Romantic Novelists' Association Blog

Interview with Kate Lord Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 24 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Kate Lord Brown to the blog. Kate grew up in a wild and beautiful part of Devon, and was first published while at school. After reading Philosophy at Durham and Art History at the Courtauld Institute, she worked as an art consultant, curating collections for palaces and embassies in Europe and the Middle East. She was a finalist in the ITV’s The People’s Author competition 2009. She lives in the Middle East with her family, and is working on her next novel. Tell us about your first book and the excitement of getting that call.

I had ‘the call’ from my agent that all new writers dream of the night before I flew out to the Middle East with my children to start a new life. It was a fairytale ending - or beginning, depending on how you look at it! THE BEAUTY CHORUS was published in 2011 - after a lifetime of writing (and reading), it was really a dream come true. I don’t think much can beat the feeling of holding your book for the first time.

Which author has most influenced your work?

Maybe like a lot of RNA members, there are always too many books and not enough book shelves in our house! I read very widely, but the fiction authors I keep returning to are Anne Tyler, Barbara Trapido, Carol Shields and James Salter. The author who has most influenced me is William Boyd - I saw him interviewed once and he said to write what interests you, not what you know.

How would you describe your own books, and what would you say is the plus factor that makes them appealing to your readers?

THE BEAUTY CHORUS and THE PERFUME GARDEN are historical romantic fiction. I think the plus factor is that they explore forgotten history - women who flew fighter planes during WW2, or women war photographers and soldiers during the Spanish Civil War. I always hope that readers will be carried away by a romantic, adventurous story, and also come away saying ‘wow, I didn’t know that ...’

Do you plan bios before you start writing, or allow your characters to emerge as you write?

I do a sheet for each character - to avoid pitfalls like eye colour suddenly changing from blue to green in chapter two! But one of the marvellous things with writing is the alchemy that takes place when the story and characters start taking on a life of their own. I think with bios and plots, it’s always good to leave yourself some room to be surprised.

Which do you find the most painful, writing the first draft, or editing, and how do you cope?

Editing, definitely. All those old maxims like: ‘writing is rewriting’ are absolutely true. The first draft is a free-wheeling zip through the story with all that enthusiasm and energy - but editing is absolutely vital. I’ve been lucky to work with some very good editors and copy-editors (all that red ink ...), and I just keep telling myself that all that matters is making the book the very best it can be.

Do you have any rejections lurking among your files, or do you recycle them?

Valencia

Actually, I burnt them! When we lived in Valencia, in Spain (which is the setting for THE PERFUME GARDEN, I used all my early rejection letters for kindling to light the wood burning stove each night! There were a lot of fires, put it that way. I did keep a note of anything positive - shows promise, etc, and of any constructive criticism. Rejection is all par for the course and you just simply have to learn from it and persevere.

If your book were ever filmed who would you choose for the hero and why?

Writing THE PERFUME GARDEN, I had a picture of Javier Bardem pinned to the storyboard for Luca (I know, it’s tough work but someone has to do it). I think he combines Luca’s strength and vulnerability - he plays damaged characters so well.

The RNA is famous for its New Writer Scheme. Were you ever a part of it, and what advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

No, I wasn’t but I’d advise any aspiring writer to try and join the NWS. Failing that, join a writer’s group locally if you can. I belonged to a women’s writers group in London for years - we’d meet each week in a bookshop in Fulham, and it’s a great grounding in writing, and reading.

Are you ever driven to write by hand?

Absolutely - first drafts are always by hand. Then, when they are being transcribed it’s almost like a first edit getting it on to the computer. In fact, I still write with a fountain pen (my daughter thinks I’m a dinosaur!).

If you could know the future, what would you wish for?

There’s a great saying I saw at a temple in Japan: I learn only to be contented. After a rollercoaster few years, I’d wish for that - contentment. I hope that we’ll be able to come home to the UK, that my office assistants (Milo, the rescue Siamese X, who tends to sit on a notebook the moment it’s opened for work as if to say ‘why write, when you can look at ME’, and Oscar the pug, who has a fetish for eating pencils), will still be helping me write a book a year, and that everyone will be happy and healthy. Obviously, a bestseller or two would be lovely, too!

The Perfume Garden combines the gripping storytelling of Kate Morton with the evocative settings of Victoria Hislop to tell this sumptuous story of lost love and family secrets set between modern day Valencia and the Spanish Civil War.

High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco’s forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, the garden, laden with orange blossom, grown wild. Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed in her mother’s will, she has left her job as London’s leading perfumier to restore this dilapidated villa to its former glory. It is the perfect retreat: a wilderness redolent with strange and exotic scents, heavy with the colours and sounds of a foreign time.

But for her grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed here during Spain’s devastating civil war, Emma’s new home evokes terrible memories. As the house begins to give up its secrets, Emma is drawn deeper into Freya’s story: one of crushed idealism, lost love, and families ripped apart by war. She soon realises it is one thing letting go of the past, but another when it won’t let go of you.

AMAZON

Find out more:
Website
Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Kate.

We wish you every success with your books.
Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Livvie. They are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

RNA Summer Party - Joan Hessayon AWard and The Romantic Novel of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Liz Fenwick) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:00 +0000

As always the RNA Summer Party was a dazzling affair.....

Jenny Colgan, Rowan Coleman, Victoria Lamb and Charlotte Betts

The Joan Hessayon Contenders

And the winner of the Joan Hessayon Award is Liesel Swartz

Lindsay Davis

And the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year goes to Jenny Colgan

Evonne Warham

May Self-Published Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Kitty Charles THE ARCADE: EPISODE FIVE, MAY,
THE ITALIAN CAFE
Blue Eyed Llama
ebook
24th April 2013
£0.77

Everyone has secrets, right?

On the surface, Rosa Rossi and Luca Guerra seem like a typical Italian couple, who make-up as passionately as they argue. But each has something to hide, a secret so explosive that it would mean the end of their relationship if the other found out. And someone in the arcade can’t keep their mouth shut...

May sees dreams, desire and deceit rock the foundations of Angell’s Arcade.

Like your favourite soap, The Arcade brings you characters you love to hate – and to love. Each bite-sized episode is perfect for your journey to work, your lunch-break – or a quiet night of escapism. And it’ll leave you wanting more – with a teaser of next month’s storyline!
www.blueeyedllama.co.uk

Jo Beverley THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES.....
e-book
1st May 2013
£1.33

Winner of the Sapphire Award for Best Romantic Science Fiction, short form.

The people of Gaia think themselves blessed to be living on the most perfect
colony world ever discovered, even if there is a strange energy force that
occasionally destroys people. Now, the entire population is threatened and all
the obvious heroes are dead. Which leaves an unlikely hero and the woman he
loves to save the world, but at what cost?

"...a moving exploration of the consequences of war and power on those who
fight as well as those left behind." Romantic Times
"...an imaginative and moving allegory about war: those we've fought in the
past and those we may fight in the future and on far-off worlds." Bookloons.com

http://www.jobev.com/ttwhexc.html

Janice Horton HOW TO PARTY ONLINE
Kindle Ebook
May 1st, 2013

Online parties are a fabulous and fun way to launch your book or introduce your product and to engage with your target audience. Social media applications are perfect forums for parties - the venue capacity is infinite, the guest list is global, and the fun and games can lead to bestselling success. So here it is - by popular demand - my step by step guide to online partying!

janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk

Interview with Anne Stenhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Anne Stenhouse to the RNA Blog. Anne has been a shop assistant, factory worker, civil servant and addictions’ worker. She lives in Scotland, enjoys dancing and has tried Highland, Scottish, English, Ceildh and ballroom with varying levels of success. She joined NWS in 2007 in order to discover why her earlier novels were unsalable. Do tell us what made you want to write and how you got your first break?

Having left work on maternity leave, I decided my daughter was too delightful to give up to someone else to look after and so needed to replace the intellectual stimulation (small babies mostly sleep a lot). My first break was from DC Thomson who published a short story. What would you say are the major influences on your work? In subject matter, I return to women’s lack of equality at various times and like a good spat between two strong central characters. I enjoy Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Susan Ferrier and our own Louise Allen.

Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop. What is your favourite mode of working?

My absolute favourite is in my room with my lap-top at the right level and the lights in the right places. I can write anywhere when necessary – effect of rehearsal changes probably.

Do you plan the story out in detail before you start or let it emerge as your write?

There’s usually an opening scene in my head which will be strongly connected to a place, a vague idea of where that might go and the end I’d like to happen, although all of that sometimes changes. The story generally emerges as I hear the characters talking.

Have you ever suffered from writers’ block, and how do you deal with it?

I think not the real, crippling I can’t think of a word ever again, type of writers’ block. That must be a devastation when it happens. When I cannot find the next scene, I wait because I’ve learned that’s when my brain hasn’t sorted out stuff subliminally and it will come. When I cannot think of something to write about, I might pick up a pen and paper and start writing whatever comes – a sort of pump priming exercise.

Were you in the NWS before getting published, and did you find it helpful?

YES and YES. It has been my biggest help in moving from drama to prose with dialogue. I had five reviews – more than some people and fewer than others. They were each a mine of assistance and clarity. May I offer a big thank you to my readers. MARIAH'S MARRIAGE was one of the bumper crop of 2011 going onto publication, and is on the list of Joan Hessayon Award contenders for 2013.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I read so much from the family bookcases. I know I didn’t like Fairy Tales all that much because even as a youngster, I sensed the underlying cruelty in many of them. The Snow Queen terrified me. By S1 it crystallises into things like Anne of Green Gables (red-haired chatty child) and The Wind in the Willows (such a wonderful flight of imagination with superb drawings as well). I also always read a lot of non-fiction, even from the P7 library boxes.

Which authors do you choose to read for pleasure now?

Jane Gardam, Georgette Heyer, Louise Allen, Michelle Styles, Malcolm Cant (non fiction about Edinburgh), Maggie O’Farrell, Maggie Craig (she’s a novelist, but I’m also very fond of her non-fiction). So what next?

Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

There’s one novel out for consideration. It’s set in Edinburgh around 1826 and follows the fortunes of an architect hero and an earl’s daughter. Its theme is the devastating effect of gossip and it began life in the New Voices competition. Just starting is a novella about two of the characters from Mariah’s Marriage.

Leaving the chapel in London’s 19th century Thames’ side where she teaches the alphabet to a raggle-taggle of urchins, Mariah Fox is charged by a stray pig. The quick intervention of Tobias Longreach saves her from certain injury. Mariah has always believed her destiny to be teaching. After the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her papa, Jerome, to believe she could learn anything a boy could. She shares his vision of a future in which everyone, rich or poor, boy or girl, will be taught at least the rudiments of reading, writing, and counting.

Tobias was brought up a second son, but following his elder brother’s premature death, inherits an Earldom and the need to provide it with an heir. He comes to believe that Mariah will make a perfect countess and enrols her papa’s help in securing her hand. However, Sir Lucas Wellwood, whose debts have made him urge his sister to attempt to trap Tobias into marriage, has sinister intentions. Mariah suspects Wellwood has been mistreating his sister and she heads off impetuously to rescue her. Will Tobias and his friends reach Wellwood’s home before he can exact revenge on Mariah?

Muse it Up Publishing

Find out more on Anne’s Blog

http://www.annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Anne. We wish you every success with your books. Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Livvie. They are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Margaret James

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Margaret James to the blog. Margaret was born in Hereford, but now lives in Devon. In addition to her novel writing, she also teaches creative writing and is a regular contributor to Writing Magazine. You sound like a busy person Margaret, do tell us about your latest book, and what inspired you to write it.

A few years ago, my local group Exeter Writers ran a workshop which inspired me to wonder what would happen if a girl won a luxury dream wedding in a country house hotel, but didn’t have anyone to marry.

Oh dear, that sounds like a problem, no doubt delightfully resolved. So when doing your research what promotes the most ideas for you, people or places?

The people come along first, followed by the places.

How long, on average, would you say it takes you to write a book, and how much editing do you do?

About a year, I suppose, but this can stretch to two or three or more, or be concertinaed into six months or less. I did a lot of travelling during 2011 and wrote most of the first draft of this novel on trains in real time, starting in April and finishing in November.

An excellent way to use all that travelling time. Which do you find the hardest part of the novel to write, and how do you get through that?

The middle – and I try to deal with that by giving myself and my characters a really big challenge, setback or shock half way through the story.

Your characters are always very convincing. How do you set about breathing life into them?

I find the ones who end up in finished novels are also the ones who walk into my head unannounced and say write about me. Once I had thought of the situation in The Wedding Diary, my hero and heroine turned up on the bus as I was going home, and writing the novel was like taking celestial dictation from them.

If you were starting out afresh what advice would you give yourself as a fledging writer.

Be sure you want to do this, because it’s not a hobby. It will take over your life.

Oh, I do so agree, but quite a nice life. Which of your books would you most like to see as a film, and who would play the hero?

I’d love to see THE WEDDING DIARY on the big screen, with Richard Armitage playing the hero Adam. Richard, why don’t we get your people to talk to my people?

Let’s hope he responds. Now if you could have the best seats to any concert, what would you prefer, ballet, opera or a rock concert?

Opera – it has everything.

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

I’m writing the story of one of the subsidiary characters in The Wedding Diary, whose life suddenly hits the buffers in a big way and who takes what she hopes will be a recuperative holiday in the USA, where of course she runs into more trouble.

Where’s a fairy godmother when you need one?

If you won a fairy-tale wedding in a country house hotel, you’d be delighted – right? But what if you didn’t have anyone to marry? Cat Aston did have a fiancé, but now it looks as if her Prince Charming has done a runner. Adam Lawley’s girlfriend turned down his proposal, and he’s made a vow never to fall in love again. When Cat and Adam meet, they shouldn’t even consider romance. But for some reason they can’t stop thinking about each other. So is this their second chance for happiness, or are some things just too good to be true?

