I love it when this happens . . .

If you're reading this blog then that means I got too busy/had too much fun to post one from the RNA - which, seeing as Saturday is the day that I give my workshop on Conflict, and meet my editor is very likely indeed. Plus, I don't know what the internet connection is going to be like.

So I thought I'd tell you about Rachael because she's the perfect example of the way that an open mind can mean that you discover something you really enjoy. Plus it's a real success in my campaign to get people to actually read romance before they comment on it - so that hopefully some of the tired old cliched responses to the genre might just f-a-d-e away. People still don't have to love romance - some will and some won't, I don't have a problem with that, but at least they've made a informed decision rather than a lazy, bigoted, knee-jerk one.

And Rachael is one of those who did just that.

You might remember that in June I did an interview for Gemma Noon at the Literary Project. I talked about the bad press that MIlls & Boon and romance in general gets - and Gemma, bless her, was totally in my corner. I offered some books to people who commented and Rachael was one of those who received a copy of Kept For Her Baby.

I was delighted when she wrote to tell me how much she'd enjoyed it. And doubly delighted to find that she had also written a post in her blog about rediscovering M&B and the way she had been converted from her own self-confessed 'book snobbery' to realising that she enjoyed these short romances.

So thank you Rachael - for having an open mind to try something you didn't know about, for letting me know that you enjoyed my book - and most of all for posting on your blog so that other people can read and, hopefully, be as open minded as you.

You can read Rachael's blog here.

Chasing my tail . . .

This is just how I feel at the moment with a To Do list as long as my arm, one on which everything I cross something off, something new gets added. Add into that mix, a stomach bug that laid me low for two days, a computer key board that turned up its keys and died, just in the middle of something really important, a car that started making very peculiar noises just one quarter of the way home from a trip to Derby - a journey that then involved a major diversion because part of the motorway was closed for repairs . . .and you'll get some idea of the week I'm having.

But if you need something longer to read, then that's fine because last month I did a long interview with Gemma Noon over at The Literary Project which you can find here so there should be plenty to interest you there. Gemma used to be a librarian, as I did, and we share a belief in the fact that getting people reading is much more important than sneering at them for what they read - which for my money can only make them feel discouraged and unwilling to read at all.


So I found Gemma's introduction to this interview interesting - and I found myself nodding along with much of it. So I hope you'll read the interview too - and let me know if you enjoy it.