Well - what do you think?

Last week,  I shared the USA Presents cover of my new book - A Throne for The Taking - with you.  (You can see it below if you missed it) 

I quite like it  - and the people who commented were pretty positive too. 

Now I have the UK cover  and  - er  - well I'm having a hard time trying to imagine my rebellious, emotionally scarred 'black sheep'  prince Alexei  in the cover image I've been given. So I'm posting it here for you to see this one too.

What do you think?

Tote Bags Day

Today is  the first Sunday  in March so that means that today is my day for my regular post over  at Tote Bags 'N' Blogs. So that's where you'll  find me today.

March 3rd is also a rather special day for me personally so I'm marking it with a small giveaway  for someone's mother if you visit Tote Bags and make a comment - see you there!

I almost forgot . . .

It's March 1st - and a Friday. So that means it's the first Friday in the month.
And the first Friday of the month is my day for blogging over on the Pink Heart Society Blog.  So that's where I am today.

It's also where I've been able - at last - to show the cover of my new title, A Throne for The Taking  which is out in June.    But I also want to post  it here for everyone to see.  This is my black sheep  prince Alexei  and his reluctant bride  Ria. (I know there are a couple of readers who will particularly like that name.)

I only have the Harlequin  Presents edition cover for now  but I'll post the Modern Romance one as soon as I get it.

Fishguard Course

You've read my thoughts on the latest Fishguard course (I can't believe I have to wait another year before we  I can do  it again)  but I thought you might like to read about the event from the point of view of one of my students.

Johanna who was on my course this year  - and has been to  other, past courses as well - has written a blog about being in Fishguard and what she got out of the course over on the Novelista Ink  web site/blog.  You can find it here.

Thanks so much for the lovely write-up Jo!  And good luck with your writing.  I hope you will 'be brave' with it.

And the winners were . . .

Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley announced the five category winners who will contest the prestigious Romantic Novel of the Year during a glittering reception in London.

The winning novels will now be read and judged by five independent industry experts, and the overall winner will be revealed at the Romantic Novelists' Association's (RNA) Summer Party on 16 May 2013.

Katie Fforde has won the Contemporary Category for the second year running with Recipe for Love. This category is for mainstream romantic novels set after 1960. The other competing authors included Veronica Henry, Mhairi McFarlane, Monica McInerney, Sue Moorcroft and Polly Williams.
In the Epic Category, which deals with issues or themes including multi-generational novels, Rowan Coleman triumphed with Dearest Rose. Other finalists included Madeline Miller, Dilly Court, Kate Moreton, Gill Paul and Liz Trenow.

Finalists in the Historical Category (set before 1960) included Charlotte Betts, Christina Courtenay, Kate Furnivall, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanne Kearsley and Mary Nichols. Charlotte Betts was declared the winner with her novel The Apothecary's Daughter.

In the Romantic Comedy Category, for consistently humorous or amusing novels, the finalists included Jenny Colgan, Victoria Connelly, Jane Costello, Nicola Doherty, Belinda Jones and Jane Wenham-Jones. Jenny Colgan claimed victory with Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams.

The Young Adult Category features protagonists who are teenagers or young adults and the shortlist this year included Jo Cotterill, Laura Jarratt, Marie-Louise Jensen, Victoria Lamb, Sarra Manning and Susan Waggoner. Victoria Lamb was declared winner with her book Witchstruck.

The RoNA Rose Award, which recognises the best in category/series and shorter romance that focuses on a developing love affair between hero and heroine, was presented for the second year running to Sarah Mallory, author of Beneath the Major's Scars. Her rivals included: Fiona Harper, Heidi Rice, Carol Townend, and Scarlett Wilson, who had two books nominated. This category does not go forward to contest the Romantic Novel of the Year.

Long-time RNA member, Sophie Kinsella, was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award for her continued contribution to the world of romantic fiction.

Back in routine - I hope!

I love being  in Fishguard, love having the view of the sea right outside my window.  The hotel is comfortable and friendly, and I love exploring the village. And it’s wonderful to meet up again with special friends  Anne and Gerry who run Caerleon  Writers’ Holidays, fellow tutors Alison Chisolm and Della Galton,  and all the students, some of whom I’ve known for a few years, other I only just met this time.

  The teaching I do is  such fun too. And this year, the course was a particularly great one to run.  Everyone in the group  jelled together so well – we  had lots of  fascinating discussions,  great writing exercises  and a lot of laughter. I’ve rarely known  a  weekend fly by as fast as this one did.