Amazon

Find out more:
http://www.margaretjamesblog.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/margaret.james.5268
http://www.twitter.com/majanovelist

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Margaret. We wish you continuing success with your books. Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Livvie. They are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Janey Fraser

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Janey Fraser is an award winning journalist and novelist who has contributed to numerous publications over the years and was a regular columnist for Woman and The Daily Telegraph. She has just been elected a Fellow by the Royal Literary Fund. Welcome to the RNA Blog Janey, writers are often asked where they get their ideas, so what excites you?

Tricky situations which my feisty heroines (and hero) have to extract themselves from. Conflicting emotions. Unexpected humour. Mixing of generations (our grandmother lived with us for many years so I adore older people especially if they’re a bit naughty as she was). Angst. Sheer joy.

Tell us something of the genre in which you write. What is its special appeal for you?

The Daily Mail described it as “Family Comedy with a meaty streak”. I love this genre because it allows me to explore all the things that can go wrong between people but also the funny side. For me, the great thing about writing in multi-viewpoint is that it moves the story along and allows me to cast my net more widely.

How did you devise the hero and heroine for your latest book?

There are actually two heroines: Bobbie, an exhausted mum with a trying mother who’s dating Dr No (parent guru to the nation) and Vanessa, a feisty young gran who ‘messed up’ with her daughter. Then there’s Andy, who throws up a highly paid job to be a househusband and run a parenting class, where he just can’t help falling for Bobbie. There’s a bit of me in all of them but, as with all my characters, they start to grow as I write. I have a big cork board, studded with magazine pictures that help me imagine what they look like and consequently how they might behave.

What do you have to say to critics of the chick-lit genre?

It’s a much broader church than some people think. Some chick-lit is light; some is heavier; and there’s quite a lot in between. Readers are entitled to choose what they want. It’s like criticising different types of yoghurt. What’s wrong with enjoying one particular flavour? Besides, anything that gets people reading must surely be a good thing.

Janey when shortlisted for the RNA Award

You write under a pseudonym. What do you find to be the pros and cons for using one?

Hah! When people ask me what my name is, I have to stop and think. I used to be Sophie King until I changed publishers and even now, I still refer to it as I have a wonderful loyal fan base. I also write historicals, under my married name Jane Corry, for the French, German and Spanish market (“The Pearls” was number eight in Italy recently). The pros are that I can use my different names for the two different voices in my head: the contemporary and the historical. The cons are that I am constantly having to explain why. My latest answer is that an author only has two names. Published and Unpublished. In a changing world, one has to adapt. Luckily Janey is the name that close friends and family have called me since I was born, so I am more likely to turn my head now.

How much of a part does your camera and notebook play when doing research?

As a journalist, my notebook and I were joined at the hip. Now, I tend to have a special notepad for each novel but it’s not always around when I need it – especially when I’m dog walking and get ideas. So I use my mobile to leave a lot of answer phone messages on the home phone when I’m out. That’s why it’s always full.....On the camera front, I’ve begun to use it much more in the last year, especially when visiting National Trust homes as inspiration for my historicals. I’m forcing myself to be better with technology : my newish husband gave me a digital camera which I can actually work although having said that, I’m just wondering where I put the charger.....

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

I’ve just finished the first draft of the fourth Janey Fraser book which is being published next May. (The first two were called THE PLAYGROUP and THE AU PAIR). I’m a bit superstitious about telling people what my next book is about until it’s done and dusted. But I can say that this one is funny and meaty at the same time. It also has some of the major characters from my previous novels in it, although they play minor roles this time. It means I don’t have to say goodbye to them for ever….

Published by Arrow (Random House £6.99)

When Vanessa, Bobbie and Andy get together at the local parenting class at Corrywood School, their lives are set to change for ever.
All three of them need help. Fast!

Bobbie’s children don’t listen to a word she says and her workaholic husband is never home. Even worse, her mother is bringing a new boyfriend to visit: the notorious Dr Know, who dishes out hard-line parental advice to the nation. Can parenting classes save Bobbie’s bacon, not to mention her marriage? And what do you do when your mother is about to marry a man you hate?

Meanwhile, Andy’s wife has been asked to run a parenting class at the local school. But when she scarpers, he’s left to run it himself and look after their two teenage daughters – who aren’t as perfect as he’d thought. When one of his childhood enemies signs up for the class, Andy is forced to confront the demons of his youth. The poor man needs a shoulder to cry on. Who better than Bobbie, his wife’s sister in law?

Enter Vanessa, a sparky young gran who’s found a new lease of life through her second-hand designer shop and internet dating. Her life is definitely on the up; especially when she meets Brian who might just be the One. But then her six-year-old granddaughter is deposited on her doorstep along with a message from Vanessa’s estranged bohemian daughter. “Please bring up my child” begs the note. This time, she’s determined to get it right, whatever the cost...

Is there really an answer to raising a happy family?

Find out more:
Website http://www.janeyfraser.co.uk
Blog http://blog.janeyfraser.co.uk
Twitter: @janey_fraser
Amazon:

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Janey. We wish you continuing success with your books.
Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Donna Douglas

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today we have Donna Douglas visiting the RNA Blog. Donna was born in south London but now lives in York with her husband. She started her career writing photo love stories for teenage magazines (a great training ground for writing snappy dialogue and plotting!), before becoming a women’s magazine journalist. As Donna Hay, she won the RNA New Writers Award for her first novel, Waiting in the Wings. Welcome Donna, do tell us about your latest book under your new personna, and what inspired you to write it.

In the first book of the series, we met three girls from very different backgrounds starting their nursing training at an East London hospital in the 1930s.

The Nightingale Sisters continues their story and also introduces us to some other characters from the Nightingale Hospital, particularly the new Night Sister, Violet Tanner – a woman with a secret! Even though it’s a continuing story, you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second.

Are you a lark or an owl? When are you at your most creative?

Definitely a lark, once I’ve managed to get up! If I can bear to get out of bed early enough, then I love starting work at the crack of dawn. That's when I do my best work. By the afternoon, ‘real’ life has caught up with me and I start faffing around answering emails, doing domestic stuff or wasting time on Twitter. I’ll only work at night if I’m in danger of not meeting my deadline.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft?

I used to edit as I went along, but since I’m highly likely to come up with a new idea while I’m writing that causes me to ditch much of what I’ve already written, that proved to be a bit of a waste of time. Now I just plough on, making notes to myself as I go. Then, when I’ve finished a draft, I can look at the whole shape of it and change things around. I write at least three drafts before I’m really happy with it.

What do you enjoy most about your particular genre?

One of Donna's reference books.

The research! I never thought I’d say it, but I love hunting out obscure details that bring the story to life. When I first started writing the Nightingale novels, I did a lot of research in the Royal College of Nursing archives and some interviews with former nurses. Also, dealing with such a wide variety of characters and their life and death dilemmas gives so much scope for conflict. There’s never a dull moment!

What do you do when the going gets tough?

It’s quite tough going at the moment, so that’s a very timely question! Sometimes I go out for a walk, or into town for a coffee. Having time away from your desk really helps clear the mind so you come back raring to go. If things are really tough, I might just take a nap or watch an episode of ‘Say Yes To The Dress’ on YouTube – my daughter is getting married, so I have a good excuse to watch TV programmes about wedding dress shopping!

Which three books would you take on a desert island with you, and why?

I might consider one of my 1930s nursing manuals, to deal with emergencies – it was amazing what those real life Nightingale Girls could do with very few resources in those days! I would also have to take a survival guide, since I would be hopeless fending for myself. If there wasn’t a Waitrose on the island I might starve! If I didn’t have to be practical, then I would probably take Riders by Jilly Cooper – that is my all-time favourite comfort read, and I never get tired of it.

If you could clone yourself, what job would you hand over?

Admin! I absolutely hate all those boring but necessary jobs like sending out invoices, sorting out the banking and filling in forms. Especially when you have to do it online – you can bet I always forget my password and get locked out of my own account. So hopefully my clone would have a better memory than me!

And how do you relax when you’re not writing?

I would love to say I do a couple of hours of Pilates, but the truth is I’m a real couch potato. When I’m not writing, I’m generally vegging out on the sofa with my husband, watching TV. We love a good cop series, or a gripping drama. But I drive him mad because I’m always rewriting the plot or trying to guess the twists! I also enjoy reading, of course. Anything from historical novels to Heat magazine!

A stormy winter’s night in 1935 brings Violet Tanner to the Nightingale Hospital in London’s East End. It quickly becomes clear the new Night Sister is not all she appears. Who is she, and what is her devastating secret? But Miss Tanner is not the only one with something to hide, as student nurse Millie Benedict finds herself torn between the two men in her life, and Dora Doyle struggles to cope with her family’s new-found poverty. As the death of King George V heralds a new era, it’s clear the Nightingale Girls’ lives are never going to be the same again…

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Donna. We look forward to more books in this series and wish you every success.
Best wishes, Freda

Find out more:
Website: http://www.donnadouglas.co.uk/
Blog: http://donnadouglasauthor.wordpress.com/
Amazon:

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

May New Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Wed, 01 May 2013 06:30:00 +0000

Liz Fenwick A CORNISH AFFAIR
Orion
Trade Paperback
£12.99

Sometimes running away is the answer...
Running out on your wedding day never goes down well. When the pressure of her forthcoming marriage becomes too much, Jude bolts from the church, leaving a good man at the altar, her mother in a fury, and the guests with enough gossip to last a year.

Guilty and ashamed, Jude flees to Pengarrock, a crumbling cliff-top mansion in Cornwall, where she takes a job cataloguing the Trevillion family's extensive library. The house is a welcome escape for Jude, full of history and secrets, but when its new owner arrives, it's clear that Pengarrock is not beloved by everyone.

As Jude falls under the spell of the house, she learns of a family riddle stemming from a terrible tragedy centuries before, hinting at a lost treasure. And when Pengarrock is put up for sale, it seems that time is running out for the house and for Jude.

www.lizfenwick.com
lizfenwickblogspot.com
@liz_fenwick
www.facebook.com/liz.fenwick.author

Christina Jones AN ENORMOUSLY ENGLISH MONSOON WEDDING
Piatkus/Little,Brown
Paperback
2nd May 2013
£5.99

Life simply couldn't be better for Erin Boswell. At twenty-seven, she is engaged to the simply divine Jay Keskar and every minute of her day revolves around planning the wedding of her dreams. Then Jay's parents arrive and announce that they want to 'discuss' things - and this is when Erin's wedding heaven turns into her wedding hell. Tavish and Deena are Indian and have very firm beliefs about the form of wedding their only son should have. Erin will obviously be wearing a sari, won't she? And of course all the Indian pre-wedding ritual ceremonies - including tilak, mehendi, sangeet - will be observed, won't they?
As Bollywood comes to Berkshire, can East eventually meet West in perfect harmony? And if not, will Erin and Jay's dream wedding even take place?

http://www.christinajones.co.uk/

Benita Brown DREAMING OUT LOUD 
Headline 
Hardback 
23rd May 2013
 £19.99

When Kay Lockwood is left a small inheritance by her mother's old friend, actress Lana Fontaine, she travels to London, leaving behind her Northern hometown and the boyfriend she doesn't quite trust. She falls in love with Lana's house, and the excitement of post-war London, but soon discovers a deeper mystery - who was Lana, and why was Kay so important to her? As she unravels the past, her handsome new neighbour Tom seems to offer her a bright future, but when his own dark secret is revealed, Kay feels hurt and betrayed. Can she ever forgive him?

www.benitabrown.com

Jean Fullerton CALL NURSE MILLIE
Orion
 Paperback/Hardback/kindle
23rd May 2013
MMPB £6.99 Kindle £4.49 

It's 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength and kindness. And when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.  Through Millie's eyes, we see the harsh realities and unexpected joys in the lives of the patients she treats, as well as the camaraderie that is forged with the fellow nurses that she lives with. Filled with unforgettable characters and moving personal stories, this vividly brings to life the colourful world of a post-war East London.

http://www.jeanfullerton.com/

Louise Allen TARNISHED AMONGST THE TON
Harlequin Mills & Boon
Paperback & ebook
May 2013
£4.99 (Kindle £4.50)

Ashe Herriard, Viscount Clere, newly arrived from India , requires an eligible bride but an encounter on the London dockside with the entirely ineligible Miss Phyllida Hurst is not the way to go about it! Phyllida is attracted to the exotic viscount but she has layers of secrets to keep and no wish to become any man’s mistress…or his wife. (Linked to Forbidden Jewel of India )

www.louiseallenregency.co.uk

Jennifer Bohnet SHADOWS OF CONFLICT
Robert Hale
Hardback
30th April 2013
£16.99

SHADOWS OF CONFLICT tells the stories of Katie and her god-mother Mattie. When Katie, redundant from her media job, accepts Mattie's offer to take over her shop, A Good Yarn, in Dartmouth, she expects her life to be busy and unexciting. But with an American film crew in town intent on uncovering buried secrets from World War II, a disgruntled relative, and Mattie herself still refusing to face up to the lingering shadows of an unhappy childhood, life is neither simple nor quiet. When Patrick, her ex-boss, offers the chance of her dream media job Katie has to decide whether accepting it is worth turning her back on everything and everyone in Dartmouth - including Leo, a friend from the past who plans to be a part of her future. Will Katie make the right decision? And as the Americans uncover a secret from her past, will Mattie shake off a lifetime of regrets and shadows from the past to finally find happiness with Henri, her new ami?

http://www.jenniferbohnet.com/
Follow me on Twitter: @jenniewriter

Margaret Mounsdon LOVE TRIUMPHANT
Large Print Paperback
1st May 2013
£8.99

Steve Baxter disappears when Lizzie Hilton is refurbishing his property. Todd Baxter suspects Lizzie of being after his brother's inheritance. Lizzie challenges him to find proof. When Paul Owen appears on the scene Lizzie panics because Paul can provide Todd with the evidence he is looking for.

http://www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk/
margaretsromanceworld.blogspot.com

Jane Lark ILLICIT LOVE
Sapphire Star Publishing
Paperback £10.44 and ebook £2.47
2nd May 2013

Can Love redeem a life of sin?

