Preparing for the weekend

My shopping list for today:

Cat food  for Charlie and Ruby

Cat Treats  ( not the same as food – cat treats are to be had as a. an aperitif to the main course b.as a dessert following the main course meat  above a

nd c. As a treat!)

Dog food and a chew bone to keep dog occupied ( granddog Lola is coming to visit

c

Fat balls  for the hanging bird-feeder  for the small birds

Suet cakes for the bird table for the  birds who like to feed higher up

Seed for the seed trays for the robins etc who are ground feeding bi

Crunchies and mealworms for the hedgehogs – at least two of them

Peanuts for the squirrel  who comes right up to the french windows if we don’t leave him something.

Human food? 

Oh, well the Offspring and his lovely fiancée are coming  with Lola  so I think  we’ll treat ourselves to takeaway pizza -  do you think I’ll have time to cook  after I’ve dealt with all of the above? 

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Today is ‪#‎blackcatappreciationday‬ but Ruby says you can appreciate the white bits of her as well as the black And yes, she knows she's beautiful

She's also very good at providing post  pics to keep the blog going while I focus hard on Imogen  and Raoul. She doesn't mind that they have so much of my attention right now, so long as her dinner bowl is regularly filled and she can snuggle up at night.

For now, the sun is shining and she wants to be outside all day long anyway.

Tote Bags N Blogs Day

Still trying to catch up on everything since I got back home from wonderful Writers' Holiday.   And then the weekend celebrating the Babe Magnet's birthday in Harrogate  - was that really a week ago?!

I've also been trying to catch up with my latest hero and heroine (Raoul and Imogen) and their problems so that I can finish this book and send it to my editor.   I need to get that done asap so that I can work on the second book in this duet - the story of Imogen's sister Ciara  and her unexpected hero . . .

But today is the 12th of August  (if you're a grouse, please keep your head down  on this so called 'glorious' date.)
 
The 12th is a more pleasant date for me because it's the date I blog over on Tote Bags N Blogs  - so that'where you'll find me, blogging about one of my obsessions -  one that many friends know only too well because they help feed my addiction to lovely notebooks.

Book News

I have book news to catch up on.
After working my way through the piles of emails and letters that were waiting for me after  we got back  from Wales, there were also several boxes of books  to open.    Some were foreign editions -  Indian, German, Dutch . . .

But the best moment is always when I open a new box of a brand-new title and get to see the books in  reality for the very first time.  Unfortunately I still haven't seen the UK's edition of my new (September)  Presents title - Indebted to Moreno.

There is also a new reprint edition of an older book that's out right now - and that's  the 2013 title  A Throne For The Taking  which is now reprinted in a 3 in 1 By Request collection in the UK. The title of the collection is Claiming His Princess.

Coming up is some extra news for Australian readers  who will get Indebted to Moreno in October - and a best seller collection of 3 of my older title - A Question of Honour (2014) , The Konstantos Marriage Demand (2010)   and Saturday's Bride (1999).   These will all be in a collection that (I think ) will be called Resisting All Temptation!   

No covers for those yet, but as soon as I see them I'll share them with you.

As you'll see,  Saturday's Bride is a long ago title - so if you're looking to add a missing title to your collection, this might be the one. There might be more older titles coming up soon - certainly there'll be some news about older titles in the UK  in ebook form as well.  I'll let you know about that as soon as it's all finalised

This weekend I'm off to Harrogate to have a short break  to treat the Babe Magnet for his birthday.  Afternoon tea at Bettys and a trip to the theatre - I'm  so happy  I get to share it with him.

Hopefully there won't be so many emails/letters/packages waiting for me when we get back!

Catching up - trying to!

I've been missing for ages! I couldn't believe it when I looked at my blog and found that I hadn't posted since the beginning of July - my apologies for my absence but there are reasons for it.

It's July - the busiest month in the year for me most years and this year was no different. There was The RNA Conference in Lancaster,  a visit to dear friend and great writer Michelle Reid  - then home, unpacking, repacking and heading to Wales for the wonderful Writers' Holiday.