And you know what they say about time flying when you’re having fun. I barely seemed to have arrived at the Fishguard Bay Hotel before it was  time to say goodbye and  think about coming home.  But already I know that so many people have booked for next year.  ( I need to check on this because  the last I heard the 2014 course was already filling up fast – if not already sold out!)

So to the class of Fishguard 2013 – Rachael, Marie, Jo , Johanna, Melanie, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarahjane, Daphne, Fiona, Jenni,  Karen, Kate, and Sallyann – thank you all for being such a great group and for making the teaching so much fun. I really believe that  on a writing course like this, the feedback from the group adds to the teaching experience as a whole and  you get the course you deserve. I can’t wait for next  year.

I  was so involved and having so much fun   that I forgot to take photos but there is one record of a special event  - it was  Rachael’s birthday on Valentine’s Day  so we provided a cake for her (special thanks to Anne & Gerry’s daughter in law who did the baking and the icing). It was a rather special cake – Rachael herself has blogged about it here.  And there is one photo of Rachael with me.

Going away for a few days is wonderful. And we had a couple of extra days at the end of the course – staying in Fishguard and then on to Malvern where the Babe Magnet was thrilled to find that his favourite second-hand bookshop had a half price sale! There were several ‘vital’ volumes that added to our luggage on the way back.  But I’m sure  that things multiply and mount up whenever you’re not in the house so  I’ve been chasing  my tail dealing with things since I got back.  I now hope  to get back into some sort of routine before I even think about my next course – at Caerleon . (There’s news on that too but I’ll save that for another post.)

So where did I put that list of Things to Do . . .?

PS Today is the day that the RNA announces the winners of their RONA awards and the  RONA Rose for short romances.  I can't be there but I will be with everyone in spirit - and so, looking forward to seeing the winners announced so I can share the news with you here.

Writing Courses and Buried Kings

Was it really  Sunday the 3rd  when I last blogged ?  It's been a severe case of the disappearing week - it's always like this when I'm heading for Fishguard and the wonderful Writers' And Artists' Workshop Weekend.  There is so much to  do in preparation for the Advanced Romance Writing Course.  This course has been sold out for months and there is an interesting mix of  people who have been before and brand students. So I plan things that will interest and help (I hope!) both.

Then there's organising cat-sitters, washing, packing, all the things that travelling involves.  I'm so looking forward to being back in Wales  - as many of you know, I met the Babe Magnet there  all those  . . . .years ago.  (Considering we are coming up to a significant anniversary this year, it was a long time ago!) 

And talking of meeting the Magnet, one of the things  that connected us way back then was a fascination with Richard III.  The Magnet was even a member of the Richard III Society. So we've both been fascinated by and absorbed in all the reports of the dig in  that Leicester car park. We were thrilled by the news that the DNA testing had shown it really was Richard and not  some other skeleton they'd found - and it was amazing to see the recreation of his face from the skull. Now of course the debate is where he will be re-interred.  Personally I'd love to see him in York but what really matters is that after lying so long in an unmarked grave,  and important figure in history shou'd now  be given dignity and honour.  I'll hope to visit his grave - wherever it is.

 The discovery was all so distracting too  as it sent me back to reread some of the factual books I have on the subject - I daren't start on the fiction as I know that will just absorb me as it used to do in the past.   But I have downloaded Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time on to my Kindle to reread while in Wales.  If I get any time to read, that is - once the course starts, the weekend just seems to fly by and if I'm not teaching, I'm  doing one-to-ones or talking about writing in the bar, in the restaurant, in the bookrooom . . .   Can't wait!  So if you're one of my students who  will be there this time - see you soon!

And if you'd like to think about booking on one of my courses - the full details can be found on the Events page. I never leave Fishguard without knowing that some of the students have already booked for next year!   (There's   also the basic, Complete Introduction to Writing Romance coming up in July at Writers' Holiday at Caerleon   with lots of other great courses on offer too.)
So as I'll be travelling, teaching, talking, the blog might be a bit sporadic - again - for the next week or so.  I'm so looking forward to this weekend - and to waking up with this view outside my window  for the next few days.

Tote Bags Day

It's the first Sunday in February (where did January go?)  so that means that my blog today is my regular visit over on  Tote Bags N Blogs  so that's where you'll find me.

I'm writing about looking forward to heading out to one of my favourite places, in one of my favourite countriues - to do one of my favourite things - Teaching  writing!