Ellen glanced over the top of her fan at the gorgeous man across the table. Was it very wrong for her sinful body to want Edward Marlow? Choice was a holy grail; a cup fallen woman longed to drink from. She chose Edward.

http://www.janelark.co.uk/
Twitter @janelark

Anne Stenhouse MARIAH'S MARRIAGE
MuseItUp
E-published
3rd May 2013
price $5.50 ($4.40 on pre-order, north America only)

Leaving the chapel in London’s 19th century Thames’ side where she teaches the alphabet to a raggle-taggle of urchins, Mariah Fox is charged by a stray pig. The quick intervention of Tobias Longreach saves her from certain injury. Mariah has always believed her destiny to be teaching. After the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her papa, Jerome, to believe that she could learn anything a boy could. She shares his vision of a future in which everyone, rich or poor, boy or girl, will be taught at least the rudiments of reading, writing, and counting.
Tobias was brought up a second son, but following his elder brother’s premature death, inherits an Earldom and the need to provide it with an heir. He comes to believe that Mariah will make a perfect countess and enrolls her papa’s help in securing her hand.
However, Sir Lucas Wellwood, whose debts have made him urge his sister to attempt to trap Tobias into marriage, has sinister intentions. Mariah suspects Wellwood has been mistreating his sister and she heads off impetuously to rescue her. Will Tobias and his friends reach Wellwood’s home before he can exact revenge on Mariah?

http://www.annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

Kate Jackson TENDER LOVING CARE
D.C. Thomson
The People's Friend Magazine
4th May, 2013
97p

August 1917 - VAD nurse, Rose, has ignored all rules and taken in a stray. When it escapes, it has an unexpected affect on a patient, but leaves her nursing job hanging in the balance.

http://katejacksonswriting.blogspot.co.uk/

Alison Sherlock THE DESPERATE WIFE'S SURVIVAL PLAN
9th May 2013 (Arrow)
£7.99

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find that you'd lost it all? From the author The Desperate Bride's Diet Club, a fabulous new novel about love, marriage and finding your inner strength

From riches to rags... Charley needs a survival plan fast.
Charley Summers doesn't have a care in the world. She lives in the lap of luxury, supported by her rich husband and surrounded by a loyal group of friends.

Until the business goes bust and her world collapses. Before long the bailiffs have taken everything, and as if things weren't bad enough, she catches her husband with another woman. Suddenly, Charley needs a job, any job, so she can start repaying some of the money her husband squandered.

But with nowhere to live and no recognisable skills, how on earth is she to do that?

Eileen Ramsay writing as Ruby Jackson CHURCHILL'S ANGELS
Harper Collins
PB Ebook
23rd May 2013
£6.99

Her brothers are in uniform, her twin sister works in a munitions' factory,and Daisy Petrie works in her parents' small grocery shop in Dartford. She dreams of doing something more exciting, more useful but can see no way out. One day, while delivering groceries to a local farm, Daisy sees a young pilot working on a plane. Daisy can take her dad's van to bits and put it together again. Can she help the dashing Adair to repair his plane and does he really mean it when he says he will teach her to fly?

www.eileenramsay.co.uk

Gwen Kirkwood DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN
Robert Hale Ltd
Hardback
May 2013
£18.99

Joe Lennox becomes bitter and deranged and blames Billy Caraford when his son is killed in a car accident, but Billy has lost his best friend and is badly injured himself. Despite the misgivings of his parents he is still determined to be a farmer. He summons his courage to go to university but privately he regards himself as a cripple now. He is convinced no woman could love him or want to be his wife.
Kimberley is orphaned when her father dies. She moves to Scotland with her aunt but she is nervous about changing schools until Billy helps her find new friends. Both Kim and her aunt become involved in the affairs of the Caraford family and as Kim grows into a lovely young woman she finds the strength of character to confront problems and fight for the life and the love she craves.

www.gwenkirkwood.co.uk

Theresa Le Flem THE FORGIVING SAND
Robert Hale Ltd.
Hardback
31st May 2013
£19.99

Christina’s life in Cornwall is thrown into turmoil when ruthless brother-in-law René threatens to close down her quiet beach café which is losing money. Disabled since childhood, Christina is determined to keep the struggling family business going but neither her mother, nor her sister, seem to care. If only she could contact her father again!
It’s 1994. The Cornish fishing industry is in crisis and lonely skipper, John Madison, widowed when his wife drowned, desperately pleads for Christina’s help with his little daughter. His passionate intensity disturbs her and yet she’s drawn to him.
While René is putting the pressure on with his scheming ideas, an old school-friend, big loveable Peter, returns to Cornwall and jumps in to defend Christina - but with untold repercussions.
Who can save her beloved Sea Café? And when John compels her to make a choice, will her heart be torn in two?

http://theresaleflem.wordpress.com

Interview with Jennifer Bohnet

noreply@blogger.com (Henriette) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

After ten years in the South of France, Jennifer now lives with her husband Richard, Philly a rescued collie/alsatian dog, Littl'un a very fat cat, who likes to commandeer her desk, and about 20 hens and guinea fowl, in a small cottage in deepest rural Brittany. Getting to an RNA party is on her bucket list – in the meantime she makes the most of Romna.

1. Tell us something about your book SHADOWS OF CONFLICT, coming soon in hardback from Hale.

This book is set in Dartmouth where I lived and where my children were born. I love the town and the history of the surrounding area. Anybody who knows the town and the area will be able to recognise familiar places – some are named and some are hinted at. During World War II, the area around Dartmouth, Slapton Sands and Torcross was evacuated and the beaches used to train the troops for the D Day landings. It is the far-reaching events of 1943 that are the cause of shadows in the 21st century.

2. Your stories are about relationships, what is the particular appeal of this genre for you?

I write the kind of book I enjoy reading, and I find contemporary woman's fiction that deals with relationships of all sorts, family, couples, siblings, mixed marriages etc., the most interesting to read. I prefer emotional conflict in a story as opposed to crime or gung ho conflict.

Littl'un knows how to get comfy

3. Which author has most influenced your work?

Difficult to answer. I am in awe of writers like Erica James, Marcia Willett and Jill Mansell. They produce the kind of books I love to read, and aspire to write, time after time – particularly Erica James.

4. In what way does living in France influence your writing?

Before we came to France fourteen years ago, I'd written mainly non-fiction features and had my own column in the South Hams Group of Newspapers in Devon. But I'd always wanted to write fiction and finally had time. Living in France, particularly down south, gave me first hand knowledge of locations like Antibes, Cannes, and Monaco. People are always intrigued by what is perceived to be the glamour and luxury of such places, and here I was, living a very ordinary life but with the opportunity to eavesdrop and observe how the other half lived and spent their vast wealth. There is also another, poorer, side to these places too.

5. Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft? What method works best for you?

I tend to edit and revise as I go so that the first 'dirty' draft isn't too horrendously dirty before I fine-tune edit at least twice. I have to say a big thank you to Nell Dixon for sharing her method of editing – going backwards page by page! I now do this as my final edit and also on the copy edit as it really helps in picking up typos, missing words etc.

6. What do you think makes for a really strong romance novel?

I think with any book, romance or mainstream, it's all down to caring about the characters and their lives and wanting a good outcome for them.

7. With the increasing popularity of e-books, how do you think digitisation has helped or changed your own career as a writer? Have you self-published anything?

So far digitisation hasn't really helped or changed my writing life. I have self-published on Kindle my first two books that were published in Large Print by Ulverscroft and FRENCH LEGACY is slowly selling. Hale have also started to e-book publish titles but it's early days for them. For a little known author I've found it very difficult to get the necessary reviews and publicity to market a book successfully. Marketing my books is still a very steep learning curve but hopefully I'll master it!

8. If SHADOWS OF CONFLICT were ever filmed, who would you choose to play the hero and heroine, and why?

Because of the storyline there would have to be two heroines and two heros. I'd love Brenda Blethyn as the older heroine Mattie – I think she's a brilliant and under-rated as an actor. Her hero Henri would have to be the French actor François Cluzet (“The Untouchables”). Carey Mulligan as Katie, and Rupert Grint as Leo her hero. I think he'd play a Devonshire farmer brilliantly.

9. How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?

I love the theatre but rarely get to go these days. In Brittany the only theatre available is in French, and despite living here for so long my language skills are sadly not good enough. I buy a lot of romantic comedies on DVD - “Midnight in Paris” is a current favourite! I love cooking and having friends around for a meal – usually a lunch which runs into supper time! France is a fun place like that.

10. Do you have an itch to write a completely different sort of book?

Not really an itch but I'd quite like to write a trilogy based around the jazz age of the 1920s and set in the South of France. There were so many different, eccentric characters living down there in those days.

Thank you, Jennifer, for taking the time to talk to us today. We wish you every success for the future, and happy writing!

Henriette

SHADOWS OF CONFLICT tells the stories of Katie and her god-mother Mattie. When Katie, redundant from her media job, accepts Mattie's offer to take over her shop, A Good Yarn, in Dartmouth, she expects her life to be busy and unexciting. But with an American film crew in town intent on uncovering buried secrets from World War II, a disgruntled relative, and Mattie herself still refusing to face up to the lingering shadows of an unhappy childhood, life is neither simple nor quiet. When Patrick, her ex-boss, offers the chance of her dream media job Katie has to decide whether accepting it is worth turning her back on everything and everyone in Dartmouth - including Leo, a friend from the past who plans to be a part of her future. Will Katie make the right decision? And as the Americans uncover a secret from her past, will Mattie shake off a lifetime of regrets and shadows from the past to finally find happiness with Henri, her new ami?

Find out more:

http://www.halebooks.com/index.asp

http://www.jenniferbohnet.com/

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact:

freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Amanda James

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Amanda James to the RNA Blog. Mandy was born in Sheffield and now lives in Bristol with her husband and two cats. Amanda recently left her teaching role to follow her ambition to live her life doing what she most enjoys—writing.

Do tell us what made you want to write and how you got your first break?

I have always written short stories and poems as far back as I can remember. When I was eight, I pestered my parents to buy me a Petite typewriter for Christmas. I loved it and felt very grown up as I typed away writing the new bestsellers! I was very good at English and History at school, but apart from that I frittered my time away in other classes. A long and very winding road took me to college and then university. After that I went into teaching. But all through my life I never stopped writing

In 2002 I wrote my first novel and the next soon after. It was hard fitting it all in around lesson prep, marking etc, but I felt I just needed to write. I had my first short story published in 2010. I then went on to have eight short stories published in various other anthologies. My novel RIGHTEOUS EXPOSURE was published (e-book only) by Crooked Cat Publishing in February last year. And I am soon to have my first paperback A STITCH IN TIME published by Choc Lit in April.

You must be so excited. Tell us about this new title, and what inspired you to write it.

A STITCH IN TIME is essentially about Sarah Yates, a time-travelling history teacher. (Yes, really!) It has more than a touch of romantic comedy, but serious issues are addressed also. I hadn't thought of it before the day I decided on a title! I was thinking of catchy phrases or sayings that would grab a person’s attention while browsing book shelves. Then once I had plumped for A Stitch in Time, the story just came into my head. I

Do you plan the story before you start or let it emerge as you write?

I just have the bare bones of an idea and the characters and jot them down in a few paragraphs. So yes, my ideas evolve as I go along. My characters have a mind of their own and don’t listen to a word I say. They just do their own thing and can be quite rude when I try to force them to do something. I love to be entertained and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

What do you do when the going gets tough?

If I get stuck I often step away for a while and try not to think about it. I find that if I am doing something like gardening or the housework (god forbid) an idea might come to me about how to solve a problem in my ms. I have on occasion left a novel for a few months, perhaps longer and then come back to them with fresh eyes. Normally though I am quite lucky and don't often get stuck.

How did you devise the hero? Did you base them upon a favourite of yours?

Mandy by the Bristol suspension bridge

That is a tricky one. I have lots of heroes but not particularly gorgeous ones like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and a guy called Korczac Ziolkowski who started the carving of Crazy Horse Mountain in South Dakota. All really strong, inspirational men who never gave up on their dreams. But if I had to pick a dishy one it would have to be Johnny Depp or Aidan Turner. My John from A Stitch in Time is somewhere between the two.

What next? Tell us something of your latest work in progress.

My latest WiP is a sequel to A Stitch in Time as the people who have read the ebook have asked for one. I had already started it, luckily! I also have another coming out next year with my fantastic publisher, Choc Lit. Thank you so much for having me on the RNA Blog. It's been great fun.

We’re delighted you could spare the time to talk to us Mandy, and wish you every success for the future.
Best wishes, Freda

Find out more:
http://mandykjameswrites.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.choc-lit.co.uk/

Sarah Yates is disillusioned with her job and recently divorced. Her husband left her for her best friend and as a consequence she is very wary of committing to anyone else as she was broken apart by their betrayal. However, when mysterious and very lovely John Needler arrives on the scene and asks her to travel through time to save the lives of others, she is more than a little attracted to him. Sarah finds new purpose in trying to help people in the past find their happy endings. The big question is – will she ever be able to find hers?

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with bestselling author, Lyn Andrews

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

I’m delighted to welcome bestselling saga writer Lyn Andrews to the blog today. Liverpool born Lyn, an only child whose father was tragically killed on D-Day, is the mother of triplets. She is the author of 33 Sagas set in Liverpool, Ireland and the Isle of Man where she now lives. As an author of Liverpool Sagas, tell us what made you decide to write an historical?

I have always loved History, particularly the Tudor period and enjoyed reading the Historical novels of Phillipa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick, Anne O’Brien and decided to ‘have a go’ myself and I have to say I really did enjoy both the research and the writing.

How much did story-telling play a part in writing this more factual type of novel?

Because I have included purely fictional characters as well as Historical characters in the novel, mainly to show the lifestyle of the poor in Tudor England, I had more licence than if had stuck completely to figures from History. Having said that, I did feel that story-telling played a considerable part in hopefully bringing both Anne and Henry Percy to life.

At first glance this is a story about Anne Boleyn, but now that I’ve read it, and enjoyed it, I find it as much about Henry Percy. Tell us how you set about your research of this famous Northumberland family?

