your Self.  

And then  The Crime Writers' Casebook with his friend  former Detective Inspector in the murder squad Stuart Gibbon.


This weekend we're off to Ilkley where the Babe Magnet if speaking on writing true crime and crime history at the  Ilkley Literature Festival.  So I'll be acting as PA   then and letting him do the speaking and greeting.

Big News from MIlls and Boon UK

There's an interesting article in The Bookseller  this week - revealing the big news about the complete revamp of the covers and the whole look of Mills and Boon Romances which is coming in January.

Mills & Boon (M&B) has revealed a “huge” relaunch lined up for January, the first face-lift for the brand in a decade. The rebrand features a sleeker logo and revamped covers, refreshed point-of-sale material, a beefed-up book club and the brand’s first engagement with the blogging community. 

There will also be a raft of commercial partnerships and retail promotions for the romance imprint which will go live on 1st January.

If you want to read the article about the relaunch and  get a sneak peek at some of the newly designed covers then you'll find the details here.

And look out for the new covers designs appearing on Amazon/ the Mills and Boon Web Site and in the shops for the new year.

catching up 1

Sorry - I thought I had posted since I was away in Liverpool,  but just checking on things I find that a few posts have been stuck in me  pending tray and I need to  make sure they appear  here as  well as Facebook! Soory!

Had a great weekend in Liverpool at the Jack The Ripper Conference with H Division True Crime Club. So many interesting talks and a special dinner and presentation with Fred Dinenage. Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome.

And of course there was a talk by one Stephen Wade. Lots of books to be signed afterwards too. Just discovered that some of these are now on Kindle for only £0.99 so there's a real bargain.

Next event is the Romantic Novelists' Association Afternoon Tea in York - life certainly has so much interest - and such contrasts!

On the road - or, rather, the train, again.

So after last week's trip to London and  my time being the  romance writer   who lunches - and then parties - now we're back and I've got all the laundry  washed and dried  (in spite of the rain) .

This weekend we're at another writing event - but it's a very different one.  This weekend the Babe Magnet is speaking at the Jack the Ripper Conference   in Liverpool.

So this weekend it's my turn to step back and let him take the spotlight while I play the part of the PA to true crime writer and crime historian Stephen Wade.   He was supposed to  be able to display his new title Murder in Mind, but unfortunately publication on that has been delayed - so instead he'll be talking about researching  the true crimes  and criminals of the past -  and possibly his collaboration with ex detective (from London and Lincolnshire) Stuart Gibbon   on a new book planned to help writers get those important factual details right in   crime fact or fiction.

Parties and Pins

One of the very best moments from the Harlequin Author Party on Friday evening - being there to applaud   Michelle Styles  when she was presented with her special pin for publishing 25 Historical Novels. So pleased for her - and the fact that I played a tiny part in her career when I encouraged her not to believe the people who said HMB would never publish a novel with a Roman hero - they did - and the fabulous Viking heroes Michelle wrote after that. . . It made my night to be there to applaud her.

Congratulations again Michelle!

And another very special moment at the Harlequin party on Friday night - Kate Hardy receiving her award for her 75th title - what else can I say but Congratulations Scary Kate!

Busy busy . . .

The week is crazy busy - and now I'm packing for a trip to London and the annual Association of Mills and Boon Authors lunch with a reception afterwards at the Harlequin offices - just hope the weather is rather better than the icy showers we have here - it's only September!

 One bright spark in the cold dampness has been the arrival of a bundle of new foreign translations - German, Dutch, French and several from Japan - including my favourites - two brand new Manga editions.
 
One of these is The Return of The Stranger which seems to suddenly have had a new lease of life with people talking about it (and it being on sale at £0.99p) on Amazon. The other is The Antonakos Marriage. Great to

see these older books getting a new lease of life.


Now it's time to pack and head for the big city! I'll be back at the weekend.
Waving to everyone I'll see there - travel safe and I can't wait to meet up again.

Courses coming up 2

So having written about the course that is fully booked - now on to one that still has places available. I was going to write about this yesterday, but my post got delayed by - guess what - another two people enquiring about making a booking for the course, So if you're interested in

'Writing Fiction that Sells -with KATE WALKER

Now's the time to make a booking for this one.
Dates: 20-22 October 2017
Venue: Keele University Management Centre Staffordshire
Cost £249 - including accommodation and meals - and tea/coffee breaks.
Check out Relax and Write with Lois Maddox

Although not specifically about writing romance- this will deal with so many things that are important for writing romantic fiction - characters, conflict etc
Writing Fiction that Sells also includes
- Know your market
- Knowing yourself as a writer
- Hooks
- Your ‘brand’
- Tried and tested – adding a new spin
- Spotting the ‘band-wagon’

Relax and Write want me to do another course in Cirencester in April this will take the form of a writing retreat (I think!) - where you have written several chapters and I discuss those with you and give you ways to work on problems - and you have time to write and discuss with the rest of the group. I don't have full details of dates yet but hope I soon will have. The thing with these courses is that they need the demand to run them!