I've been meaning to write about my travels and the fabulous month I've had  but never found a moment for it -until now. Today is August 3rd which means that it's the day for my regular monthly post over on the Pink Heart Society Blog  so that's where I'm blogging today - and where you'll find my post about the highlights of the past month  as I've travelled up and down the country  and over to Wales.

Hopefully I'll now stay in the same place long enough to finish my latest book - and to find a way to lose  the extra pounds I've put on after the amazing food at Writers' Holiday last week. I keep saying I'll avoid the desserts  but . .  . they're  just too tempting.

New books/Old Books

I do love the way that books I wrote years ago can suddenly reappear in a new edition - a new translation. Or a reprint of a translation . . . or, as in this case, in a whole new version of an old story that's been reprinted several times already.

Today on Amazon, I was delighted to spot that my 1997 book- The Groom's Revenge had appeared in a brand new form - the  Manga edition turned into an English version as one of the line of Harlequin  Comic.  These editions are great fun because you get all the heightened emotion of the Manga version, the amazing illustrations,  but the story is all in English instead of the Japanese  translation of the original.  So, while I've always loved the Manga version, it's great to be able to actually read this version and understand it.

Checking back to see exactly when the first UK (1997) and  USA (1999)

editions appeared, I was fascinated to see the way the cover had changed along the way too. The first edition had a very square-jawed hero  and he appeared on the first Japanese edition.

But then the book was reprinted - again - in Japan in 2009  (as  a 'Classic)
 and that had a  very different cover . Now here's the Manga edition and once again my hero and heroine are reinvented and appear in a new version - and new illustrations.

I'm delighted to see this new re-reprint of a book that's  - eek - over 20 years old!

Are you an RNA Conference Virgin?

 

I  still remember how it felt to head for my very first conference back in 2000. I was so nervous. But I soon got settled and this year I’m back for my 12^th or 13^th – how did that happen?

In 2002, I helped introduce some ‘newbies’ (aka Conference Virgins) to the Conference experience and then for the next 2 years I ran the first timers’ welcome scheme and newsletter – something that’s now an established part of the conference. So when I was asked to write a post for the RNA blog about the things a first-timer should pack, I just had to go back over my past newsletters to collect up my list. 

So here is the Virgin’s/First Timer's Packing List.   Hope it helps!

• Clothes you can  live in for a day of  workshops/sitting on chairs/taking notes/taking part/drinking tea or coffee/eating lunch/talking/meeting people.  Be comfortable  - dress code is pretty casual.

• Layers – this is England - you never know what the temperature will be. In Sheffield we baked in the heat  - other days - well, see below!

• Rain protection – umbrella/ jacket to run from accommodation to workshops etc

• Shoes you can walk in from bedroom to workshop to coffee to workshop to lunch to queue for lunch in to workshops to tea to your room . . .

• Glitz  for the celebration dinner – this is the time to wear shoes to flaunt  and have photographed for the blog . Some people dress up to the nines, other just  up to five – use it as an excuse to glam up if you want.

• Notebook File Pens – you may be provided with some of these  – but it’s amazing how many people forget that they will need to take notes  etc The goody bag usually has paper in it but if you have a preference for a particular sort of notebook or a pen  bring one.

• A bag to carry them around in and collect up handouts from workshops  papers will slip and slide in your hands. Straps long enough to go over your shoulder help – specially when trying to drink tea/coffee/eat bacon rolls etc. There is always a goody bag given by RNA - but you want to make sure you have something suitable for all the stuff you need to tote around.

• It can be useful to have a small fold-up/cotton bag (or that 'goody bag' )  to go inside your other bag to carry the books you inevitably buy from the bookshop

• Don’t bring book(s) to read – your goody bag will provide some and there is always the bookshop

• Small bottle of water to carry round  - specially in workshops etc if it gets warm and have water  in your  room to avoid hangover  see below!

• Cash for  books, drinks, extras

• Tissues

• Alarm clock or one on  your phone  - you don’t want to miss anything. Use your phone to plan your day as well. 

• Paracetamol  for ‘overload’ headache

• And/or   hangover cure – water/paracetamol/milk thistle. Every year the bar staff are warned the Romantic Novelists can shift a little wine. Every year they don’t quite believe it – until they have to send for fresh supplies!

• Ear plugs if noise bothers you – it’s a place you’re not used to and people do gather and chat in the kitchens etc.