I was looking for a different angle to Anne’s story which has been written about in depth in both fact and fiction, and after the young lovers are parted I began to wonder what happened to Henry, he seems to disappear completely. There is also actually very little factual documentation of his life but the present Duke of Northumberland kindly gave permission for me to use the family’s papers which are held at the British Library. His Archivist at Alnwick, Christopher Hunwick was also extremely helpful and there are numerous books on the history of Northumberland. I also did visit Alnwick, Warkworth, Norham and Prudhoe Castles -all Percy castles- a number of times to get some ‘atmosphere’.

Anne Boleyn is not an easy woman to understand. Did you find her a challenge to write about?

I don’t think that anyone really knows the ‘true’ Anne, she’s rather an enigma, and I did find it a challenge to make her both a sympathetic character and yet keep to the documented facts.

I know you work hard with your writing but what hobbies give you a break and help you relax?

I enjoy painting, water-colours mainly, although I wouldn’t say I’m very good even though my father was an artist. I only have three of his works and have stopped trying to compare my meagre talent to his – it’s depressing! I also enjoy walking, mainly on the many lovely beaches here in the Isle of Man and making sandcastles with my four grandchildren – weather permitting!

Which authors do you choose to read for pleasure?

I really enjoy the books of Barbara Erskine, Victoria Hislop, Robyn Young, Elizabeth Chadwick, Bernard Cornwell and of course the late, wonderful Maeve Binchey. Quite a broad spectrum.

So what next, can we hope for more Tudor novels?

I’ve actually moved on and am about to start a novel on the life of Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James VI of Scotland and I of England, so it’s the early Stuart period. She was the first Queen of Great Britain and was a very feisty lady with a lot to put up with. I’ve two years to complete it as I find the Historicals take longer, not only because of the research but it’s a very different style of writing than the Sagas and of course I will keep writing my Sagas. In fact I’m just completing my next LIVERPOOL ANGELS which will be published in December.

Thank you Lyn for sparing time to talk to us today. We wish you continuing success with your books. Best wishes, Freda

The Queen’s Promise
Pub. Feb 2013
Even as a young child Anne Boleyn knows she is required to use her charm and accomplishments to advance and secure the status of her family at the Tudor court. Arriving from France as a young girl she easily captivates the young noblemen of the court, notably Henry Percy future Earl of Northumberland and, hopeful of her father’s approval Anne agrees to a secret betrothal.

The alliance will not be countenanced by Cardinal Wolsey or the 5th Earl of Northumberland Henry’s father and Henry is forced to return north, into a marriage of duty to a woman he despises and a life of keeping the peace on the wild and dangerous Border Country but he never forgets Anne or his love for her but for them both long-kept secrets could prove disastrous.

Sunlight on the Mersey
Pub. Feb.2013. 1921.
Three years have passed since the end of the Great War but life in Liverpool remains uncertain for shopkeeper’s wife Kate Mundy and her family. Rose is recovering from a recent heartbreak and is sent to work in rural Wales, she is enchanted by the nearby ‘big house’ and by David, the tragic young war hero who owns it. Iris can’t escape so easily especially when a horrifying accident changes the family’s circumstances for the worst. Ex-soldier Charlie wants to put the past behind him and concentrate on a brighter future, even if it means putting ambition before personal happiness. As they all embark on new ventures, for each romance is around the corner, but still so much to contend with in the wake of the war.

http://www.lynandrewsbooks.co.uk
http://www.headline.co.uk
Facebook.com/LynAndrewsBooks
Twitter@LynSagaAuthor

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

We Got By With a Little Help From Our (RNA) Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

The RNA is famous for its New Writers Scheme through which many successes have been achieved. But these are changing times and there is more than one way to get published. Today, I'm delighted to introduce Four members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme who have set out on a self-publishing adventure together.

This method is not for everyone. It has its pros and cons and you still need to be published by a recognised traditional or epublisher before qualifying as a full RNA member, so do tell us ladies what decided you to take this road.

Four of us: Lizzie Lamb, Adrienne Vaughan, Mags Cullingford and June Kearns decided to take destiny into their own hands, form The New Romantics 4 and publish our novels on Amazon in 2012. While our novels are nothing like E L James’ 50 Shades of Grey, the fact that the author initially published the story herself was a great boost to our decision to work collaboratively.

The catalyst was an inspiring lunch with Amanda Grange in June 2012 where we eached the conclusion we had nothing to fear other than fear itself - the blue touch paper was lit and we were off on the road to self publication.

Lizzie’s Story:

If it hadn’t been for the RNA, I would never have gained an overview of publishing and how it’s changing. Through Chapter Meetings, Parties and Awards ceremonies, I have learned from experienced, published authors what works in a novel and what agents/ publishers are looking for. This knowledge, combined with the critiques I have received as part of the NWS scheme and insights gleaned from seminars and workshops at RNA Conferences, has shown me how to improve my writing. Knowing a published author in my genre has reviewed my manuscript has given me confidence to self publish. The fifty reviews on amazon.co.uk and similar number on amazon.com for my debut novel TALL, DARK AND KILTED shows that my instincts to self publish were correct.

Adrienne’s Story - My Love Affair with RNA

Like all love affairs, I know precisely when it began. Autumn 2011, when these talented, and as yet, unpublished writers welcomed me with open arms into the Leicester Chapter of RNA. I immediately tattooed the NWS deadline on my heart, sending my manuscript with a note, ‘Hope it’s worth it?” Melanie’s note back, ‘So do I!” gave me an appreciation of RNA – you’re the good guys! My report was brilliant and worth its weight in gold.

Taking three more rejections on the chin, I plunged into the unknown and decided to self publish with Lizzie, June and Mags. Self publishing provides me with freedom, freedom to learn more about my craft, this ever-changing business and to write without looking back. So far there have been sales, reviews, and so much good will, if I could bottle it and send it to every member of the NWS I would! The RNA has given me so much there is no doubt this will be a life-long love affair!

Mags’ Story:

The confidence to self-publish my debut novel Last Bite of the Cherry grew from a local Writers’ Workshop where I was encouraged to join the RNA New Writers’ Scheme by novelist Margaret Kaine. Having followed through the amendments suggested by my anonymous appraiser to achieve “a novel to be proud of”, I had no hesitation in joining my inspirational co-writers, Lizzie Lamb, June Kearns and Adrienne Vaughan to form New Romantics 4. LAST BITE OF THE CHERRY is more Contemporary Women’s Fiction than Romance. Even so, according to one of my Amazon reviewers, “The three interwoven love stories keep up a fast pace which made it very hard to put down”.

June’s Story:

Without the RNA, its contacts and professional network, I wouldn’t have met Amanda Grange! In my second year on The New Writers’ Scheme, ENGLISHWOMAN’S GUIDE TO THE COWBOY went through for a second read, and although it failed to find a publisher, she’s been both champion and supporter.

Last year, weary of near-misses with publishers and agents, Lizzie, Adrienne, Mags and I started to feel there must be a better way forward. Although Mandy is published both here and in the US, by Penguin and Sourcebooks, she’d already started to self-publish her back catalogue with Amazon and encouraged us to do the same. We asked: “When would be the best time to self publish?” Mandy’s reply, “Do it now!” set us on our path to publication. So, a big thanks to Amanda and to the RNA and the NWS for their wealth of experience, constant support and friendship.

We got there with a little help from our friends.

The New Romantics 4 at Bedford

Thank you for sparing your experiences with us today. I'm sure it will inspire others to follow your example. We wish you every success with your new venture.
Best wishes, Freda

Find out More:
http://www.newromantics4.com

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, or wish to contribute a post, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Mary Nichols

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

I’m delighted to welcome long-standing member Mary Nichols to the RNA Blog today. Mary began her writing career with articles and short stories before turning to novels. After writing ten for Robert Hale, she went on to write historical romance for Mills & Boon (38 to date) and family sagas, first for Orion and more recently for Allison and Busby.

I congratulate you Mary on your book THE KIRILOV STAR being short-listed in the RoNas. Do tell us the secret of your success, and who you would like to thank.

I do not know that there is any particular secret apart from determination and hard work. A friend, referring to the numerous rejections I had in the early years, once said to me,: ‘Mary, your trouble is, you don’t know when you’re beat.’ I took that as a compliment. I am grateful to Allison and Busby for their faith in me and to the RNA. I like to think all its members are my friends but there are a very special few (they know who they are) who have supported me and listened to my woes with infinite patience and good fellowship. I owe them a lot.

I believe you joined the RNA back in the 1960s, so do you think the media is less dismissive of romance now than it was then, or is this a cross we will always have to bear?

I suppose there will always be some people who look down their noses at our books. That is their loss, but I do think our image is improving. That is largely down to the hard work succeeding members of the RNA Committees have done over the years, not to mention the rank and file who were, and are, not afraid to stand up and be counted.

What do you enjoy most about your particular genre?

I like to imagine life as it was once lived by ordinary people and enjoy bringing the past back to life. I like doing the research and fitting the real history into the lives of my characters or, more properly, the other way about; the story should fit the history.

Which particular period do you most like to write about and why?

It depends which books I am writing. I like the Georgian and Regency periods for Mills and Boon, because of the richness, the manners and costumes, and working out how people travelled. I wrote one book, The Last Gamble, that consisted entirely of hero and heroine travelling by stage from London to Glasgow which gave them plenty of time to fall in love. For the sagas I like to write about the second world war, because I was there and I remember so much about it. It amuses me that it is now considered history. I suppose I must consider myself a historical character now!

I know that you also write for Harlequin Mills & Boon which are not as easy to write as people imagine. In what way does your approach differ in writing these books?

The Mills and Boon books focus entirely on the developing relationship between the hero and heroine and that is what I bear in mind, although there has to be a good story behind it. The sagas can take place over a longer time and I can explore other aspects and side issues as the plot develops. I use different points of view which have a bearing on the story. You can tell from this that I think the story is the most important element and there are no hard and fast rules. If there are, I seem to break them.

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?

Spending time with my family, reading, walking, playing golf, but I haven’t done the latter for a little while, owing to domestic circumstances which meant for a time I was tied to the house. Life is a little easier now, so maybe I’ll take it up again. I like doing crosswords and seeing how far I can get before I have to resort to the crossword solver.

Are you a lark or an owl? When is your best time to write?

I write at any time during the day, but rarely after 6 o’clock in the evening and I try not to write at weekends, but sometimes I am so fired up I can’t leave it alone; my characters demand attention.

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

I am three quarters of the way through my next book for Allison and Busby. I won’t say much about it, except that it is set in World War Two in England and Poland and, as usual, I am putting my characters through the mill before the story’s resolution. I have also just finished the last edit of a new Mills and Boon book, In the Commodore’s Hands which is due out in September. And I’m putting some of my out-of-print books on Amazon for the Kindle with the help of my lovely daughter-in-law, Elaine. The Latest, TO WIN THE LADY, can be found at:
Buy here at Amazon

Thank you, Mary, for sparing time to talk to us today. We wish you continuing success with your books.
Best wishes, Freda

ESCAPE BY MOONLIGHT, just out in hardback and on Kindle, is the story of Elizabeth de Lacey and Lucy Storey, both from a Norfolk village, the one wealthy and privileged, the other the daughter of the local stationmaster, poles apart but linked by war. Lucy stays at home to cope with an increasingly bad tempered father. Elizabeth, who is holidaying with her maternal grandparents when World War Two breaks out, stays there and becomes involved with the French Resistance. For both of them it is a time of risk and danger, for secrets and betrayal, and for finding love in the most unexpected places.

Find out more:
http://www.marynichols.co.uk
http://www.marynichols.co.uk/blog

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

April Self-Published Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Margaret Mounsdon THE MORELLI VINEYARD

Kindle e book

17 March 2013

99p/$1.50

When Jenny Cavendish inherits a share in a Tuscany vineyard certain members of the Morelli family are not happy, forcing Jenny to turn to neighbour Gino Belpaese for help. Help that comes with conditions.

Margaret Mounsdon THE MIMOSA SUMMER

Kindle e book

17 March 2013

99p/S1.50

Pippa is not everyone's idea of a perfect nanny, but Lilly loves her, which is more than can be said for her father Marc.

margaretsromanceworld.blogspot.com

www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk

Kitty Charles THE ARCADE: EPISODE 4, APRIL, THE CHOCOLATE BOUTIQUE
Blue-Eyed Llama
ebook
24 March 2013
£0.77

Chocolatier Magnus Elsinger has a reputation. Tall, blond and wealthy, he's exactly the kind of man the women of Angell's Arcade ought to steer clear of. Unfortunately for them, he's every bit as charming as he is gorgeous and some of them just can't resist.

So when someone starts leaving him bouquets of dead roses, there's no shortage of disgruntled suspects. As Easter approaches, the anonymous messages take a more sinister turn. Has Magnus finally played the wrong woman? And how far will she go for revenge?

April fills Angell’s Arcade with the delicious aroma of chocolate and a chilling tinge of fear.

Like your favourite soap, The Arcade brings you characters you love to hate – and to love. Each bite-sized episode is perfect for your journey to work, your lunch-break – or a quiet night of escapism. And it’ll leave you wanting more – with a teaser of next month’s storyline!

http://blueeyedllama.wordpress.com

Noelene Jenkinson A GENTLEMAN'S BRIDE

Createspace

Paperback

1 April 2013

£8.55

Anne Gray is forced to marry for the

chance of a better life. Until she learns the truth about her husband and her

life is in jeopardy. She escapes Devon for Australia.

James Barratt emigrated from Sussex to Australia to make his fortune. After his

fiance jilts him, he vows never to fall in love again.