Pink Heart Day

Happy February! It's the first Friday in February  so today is my day for my Date With Kate post over on the Pink Heart Society blog.

So that's where you'll find me today - talking about an important element that I feel a lot of people are forgetting when they aim their writing/novels at writing romance.

Hope I'll see you there.

Everybody loves kittens

When I'm busy at my desk, I sometimes need to take a break  - to think or plan something - and  those breaks give me a chance to indulge in a little kitten viewing.

No, we haven't adopted  a new kitten - I wish! - Flora and Charlie are  quite a handful as it is- but there are  virtual kittens - or rather a live stream of real kittens to be found here at Ripley's Kittens.  But be warned it's addictive!

I know it's addictive to cats too because when I had it on the screen and the mother cat was chirruping to her kittens, Flora heard and came leaping on the desk to see where the kittens were.  She started watching, then pressed her nose to the screen when one of the kittens came close.  Then she started patting them if they ran by her.

The problem is that now she's started looking under and behind my computer screen, looking for the kittens and I can't explain to her that they're not there!

I tried to take a photo of her 'playing' with the kittens but all I got was a big fluffy head in the way of the screen - so here's one or two  I took earlier. She was much younger then, and much smaller - and you'll have to imagine that  the racehorses she wants to play with  are  kittens!

Charlie never bothers to watch the TV  but Flora loves it. There is an advert for wild bird food for the garden where there is a long queue  of garden birds (computer generated images)  waiting for a table where the food is served - she loves that one and keeps trying to catch the birds!

PS If you want to help the  Purrfect Pals Cat Shelter  that is caring for Ripley's Kittens, you can vote for them in a contest to win a large grant to help them care for the cats they rescue - just scroll down the page where the livestream is to the link  - or look on the Animal  Rescue Site where the shelter vote can be found.

Writing Article



 
Before Christmas I was contacted by  Sally Quilford who was planning  a  regular column on writing romantic stories in the writers' magazine Writers' Forum.

She asked me some probing questions about writing romantic fiction and how to get started.   The series - called Love Notes -  has just launched today in the current edition of Writers'  Forum with the article 7 Things you always wanted to ask about writing romance.

So if you're in the UK you can find the magazine in WH Smith or you can get more details from the website here.

RNA Awards Shortlists:

The 2013 RoNA AwardsCategory Shortlist Announced for 2013 Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards

The Contemporary Romantic Novel category is for mainstream romantic novels set post-1960 and includes genres such as chick-lit, paranormal and romantic suspense. The shortlist, in alphabetical order by author name, is:
Katie Fforde, Recipe for Love, Arrow
Veronica Henry, The Long Weekend, Orion
Mhairi McFarlane, You Had Me At Hello, Avon
Monica McInerny, The House of Memories, Pan Macmillan
Sue Moorcroft, Dream a Little Dream, Choc Lit
Polly Williams, The Angel at No. 33, Headline

 
The Epic Romantic Novel category contains serious issues or themes, including gritty, multi-generational stories. The shortlist is:
Rowan Coleman, Dearest Rose, Arrow
Dilly Court, The Lady's Maid, Arrow
Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles, Bloomsbury
Kate Morton, The Secret Keeper, Pan Macmillan
Gill Paul, Women and Children First, Avon
Liz Trenow, The Last Telegram, Avon

The Historical Romantic Novel category is for novels set in a period before 1960. The shortlist is:
Charlotte Betts, The Apothecary's Daughter, Piatkus (Little Brown)
Christina Courtenay, The Silent Touch of Shadows, Choc Lit
Kate Furnivall, The White Pearl, Sphere (Little Brown)
Pamela Hartshorne , Time's Echo, Pan Macmillan
Susanna Kearsley, The Rose Garden, Allison & Busby
Mary Nichols, The Kirilov Star, Allison & Busby
 
The Romantic Comedy Novel is for consistently humorous or amusing novels. The shortlist is:
Jenny Colgan, Welcome to Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams, Sphere (Little Brown)
Victoria Connelly, The Runaway Actress, Avon
Jane Costello, All the Single Ladies, Simon & Schuster UK
Nicola Doherty, The Out of Office Girl, Headline
Belinda Jones, Winter Wonderland, Hodder & Stoughton
Jane Wenham-Jones, Prime Time, Accent Press Ltd.