• Toiletries shampoo etc

• Hairdryer if needed

• Minimum makeup stuff – do you really think you’ll have time for a full glam up for the evening?

• Pyjamas or similar for wandering from room to kitchen/staying and chatting in kitchen

• List of books you want to get hold of/authors you hope to meet

• Laptop/ipad/blackberry/whatever if you really can’t live without email

• A pack of disposable plastic tumblers are a good idea – wine drinking back in the digs can be difficult with no glasses....  (Thanks to Anna Louise Lucia – one of the original ‘virgins’  who reminded me about this one!)

• Anna also says:” I bring a note of my workshop choices, so I don’t have to double check.”

• And  you might want to bring extra tea bags  specially if there's one brand you love - or you go for green/white/fruit teas.

Other points you might want to consider:

Pace yourself 

The RNA is quite a small conference, particularly when compared to America’s RWA – but it doesn’t always seem that way when it’s your first time and you don’t know many people. You don’t have to do everything and even if you attended all the workshops you wanted you probably won't take everything in if you're rushing frantically from A to Z. One of the important benefits of a conference is meeting and talking with fellow writers - people who actually get what this is all about.  Balance this with the workshop benefits and take time out when you need it. It's so easy to get swept away in the hype, the networking, the fun but taking a moment to regroup your thoughts/grab a water/caffeine boost can set you up for the rest of the conference. If you give yourself some "break" time, it'll stop you feeling overwhelmed and give you a chance to absorb what you've heard.

Meeting authors and others

Remember that published writers are only human - this means that they  will  usually be easily approachable and happy to talk - if you approach them at the right time.  Specially if you want to ask them to sign a book! But published authors can get as overwhelmed as new writers. When an author is talking with an agent/senior editor - any editor is not the best time to approach. But if they are looking a bit lonely or in a queue for lunch  that's a good time to stop and say Hi.

This is the case with people giving talks or workshops - if you have questions that there wasn't time for in the talk most people will be happy to answer - but make sure that they're not on their way to another talk/a meeting/ coffee with someone/a meal. You can always come back later.

Smile and say hello to people.  Introduce yourself. You never know who you might end up standing/sitting next to

Above everything else, have fun  and enjoy yourself.  If you have a problem  or feel lost – ask. There will always be someone who’ll know the answer or if they don’t they can find someone who will help.

See you there

Kate

PS I'm  giving a talk on Emotion on Sunday afternoon if you're there for the whole conference and not leaving at lunch time.

Pink Heart Blog Day

Today has just slipped away from me - so much to do  - that I nearly forgot that today is my Pink Heart  Society Blogging day.

But I remembered just in time!  And got my post up while it was still today.

So that's where I am today

Writers' Holiday in Wales

I recently had some enquiries about  any courses I have coming up  so I thought I’d just remind you that as it’s July  I’ll be spending my usual wonderful week by the sea in Fishguard in Wales  with the fabulous Writers’ Holiday.

I’ll be  teaching  The Complete Romance Writing Course

 This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc. will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

So looking forward to the week by the sea, meeting old friends , making new ones. A week  of enjoying the company of other writers – eating good food (lots of it!)  sharing laughter and  lots of interesting ‘main’ talks.

Oh – and I almost forgot the very special  Friday Night  Welsh Night – how could I forget that?

  Friday evening only, after dinner, gives delegates the opportunity of sampling a little of the singing reserved normally for the communities of Wales. This private concert will start at 8.00pm and the excellent Cwmbach Male Voice Choir will also adjourn to the bar after - an evening not to be missed.

I’m only sorry that I can’t do all of the other courses on offer . . .perhaps if I snuck out and  joined one of them, no one would notice?

FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK:

1 IDEAS ON YOUR DOORSTEP: FIND THEM, WRITE THEM – AND PROFIT FROM THEM

  STEPHEN WADE

2 SHORT STORY MAGIC - HOW TO WRITE EMOTION

DELLA GALTON

3  THE COMPLETE  ROMANCE WRITING COURSE

KATE WALKER  

4    POETRY FOR ALL!    

ALISON CHISHOLM

5   Painting and Drawing  

SUSAN ALISON

SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK:

  6    WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?   MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW!

 SOLANGE HANDO     

7   WRITE A NON-FICTION BEST-SELLER

SIMON WHALEY

 8    E&P-I-Y YOUR BOOK – LEAVE OUT THE MIDDLE MAN AND KEEP ALL THE PROFIT!

 MALCOLM CHISHOLM

 9   THE SERENDIPITOUS WRITER   

CAROL FENLON

  10   Painting and Drawing

   SUSAN ALISON

Or you can just stare at the sea

 And all for only £499    - for that you get two 8 session writing courses as well.

Partners welcome any time. 

If you’re with the family, or staying somewhere else nearby, you can always become a Day Delegate

  DAY DELEGATE RATE INCLUDES EVERYTHING except a bed! For just £299

Full English breakfast, all morning coffees/lunches/afternoon teas/dinners

together with all courses/workshops from breakfast until late evening each day.

Full details  from Writers' Holiday

I can't wait!

Weekend cats

Oh Ruby - what are you looking at  so intently?



- I'm looking at Charlie in the tree and wondering just how he got up there.

I was far more worried that he wouldn't get down and we'd have to call the fire brigade - but luckily he managed it fine.

Trouble is - Ruby is now trying to reach his perch in the crab apple tree!

 

What a difference a cover makes!

You might remember my last book - Destined for The Desert King. I loved the UK and USA cover of that . it was very suitable for the book, gorgeous colours  and had so many touches of luxury and  portrayed the characters so well.

But then yesterday I got a package of new foreign translations, and there was a Dutch translation of Destined for the Desert King  - same book, same characters - but - what a different mood, style and image for the cover.  Same characters but at a different point in the story  and . . . well, see for yourself. . .

They're both fine for the story, and my hero and heroine. The hero has lost his beard in the Dutch one - but then he does shave that off in the middle of the story.  It's such a different mood though  - but it's the same book.

Personally I'm all for  different types  of images on the covers . I don't mind a sexy passionate bedroom scene, or a more subtle, perhaps more tender scene. I think that the Harlequin  Presents  line indicates a mixture of both.  And, let's face it, 8 books with 8 covers of 8 heroes and 8 heroines in bed together - er - 4 couples separately, not all 8 in one bed!!) will inevitably  look rather 'samey' and uninteresting. And while that image might be suitable for one scene in a book - or perhaps a lot of another! - it doesn't actually represent the whole development of the story.  But then what cover can.

Which one do you like best?   What sort of cover art would make you want to pick up  a romance novel?

Father's Day Weekend

Lovely Lola

This  Sunday being Father's Day, we  enjoyed the company of The Offspring and his Lovely Fiancée.

And the beautiful  grand-dog, Lola  the golden retriever.   Lola was a very cute puppy,  and she has grown into a very beautiful  nine month old dog.   She is one of those very pale golden dogs - more a blonde, and at times almost white.  (Though not when she has been to the beach or the woods because then she is really mainly mud!)

Thanks to the Lovely Fiancée, she is also a very well-behaved creature, so she's a delight to have around.

And what about our cats? How did they cope? Well, Lola lives with six cats so she is used to felines, and she is very sensible and well-behaved around them. She's also (even more sensibly) very respectful to Charlie, recognising that he is the Alpha Cat in the household. This was her third visit to stay overnight and it seems that Charlie has just about come to accept her. No great friendship there, but he'll tolerate her.

Almost there!

So long as everyone accepts that he is the most beautiful creature in the house.  Which of course he is.

And Ruby? She's taking a bit longer to come round - but then she's only half the size of Charlie, so Lola must seem very imposing to her.  It'll take another couple of visits I think - but she'll get there.

Lola likes cats so much, she'll wait.

Tote Bags Day

Today's the 12 June which makes it my day for blogging over at Tote Bags 'N' Blogs. ( A little late as the heavy thundery weather left me with a migraine - but I made it in the end!)

As  here in the UK there have been major celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday, I thought I'd take the opportunity to look back at the past 90 years of romance novels and some of their amazing covers.    So if you want to see some of 'The Art of Romance'  -  take a look over there.