In Australia, Anne changes her name and answers James' advertisement for a

wife. But her blossoming romance and future is threatened when her past returns

to haunt her and once again she is forced to flee. Homeless, Anne struggles

to resolve her future until the real truth is uncovered.

http://www.noelenejenkinson.com

Evelyn Orange MELODY FOR LIZZIE

ebook on Kindle and Smashwords

March 1st 2013

£1.74 / $2.99

Elizabeth Belmont grows up in Edwardian London dreaming of becoming a star on the music hall stage. But when disaster strikes, her widowed father has to send her to stay with her mother’s starchy family in Sheffield. Against all odds she finally realises her ambition, becoming a musical artiste. It is a time of change, when women are fighting for the vote, but are still bound by convention and strict class values. Even as she rises up the bill, she is torn between the world of middle-class respectability and the free life of the theatre. Spurned by the man she loves, she is drawn into the clutches of a man she detests. Can Elizabeth break free and find the happiness she longs for?

www.evelynorange.co.uk

Winning the RoNa Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

2013 was always going to be an exciting year – I have a "significant" birthday coming up in May and in March we celebrated our ruby wedding. As if that was not enough, just as I was getting back to work after the Christmas holidays, I had an email from the Awards Organiser to say my Sarah Mallory novel, BENEATH THE MAJOR'S SCARS, had been short-listed for the Rona Rose!

Having won the award last year, I knew how exciting the ceremony can be and I was thrilled to be on the shortlist again, especially when I saw the other contenders – all Mills & Boon authors and all excellent books

The day started with a sumptuous lunch at Le Meriden for all the RoNA Rose short-listed authors, courtesy of Mills & Boon. Even the bitingly cold wind couldn't dampen our spirits as we walked from the hotel to the RAF Club for the Awards Reception. We wished each other well, then went into the sumptuous ballroom to meet up with friends, well-wishers and the hopeful authors from the other RoNA categories. It was such a special occasion – the room looked fabulous with balloons and displays of the shortlisted books, waiters circulated, filling and re-filling our glasses and the noise levels rose steadily as the excitement mounted. I was very nervous beforehand, even though I really didn't think I would win again. Luckily we didn't have long to wait because the RoNA Rose was the first award to be presented.

The winners of each of the RoNA categories is given a beautiful glass star to keep but the RoNA Rose winner also has a beautiful silver rose bowl to hold for the year. When the Romance Prize was initiated, Harlequin Mills & Boon presented the RNA with this bowl in memory of Betty Neels, an RNA member and one of the readership's favourite authors, so you can imagine how special this is to me. When the winner was announced my knees just went weak! I felt like a real celebrity as I made my way through the crowd to collect my trophy and my glass star from Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, especially when photographers jumped out before me and the cameras started flashing!

Judy very kindly held my star and my trophy for me while I made my speech. I can hardly recall what I said at the time, but it was filmed and is now on You Tube, so I know I was there (and thankfully I kept it very short!).

Here's the link, just in case you want to see how nervous I was!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFRiukyq_RI

The winning book, Beneath the Major's Scars is one of a pair of novels I wrote using twins for the main characters. Having twin boys myself I have always wanted to use twins as heroes (of course my characters are both gorgeous and extremely handsome, but that's as far as the similarities go with my own lads!)

I wanted to show that twins might look identical but they can have very different personalities, so I worked hard to make the two books very different – Dominic in Beneath the Major's Scars is the younger brother and as was common in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century he was a soldier, fighting in the Peninsula until he was horrifically injured and sent home to England, where he locked himself away in a lonely house on Exmoor, shunning society.

His twin, Jasper, is very different, his good looks have not been disfigured and he loves society. Of course it helps that as the rich Viscount Markham he is a very eligible bachelor. So where Dominic needs a woman to prove to him that life really is still worth living, in Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager, Jasper definitely needs to be brought down a peg or two!

After the awards, we had a celebratory dinner with the lovely Carole Townend and her husband, then I floated back to the hotel on air – I don't think I was too inebriated, as I was booked to record an interview for the RNIB the following morning: they had contacted me some months earlier to say that Beneath the Major's Scars had been selected for their talking books series, which is another wonderful accolade for this novel.

So what is next? Well, I am finishing my latest Sarah Mallory novel for Mills & Boon and the ideas are constantly bubbling up for more historical romances. However, I am also re-visiting a longer historical novel that I started some years ago. Who knows, this might be the year I get it re-written and out in the market! Whatever happens, I am just so pleased to have won the RoNA Rose this year. I keep looking at the two stars and the rose bowl that I keep by my desk and it gives me added confidence to continue writing the books I love.

Thank you Linda, we wish you every success for the future, and many congratulations!

Interview with Valerie Wood

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

I’m delighted to welcome bestselling author Valerie Wood to the blog today. Val’s writing career began when she won the first Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction in 1993. Seventeen more novels have followed. Do tell us something of your writer’s journey.

I always had a fertile imagination and constantly jotted down pieces of prose, doggerel and pathetic attempts at poetry, but it wasn’t until much later that I began to take myself seriously and joined a writers’ workshop. It was during that ten year period that I became inspired by the crumbling cliffs of East Yorkshire and the history of the lost villages in the region, and began to pen my first novel THE HUNGRY TIDE, which won The Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction.

It must have been so exciting to win such a prestigious Award. What advice would you give to aspiring writers who enter competitions in this way?

Actually I was persuaded to enter and did so without thinking that my book might win. When it did I was euphoric and on cloud nine for months, not totally realising how my life would change. I can only say to aspiring authors, if you are really committed, grab any opportunity with both hands and don’t ever be afraid that your work won’t be good enough.

You write wonderful family sagas, tell us something of your particular theme and favourite period.

I am very comfortable in mid 19th century. I research thoroughly the subject I have chosen for a novel, be it poverty, the workhouse, the children working in dreadful conditions in local mills, and particularly on the rights of women. I have also written on lighter subjects such as the music hall and fairgrounds, which were so important to the community of the time. I feel that this period is almost touchable and although it is beyond memory, still has an influence on our lives through our own ancestry.

What inspires you most, people or places?

Ideas for a writer with an imaginative mind often pop up when least expected; and living as I do in East Yorkshire and close to Hull, Beverley and rural Holderness where there is an abundance of history and places in which to explore it, plus the wide skies and undulating countryside, the Humber estuary and the sea which call to me constantly, I might say that it is the places. But on the other hand, a novel would be pretty empty without strong and meaningful characters. I can see them, touch them, smell them, and so the honest answer is that I don’t know. Both in equal measure I think.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft?

My aim when starting a new novel is to get the first few chapters down whilst the story is fresh in my mind. I try to write a chapter a day and the following morning before starting the next one, I check and revise what I’ve written the day before. This is not to say that I won’t make changes later as the story progresses and something occurs to me, which I feel I must change immediately. I finish the first draft, print it out, read it and make amendments in free hand before going back to the computer and starting again at the beginning.

Of all the characters you’ve created, is there one that holds a special place in your heart?

I feel an empathy with all of my characters, particularly those who have pulled themselves up from extreme poverty or hardship and one such of these is Annie, who appeared in my first book, THE HUNGRY TIDE. and although not a main character there was something about Annie which moved me and I wanted to know more about her. I moved her out of the story with the threat of the gallows hanging over her, and when I finished The Hungry Tide I immediately began ANNIE, her very own story. But this is the oddest thing, I was well into her story when I heard the news that I’d won the Cookson Prize, and the character Annie changed from being a sorry miserable creature without any hope, to becoming positive, humorous and strong. I don’t know what this says about me as a writer, but she remains to this day one of my favourite characters.

What was your favourite book as a child?

Without a doubt, and I was an avid reader, miserable without a book in my hand, it was Little Women by Louisa M Alcott. I read it and re read it, often beginning it again as soon as I came to the end. And Jo was the favourite character.

If you met your fairy godmother, what would you wish for?

Well, many authors would say the same - a film or TV series of my books! Many of my novels feature the sea and ships - whaling ships, a convict ship taking my character Emily to Australia, trawlers and fishing smacks in The Harbour Girl and the drama and tragedy and hope that is carried within them. I realise how much it would cost to produce such dreams - but dream on.

Bella has set her heart on becoming a teacher, but her dreams are shattered when she is told she must help her mother in the family business as her father is seriously ill. When her father dies, she not only takes on the responsibility of the inn, but also for her mother’s fifth child. Then her mother announces that she wants to move the family to her home town of Hull and take on the tenancy of a run down and disreputable public house. Is this the worse thing ever for Bella or will it be a challenge to prove herself – a blessing in disguise, and will she ever receive the love of the one man who appears to be out of her reach?

‘An intriguing tale of family relationships.’ Yorkshire Herald. ‘Cookson fans will adore this saga.’ Woman’s Own.

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Val. We wish you continuing success with your books. Best wishes, Freda

Find out more:
http://www.valeriewood.co.uk
http://www.transworldbooks.co.uk/authors/val-wood
Amazon

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Jean Fullerton

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Jean Fullerton was born into a large, East End family and grew up in the overcrowded streets clustered around the Tower of London, so it is no surprise to learn that her very successful novels are set in London. Welcome to the blog Jean, delighted to have you here. Would you say you always wanted to be a writer, or did it happen by chance?

Pure chance. After attending a NHS management course where they advised taking up a hobby to relieve stress. I knew absolutely nothing about plot, structure, writing techniques or punctuation and just thought writing a story might be a fun thing to do to get my head out of the day-job. That was eleven years ago and the rest, as they say is history.

I know you have to juggle writing with the day job in nursing? What is your work schedule?

Jean in her uniform

Sadly I’m not J K Rowling so I still work as a university lecturer teaching nursing so I have to have very good time management. I usually write in the evening for three hours on a week day then have a break to watch a bit of TV then back to edit for an hour while the Hero-at-Home reads in bed. At a weekend I work in the afternoon. I set myself the task of writing the minimum of 1000 words a day, although I often write twice that, and aim to write for at least five days’ out of seven. I also plot my books so I can set milestones of so many scenes per week/month.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft? What method works best for you?

When I started I used to write straight through the first draft but now I find if I know a plot line or character isn’t right I can’t just plough on. Although this slows my writing down it often saves me writing myself up a blind alley and having to scrap great chunks. It’s a sort of instinct I’ve developed and although I take longer to write a book I’ve found it saves me a great deal of time in the long run as there are a lot less edits returned from my publishers.

Have you ever suffered rejections, if so how did you deal with them?

Have I? I’ve got a ring binder full of them. I know it’s hard to have your ‘baby’ mauled and rejected. But if you’re determined to be published I’m afraid it’s a process you most likely have to go through. It’s a general rule of thumb if an agent or editor doesn’t get your story then a reader won’t either. If you get any constructive feedback then I would strongly advise you to read it objectively and learn from what they say. That’s why the NWS is so brilliant because it gets you used to receiving and working with critical feedback.

You write wonderfully popular family sagas. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer wishing to break into this market?

Thank you for your kind words. As with all genres there are certain things that a reader expects from a saga such as a strong heroine and an insight into a very different way of life and time. I’d advise any would-be saga writers to read widely in the genre, do their research and write a full-bodied story with a cast of interwoven characters.

Jean on her bike outside her home in Anthony Street

How do you set about breathing life into your own characters?

I have to know everything about them even stuff that never gets into the story. Once I can hear their voice and know their inner thoughts I can bring them to life.

Have you ever been interviewed on TV? Did you find it a pleasant or a scary experience?

I was phoned at work by Catherine Jones one day and told the BBC needed a romantic novelist to appear on the 6 o’clock news to talk about the sale of the unfinished Jane Austen manuscript, The Watsons. As I was in London would I like to do it? I love Austin but wouldn’t describe myself as an expert on her work so I phoned the Hero-at- Home and asked him to get together a prep-sheet on the story.

I dashed home, changed and was back on the tube half an hour later heading for Broadcasting House in Shepherds Bush. I arrived at 5.30 and was taken into the studio to meet Gavin Esler. He asked me a few questions about the enduring appeal of Austen followed by a discussion about romantic fiction and then it was over. To be honest it was all so fast I didn’t have time to be scared and was thrilled they spelt my name right on the rolling credits.

So tell us about your latest book, and what inspired you to write it.

I wasn’t so much inspired as asked by Susan Lamb, the Head of Fiction at Orion Books to write it. Orion publishes Call the Midwife along with Jennifer Worth’s other three books.

Susan thought as I’m a District and Queen’s Nurse and an East Ender I would be the perfect person to write a fictitious account of a District Nurse and Midwife’s life and work in post-war East London.

I was apprehensive at first but my wonderful editorial team were so sure I could bring the duel strands of my background and profession together in Millie’s story I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did because I had a wonderful time researching my own profession and creating Millie’s family, friends and patients.

For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength and kindness. And when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.

Through Millie's eyes, we see the harsh realities and unexpected joys in the lives of the patients she treats, as well as the camaraderie that is forged with the fellow nurses that she lives with. Filled with unforgettable characters and moving personal stories, this vividly brings to life the colourful world of post-war East London.

Find out more:
http://www.jeanfullerton.com
You can also find Jean on Facebook as Jean Fullerton and on Twitter as @EastLondonGirly
Amazon

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Jean. We wish you continuing success with your books. Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

April New Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:23:00 +0000

Liz Fenwick THE CORNISH HOUSE

Orion

Paperback

£7.99

11 April 2013

Can a house heal a broken heart?

When artist Maddie inherits a house in Cornwall shortly after the death of her husband, she hopes it will be the fresh start she and her step-daughter desperately need. Trevenen is beautiful but neglected, and as Maddie discovers the stories of generations of women who've lived there before, she begins to feel her life is somehow intertwined within its walls.

But Maddie's dream of a calm life in the countryside is far from the reality she faces - and as she pulls at the seams of Trevenen's past, the house reveals secrets that have lain hidden for generations.

http://twitter.com/#!/liz_fenwick
http://lizfenwick.blogspot.com/

Julie Cohen DEAR THING

Bantam Press
Hardback / ebook
11 April
£14.99 (hardbackb) / £9.35 (ebook)

A bittersweet story about love and motherhood: Claire, who desperately wants a baby, and Romily, the woman who's carrying it for her...who is secretly in love with Claire's husband.

Twitter: @julie_cohen

Louise Allen SCANDAL IN THE REGENCY BALLROOM

Harlequin Mills & Boon
Paperback & e-book

April 2013

Paperback £7.99 (£5.24 Amazon)

The reissue of two Regency romances featuring thoroughly unconventional heroines. No Place for a Lady: Bree owns a stagecoach company and teeters on the edge of respectability until she meets the rakish Earl of Penrith. Not Quite a Lady: Lily France is a very rich heiress with a background in trade and absolutely no taste – except in men, that is.

www.louiseallenregency.co.uk

Benita Brown I’LL BE SEEING YOU

Hardback

Magna Large Print

April 2013

£20.99

www.benitabrown.com

Mandy Baggot SECURITY

4 April 2013

Sapphire Star Publishing - paperback and ebook.