 
The Young Adult Romantic Novel features protagonists who are teenagers or young adults. The shortlist is:
Jo Cotterill, Sweet Hearts: Model Behaviour, Red Fox (RHCP)
Laura Jarratt, Skin Deep, Electric Monkey/Egmont
Marie-Louise Jensen, The Girl in the Mask, OUP
Victoria Lamb, Witchstruck, Corgi (RHCP)
Sarra Manning, Adorkable, Atom (Little Brown)
Susan Waggoner, Neptune's Tears, Piccadilly Press

 
The winners of each of the above categories form the overall shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, which will be announced on 16th May.


Also being presented on 26th February is the RoNA Rose Award , which recognises the best in category/series and shorter romance that focus on a developing love affair between the hero and heroine. The shortlist is:

Fiona Harper, Always the Best Man, Harlequin Mills & Boon Riva
Sarah Mallory, Beneath the Major's Scars, Harlequin Historical
Heidi Rice, The Good, the Bad and the Wild, Harlequin Mills & Boon Riva
Carol Townend, Betrothed to the Barbarian, Harlequin Historical
Scarlet Wilson, West Wing to Maternity Wing, Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical
Scarlet Wilson, Her Christmas Eve Diamond, Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical

Cover images for all of the above novels can be found at:
http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/activities/photo_galleries
Download a list of the books shortlisted for the 2013 Romantic Novelists' Association Awards, the RoNAs. Take it to the bookstore or library and check them out.
2013 RoNA Awards Reading List. (pdf)
Download descriptions of the of the books shortlisted for the 2013 Romantic Novelists' Association Awards, the RoNAs.
2013 RoNA Awards Books. (pdf)
A list of past winners can be found at http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/awards

Congratulations to  everyone on the shortlist.
Anyone got any favourites in this list ?

It's a hard job . . .

As a writer of popular genre fiction, part of my job is keeping up to date with what is  currently popular so I've spent this morning working hard - doing research.
My source was the Total Film  survey to find out who had been voted the sexiest  actors for 2012.

Apparently the results are these:

1. Tom Hiddleston
2. Robert Pattinson
3. Ryan Gosling
4. Benedict Cumberbatch
5. Richard Armitage
6. Tom Hardy
7. Alan Rickman
8. Michael Fassbender
9. Robert Downey Jr
10. Chris Hemsworth


So  of course, I had to take my research further and study each and every one of these Top Ten candidates. I worked very hard on my research all morning.

Sometimes  this is a very difficult job.
Oh - and if you want to know the Top Ten female actors, the results were:

1. Jennifer Lawrence

2. Scarlett Johansson

3. Kristen Stewart

4. Emma Stone

5. Mila Kunis6. Emma Watson

7. Anne Hathaway
8. Zooey Deschanel
9. Natalie Portman
10. Charlize Theron

Would you agree?

 

 

Addiction . . .

Well, the winner of the calendar from the We Write Romance blog is Caroline!

Caroline - please can you send me your postal address so that I can get it into the post to you before 2013 gets much older and it's not much use to you! 

The snow is piling up outside and we don't have it anything like as bad as some people - so all me friends in Wales and the North West, keep safe and warm.

It's the perfect excuse to stay indoors and curl up with a good book  - and that's where the addiction comes in!  I was out  in town yesterday and found a book that I really wanted to share with my son (Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn if you're nosy). I'd read it and knew he would like it too - but,  oh dear, the books, normally £7.99 each were  two for £7 - so of course I had to find another title to go with this one - I mean, it's compulsory, isn't it?

I picked up a book I'd heard  a buzz about, and one that had been recommended by the Richard and Judy book club - which is usually an indication of a good read. (Gone Girl's on there too, I see.)  So I thought I'd try that.

Now I have a lot of books waiting to be read - a TBR pile - a Kindle line-up . . .  I even have just received a parcel of RITA books to read and judge . . . I don't need another book!  But to be honest, I've read several of my Christmas stocks of books and been  - underwhelmed.    I've been OK with some, some have really disappointed and two -ghost stories that I was really looking forward top fell as flat as pancakes.  I didn't need distracting, but I was looking for a good read.

I found it.   I was going to put the book I'd bought - The Good Father by Noah Hawley - on the TBR pile and get to it when . . .  but I thought I'd just have a look at the first page . . .  pages . . . Chapters . . . Mistake.

And that's why the title of this post is addiction  - I'm reading this book  - devouring it - like an addict. I want to know how it ends - but I don't want it to end. I'm picking it up whenever I can, and unlike some of my other reads it's not a question of 'it depends on how it ends as to what I think about it'  - I don't care how it ends. I'm hooked. (Don't you love it when that happens?)