The trouble with Maine Coons

As you will have noticed, Charlie is a Maine Coon - which means that he is  very much a long-haired cat.  A beautiful long-haired cat, as many people have been kind enough to say about him.  (I'm keeping that bit quiet as the admiration he's already had has gone to his head far enough already.

  Long-haired cats obviously need a lot of grooming - regular grooming - or they don't  stay beautiful for very long.  Charlie is not a fan of being groomed. Particularly not when he has a just-healed sore spot on his neck, and lower down from a just-healed nasty abscess.  So I have had a struggle to do any serious grooming this past week if I wanted to keep my hands. And as they are rather useful to me, I have had to do a basic minimum of the grooming thing or I would  have been able to write this post.

The other thing about Maine Coons is that when they shed their winter coat (which is a long, heavy coat)  they don't just shed like ordinary cats ie a few threads of fur here and there - that can be hoovered up quite easily.  Maine  Coon's winter fur gathers together into a clump and that clump is what sheds.   This is what I try to groom off him.

But with the sore neck etc problem I haven't been able to do a full thorough  grooming session. As a result, we knew that there was a large clump of fur that had gathered together and we were waiting - trying a bit more each day - to get it away from his neck and lower down his back so we could  remove it  - at least trimming off most of it.  But yesterday he went out - messy clump attached  - and came back without messy clump.

Fine, it had fallen off on its own. But  this morning the lovely lady who lives along the road and her handsome Border Collie Dylan   (who is way bigger than but frightened of Charlie!) knocked on our door in some concern.  (Well the lady did - I know Border Collies are bright, but not that bright!)

'Is your cat all right ?' she asked, worried  has he been in a fight or something . . ' She was afraid he might have met the local fox or perhaps a car.  She held out the clump of fur that Dylan had

found by the roadside.   A very large clump of fur.   As you'll see from the picture.

Luckily I was able to reassure here that this was simply Charlie shedding - but  even I have to admit that if I'd spotted that lying in the middle of the road, I might well have feared that a small kitten had had a terrible accident - or that a cat had had a large chunk torn out of him.   Either way, I really appreciated her taking the time and trouble to come and check that the big ginger guy was all right.  Thank you so much kind neighbour - and Dylan.

It just shows what a couple of days missing grooming can do!

And, on a serious point, if  you have a long-haired cat and don't groom it in the spring shedding season particularly - that lump of fur is what can end up  being tongue-groomed - and swallowed and can end up blocking the cat's stomach.   As you can see, Charlie has a lot more where that came from!

Welcome return visitor

They haven't been seen for a while, and  to tell the truth we were getting a little worried that perhaps the residents of Hedgehog Towers (aka the Hecks) had packed up and moved on - or worse. Particularly when a poor ex-hedgehog was squashed on the road last week.

But  the food we had put out for them was being eaten by someone -  though that could be the stray cats/squirrels/magpies or even the rook that comes down to the bird table. (He takes a whole suet ball for himself and retires to the garage roof to eat in peace!)

But last week the neighbours said that they'd seen Ruby the black and white cat  playing jump over the hedgehog in their garden so we hoped we could relax- and last night the warm weather and light evening meant that at least we could get our first clear view of a foraging hedgehog snuffling about the lawn.

We're glad to see him/her back again - hopefully it's not the only one.

Pink Hearts Day

For anyone who wants an update on Charlie - he is so much better he's eating like a pig, and now has gone out to chase magpies off his lawn!

Today is the 3rd of the month which means that it's my day to blog at the Pink Hearts Society - where I'm looking forward to the events coming up - RNA - Writers Holiday - Relax and Write and all the fun I'll have there.

Have a great weekend. I know Charlie will!

New cover reveal.

So after 48 hours of antibiotics, regular bathing of his neck good food, and a l-o-n-g sleep Charlie Rumpusscat (his full name!) is feeling so much better. He's celebrated getting rid of the cone of shame by running out of the house and up a crab apple tree. singing a song of joy as he goes. :-)



Or perhaps he's celebrating the fact that I've just been sent the image of the cover of my new book - Indebted to Moreno - which is coming at the end of September. Would you like to see it? It seems to have pleased Charlie.

