40 for 40 - Fiona Harper

It seems appropriate that I'm introducing today's guest blogger just when I'm organising myself (well, trying to!) to go to the Romantic Novelists' Association  Conference this weekend.  I first met Fiona Harper at the RNA Conference - well, it only seems like yesterday but  when I look at how many books Fiona has had published I realise it was before her first book - and that was back in 2006!  Doesn't time fly when you're having fun - and you will be having fun if you read Fiona's books.



As she says on her web site: I write funny, fresh, heart-warming romantic stories for Harlequin Mills & Boon.

(I wrote the start of this intro last week before I set out for RNA  but now I'm editing it to add that one of the highlights for me of my visit to RNA was the talk given by Fiona on Romantic Structure. Although I don't work that way myself, being a total pantser, I  found it fascinating  and a really interesting way to look at creating a book. If you're a writer and you want to find out more - take a look at Fiona's post on the  Pink Heart blog  for yesterday where she has written up her talk for those who could not be there. It's well worth reading.)

Welcome Fiona!

Hi Kate! Congratulations to you and the Babe Magnet on your milestone anniversary! You’re both an inspiration to us all.

All this talk of anniversaries has got me thinking about weddings and engagements. Sigh. Such wonderful, emotion-filled times in one’s life, which is maybe why there are so many wedding and engagement related films around. I thought I would share a list of my top five. They all seem to be chick flicks or rom coms, but maybe that’s because there’s nothing us gals like more than a good cry at a good wedding!

1. 27 Dresses

I love this sweet film about a girl who’s the perpetual bridesmaid and just can’t say no to anyone. When she finally learns to stand up for herself, I want to punch the air and cheer! And I love the way she pays those 27 brides back for making her wear those monstrosities.

2. Sweet Home Alabama
In this film, Reece Witherspoon is going home to divorce her old husband because she’s about to snag herself a new one, but discovers she can't divorce her past as easily. I love that the opening and ending scenes of the film are almost identical – with the hero and heroine on the beach in the pouring ran. “What do you want to be married to me for, anyhow?” “So I can kiss you any time I want.” Sigh.

3. Leap Year

I love Amy Adams, and she’s great as the uptight Anna in this film where she decides she’s had enough of waiting for her perfect man to propose and decides to take matters into her own hands. Favourite secondary character: Louis the suitcase. (Just watch it, you’ll see what I mean.)

4. Bride Wars

This is more a tale of friendship between Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway rather than a love story, but I like the way it shows how we can sometimes get caught up in the hype of the big day and forget what’s really important.

5. The Proposal

I only watched this for the first time recently, but Sandra Bullock’s hard-nosed business woman character just melted my heart as she finally let her walls down and let herself care about people. Also loved the way she saw her assistant (who she’d blackmailed into marrying her for a green card) in a totally new light once they were away from the office.

And now I’ve got a giveaway!
 If you want to win a signed copy of Always The Best Man, my RoNA Rose Award-nominated romance, all you need to do is tell me what your favourite wedding-related movie is and why.
Fiona

You can find Fiona at www.fionaharper.com, or on Facebook or Twitter.

RNA Romance Prize

Romance Prize celebrates shorter fiction alongside the Romantic Novel Of The Year

The Romantic Novelists’ Association, who will announce the shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year award on 13th January, is also honouring writers of shorter romances such as those published by Harlequin Mills and Boon.

“Although both awards celebrate novels with a high romantic content,” explains Catherine Jones, Chairman of the RNA, “the Romance Prize honours the most memorable stories set around a single theme that concentrates on the developing love affair.”

The Romance Prize will be presented at the RNA’s Awards Lunch on 10th February 2009 at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington.

The winner will be selected from the following books:

What's Love Got to Do With It? - Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress, Headline)

The Wild Card - Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure - India Grey (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Sold to the Highest Bidder - Kate Hardy (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Saying Yes to the Millionaire - Fiona Harper (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Promoted to Wife and Mother - Jessica Hart (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Fiona Harper has been short-listed before, and both Jessica Hart and Kate Hardy are past winners. Kate Hardy, who won in 2008 with Breakfast at Giovanni’s, had this to say: "Winning the Romance Prize has been the highlight of my career to date, and it's certainly opened up opportunities. I'm very proud to have won the award and to be part of the RNA - and have been delighted by messages of support over the year. I even had a personal letter of congratulations from the chancellor of the University of Leicester!"

The shortlist will be judged by Margaret James, creative writing teacher for the London School of Journalism and regular columnist with Writing Magazine; Paul Reizin, writer, producer and journalist; and Linda Leatherbarrow, prize-winning short story writer, reviewer and MA lecturer at Middlesex.

Many congratulations to all the authors shortlisted

At last - the RNA!