Unfortunately the basic Writing Romance course I ran every year in July in Wales has now ended as the whole Writers' Holiday in summer had ended.

Courses Coming Up 1

Ok so, I said that I would give some details about the courses I have coming up in case anyone was interested in joining me on one of them. But then it seemed that as soon as I mentioned that, bookings took off with the one just on the horizon - so -

The Advanced Romance Writing Course in February in Fishguard is now totally booked up.Writers' Holiday just in case.

The last two places were allocated this week - so if you wanted to put your name on the waiting list you can - contact Gerry Hobbs  at

 I believe that most of the February Weekend is also full or filling fast - so if you want to consider
Poetry with Alison Chisholm
Short Story writing with Della  Galton (though that may be filled as well!)
Novel Writing with    Rachael Thomas              
Writing Feature Articles with    Simon Whaley
or Painting and Drawing with    Susan Alison 


It will be a good idea to at least make an enquiry with Writers Holiday right now.

And another bargain book . . .

Life has been so hectic lately that I've not had much time to breathe. And I've had my head down, mind focused, practicing BICHOK  (bum in chair, hands on keyboard) in a determined effort to
 finish  The Book That Would Not End.   What's that some people say about giving birth to a pineapple - there's a vivid (and apt) description!

Anyway, the Pineapple has finally allowed me to finish it,  it's with my editor now so I have a  moment or two to draw breath and look at the  huge To Do list, together with the mound of correspondence that has piled up.  I'm working my way thought that at the  moment  - my apologies to important people who have been waiting for me to get back to them!

Several of those are people who have been asking about any courses that I have coming up - so I'll write a post about those just as soon as I can.

In the meantime, the fact that I have raised my eyes from my computer screen has meant that I've discovered that Amazon has another of my backlist titles available at a bargain price right now. So if you don't have a kindle version of  the 2009 book Kept For Her Baby then it's up on Amazon at £0.99 right now. Not sure for how long but it's a bargain price if you want to read it.  Like The Return of the Stranger which is still at £0.99 too.
 

Return of the Stranger - at a bargain price on Kindle

Yesterday on Facebook  Ali Williams  who is both a romance editor and academic writer  was asking about romance novels based on classic romantic fiction and Michelle Styles was kind enough to Laura Vivanco on Teach Me Tonight - a talk at the Haworth Festival of Women's Writing (speaking in a schoolroom where Charlotte Bronte herself had taught) and the Bronte Parsonage Museum put a copy of The Return of the Stranger permanently in their library amongst the fiction inspired by the Bronte sisters' writings.

mention the mini series 'The Powerful and The Pure' which was brought out in 2011 (was it really that long ago!) in which several Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents authors created romance novels to 'Modernise' some fabulous classic novels - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Emma. My own contribution to this series was a reworking of Wuthering Heights (chosen for me because I'd written my MA thesis on the childhood writings of Charlotte and Emily Bronte) It was a fascinating experience and led to some interesting results - an interview with

Because of this several people wrote to enquire about the book and I had to go hunting to see where they could find a copy. As a result, I discovered that Return of The Stranger is currently on sale on kindle for only £0.99p.   (Not sure if this is the same on Amazon.com as it's not showing kindle details for me there)

So if you're interested or you have been looking for a copy of this novel - now's the time to grab a bargain! I've sent the only re

maining paperback copy I had on its way to Ali, so I think this is the best way to get hold of it now.

And if you're interested in  any of the posts I write about  this book and the talks in Haworth etc  back in 2011 when it was first published - put Return of The Stranger or Wuthering Heights  into the search box and they should come up.

Book deliveries

Sometimes there are no book deliveries to this house - and other times, there are more deliveries than we can cope with! This week has been sort of average - but most of the book boxes have been for the Babe Magnet who seems to have half a dozen new titles publishing in the next couple of months, So we have Write Your Self which arrived this week. I
love this cover.

And talking of covers - there's this translation of one of my more recent titles - but it's a little worrying! The Translated title is Mork, Vacker, Mystik. Now in Yorkshire that 'mork' is not a flattering description! In the slang dictionary too, it's defined this way:
mork n. someone who is completely witless. a low level nincompoop who rarely sees things in perspective.😮🙄
Not sure that's how I'd describe my hero - if it is the hero they' mean!

