Missing all the excitement at Romance Writers of America  Conference in  in Denver - specially missing meeting up with so many of my dear friends who are there.

But it seems that one of my books was well represented there - as Abby Green shared with me:

(though as you can see, there was something missing from the image!)

I thanked Abby for sharing, but pointed out that as my  heroine in A Proposal to Secure His Vengeance was Irish, the photo would be perfect with her face there - as my Irish heroine Imogen! 

She obliged and had her photo taken - with this result.  Thanks Abby!


 Also,  lovely Danica Favorite shared this pic with me so that I can see her smiling face and my great book cover at the event even if I can't be there. Thank you Dream - miss you!

It was obviously a popular photo opportunity this year - as then there was this . . .er  -  . . . starring  librarian   David Faulkener.

I wish I could have been there to join in all the fun - and see the cover photo opportunity for myself.

Missing . . .

Well  that was a hectic couple of weeks.  I  was travelling here there and everywhere and giving talks, running courses . ..  In the end something had to go  and this blog had to be it.   I just couldn't keep up.

But now I'm back - for a few days - heading for another talk in Bridlington library on Friday -  so I'll try to catch up. A bit.

But while I sort through a  ton of laundry, a zillion emails, innumerable answer machine messages, here's a bit to keep you reading.

As you know I was at the Romantic Novelists'  Association conference in Penrith   which is where I gave a talk on putting Emotion into your writing. There are a couple of reports of tbhis that you can find:

Here on the RNA blog where with other speakers I talk about  the 'behind the scenes' of my talk.
and

Here in the Conference reports on the same site - there are reports of other talks too if you are interested.

Now I have a date with a washing machine . . .again!

Oh  - but I can't finish without sending huge  congratulations to the brilliant Sarah Morgan who won  the Short Contemporary RITA award at the Romance Writers' of America conference this weekend with her  fabulous Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents title  Doukakis's Apprentice. 

Congratulations Sarah!

Just to say . . .

The Tote Bag Presents Special will continue tomorrow with another author and another question, so don't forget to call back and check on that.

But I just wanted to say that the lovely Heather from We Write Romance has updated my web site putting all the latest news and book information up there.

So it you want to know everything that' s happening with me, that's the place to look. You'll also find the full details of how to enter the Tote Bag Presents Special Contest and a list of all the books that are going into this fabulous prize.

Then there are the details and covers of my next book - Kept For Her Baby - together with all the information you need about the USA edition of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.

Oh - and the details you'll need to find information or book for one of my courses or to find out about other public appearences I'm making in the next 12 months.

Of course my next event will be the Literacy Signing at RWA Washington - which is where I'll be on Wednesday evening. I'm realy looking forward to the conference and to joining in Harlequin's special 60th celebrations.

In between then and now I'll probably be too busy organising, packing and panicking to post but the blog won't be empty - there will be lots of great posts from the authors who have donated books to the Tote Bag so don't miss out on those and their questions for the Scavenger Hunt.

One thing that I'm personally very sad to have to miss out on this weekend is the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association Conference - so I'm sending a wave to all my RNA friends who are in Penrith this weekend. I wish I could be with you but I'll be following all the fun and activities virtually on the brand new RNA blog . I t won't be as good as being there but it will have to do - have a wonderful conference.

Coming soon . . .

I spent some time yesterday planning ahead for July. And I really need to plan this month.

As many of you know, July 15 - 18th is when the RWA national conference takes place in Washington DC. So on Tuesday 14th July I'll be flying out to Washington ready for that. Can't wait to meet all my old friends again and maybe make some new ones.

I get back on the 21st and then I have just five days to unpack, wash my clothes, repack and head for Wales and the wonderful Writers' Holiday where I'm teaching the course on writing romance. I'll be back from there on July 31st.

So I'm going to be away for a lot of July - but don;t worry - I have left you all in very good hands. There will be a lot of guest bloggers, lots to keep you ocupied and best of all . . .

The annual Tote Bag Full of Books Contest.

And this year - have I got a contest for you! It's really special, linked to the fact that this year Harlequin is celebrating its 60th year - and connected to the very special Spotlight for July.

And I'll be posting more details about that very soon . . .So watch this space.

For now - here's the tote bag, ready to be filled with books - and just wait till you see the collection of books I'm filling it with this year . . . .

I'm excited - and so is Sid

It's been a busy week (are there any other sorts?) and it's been extra wearing as it's been so warm here but I think I'm finally catching up with things. I've crossed a few bits and pieces off my To Do lists anyway.

First of all, if anyone who came to my talk in Derby Library on Wednesday (was it really nearly a week ago?) is reading this, I just want to say Hello again and thanks for joining me then. And a special thanks too to Marie and Kirsty and all the other members of staff who helped make the evening so relaxed and provided the refreshments. I had a great time and from the feedback it seems that everyone else did too. Thank you.

So what's my exciting news?

Well, for ages now - ever since the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance was first published, I have hoped that one day I would be able to tell my American readers and would-be writers that they could buy the book direct in USA. I know that it's been available on Amazon.com, but not everyone likes to buy on-line, and some of you have had difficulty getting hold of it 'over the pond'.

The good news is that I heard today from the publisher that the first copies of an American edition, printed and published in Chicago, are being printed this week - as I write this in fact - and that means that you can easily order the book from any book shop and hopefully get a copy very quickly. That's the idea anyway.