ISBN 978-1-938404-52-8

Autumn Raine is a pop vocalist at the very top of her game. She's a style icon, the paparazzi's darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel. Enter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He's a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help?

As the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he's letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary's involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks? Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?

www.mandybaggot.com

JL Merrow HARD TAIL
ISBN: 978-1619210578
Publisher : Samhain Publishing
Publication date (if known) : 2nd April 2013
Price and edition (paper, ebook etc) :Paperback, $15.00 discounted to $10.00 for limited time only.

Finding love can be a bumpy ride
When newly unemployed accountant Tim agrees to run his injured brother’s mountain bike shop, an unexpected attraction brings him close to the door of a closet he’s tried to deny he’s in. For Tim, loving Matt means coming to terms with who he is—and being willing to fight for the man he loves.

Publisher link:http://store.samhainpublishing.com/hard-tail-p-6805.html

JL Merrow SLAM!
ISBN: 978-1-61921-485-9
Publisher : Samhain Publishing
Publication date (if known) : 9th April 2013
Price and edition (paper, ebook etc) :ebook, $5.50 discounted to $3.85 for limited time only.

Limericks, lies, and puppy-dog eyes…Amateur poet Jude Biggerstaff tries to build a relationship with David, aka Karate Crumpet, sabotaged by a comedy of errors caused by his mum's little white lies.

http://store.samhainpublishing.com/slam-p-7352.html

Kate Jackson ALWAYS IN MY HEART, Part Two

D.C. Thomson

People's Friend Pocket Novel #728

4th April 2013
£1.99

When Bessie Rushbrook takes in an evacuee in July 1944, it starts a chain of events which threatens to tear her family apart.

http://katejacksonswriting.blogspot.co.uk/

Lynne Connolly NICE 'N' EASY

Publisher Ellora's Cave
Format eBook
Date 24th April 2013
Price $6.99

Nightstar, Book 3

Heart-stoppingly sexy Donovan Harvey, bassist for Murder City Ravens, is
also a writer. At his first fantasy convention, he wants to launch his new
book, not find the love of his life. He gets both.
Allie, unabashed fan and book editor, can't believe she's locking lips with
the bassist for the hottest band, but sometime during their first searingly
hot encounter, she discovers Donovan the man, not the rock musician and
she's even more smitten.
They can't get enough of each other. In the shower, against the wall, even
in bed, Donovan talks during sex, leading Allie through fantasies she'd
never imagined before, presenting her with scenarios she can't resist,
setting her alight with steamy stories he'll never share with anyone else.
She inspires him. He gives her ideas.
But Murder City Ravens is on a world tour, and Allie needs to stay in New
York if she's to make a success of her career. When her company asks her to
poach Donovan from his current publisher, Allie hesitates, but her boss
makes it impossible for her to refuse without losing her job.
A RomanticaR contemporary erotic romance from Ellora's Cave
Website:

http://lynneconnolly.com/niceneasy.html

Bernardine Kennedy GRACIE

Publisher AVON HARPER COLLINS
Author MARIE MAXWELL (aka Bernardine Kennedy)
Format PAPERBACK
Date APRIL 25TH
Price £6.99

Gracie McCabe is trying to build a new life for herself and has her future mapped out but then the doubts surface and old secrets threaten to ruin everything. Will she ever be able to put the past to rest?
GRACIE is a regional saga set in Essex and the second in a series.

http://www.bernardinekennedy.com
http://www.bernardinekennedy.blogspot.com
Twitter: @BerniKennedy

Susan Palmquist THE ONE AND ONLY

Muse It Up Publishing

E-book (children’s book)

Brandon Jones is an only child and that’s his problem. When he can’t convince his parents that a new baby is just what the family needs he resorts to taking the next door neighbour’s newest arrival. Every bad decision has its consequences and finally he realises that he's destined to be Brandon Jones AKA, The One And Only.

www.susanpalmquist.com

www.museitpublishing.com

Vanessa Devereaux MATTERS OF THE HEART (Perfect Pairing Book Four)

Evernight Publishing

E-book

April 11^th, 2013

Lucy Davis has always loved Bryce Davis but never had the courage to tell him. She’s signed with the Perfect Pairing matchmaking service, hoping that Sadie Sutton can help them become a couple. However, what Lucy doesn’t know is that Bryce got married after a whirlwind romance. Sadie won’t give up on finding Lucy the perfect man.

Brad Ryan finds a baby in a carrier sitting on the front step of his sheriff’s office. If that wasn’t a big enough surprise, there’s a note tucked inside the blanket telling him he’s the father.

What’s a sheriff to do when he’s suddenly thrown into the role of single father? Sadie has the answer and it’s in the shape of a nanny named Lucy. Will these two fall in love and will Sadie have another perfect pairing to gloat about?

www.vanessadevereaux.com

www.evernightpublishing.com

Jane Jackson EYE OF THE WIND

Accent Press

Paperback
25th April 2013
£7.99

Set in 1795, a year since Lord Roland Stratton left Cornwall for France to undertake a secret mission for the British government.

When her father is felled by a stroke brought on by desperate financial problems, Melissa Tregonning has to try to keep the family boatyard running and pay off his debts. Determined to protect his reputation, she must keep his plight and her efforts a secret, even from her family.

She is helped by a mysterious stranger discovered living in woods on her father's land. But who is he? Why does he seek solitude? And what – or who – caused his terrible wounds?

Attraction neither dare acknowledge deepens into love. But dark secrets threaten to part them forever, until Melissa's courage leads to a revelation that changes everything.

www.janejackson.net

Electra Shepherd MAN OR MACHINE

Ellora's Cave
ebook
5 April 2013
US$5.60

Book 2 in the BODY ELECTRIC series. Sometimes a girl has to accept that the man—er, robot—you think you want is only seventy-six percent of the man you need.

http://www.electrashepherd.com

Nicola Cornick FORBIDDEN

MIRA

Print
5th April 2012
£6.39
From lady's maid to the toast of the town!

www.nicolacornick.co.uk

Zanna Mackenzie THE LOVE PROGRAMME

Publisher Astraea Press

Format ebook (paperback to follow)
date 22 Feb 2013
price £1.97

Thanks to an embarrassing incident involving a wedding and her ex-boyfriend Marcus, Lucy has to leave her home town in a hurry and needs a place to escape to for a while.

Best friend Fiona is convinced now would be a good time for Lucy to get herself a new life with some potential for romance thrown in. Fate seems to agree when Lucy is given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to star in a TV show and be a contestant on The Love Programme - two weeks of luxury living on a grand Highland estate coupled with, she hopes, fun and romance in wildest Scotland.

When Lucy meets Paul - the young, handsome owner of the Highland estate - she thinks she may have found the love of her life but who is the mysterious Hannah and what part does she play in his life? When she discovers that Marcus is planning to follow her to Scotland to win her back Lucy has some serious soul searching to do. Does she have a future with Paul, with Marcus or is she yet to find the man of her dreams?

http://www.zannamackenzie.co.uk/

Zanna Mackenzie HOW DO YOU SPELL LOVE?

Publisher Crooked Cat Publishing
Format paperback and ebook
1st March 2013
Paperback £6.75 ebook £1.99

Make A Wish…

Kat can’t help wishing there was more to life than this. What happened to her dream job? What happened with Nathan? Summer is wondering where her life is going too… battling the developers of a controversial housing estate and working out why boyfriend Rob is increasingly distant.

When the developers win the battle and move into town everyone’s life is turned upside down. Kat meets building site project manager Alex. She enjoys his company far too much, even though he’s on the town’s most hated list. Summer meets Tom who has plenty of relationship troubles of his own, so things could get really complicated.

Soon everyone is keeping secrets, lives change and hearts are broken. Is everything falling apart, or does life just work in mysterious ways…

http://www.zannamackenzie.co.uk/

Freda Lightfoot MY LADY DECEIVER
Allison & Busby
paperback
29 April 2013
£7.99

1905. Rosie Belsfield feels as if her life has ended when she is rejected from Ellis Island and put on the next boat back to England, leaving her family behind. But fate gives her a second chance when she befriends Lady Rosalind. Having boarded the ship with one identity, fate decrees that Rosie leave it with another . . .

As Rosie arrives in Cornwall as ‘Rosalind’, she finds herself increasingly trapped by her deception and the cruelty of those around her. Her only hope seems to be the enigmatic Bryce Tregowan, with whom the promise of a new life beckons. As she falls deeper into love and lies, can Rosie keep up the act, or will her secrets reveal themselves? And to what consequences?

http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk

Kate Blackadder THE FAMILY AT FARRSHORE

Publisher: Thorpe
Paperback
1st April 2013
£8.99 (but for sale only to libraries)

Cathryn is delighted to join an archaeological dig at Farrshore, in the
Scottish Highlands. Apart from her professional interest, it means she¹ll be at a distance from her recently ex-boyfriend, Daniel. Canadian Magnus
Macaskill, is in Farrshore for his own reasons, one of which is to trace his ancestry. As they spend the summer lodging with the MacLeod family, Cathryn and Magnus are drawn into the small community and to each other. But how will Cathryn react when Daniel reappears?

website http://www.ulverscroft.com

Lizzy Edmondson Reports on the Paris Book Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Liz Fenwick) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 06:06:00 +0000

Paris in springtime -

and romance is in the air.

Lizzy Edmondson, aka Elizabeth Aston, with good news for writers.

Romance is hot in France!

Last weekend, I was in Paris for the Book Fair. My publisher, Bragelonne, invited me to sign my book, Darcy dans L’Âme (True Darcy Spirit), which was published to coincide with the fair.

I signed masses of books and chatted in my rusty (shame on me) French to readers of all ages from bashful teens to chic grannies. I also did an interview for Les Romantiques blog and took part in a conference session, 50 Nuances de Romance.

And, after the day’s work was done, it was out to a delightful restaurant, with Stéphane Marsan, the CEO and founder of Bragelonne, as a charming host.

The Paris Foire des Livres isn’t like Frankfurt or the London Book Fair. Those are trade shows, with neither authors nor readers especially welcome. In Paris, it’s all about the readers, and more than 200,000 of them flocked through the turnstiles - at €10 a time - to throng the aisles and booths, look for favourite writers, discover new ones and talk to authors and publishers. The atmosphere was lively and busy, and, from where I was sitting on the Milady stand, tantalising - we were opposite the cookery section and the demos sent delicious aromas into the air. (Cooking is big in France - quelle surprise - with TV shows immensely popular, just like on this side of the channel.)

So, what’s hot? Romance is what’s hot. The French are taking to it in a big way, not least thanks to brilliant blogs like Les Romantiques. 50 Shades of Grey has made a hit there, as everywhere else, but Frenchwomen’s appetite for romance is much bigger than that. Paranormals, historicals, YA and erotic: Martine and Amélie and Chantal are devouring them in ever increasing numbers.

Which makes it strange that there are virtually NO French romance authors. I didn’t make that up, it’s what my publishers told me. So where do they get their books from? From abroad. They’re thrilled with the success of their romance titles, bought from America and England, from big publishers and small publishers and even self-publishers. They translate - which isn’t cheap - but it’s worth their while as the market is growing all the time. They hope that more French writers will leap to their keyboards and hang out their hearts, but only a few are venturing into these rose-coloured waters. Why aren’t they? Dare one say, intellectual snobbery? There’s certainly an element of that, a shudder of distaste at such a popular mass market. Where’s the noir, the significance in romance?

What an opportunity for English writers. Publishers like Bragelonne are actively looking for titles for their Milady romance list, as well as for paranormals and urban fantasy under the Castelmore imprint. As you can tell, they’re big Dumas fans at Bragelonne, and in a way that’s a statement of intent. They don’t shun what’s popular; what they and the readers want are good stories to make your heart beat a little faster.

This trend hasn’t gone unnoticed in the wider world. This article appeared in the Times business section this week (don’t you love the snooty remark at the end?), proof positive that Romance has come home to La Belle France. Hooray! Or, as I should say, Hourra!

Elizabeth is helping organize a one-day crash course, Pitch across the Pond & Beyond about how to sell your book abroad, and Stéphane will be there, together with Christine Witthohn, a leading US agent - they're a great pair to listen to and meet.

Interview with Sheila Riley

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Sheila Riley to the RNA Blog. Sheila says she has always been interested in writing, and won a few prizes at school for her essays and short stories. Going on to win a distinction in English and History at college she joined a local writer's group and in 2004 the RNA - NWS. She had short stories published in Woman's Own and other weekly magazines, won the North West Libraries short story competition in 2010, wrote a couple of Mills and Boon type novels which weren't successful, and then went on to write sagas - her first love.

Welcome to the blog, Sheila. I believe you have some exciting news to share with us about a new venture you are involved with.

I certainly have Freda, and, excited as I am about it I was filled with trepidation when I was offered the chance to complete the ‘Article Row’ series of world war two sagas written by Annie Groves, or as many of us know and loved her, our very own Penny Halsall. You can imagine my shock, but I said yes - then put down the phone and began to worry - was I good enough to fill the shoes of such a wonderful writer? Let the readers decide.

Do tell us how this all came about.

I was asked by my agent if I would pick one of the characters and write a bit about her - so I chose two, to be on the safe side – I emailed it the following morning, after reading My Sweet Valentine the night before, not knowing that it was being shown to the publisher (Thank the Lord I didn't know!) Then I was asked if I could write ten thousand words... twenty thousand words... and then I was told Harper Collins liked it and when could I have it finished? It was an honour to be able to complete the series and right then I decided ONLY A MOTHER KNOWS would be finished for Penny's first anniversary, it was the least I could do for a wonderful writer who has left such a fabulous legacy - and I finished it late at night on the 30th of December only hours before Penny's anniversary.