I'm not at all sure what happened to the last week. There was the journey back from Chichester in some appalling road conditions, there was the interview with Jen, there was catching up to do . . .lots of catching up. There were proofs to correct . . .

And then there was in internet lock out. I just could not get into my email or my web browser - so frustrating!

So now I'm back at last and it's a week since I was in Chichester and lots of other people have posted blog reports on the RNA Conference - check out Kate Hardy and Liz Fenwick for some great reports - and I'm running fast to go nowhere - so I'm just going to post a sort of mini photo-diary of the event so you can see people and get some flavour of it all from the pictures >

So here goes . . .


Starting with the wonderful, unflappable, lovely Jan Jones who organised the whole thing and always does such a brilliant job. Here she is starting off the conference with the notices and the 'Celebrations' announcements.

Next the conference proper started with the panel discussing 'What is Romantic Ficiton anyway?' In this picture are, from the left in white is Nicola Cornick, next to her is Kate Harrison, the Sara Craven, Kate Hardy and Anna Jacobs.

Later that evening, in the bar. Here I am with my friend Kate Hardy. Thanks to Mary who tok the picture and actually managed to get one of me with my eyes open - I always seem to have them shut in photos.

Firsts talk Saturday morning - the interesting and wonderfully helpful Shelf Secrets or how to get your books onto the bookshop shelves by thinking like a bookshop owner by Mark Thornton who also ran a fabulous bookstall through the conference with titles by every author there - including the 12 Point Guide 2 which sold out early on.

Mark's bookshop, Mostly Books in Abingdon won the New Bookshop of the Year 2008 award and you can find out more about that - including his blog on the conference here.

Fabulous Katie Fforde introduces An

Audience with the equally lovely and witty Jill Mansell -->

The bar where most of the - um - networking took plpace. In the centre Katie Ff is chatting with the Sunday morning speaker, Jane Wenham-Jones.

The Chapel where most of the talks were held with the beautiful huge windows.

Brand new M&B author Sabrina Philips whose first book Valenti's One-Month Mistress will be out in February 09. Sabrina has also just got married and brought some of her beautiful wedding photos with her. Congratulations on both counts Sabrina!

The Saturday night dinner and Imogen Howson received the Elizabeth Goudge trophy as the author of the best first chapter of
less than 2,000 words - on the theme 'To Have and To Hold'.

Imogen's own blog can be found here.

Anna Louise Lucia looking glamourous at her first conference as a published author. Her first book Run Among Thorns (which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed) was on sale at the conference - and I also managed to persuade her to sign a couple of copies for the Tote Bag of Books contest which is coming up soon. (I also managed to grab copies of Jan Jones' Stage by Stage for that too- and a couplpe of other books from other authors - more soon)




Nell Dixon (in white) and beyond her Fiona Harper who writes for Mills & Boon Romance. Nell's new book for Little Black Dress Blue Remembered Heels was on sale at the conference too and was the first book to sell out. I took this photograph while she was deep in conversation with the babe Magnet - so you can see why he has this nickname at the RNA!

The dining hall for the Saturday evening Conference dinner - you can practically hear the buzz of conversations!

Julie Cohen at the Saturday dinner looking bright and beautiful - the next morning the image was slightly less so after a glass or two of champagne too many as she celebrated the publication of Anna Louise Lucia's first book.





Biddy Coady who won 3rd prize in the Elizabeth Goudge contest - with only a point or so between the top three. Yes Biddy - you can write - now finish that submission for M&B!

Sunday morning - RNA CHairman Catherine Jones (who writes as Kate Lace for Little Black Dress) leads the session on publicity and plans for the RNAs 50th birthday coming up in 2010.

Jane Wenham-Jones entertains the conference on Sunday morning. Regular readers of this blog will remember that Jane is a friend and regular tutor at the wonderful Caerleon Writers' Holiday which I shall have to miss this year (sob!) because I will be in San Francisco.

Julie Cohen showing the chart of themes and events that she used to plot out her lastest Little Black Dress Girl From Mars during her workshop on Pacing. I found this fascinating as Julie's approach was so very different from the way I work - hers is far more analytical in contrast to my more instinctive approach. Which just goes to prove that there is no one 'right' way of working - and we can all learn from looking at different ways of doing things.

The last night of the weekend - most of the delegates had already gone home but some of us stayed over in order to have an early start in the morning. We all crammed into Jan Jones' flat for a drink (or two) before dinner. And I really meant to join them back there after wards too for the quiz but I made the mistake of going to my room for a moment, sat down on the bed - and fell fast asleep. Conferences are like that! Talking and learning and talking some more . . . and som e more . . . and some more - wears you out! In this photo, I'm afraid I don;t know who the lady on the left is but next to her, with the grey hair is Liz Bailey, then Joanna Maitland, Sara Craven and Amanda Grange.