Anyone able to tell me how this title actually translates into English? If you can and you'd like the spare copy of this translation - please post and let me know!

One of the best parts of summer.

As you probably already know, I spent a  fabulous week in  July at Writers Holiday in Fishguard. Yes,

I was teaching a course - and so was my husband - but there is so much more to Fishguard than the teaching and the courses, there's the friendship, the laughter, the after-dinner speakers, the food, the massages (yes - we have a lovely lady who gives fabulous back and shoulder massages - just what you need after a day's teaching!) the music - the Cwmbach Male Choir - perhaps a little bit of wine - the conversations, the new friends,. . the husbands.  (yes husbandS)

Sadly, this summer's event was the last on in Fishguard in July - though, thankfully, the February Writing Weekends are still continuing - thank heaven or I'd pine away completely.

One of the unexpected delights of teaching with Gerald P Hobbs Writers' Holiday every year is that some years back I unexpectedly acquired another 'husband' !😉😮 (It's a long story - and a case of mistaken identity!) Interestingly both husbands have the initials SW - Stephen Wade and Simon Whaley. Not only is Simon (Husband 2) great company and an inspiring teacher, he's also a very talented photographer and he's responsible for a wonderful assortment of photos of the last night of the last summer holiday at Fishguard (sob!😪 )  - if you can see them on his Facebook page

So many times I'm asked why I travel all that way to Wales for this week in the summer - and again in February - well, take a look at these photos of that last night - the friendship, warmth, affection and sheer family atmosphere of Gerald P Hobbs Writers' Holiday shines out of them. More than worth a few (OK - a lot) of hours' driving, and besides that I get to spend a week by the sea with a whole group of friends. I'm only sorry I won't be doing that next summer - but there will be February 2018 (and Husband 2 is teaching a course there.)

Behind every great event there has to be someone who has worked tirelessly and non-stop to make it right. In the case of Writers'Holiday - those people are Gerald  Hobbs and his lovely wife Anne. This photo will be special to so many  Writers' Holiday visitors, past and present. over the 32 years they have been running this lovely event. You arrive as a stranger, not knowing anyone, and leave as a member of a warm and welcoming family. I should know, the Babe Magnet and I have been part of that family for well over half the time it's been in existence. Without Anne and Gerry planning Writers' Holiday and making sure it was one of the most giving and welcoming writers' events in the country, I'd never have enjoyed some of the most special times of my life. (And as I said   it has to be special to make it worth making the l-o-n-g journey from

Lincolnshire to Wales twice a year)

I (and many many others) am so sad that the summer event has now become unworkable - but there are still the February Weekends, and the Babe Magnet and I will be there as long as we can manage it. Caerleon/Fishguard regulars will know that this is a rare photo - getting Gerry centre stage has been a near-impossibility over the years. We managed it once on the 25th anniversary and now, thankfully, managed it again for this special bittersweet evening.

(and thank you Husband2 for the photo)

To Anne and Gerry - from all the Fishguard regulars - so many thanks for all you've done over the years, and thank goodness you're carrying on with the February weekends or I think we'd all pine away without you and all the friends you've helped us make over the year.

A Special Memory

More years ago than I care to reckon up,  as a barely 10 year old,  my mother allowed me to spend Sundays watching TV. This was a rare occurrence because as far as my mother was concerned, Sundays were for going to mass, eating Sunday lunch, going for a long walk,  tea, a bath, washing my hair  - and bed.  TV did not figure in that timetable at all.

But this was different - this was the BBC's production of Shakespeare's history plays  in one long sequence - 15 episodes.  I watched the first  and was lost. For all those 15 episodes, my mother and I shared this experience and I was totally engrossed in the drama, the language, the acting.  It was only years later that I realised how much I had absorbed of Shakespeare's power - and how many of the stage and screen's later great actors I had watched on that rather blurry black and white screen.

One of those actors I have always remembered - have never been able to forget  - was the man who played Henry V - and that was Robert Hardy.   Later he became well known as Siegfried in    James Herriot's  All Creatures Great and Small.  He played  Churchill several times and  was known to a new and wider audience when he appeared as Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix.   But to me he was always the very first Prince Hal I'd every seen - dynamic  and powerful and, in spite of a strange 'pudding basin' haircut, mesmerising and unforgettable.

So I was truly sad to learn today that Robert Hardy has died at the age of 91. Such important memories went with him. And he will always be Prince Hal to me.

RIP Robert Hardy.