So if you're wanting to track down a copy here are the details you will need:

ISBN: 978-1842851319
Price : $27.50
printed and published in Chicago by:

Studymates Publishing

Chicago Distribution Center

11030 S. Langley Ave.

Chicago, IL 60628

Phone: 773-702-7000

Fax 773-702-7212

This news means that there is also the hope that the book will now be on sale at the RWA Conference in Washington - if it isn't, it won't be for want of trying! So if you'll be at the conference please come and say Hi and if I can get the 12 Point Guide to be on sale there, I will.

Finally - why is Sid so excited? Well a couple of weeks ago I did an interview for a Lincolnshire Magazine called The Journal and tomorrow the photographer is coming to take the pictures to go with the article . (That's coming out in August to mark the publication of my next release Kept For Her Baby) When the photographer rang today to discuss times etc, he said that The Journal's editor has specifically asked for one photgraph of me with Sid, because he gets so much fan mail!

As the magazine is advertised as being 'For Lincolnshire homes of distinction' Sid, being A Cat of Superior Breeding, thinks this is totally appropriate.

I'll hope to get a copy of the photograph to show you but in the meantime here he is practising posing.

A certain Floozie Fora has had her pretty little nose put right out of joint.

What I did at the Conference - a San Francisco photo diary

So if a picture speaks a thousand words - here's a whole book full of what I got up to at the RWA Conference in San Francisco -


On our first morning there - very early on a grey morning! - we went to Alcatraz island so that the BM could do his research of the trip.

We shared the trip with the fabulous Sue Stephens and her beautiful daughters. Sue orgainsed the tickets for us so all we had to do was to turn up. Thanks so much Sue! Even if it did mean getting out of bed for a 7.30 start!

The next day official registration started and I started to meet up with more of my fellow authors. Here's Susan Stephens again and Irish Presents author, Abby Green

I also got to meet lovely Lee Hyat for the very first time - though we had known each other and have been in contact through emails for over 8 year! Lee runs the brilliant Author Sound Relations and has been so helpful to me with publicity and running my contests in America.

Later that day lovely Jane Porter hosted a special afternoon tea for her fellow Presents authors. Here's Sandra Marton with one of our newest published authors - Jennie Lucas

And here's a group photo of all the authors at the tea. This pic was taken by the waiter. Left to right - Sandra Marton, Susan Stephens, Carole Mortimer, Jacqueline Baird, Abby Green. Me

in front - Jane Porter, Jennie Lucas, Sharon Kendrick and Trish Morey.

That afternoon was the Literacy Signing in the ballroom - the pic on the left is just a tiny bit of the queue of readers ready to buy signed books and on the right I'm at the signing with fellow northern Brit, erotic romance author Saskia Walker who was sitting next to me. The whole event raised thousands of dollars for literacy charities.

After the signing Sandra Marton hosted her traditional authors' pizza party in her room where we all ate pizza, drank wine and talked and talked and talked.

Thursday started with a Focus Group to discuss Harlequin's marketing and new ideas after which we all grabbed taxis and headed out to Tal y Tara for tea with the Mills and Boon Editors.

Here are - left to right Jennie Lucas, Abby Green (behind) Trish Wylie Senior Editor Linda Fildew (standing) and seated editor Lucy Gilmour.

I spent the afternoon with two of my favourite Presents authors, brilliant Sandra Marton and fabulous Aussie Trish Morey. (One of the very best reasons for going to RWA is because I get a chance to meet up with friends from the other side of the world.) Here's a pic of Trish at the Lit Signing.

And one of Sandra enjoying the sunshie in Union Square - while we - you guessed it - talked and talked about writing and books and heroes . . . .
Sandra was given an award for her 75th book at this conference - congratulations again Sandra!

Thursday night is the traditional eHarlequin Pajama Party and here's the gang at the event.

At the party prizes are given for best PJs and I actually won Most Resplendent Pajamas (My thanks have to go to t

he Babe Magnet who bought the beautiful silk gown I'm wearing)

And here I am with two of my very favourite people - Danica aka Dream one of the hosts on eHarlequin and Anna Louise Lucia who was of course sporting her first sale ribbon at this conference.

Friday I managed to spend some time with my lovely friend Holly Jacobs while we discussed the differences of the English language as used in the UK and America and so Holly started the great 'knackered debate' that you can see here.

In the evening it was the big Harlequin Party and here I am at the event with two special friends from the Struggling Writers on eHarlequin - Christyne and Trish (Congratulations on that sale Christyne!)

And here's the wonderful Jayne who manages so much of what goes on on the eHarlequin Community message boards.

Finally, to round of a fantastic visit to San Francisco we spent a day in the lovely company of special friends Anne McAllister and her husband The Prof. Both the Prof and the Babe Magnet seem to save up all their talking until they get together so they talked and Anne and I talked - on cable cars, over lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, or - as pictured here - at the Top of the Mark where we could see all of the city spread out below us.

And if you want to know what else the Babe Magnet got up to in San Francisco . . . well - all I can say is watch out for the Pink Heart Society Blog next monday August 18th!

Heading out

Suitcases packed - all cats removed form the inside of the cases

Passports checked, tickets ditto

Taxi booked

So I'm heading for Heathrow and a flight to San Francisco.

If you're going to be there - see you soon .

If not, have a good week and I'll tell you all about it when I get back