Those of us who knew and loved Penny, will be delighted to hear that her series is to live on, in her memory. But do you find the prospect daunting?

I hope Annie Groves readers will enjoy my writing as much as they did Penny’s, although, for as much as I have found the whole experience very exciting I will probably be hiding behind the sofa when ONLY A MOTHER KNOWS, a London saga, hits the shops on the 14th of March. I have only written Liverpool sagas before this one, so I had to do quite a bit of research to get the places exactly right.

Tell us something of your own background in the Liverpool area. You must be as equally fascinated by the history of Merseyside as was Penny.

Bomb damage in Liverpool in WWII

I adore the history of Merseyside; its strong, romantic maritime connections has a heritage that evokes powerful emotions and nuggets of golden stories yet to be mined. I was born in Southport and brought up in Sefton, near Liverpool. I trained as a hairdresser, went to college, and married at nineteen (I know, scandalous, but we were in love – and my dad wouldn’t allow me ‘live in sin’ - back in 1977). I was lucky enough to have three children, (although not pregnant at the time of my marriage) and I used to spend the nights when my babies were asleep scribbling in old exercise books about the wonders of motherhood. Then I would promptly tear up the stories in case my husband thought I’d lost my marbles wanting to be a published writer. He didn’t think that though, and when I had my first short story published in Woman’s Own he was very proud of me.

I know you were in the NWS before getting published, in what way did you find it helpful?

I joined the RNA back in 2004 and Penny was one of the first people to welcome me into the fold and was always friendly, and even though she was a busy writer she always had time to chat. I used to love her posts on Romna, especially when she got her dander up about books being given away - and how hard the author has to work to make a bob or two. The world is a poorer place without her and I hope I can be as helpful to new writers.

I found the NWS and especially ROMNA, really helpful, as new writers are given instant access to the professionals who are so generous with their time and their valuable advice. This wonderful guidance cannot be obtained anywhere else in the world, and I have heard of people sitting up until after midnight on the opening of the new NWS year to gain a valuable place – I know I did - and not only are new writers welcomed with open arms they are also encouraged to take part in wonderful, sometimes passionate, but always friendly exchanges.

Research for Only a Mother Knows

What did you find the most pleasurable, and the most challenging aspect in writing ONLY A MOTHER KNOWS?

The challenge was the most pleasurable aspect of the writing Only A Mother Knows – I love a challenge and I am grateful for it – but the most wonderfully thought-provoking part of it was not only getting into the Annie Groves mind-set but also the mind-set of her characters, I was – and still am - on tenterhooks hoping that I have got everything right.

On a more practical note, tell us something of your routine and where and when you like to write.

I used to write at the kitchen table because I liked to have the sounds of the household around me as I wrote; – my five year old German shepherd, Max pulling down the handle of the kitchen door to go out into the garden, and Missy our tiny, sixteen year old feline fury who often puts Max in his place before snaking her way around my ankles for attention. However, as I had to concentrate on Only A Mother Knows, I moved back to the spare bedroom/office where all my books and research material is stored and I closed the door - nobody dare enter – unless they brought coffee and a chocolate hob-nob.

Are you a plotter or a panster? How much of your journey do you plan before you drive off into the mist?

I used to be a panster and let the story tumble out. I loved the surprise of writing without plans and was often amazed at the characters who took up residence in my tales. However, I now have to plan from the beginning - and I found that it does, ultimately, save me a lot of time.

Do you have a secret good luck charm?

I have, Freda, although I never believed in such things at one time – however, I was in Southport one Wednesday, after an RNA lunch, when I came upon a flight of steps leading down to a cellar that sold lots of shells and crystals, etc. The shop was narrowly old, shadowy, smelled of timeworn books and the salty tang of the sea. I was fascinated and delved into the boxes of curios and trinkets, when I caught sight of some glossy pebbles that had dark marbled markings. Just running the silky stones through my fingers brought me a feeling of intense tranquillity, I had to have one! And although I never really thought of it as a ‘good luck charm’ I have had a wonderful amount of happy coincidences since I bought it for the princely sum of one pound twenty pence.

So what next? Can we hope for more of these sagas in the future?

I have just finished the fifth and final saga in the Article Row series; A Christmas Promise, which will be published in October 2013. However, I’m still having talks about what will happen next year. But I’m pleased to say that at this moment in time, the future is looking delightfully busy.

Only A Mother Knows - the fourth in the Article Row series will be published on the 14th of March.

It has a fabulous three and a half page Forward by Kate Bradley, commissioning editor at Harper Collins, who so rightly says that the book is; In Memory of Penny Halsall 24th November 1946 - 31st December 2011. And if I may, I have included a small portion:

"The news of Penny Halsall's death came as a great shock. I had been her editor for a number of years at HarperCollins and she was one of my favourite authors. I'd worked with Penny on her Annie Groves books and also on some of the ones that she had written as Penny Jordan - she really was a joy and was much loved by everyone here…

At Penny's funeral, the church was completely packed, not just with family but also fellow writers, friends, fans and publishing colleagues. But despite the sadness there was laughter too. Penny loved a party and when her favourite song was played - The Maverick's, 'I Just Want to Dance the Night Away' - we were reminded of what a wonderfully happy and positive person she was.

Once back at my desk in London, my mind turned to the difficult issue of what would happen now. 'My Sweet Valentine' was in the middle of the series and Annie Groves’ fans would be desperate to know what was going to happen to those well-loved characters..."

Kate goes on to say that after many long talk with Penny's agent, Teresa Chris and Penny's sister, Pru, they all agreed that the series should be finished...

“The last piece to be put into place was to find somebody who would be able to marry all of the pieces together and to turn all of the info available into a narrative that was worthy of Penny… We were almost running out of ideas when Teresa discovered the writer Sheila Riley. Not only did Sheila have something of Penny's style, but she also hailed from Penny's beloved Merseyside - without her, this book would never have existed - thank you Sheila..."

Their biggest battle will be on the home front.

Four young women in wartime London have already been witnesses to the heartache and pain that Hitler's bombs have inflicted. Tilly is desperate to wed her sweetheart, but he is called back to America. Her mother gets terrible news and incurs spiteful wrath. For Dulcie, the war brings an old flame, David, back into her life. But can she cope with his terrible injuries. Agnes discovers something that will change her life and Sally’s love is tested. In this seemingly endless war, the girls learn about love, loss and heartache on the home front.

Amazon

Find out more:
Sheila's Blog
On Twitter @1sheilariley

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Sheila. We wish you every success.
Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Kitty Charles

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

I am pleased and deeply intrigued to welcome Kitty Charles to the RNA Blog. Kitty was born in 1970 to parents who worked in the Foreign Office. She attended thirteen different schools, speaks five languages and became a Brownie Guides egg and spoon champion aged 8. She has worked as a nightclub cocktail maker, a wardrobe assistant at BBC Pebble Mill and a Postwoman. She can touch her nose with her tongue.

I understand that Kitty Charles is the pseudonym for a collective of bestselling authors, do tell us how you came up with the idea and formed the writing team.

Mostly, we blame the cava. You know what it’s like when writers get together. We were on our second bottle (or perhaps third) when one of us said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to write something together? In serial form, like a soap opera, or how Dickens used to write? E-books would be perfect for that sort of format: small, cheap, and easy to publish quickly.’

We immediately started to brainstorm the story. We all loved the idea of an old-fashioned shopping arcade in a seaside town, with twelve shops—one shop for each month of the year. We thought we could write one story a month, of 10,000 words or so, each focusing on a different shop. The stories would be self-contained, but they would also tie in with longer story arcs that would span the entire year. We drew a map of Angell’s Arcade and began to come up with the shops and the characters that would inhabit them. It was tremendous fun. We started writing the first episode right away.

Is the Charles part of the name in honour of Charles Dickens, who also wrote in serial form?

Definitely. We came up with all sorts of pseudonyms, but they kept on being already owned by porn stars. So we went back to our original inspiration. We thought about calling ourselves Kitty Dickens, but we quickly realised that our books wouldn’t be easily found by someone typing ‘Dickens’ into an ebook site, since the original Dickens wrote so many. So Kitty Charles it was.

How would you best describe the style, voice or feel of the books? Is this difficult to achieve as a team?

They’re fun, soapy, flirty and sexy. The characters are larger-than-life and they all have secrets. It’s hugely fun to write because we can all egg each other on.

So how does it work in practice? Tell us something of the process you go through to create and write a story collectively.

We’ve divvied up the shops between us: with twelve shops, one for each month of the year, and six authors, we’re each responsible for two shops. But because the storylines interconnect, we have to collaborate on plotting. We have some storylines that we’ve all agreed on already, but each author is more or less in charge of her own episode.

Before we start writing, we might ask some questions or brainstorm together, in person or via email. Then we share a synopsis for each episode, and we add things or comment in it. Then one of us goes off and writes the episode. This is the best part! It’s such a treat to write something that will be shared with five other authors who you think are fantastic.

Of course, it’s also quite scary writing something to be shared with five other authors who you think are fantastic. But it is wonderful getting the episodes to read, about all of these characters we’ve created. It’s like revisiting dear friends every month.

We comment on each episode and revise it, then the part of Kitty Charles who is a grammar stickler proofreads it, and then the part of Kitty Charles who is a tech whiz formats and uploads it, and the part of Kitty Charles who is a PR guru promotes it. (These parts might switch on any given month!)

What do you think is the important ingredient for this kind of story?

There are two vital ingredients. The first, obviously, is alcohol. The second is fun! We are writing and publishing it because it’s fun, and we want the reader to have fun, too, so that she wants to check in each month to see what’s going on in Angell’s Arcade.

Have you involved professionals in the production of your ebooks?

Several of us have self-published successfully already so we feel confident about that part, though we do employ a professional cover designer.

Tell us what you have discovered about each team member’s funny little phobias, superstitions or habits connected with writing.

Coincidentally enough, all six of us insist on wearing our lucky socks when we write.

Are you inspired by music when creating your fictional world?

Actually, that’s a great idea…we could have a different song for each of the shops in Angell’s Arcade. Chocwaves, owned by sexy womaniser Magnus: ‘You Sexy Thing’ by Hot Chocolate. Italian deli Papa Rigatoni’s, owned by warring couple Rosa and Luca: ‘Mama Mia’ by ABBA. Tamara Van de Beur’s jewellers: ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.’ And let’s not forget all the sexy Latin music for Ernesto’s tango studio. You could even have Robbie Williams’s ‘Angels’ for the ghost of Victorian visionary Frederick Angell, who haunts the arcade to which he has given his name.

Who is Kitty’s favourite literary hero and heroine?

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.

So what next? Will this series last throughout 2013, and do you have any plans beyond that?

We’ll be publishing THE ARCADE all year in installments, and hope to publish a compilation volume of the whole thing at the end. Beyond that…we’re thinking the sky’s the limit.

Kitty’s author page on Amazon:
Kitty’s publishers, Blue Eyed Llama:
Kitty on Facebook and Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/KittyCharlesAuthor
https://twitter.com/KittyCAuthor

THE ARCADE is a sexy, sassy, soapy story set in a beautiful Victorian seaside shopping arcade – where the dramas and rivalries are as dazzling as the window displays. It’s as addictive as chocolate truffles from the Chocwaves store, as sexy as honeymoon lingerie from The Garden of Eden, and as scandalous as a night in Ernesto’s tango studio. And the best bit? The Arcade comes to you in monthly episodes, so you can get your fix of sex and shopping every four weeks… a new story will become available every month throughout 2013.

In January we meet Faith Moore, a newcomer to Angell’s Arcade who’s looking for a new year and a new beginning, to forget her sad past…

In February we spend Valentine’s Day with lingerie shop owner Eden Hart, who sees every man who enters her shop as a possible replacement for her lost love.

March is the story of Libby Bartlett, who wants a night of escape from her four children, but finds more than she bargained for.

And April features the Arcade's most eligible bachelor, Magnus Elsinger, who's about to discover just how hellish a woman scorned can be.

Thank you Kitty for sparing time to talk to us today. We wish you every success with the new series. It all sounds great fun.
Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Kate Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Former research scientist, turned teacher, Kate Jackson lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband and children. She writes short stories and most recently, a novel set in Norfolk during the First and Second World Wars. Her research took her from a railway carriage house to the archives of the Imperial War Museum. Welcome to the RNA Blog, Kate. Tell us about your latest pocket novel and how you came by the idea?

ALWAYS IN MY HEART started life as a would-be People’s Friend serial, but it was turned down as it wasn’t quite right for the magazine. I’d put a lot of work into researching the period and the characters were itching to get going, so I decided to try writing it as a novel. The final word count came in at over ninety thousand words - the equivalent of two pocket novels - but by chance I saw an advert for a two-part pocket novel and contacted Tracy Steel, the editor, to see if she’d be interested in seeing my novel. She said yes and bought it a couple of weeks later.

I’m also epublishing it under its original title of SECRETS AND PROMISES. The idea for it grew by putting many different little ideas together. I knew I wanted it set in my home county of Norfolk during the Second World War, to have a railway carriage house, GI’s, Timber Jills, Kinder transport children and First World War VAD nurses. It was a like throwing many ingredients in a cooking pot and seeing what emerged.

How did you research the novel?

I did a lot of research to get the details right; reading books, used the archives at the Imperial War Museum in London to look at old letters and diaries, and listen to recorded interviews with former VAD nurses and Timber Jills. I visited the Poppy Line’s railway cottage to get a feel for what a house made out of an old railway carriage is like. I used a family letter which explained how my great grandmother’s brother was killed at the front in WW1.

Do you plot your novels in advance or do they unfold as you write?

I’m a plotter. Coming from short story writing, where a story’s usually finished in one to two thousand words, the prospect of writing ninety thousand words is terrifying. I always have the worry that I won’t have enough story.

Plotting out where I’m going gives me a story skeleton, but still allows other ideas to come in as I go along. It’s always a lovely surprise when something pops into my mind as I’m typing.

You also write short stories, a shrinking market in today’s world. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer to achieve secret success in this genre?