So I'm posting this now and I'm going back to my living room - there's a fire, the Babe Magnet - two cats - and my book. Can't wait!  (But the RITA books are going to have to.)

Over at We Write Romance

It's the 15th of January  - can you believe it? It seems like only two minutes ago it was  New Year's Day and already January is half over.

Anyway,  the 15th of the month is my day for blogging over on We Write Romance in my regular Kate's Corner spot - so that's where you can find me today.

I'm talking about diaries and calendars - and as I've just found an extra calendar that I bought - one with lovely photographs of England on it - I'm offering this as a prize for someone who comments on my Kate's Corner blog - Charlie has been missing the chance to pick winners and have extra treats - so why not make him happy and give him lots of chances to enjoy himself!   (I know it's  a bit late for the start of January - but there are plenty more months left  for 2013!)

Busy week

'Oh the weather outside is frightful . . . '

There is snow on the ground, piled up by inches, and more comuing down all the time. The cats are refusing to go outside at all unless they absolutely have to.  But apart from my walk this morning, that I got in before the snow started coming down I  have so much to do that I’m  not worried about being inside.  

I’ve just spent a busy week organising my Advanced Romance Writing course for the Fishguard Writers and Artists’ Weekend.  One person had  dropped out of this so  I had thought that I was going to be able to announce that there was one place left if anyone wanted it, but as soon as  a space appeared, someone else booked – so the weekend is fully booked again.  Hopefully it will be back  on again next year . . . or there’s always  the Writers’ Holiday  at Caerleon in July. (So pleased that the concerns that Caerleon might not run this year have proved to be unfounded.  I’m already looking forward to being there in the summer.  And if you want to join the Advanced course, my basic Complete Introduction to Writing Romance is the perfect foundation for the Fishguard weekend.)

I also had a fabulous trip to the theatre on Saturday - luckily before the snow started.  With the Babe Magnet, the Offspring and his fiancée went  to the Sheffield Crucible to see a brilliant production of My Fair Lady, starring Dominic West (The Wire, The Hour) as Professor Higgins and Carly Bawden  as Eliza Dolittle. But it wasn’t just the stars of this show who made it such a great night (though they were both brilliant)  - the whole cast, the staging, the singing, dancing and production were fantastic.  No wonder the production got  so many 5 star reviews.  And no wonder it’s now sold out.  It’s moving to the West End  after Sheffield so hopefully a lot more people will get to enjoy this treat.

And of course it’s great inspiration and research for a romance writer as  the alpha Professor Higgins meets his match in the feisty and  brave Eliza.

It's the first Sunday of the month - and of 2013 -  so as always I'm over on the Tote Bags 'N' Blogs  site where I've a post on my thoughts as to how I'm looking forward to  2013 - but not looking too far forward!

See you there?

Pink Heart Society

Today is the first Friday of January  - the first Friday of 2013 - so that means that today's my day for my regular blog post over on the Pink Heart Society blog in my  Date With Kate column.

So that's where I am today - and  I'm talking about starting the New Year off right with - not resolutions - but a lot  of resolution.

Romantic Novelists' Association

The very first non Christmas post to arrive at this house between Christmas  and New Year was my brand new membership card for the Romantic Novelists' Association. It was  great to see all the meetings planned for the coming year  - from the January Industry Panel on Erotic Romance  to the Annual Conference in Sheffield in  July. I hope to be there.

I've always said that one of the best things an unpublished writer can do for learning their craft and working on their career is to get a place on the RNA's New Writers' Scheme  - if you can, because these 250 places are like gold dust!  Applications for  the NWS open at 12.02 am (UK time) on January 2nd. Applicants should e-mail the Membership Secretary AFTER that time to reserve a place on the New Writers Scheme. 

Today I have a post over on the RNA's blog for the 12 days of Christmas where I'm talking about one of my favourite personal ornanments on my own Christmas tree.  Regular Christmas visitors to this blog will recognise my now rather elderly little angel. Scary to think she's seen some 30 Christmases!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone.

 

I hope 2013 is  a truly lovely year for you, filled with love, warmth, happiness and success with your family and friends around you so that you can build up shining memories to take with you everyday from the first January to the very last day of December.

Thank you for being my readers and my friends - for sharing my books and visiting here. I hope I'll 'see' more of you in the coming year and that you'll enjoy the books I have coming up.

Happy 2013!