A Day in The Life of . . .2

Charlie the Maine Coon would like to thank everyone who paid him compliments and said he was beautiful - which he is - but he would also like everyone to know that his life is not always  one long round of snoozes and snacks.

It is sometimes, but there are other days on which that enjoyable and comfortable life  is disrupted by things of a disastrous type - ie  visits to the vet disasters.

He has had one of those days today,  after appearing at the door with a rather nasty mess on his neck which turned out to be the result of an abscess under his fur which had burst. After a trip to the vert for a clean up - plus some eye wateringly expensive antibiotics and painkillers, he is now back home safe and almost sound. But he is not happy as you can see.
The dreaded cone is round his neck to stop him from scratching at the wound  and he is to stay inside  for a while - which he is not best pleased about.

His song of protest is loud and from the heart, specially as  - if you look  at this picture - you will see a pair of black and white legs that belong to his sister Ruby who is allowed out into the garden, much to his disgust.

However, if the thunder and rain forecast for the evening appear, perhaps that will make him feel better about staying inside. It's already cold enough to  mean that if he did go outside, then he'd soon be back in again.

But at the moment he is singing a song of heartfelt protest in a fine, high tenor voice!

A Day in the Life Of . . .

I've had a really busy day.  As I think I mentioned, we've had the bedroom completely redecorated and revamped. The result is wonderful - better than I could have hoped for but  now that the job is done (phew!)  I have  to  reorganise everything - bringing all the stuff/clothes etc that I'd moved out of the room back into the bedroom, putting them away,  finding places for everything . . .

It's all been worth it, but it's taken time, and I think I've walked more than those 10.000 steps you're supposed to  count up in order to keep healthy.

So that's my day.  And while I've been doing this, Charlie the Maine Coon has had his own sort of day. Cats are supposed to be 'active mammals' - well, in that case 'active'  doesn't mean what I normally thin it means.  And as I've had a few enquiries from readers who've missed seeing Charlie and Ruby  and what they've been up to, well here is -

A day in the life of Charlie Rumpuss - the Maine Coon.
First of all he woke up and had a little something to eat . . .

And then he had a snooze

 After a while  he woke up - briefly - and had a wash and grooming session

Which tired him out, so that he went back to sleep . . .

 Until it was time for a little snack





 After which, he  needed a grooming session, to make sure his paws and whiskers were all clean .

Which took rather  a lot of effort - . so he crashed out and is now fast asleep again.

Sometimes I wish I was a cat!

That cake again!

Just in case you feel inspired enough (or crazy enough! ) to want to make an Imperial State Crown Cake then here is the perpetrator - ahem - inventor - himself - Keef Piethagoras Williamson of Keef Cooks showing just how he went about it!


 I'm even more honoured that he did now I've seen this - though it was certainly a challenge to try to eat the result. 


 But it was definitely a cake and a half - and another half . . .Delicious.


Thank you again, Keef!

A Special Weekend

There are friends and there are friends.

Facebook makes it seem as if ‘friendship’ is as simple as clicking on a name and – that’s that!  Friends for life-  or at least until another click ‘unfriends’ someone. 

I’m happy to see my Facebook friends making comments or liking a post and some of them are real friends  - friends in the outside world,  people I’ve met in person – or through long correspondence or emails.  People who might  be separated sometimes by life taking them many  thousands of miles away but who, when you meet up again, fit like a comfortable sock,  falling straight back into place in your life and reminding you of just how much you missed them.

We spent this weekend with friends like that -  their life  has often taken them miles  away,  to different countries, different experiences, but  just recently they came back  to live in UK – just down the road in fact (well, in contrast to past times!). Close enough for us to go and visit  easily – and hopefully much more often.

So this weekend I was able to fulfil a l-o-n-g held promise to show my friend around Haworth and to visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum together.  It was a slightly unusual  trip to Haworth for two reasons – one that the sun  was shining  so ‘Wuthering Heights’ it was not! And two, we hadn’t realised that we’d be sharing our latest reunion with  the crowds who had come to enjoy the annual  Haworth 1940s weekend.   So the narrow Main Street, the  park behind the Parsonage and  every one of the cafés  were crowded with soldiers in uniform, land girls, RAF officers – and  the general public  dressed up to the nines in  costumes that ranged in accuracy from downright perfect to a passing nod to the idea of 40’s fashion.   Great fun – if a little wearing as you tried to make your way anywhere in the bustling crowds.

The highlight for us – and I’m sure for many people there – was the flypast of the Spitfire plane, circling low enough over the street to be seen clearly.

After that we all went  back to our friends’ new home for the evening sharing in the  - er ‘delights’ of the Eurovision song contest  ( you need to be friends to do that!)  There was also an extra surprise  for me -  extending my birthday celebrations with the  most magnificent cake I have ever been served.   Blending my birthday  with the 90^th celebrations of HM The Queen,  Keef  had created the Imperial State Crown  of a cake decorated with incredible accuracy (we’d been looking at a replica of the actual crown only that afternoon.)

But the actual crown couldn’t have tasted as delicious as this light fruit cake version.  It was wonderful (well it should be when created by the Cook himself from Keef Cooks )– if something of a challenge! The cake itself weighed  a ton.  We could only manage a smallish portion each – and the rest of the cake will need to be shared amongst friends  who I’m sure will enjoy it every bit as much as we did.

But at least we managed to walk off some of the calories the next morning when we went  down to  Rodley Nature Reserve  where as well as   the delights of watching a proud mother sw

an carry all of her 8 cygnets across the water on her back  we were able to watch oyster catchers and the handsome, elegant herons from pretty close up.

A fabulous  weekend  -  I send special thanks to my friends  - and the great thing is that now they live so much closer, we can repeat this  again pretty soon.

Unfortunately my course in Swanwick this weekend has had to be cancelled - though that means that I have a wonderful free weekend to spend with a special friend (carefully not saying 'old' though we've been friends for 40+ years!) The Writer's Repair Shop course is hopefully just postponed until  a different date - if you're interested contact Relax and Write for new details.

My next teaching date is at the RNA Conference in Lancaster in July but that is just an hour or s...o - the same month I'll be heading for the wonderful Writers Holiday  in Fishguard for a week where I'll be teaching the Complete Romance Writing Course - so looking forward to being back in Wales with so many very special friends . If you're interested check out Writers Holiday  - bed, almost a week's full board, writing tuition (or just time to write- or sleep!) making new friends . . . all for just £499. It's great value (and I know because before I started teaching there most summers, I paid it!)

The Complete ROMANCE Writing Course  

This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc. will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

After that, the next weekend coming up is  at Swanwick: 

'Writing Romantic Fiction' with Kate Walker - A RETREAT. Restricted numbers

 

The RETREAT weekends are ideal for those with work in progress.  The group is kept small so that you benefit from constructive feedback on your work, which must be prepared and sent to Kate in advance, so that she can make notes to cover details with you at your one-to-one. This is a chance for you to discuss your work with a professional, get an objective assessment or would you prefer time to reflect on your novel and write? This is a perfect opportunity to take your writing to the next level. A synopsis and two chapters to be sent six weeks before the date of the course via Lois. 

(As  numbers are limited on this retreat - so that I can have one-to-ones with students and discuss  their work with them etc please make sure you have expressed your interest - and put down a deposit   with Lois so that you don't miss out.)

All roads lead to Haworth . . .

I missed Charlotte Bronte's 100th birthday yesterday because I've been flattened since I got back from teaching at Cirencester - sore throat, swollen glands,no voice. . . . I have my suspicions who passed on their germs to me!

So I'm specially grateful to Marie  Frances who shared the article in the Guardian  about her childhood writings  and those of her sisters, Emily and Anne,  because this is exactly what I wrote about in my MA thesis ('Fantasy and Prophecy') all those years ago, just before I got married. ...It seems to be the time to have started sharing that with my friends recently - yes, Sallyann Halstead? (Hope you're finding it interesting) And I'm planing on meeting  my friend Noelle  in Haworth very soon. All roads lead to Bronteland?

I have wonderful memories of speaking in the school house where Charlotte Bronte taught - as part of the Festival of Women's writing in Haworth in 2011. But my proudest moment was knowing that the archivist at the Parsonage Museum had asked for a copy of my Modern Romance reworking of Wuthering Heights - The Return of The Stranger - for the collection in the Museum.
Interesting then, that when I was at Hampshire Writers Society last week, one of their members when asked to review one of my books, chose Return of The Stranger to write up - and read the review on the night. Thank you Teresa.

 And thanks again to the Hampshire Writers for their warm welcome.

But it still seems that right now, all roads lead to Haworth . . . .

Tote Bags Day

It's been a crazy week, and it's going to get crazier.

Tomorrow I'm heading for Winchester  where I'm going to talk to  the Hampshire Writers'  Society. Then from there I'm heading for Oxford where I'm meeting a lovely writer friend, Julie Cohen and catching up after way too long.

On Friday I'll be at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester where I'm teaching  a weekend course on Beginning, Middle and End, planning your romance novel.  (I'll have a book - or two - of my own to plan too, so this will  be really helpful for me as well!)

And today, being the 12th on the month is the day that I'm over on Tote Bags and Blogs - so that's where I am today!

I'll be away the rest of the week, so I'll catch up again when I'm back

Catching up and looking ahead

I'm still not entirely sure how it got to April.  But I'm enjoying the longer days and the brighter sunshine that April brings (well, it has done today anyway!). I had hoped to do some  spring cleaning, with new wardrobes built in the bedroom, but  they're not ready yet so the clothes are still stored in all the wrong places and  the bedroom has one bed and a table lamp in it!

So this weekend was  crammed with work instead. The proofs of the latest title arrived rather late after a  mix up in delivery so I had to do a rush job on those to get them back to my Editor by this morning.  But I managed then and Indebted to Moreno is now in process, ready for publication in October this year.  The next delight ( I hope!) is seeing what the cover looks like.

Today has been spent looking at and planning the next course with Relax and Write.  This will be at a new venue for me - the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. I've never been to Cirencester so I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like.  I've heard good reports.

The course - Beginning, Middle and End, Planning your Novel  runs for the weekend of 15th  - 17th  April.  It's getting well booked up now, but I can still squeeze in some more students if you've been thinking about  coming but haven't booked yet.

Was your New Year resolution to 'write that novel'? Did you start out hopefully, wanting to write the story that was burning in your head ... only to find that now you've slowed down. Come and join a group and gain new inspiration. This course will teach you how to plan out your novel so that you have a much better idea of where you're going and how to create the best read possible. All inclusive fee £245 includes Sunday Lunch. 

I always have so much fun on the weekend courses - as well as getting a lot of writing done!  - so I'm looking forward to this a lot.   And as I've just signed a contract for two new books, I'm  going to find it really helpful for planning out my own new stories along with all my students.

Details can be found on the Relax and Write web site  here.

I've been asked for the details of courses following  the April  one - so  just to let you know that there is another course running in May in Swanwick.
. So here are the details:

13 - 15 MAY 2016 at THE HAYES CONFERENCE CENTRE SWANWICK DERBYSHIRE

All inclusive fee £249.

'The Writer's Repair Shop'  with Kate Walker

A course for those with work in progress. 

We've all been there - getting that nasty feeling that some things are not quite right with the book we're working on - but what's the caused it? And even more important, how to fix it? Problems that Kate will look at: Where to begin your story. Writers' Block and ways to break through it. Characters who don't come alive - how to sustain them as 3 dimensional beings. The sagging middle. Letting your story slip away from you/ lack of belief in what you're writing. Tropes or Cliches - it's all been written before. Individual voice.  An excellent course.

  

I'm joined by the Babe Magnet in Swanwick (and in Cirencester too)  so this is the course he's running:

Writing Non-Fiction' with Stephen Wade

Stephen Wade is a multi-published freelance writer, author of 70 books on true crime (modern and historical), genealogy, military history, biography and poetry.  He has taught English and Creative Writing for over 25 years and currently lectures part-time at Hull University. He has contributed to Writing magazine, most Family history magazines and many other journals.

 The aim of this weekend course is to work on producing a synopsis and sample chapter.  Here, Stephen Wade will offer guidance in writing your synopsis for the non-fictional work you are developing.  The course includes examples and case studies from Stephen's own writing.

After these two courses, I have a moment to breathe  (and write!)  before I head for Writers' Holiday in Fishguard in July.

But before then I have a dreadline . . . help!