It’s essential that you read several up to date copies of your target magazine to get a feel for the sort of stories they publish. Each magazine has their own preferences and style. People’s Friend’s short stories are sweeter, emotional stories with a feel good factor, while those for Take A Break Fiction Feast are more edgy.

I know you have to juggle writing with the day job. What is your work schedule?

I fit my writing in around my family and my teaching commitments. I can have a day’s writing planned and all that may suddenly change if one of the children is ill or I get a call at 7.30am to go into school. On an ideal day, I’ll write for about four hours while my children are at school and if I can get 2000 words done then I’m very happy.

How long have you been a member of the RNA, and in what way do you think it has helped your career?

I first joined the New Writers’ Scheme in 2007 and attempted to write a Mills and Boon, which was a complete disaster. I met Kate Walker at the Leicester conference, she was so kind and helpful and advised me to think about what sort of book I should be writing. I submitted a contemporary Pocket Novel to the NWS in 2010 and it was bought soon after by D.C. Thomson. Without the RNA I think I’d still be floundering around trying to write a novel. I’ve made some great friends who are good fun and understand what writing’s about. The conferences are brilliant too.

Which craft tip has helped you the most?

Don’t get it right, get it written. Writing is about re-writing, so don’t even think about getting it right the first time.

How do you relax when you’re not writing?

Apart from spending time with my family, I love reading, doing yoga, walking by the sea or in the woods. Spending time with our chickens is calming, there’s nothing like a bit of digging in the garden with them to put things in perspective.

Other than writing, what would you say is your craziest ambition?

I’d love to fly in a Spitfire and a Lancaster bomber.

So what next? Tell us about your next challenge.

I’m working on a plot for a serial idea for People’s Friend magazine - I’m determined to get there one day. I’m developing ideas for a contemporary multi-viewpoint novel and I have a long queue of short stories waiting to be written. Plenty to keep me busy.

When Bessie Rushbrook takes in an evacuee, it starts a chain of events which stir up old secrets and promises kept hidden since the First World War, threatening to rip her family apart.

Find out more about Kate Jackson:
http://katejacksonswriting.blogspot.co.uk/
Follow on Facebook
Twitter @katejacksonauth

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Kate. We wish you continuing success with your books and short stories.
Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Interview with Cathy Mansell

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Cathy Mansell to the RNA Blog. Cathy’s began he writing career by entering competitions in national magazines with short stories and articles. She was Editor in Chief of the Leicestershire Anthology, ‘Taking Off’, a book promoted and supported by Arts Council UK. More recently she has turned to full-length novels set in Ireland and England. She was a recent contestant on the TV show Food Glorious Food, the nine part series to be broadcast from 27th February. Tell us about your first book and the excitement of getting that call.

When I got the email from Tirgearr Publishing offering me a contract on SHADOW ACROSS THE LIFFEY, I sat staring at the screen for a good five minutes before it registered. I had just had a huge disappointment from a lovely publisher a few days before, and was feeling rather down. I read the email again, excitedly printed it off, and hurried to tell my husband. Unfortunately, he is very deaf so he had to find his hearing aid and adjust it, while I jumped up and down waiting for him to express his delight. The excitement continues even now.

Where did you find the inspiration for the characters?

The main characters, Oona and Jack just came into my mind. The theme and plot for the book sprung from incidences taken from my own life. The baddie Vinnie is total fiction and I have no idea where he came from. Vinnie and Sean, Oona’s son, were the characters I enjoyed writing about most.

Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop. What is your favourite mode of working?

Cathy's Work Space

I love the quiet solitude of my garret, an attic room created by my husband for his use when he retired as an architect, but I’m delighted to say that my obsession to write was greater than his was to draw. It has been mine ever since.

What is the best piece of craft advice you ever had?

We are all too close to our work. I recall when I had finished my first novel and sent it off to an agent. I felt as if I had let my baby go out into the big wide world. That book, I realised later was just a learning curve. The best piece of advice I can recall someone giving me was to print off your work and read it aloud. It is the only way you can hear your own mistakes, reading from the screen is not the same.

Do you think writers should follow the latest hot fashion or write what they love?

Personally, I could never do that. But, I know of writers’ who can, and do follow the trend. It changes all the time, so I would prefer to write about what I know and do best. What do you do when the going gets tough? I don’t think I have ever had writer's block, but I have got stuck in the middle of a novel. The best thing I find is to print off the previous few chapters and read them. I soon find the thread again. Another thing I do is have a break, a strong cup of coffee, talk to the dog, or go for a walk. They all work.

I know you have been short listed for the Hessayon Award, if you were fortunate enough to win, who would you wish to thank?

When I joined the RNA nearly ten years ago as a new writer, I found the help I received invaluable. I would want to thank Margaret James and Melanie Hilton for all the work they put into the scheme and especially the dedicated readers. Other people I would want to thank connected with the RNA are Jean Chapman for her sincerity and belief in me. And Margaret Kaine for her friendship and support.

Are you ever driven to write by hand?

Not since the age of technology. Occasionally, when I’m out and an idea strikes I write it down in my notebook. At night I keep a pen and notebook handy as, more often than not, I’ll wake up with an idea that I think is wonderful and scribble it down while half-asleep. Come morning, I can’t read my own writing and find that I've written a load of rubbish.

What was your favourite book as a child?

We were not encouraged to read as children in spite of my father being an avid reader. I made up stories in my head all the time. We had a library close by and often took out books, nothing terribly exciting. Enid Blyton and Rupert Bear. My sister and I used to hide at the bottom of the garden to read. When I was a teenager, my sister bought me my first book. Wuthering Heights. It is still my favourite. I love the description of the moors, the contrast of dark and shadow throughout the story. The melancholy broody Heathcliffe and his pursuit of Cathy give the story a menacing quality. For me, it is a timeless classic.

If you could know the future, what would you wish for?

Now that I’ve had my debut novel SHADOW ACROSS THE LIFFEY published, my wish would be that I don’t have to wait another ten years to have my second book published.

A gripping story of how family secrets can wreak havoc on the present.

In 60’s Ireland life is hard for widow, Oona Quinn, grief-stricken by the tragic deaths of her husband and five-year-old daughter. Struggling to survive, she meets charismatic Jack Walsh at the Shipping Office.

Vinnie Kelly, her son's biological father, just out of jail, sets out to destroy Oona and all she holds dear. Haunted by her past, she has to fight for her future and the safety of her son, Sean. But Vinnie has revenge on his mind . . .

http://www.cathymansell.com
http://www.cathymansell.com/cathymansell's blog
http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com
http://www.amazon.com/tirgearrpublishing

Thank you, Cathy, for sparing time to talk to us today. We wish you every success with your debut novel.

Best wishes, Freda

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

March Self Published Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Kate Jackson - Secrets and Promises

KDP Amazon Kindle ebook

22nd March 2013

£2.49

When Bessie Rushbrook takes in an evacuee in July 1944, it begins a chain of events which expose hidden secrets and promises and threatens to tear her family apart.

http://katejacksonswriting.blogspot.co.uk/

Sue Welfare - Cooking up Storm

Amazon

£2.99

March 2013

But will love be on the menu?

When newly single Sarah Peterson rents a cottage on Kit Roseberry’s country estate and swops cooking supper for rent, she isn’t expecting TV producer, Magda Holmes, to fall for Kit and his culinary skills, or offer him a slot on her TV show.

Kit can’t boil water, but he’s got the look and needs the money. Magda is keen to go for a traditional feel, happy families, picnics on the beach and birthday teas, so Sarah - along with her two boys - finds herself as undercover cook, and an instant wife and family for Kit’s TV debut.

But what will that do to Sarah's fresh start, her new man, ex-husband and the rest of her life? Is it a recipe for disaster or does it have all the ingredients for a great romance?

Nell Dixon - Radio Gaga

Brierley Rose Press

Kindle - paperback and other ebook formats to follow

March 1st 2013

£2.99 - $4.50

Over the airwaves everyone can hear you scream!

Radio researcher and part-time presenter Chloe Lark is certain her big show biz break is just around the corner. Live it Up radio may not be the big time, but surely - one day soon - fame will come her way. And, if she could convince the hunky guy next door to give her a chance, her love life might improve too.

Ex-soldier Ben isn’t sure if his new ‘Z’ list celebrity neighbour is crazy or on medication. Either way he’s looking for a quiet life out of the spotlight. The last thing he needs is an accident prone media hungry blonde complete with mystery stalker. Problem is - Chloe doesn’t seem to have received that particular memo…

Noelene Jenkinson - Grace's Cottage

eBook and paperback
13 February 2013
£2.60

A cottage, a secret and a betrayal.

For Jennifer Hale, with a rebel sister and ailing mother, a cottage in the small Australian country town of Bundilla holds the key to a dream. Or more correctly, her mother's wish - as the wife of an itinerant minister - for a home of her own.

For city architect, Sam Keats, the cottage with its treasure of old letters and diaries unlocks a mystery stretching back to the Vietnam war, exposing long held family secrets and a betrayal of promises made.

From Australia to America and Malaysia, Jennifer and Sam must each confront their own ideals and personal restrictions to find the courage to open their hearts enough to build a possible future together.

Website: http://www.noelenejenkinson.com

Noelene Jenkinson - Peacocks on the Lawn
eBook and paperback
23 February 2013
£9.70 / £5.30

Young Scotsman, Duncan Penross, lands on the pioneering shores of the colony of Port Phillip in 1838. It is the dawn of the pastoral era in colonial Australia. Driven by a lust for women and fierce ambition in this rough man’s world, he is determined to succeed, make a fortune and build an empire.

To this fledgling colony Isabelle Waring courageously emigrates from northern England to also forge a new life and is employed by Duncan Penross as his housekeeper.

With an eye to securing his dynasty, Duncan marries Isabelle to bear his sons. But his expectations do not develop as he planned. As his family grows, their lives and fates unfold with tragedy, struggles and always the hope of love.

As secrets and lies emerge, can Isabelle stay loyal or will she find happiness elsewhere?

From cottage to bluestone mansion with its flamboyant peacocks on the lawn, this engrossing new Australian saga is filled with the lives and passions of a pioneering pastoral family in the nineteenth century.

Website: http://www.noelenejenkinson.com

Interview with Tony Drury

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Today we welcome Tony Drury to the Blog. Tony, a City Corporate Financier, blogger, author and entrepreneur is more well known for his financial books and helping to raise £2.8million for Quercus, the company that published The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books, but in 2006 decided to follow his dream to write fiction and in May 2012 MEGAN'S GAME was published by City Fiction. Tony's writing has gone from strength to strength, launching THE DEAL in October 2012, both books receiving rave reviews from The Daily Telegraph, City A.M, Money Maker Magazine, The Times to name but a few. He blogs weekly for Enterprise Britain, both in his name and that of his alter ego, Mr. Angry. Tony lives in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire with his wife. They have just become grandparents.

Do tell us something of your writer’s journey, and what made you want to write fiction?

Over the years as a corporate financier I’ve written extensively both for financial journals and six books. The most successful was ‘Investment Clubs’ which sold 25,000 copies. When I reached 60 years of age I decided to try my hand at fiction.

Your crime thriller, MEGAN’S GAME, is to be released as a feature film next year. Where did you find the inspiration to write it?

I was inspired to write it because we had a holiday home in Aberdovey, central coastal Wales. There’s a legend that if you hear the bells from the sunken village ring at midnight you’ll find romance. It took me five years to find out if this applied to Megan a Welsh widow looking for love.

As a writer, what do you think will be your greatest challenge in seeing your work filmed?

None. There is no challenge. It is perhaps one of the greatest fulfilments of my life the day Paul Tucker, the producer, said he wanted to make the film. I stood in the middle of Shepperton Film Studios and said “thank you” to Him upstairs.

What part does romance play in the story?

Tony with Paul Tucker, the producer.

Huge. I’m a very average writer. Therefore I write about what matters most to people. Megan wanted to find love. That’s what many people want to do.

Are you a plotter or a panster? How much planning do you do before you start a novel?

Because my base is corporate finance and London, the plot is fairly easy. It’s characterisation and particularly women that is my big challenge. My editor Laura is working overtime to help me.

As a businessman with a heavy schedule, can you work anywhere, or do you have a favourite place to hideaway and write?

I write mentally 24 hours a day. I was fined for speeding on the Leighton Buzzard southern relief road recently. I opted to take a Driver Awareness Course. That’s in my next book. I write between 5.00am and 10.00am.

Which author has most influenced your work?

Tolstoy and Anna Karenina. Makes me seems like Enid Blyton. Gerald Seymour has been important (his first book was ‘Harry’s Game’ which is where I’ve taken ‘Megan’s Game’ from. Love Wilbur Smith. ‘When the Lion Feeds’, is definitive.

Which temptation do you find the hardest to resist?

Answering questions that could land me in huge problems.

If the aliens landed which book would you suggest they read first?

Any. They’ll be arrested by DCI Rudd for loitering.

Your next title, CHOLESTEROL, will be published this summer. Which character from this book would you most like to trade lives with?

DCI Sarah Rudd. I have a DI from Bedfordshire Police helping me with her character. I’m not sure which one I’m most fond of.

Adrian Dexter is a corporate financier struggling through the turbulence of recession in 2012. Far away from the City of London, the love of his life waits for him in Johannesburg - as does his mortal enemy and notorious South African fraudster, Nigel de Groute. As if that wasn't enough, he is also about to turn sixty.

When Adrian meets the beautiful Helen Greenwood and they embark on a passionate affair, he begins to feel young again. But his newfound happiness is about to be rudely interrupted…

A business merger; an unplanned pregnancy; a kidnapping; a royal ambush - suddenly Adrian's life is spiralling out of control. Can he get a grip before it's too late? Can DI Sarah Rudd continue to triumph in her fight against evil and corruption? And don't forget about those nasty fatty deposits lurking beneath the surface...

Amazon Author Page

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Tony. We wish you every success with your books.
Best wishes, Freda

To find out more:
Website: http://www.tonydrury.com
Publisher: http://www.cityfiction.co.uk
https://twitter.com/MrTonyDrury
http://www.facebook.com/tony.drury.50
http://www.enterprisebritain.com/category/mr_angry

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk