Romantic Novelists' Association Blog

Self-Published June Releases

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

The New Year Resolution by Louise Rose-Innes

The Romance Collective
ebook [Kindle Edition]
5 June, 2013
$1.99

Last year, divorcee Nicole had only one New Year’s Resolution – to have a date for this New Years Eve – but with no strings attached. One thing she knows for sure is that she isn’t ready for anything more complicated than a casual date.

So when eco-tycoon and international jetsetter, Ryan Jackson begs her to accompany him to a tropical island for a week, in order to impress his benefactor, Nicole categorically refuses. He’s way too hot and she’s way too vulnerable. Not a good idea.

Yet Ryan won’t take no for an answer. It’s for a good cause. She would only have to pretend to be his lover. It’s a luxury island resort with all expenses paid. How can she refuse?

Under the tropical sun, things heat up and their pretence goes out the window. Nicole gets cold feet. She’s not ready for this kind of affair. It’s doubtful she ever will be.

But have they come too far? Distancing herself from Ryan will cause him to lose the funding he so desperately needs for his eco-project, but staying with him means she’ll lose something far more valuable… her heart. And that’s a risk Nicole is simply not willing to take.

The New Year Resolution is available on Amazon.com

website – www.LouiseRoseInnes.com

A Lady with Napoleon's Army by Mary Nichols

ebook now on sale at Amazon
Price £2.31

Catherine Marsh, employed by her friend, Helen, wife of Count Pyotr Mikhailovich Kaspodin to be governess to her children, Catherine finds herself in Poland just as Napoleon is preparing to invade Russia. When the Count is obliged to leave them to join the Tsar, and Helen is killed by a merciless French troop, Catherine must find her way to Moscow to fulfil Helen's dying wish that she look after her children, but with danger all around her, the only way she can do it, is reluctantly to accept the escort of the Austrian Captain Charles Von Hardt, who is in the service of Napoleon and her sworn enemy. But is he all he seems?

www.marynichols.co.uk

The Duke's Legacy by Wendy Soliman

Ebook

7 May 2013

$1.99

As sole heir to the late Duke of Penrith's extensive estate, Abigail Carstairs suspects that someone is trying to kill her for her fortune. In desperation she turns to the notorious Lord Sebastian Denver for help. Unable to deny a lady in distress, Sebastian inveigles his way into Abbey's hunting lodge where all the prime suspects are gathered.

Distracted by his growing attraction towards Abbey, Sebastian is unprepared when a further attempt is made on her life. As he lays a daring trap for her aggressors, Sebastian finds himself in a race against time to keep her safe...

Website: www.wendysoliman.com

Song Of My Heart by Margaret Mounsdon

Kindle ebook

99p

Andi Cox lands a dream job looking after the daughters of pop icon Jas Summers. Then the girls start getting kidnap threats and when Jas arranges a charity concert in the grounds of his country house Andi's job is on the line

http://www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk/

The Italian Lake by Margaret Mounsdon

Kindle ebook

99p

Anna Villiers is forced to merge business with rival Phil Anderson and Phil suspects her of colluding against him with Archie Wainwright, local property developer, but Anna has a family secret she cannot reveal, even at the risk of losing her job.

http://www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk/

Interview with Carol McGrath

noreply@blogger.com (Henriette) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Carol McGrath is a writer of historical fiction set in the Medieval period. Last month she was a contender for the much coveted Joan Hessayon Award for New Writing.

Could you tell us what Inspired Your Novel?

The Handfasted Wife was inspired by a visit to Bayeux when I was Chair of our local Twinning Association. I was fascinated by the vignette of The Burning House on the Bayeux Tapestry and by a video introduction which suggested that Edith Swan-Neck, the common-law wife of King Harold identified his body parts on the battlefield after The Battle of Hastings by marks only she knew. At the time, I was looking for a radio play to write and this event provided its narrative. The voices of the women of Hastings haunted me as they did my fictional television Historian. ‘This is our story too. Listen.’ Years later, still interested in this story, I wrote the story of The Handfasted Wife. Research suggests that she was set aside for a political marriage when Harold was crowned king, and yet interestingly she was either brought to the battlefield or appeared there by choice. Then there is no other recorded information concerning her fate. That is where I invented because I am, of course, writing as a novelist, not an historian. It is generally considered by historians that she did end her days inside convent walls. This would not be at all unusual.

Did you always want to be a Novelist?

I always wrote. I am a passionate reader too. I wrote poetry in my twenties. My life was busy as I lived in California, followed a teaching career on my return, had children and consequently with both career and teaching I did not find time. I did join The Oxford Diploma in Creative Writing ten years or so ago and then I seriously fell in love all over again with writing. I followed this with an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queens University Belfast and an MPhil at The Royal Holloway, University of London. These courses do not make a published writer, of course, but they, if good and mine were, inspire and encourage. I think publication was my destiny but first of all I write because I love it and have stories to tell.

What excites you about the Medieval period? How do you set about research?

I taught History at high School level and am interested in periods other than the medieval. After I complete this trilogy I intend going forward to the Civil War period. It was the story of Harold, Edith, their children and family that interested me, especially the characters, rather than the particular period. I wanted to know what happened to this woman, then what happened to her children, what she felt and thought. Although The Handfasted Wife is in a way a universal story of women’s survival after an invading army takes everything away from them, there are clearly universal experience differences between life in a medieval past and the twenty first century. I do research thoroughly in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. I find out absolutely everything I can about the period so that I am better equipped to stand in a medieval noble woman’s shoes and inhabit her world. However, it is a reconstructed world. I defy any writer of historical fiction to claim that they truly can recreate the past accurately. We bring our own experience to our recreations for all sorts of reasons; one reason simply concerns our need to make the past accessible. Historical fiction holds ambiguity rather than answering questions.

The burning scene on the Bayeux Tapestry

You ask me about breathing life into characters? I think human beings have always had similar emotions through time - love, jealously, ambitions, hurt, anger, and so on - but I also believe that circumstances can influence how an historical character deals with her emotions and particular circumstances do dictate consequences. These differ with varying cultures and situations. I consider the rules that belong to a particular period carefully before bending them, and even when I am taking a character outside the rules as I consider her fate within the narrative of the novel. I think this is how I go about animating characters, especially women, who were marginalised on any historical record. For example, religion was important for the eleventh century men and women so I needed to try to understand it the way they did. Time was measured differently then so I usually use the Benedictine Hours to break up the day, even in the middle of an adventure. Another technique I use in The Handfasted Wife is to always stay with the heroine’s point of view, her perspective when she inhabits a particular scene.

The Working Day

I usually work best early in the morning. I relax in the evening. Some days are research days. I also have an extensive library of my own on the Medieval period. I do believe one should have an online presence and that you set it up long before you are published. It is interesting and relaxing to take the odd fifteen minutes out, a break to chat and check out interesting blogs written by others. First, my favourite, Twitter, provides me with interesting contacts and fabulous information. I have a positive view here. People do like to share and there is a degree of quid pro quo in the online writing community. It is a lovely feeling when you find out something interesting and if you provide this too. Second, I think blogging on subjects that support my big interests, travel and historical information, actually worthwhile. One always does best what one enjoys doing so I try to put great effort into these. Mine are generally little articles. I have always blogged a few times a month and enjoyed it. My early blogs are still very popular, written long before any publication and I just use Blogger. My attitude is that one starts small. When I need a web-site then I shall organise it. Fot now this works best. Reading, writing, and travel are all, I find, relaxing pursuits. And, in addition, I garden and I adore theatre.

Favourite Childhood Novel

Of course I love to read most of all, always have. As a child I read everything, Enid Blyton, classics, poetry. Probably a favourite all time book close to my heart is Jane Eyre which I stole from a Donegal hotel bookcase when I was eleven years old thinking I just had to finish it. I loved it and still have this ancient red hard-backed copy!

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

Find out more:

Blog: http://scribbling-inthemargins.blogspot.co.uk/

Amazon

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 Gemma Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Gemma Jackson was born in Dublin and became a nomad at the age of 17, setting off to see the world and try her hand at every legal job under the sun. Her idea of a good time was to wake up not knowing where she was. She has been an air hostess and sheep herder, written scripts and sermons for a TV Evangelist, and books have been her constant companions throughout her life. She says the best of both worlds for her would be ‘have computer, will travel.’

You say you have always dreamed of becoming a published writer, so tell us about the excitement of getting that ‘call’ when you sold your debut novel.

My ‘call’ was actually an email I had to read at least five times before I understood that I was finally going to be published. Then I had to lie down on my fainting couch and peel grapes.

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

The NWS saved my sanity. I was a member for three years. The detailed reviews of my books were invaluable. What was beyond price however was meeting the amazing RNA members. The information and knowledge they shared so willingly was priceless. I actually fought for this book. In the past when I received a response, I filed it away and started on something new. The NWS informed me of the error of my ways. I discovered I’d been shooting myself in the foot for years. It’s a wonder I’ve a leg to stand on!

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

My upcoming book THROUGH STREETS BROAD AND NARROW is set in Dublin in the 1920’s. I grew up listening to stories about that era. When I sat down to write I discovered I had a fount of knowledge in the form of memories available to me. I’ve read extensively in this genre but failed to find a novel based in Dublin. I hope I’ve discovered a ‘niche’ market.

Writers are always asked where they find their ideas. Would you like to share any tips with us on how you found the inspiration which has brought you such success?

Reading and listening to the radio believe it or not. So many people are bemoaning the passing of the ‘good old days’. I listened and thought, I know about this. I sat down and wrote the book which finally elevated me into the life I’ve dreamed about. I’m still pinching myself.

Do you have to juggle writing with the day job? What is your work schedule?

Gemma's dream is 'Have computer, will travel'.

I’ve been a nomad most of my working life. I’ve retired now and treat writing as a job. I write every day from early morning till about five in the evening. I find writing the most satisfying job I’ve ever had.

How do you feel about producing a synopsis. Does it come easy to you?

I HATE IT. When I attended RNA lectures on the craft of writing, others in the group seemed to shrug and say we know how to do this. It isn’t necessary to cover synopsis. WHAT!!

What do you do when the going gets tough?

It’s so hard to remain positive. I try to step away and sulk. I go to the sea. It’s only a few steps away from me so that’s no hardship. I always have my tea makings with me on my travels and will stop off anywhere to brew up.

Who is your favourite hero?

Do you have all day? J.D Robb’s ‘Rourke’ of course. Linda Howards McKenzies. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, but in the books not on screen. Generally, its the hero of whatever book I’m reading. So what next?

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

I’m hoping my first book will be the first in a series. I’ve completed my second MS with this idea in mind.

Ivy Murphy is born in the Dublin Tenements. When her mother abandons the family Ivy, at the age of nine, becomes the family’s main earner. At the sudden death of her father Ivy’s life takes an unexpected turn. Ivy forms a friendship with Livery owner Jem Ryan and together the two determine to break out of the poverty they were born into. Through Streets Broad and Narrow is a story of strength and determination. Ivy Murphy is a heroine who meets life with her head held high and her chin out.

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

Find out more:
Publisher: http://www.poolbeg.com
Blog: http://www.gemmajacksondubliner.com

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 Leah Fleming

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

Leah Fleming was born in Bolton. She has published 16 novels. Shortlisted for RNA awards in 1998 as Helene Wiggin and 2010 for Remembrance Day. The Captain’s Daughter won the Premio Roma Award for Foreign Fiction in Rome 2012 under the title: La Strada in Fundo al Mare.

I know that your latest book The Girl Under the Olive Tree is one close to your heart. Tell us what inspired you to write it.

It’s lovely to be here again with a chance to talk about my latest book. This is the story I once jokingly called: Captain Corelli meets The Island. It’s been ten years in the making born out of our very first visit to Crete and discovering its wartime history. Once I found out some of the true stories I was hooked.

So how did you set about the research?

Leah researching military artefacts in Crete 2011

Researching, of course was really hard work. It meant lazing under the olive trees sampling fresh figs and apricots, sipping ouzo in Chania Harbour dreaming how it might have looked all those years ago, reading every military tome on the Battle of Crete known to man and learning some Greek. Plus it’s so hard having to live there in the sun for five months making sure to get the locations correct... Seriously it was a labour of love. We worked as tour guides in the little Synagogue in the city steeping ourselves in the Jewish history that is an important part in the tragic history of the island.

This is quite a complex story based on a true event, did you do much planning before you started writing?

I don’t start writing until I feel sure all the research is composted in my head but I had to keep a strict map and timeline of real events as this is the back bone of my imaginary narrative.

Which would you say is your favourite character in the book, and why?

My favourite character is Rainer Brecht, the German officer. I found researching him very revealing and challenging. He is a sympathetic character but a soldier of his time with complex motives and passions. He also is making his own pilgrimage back to the island in search of peace in old age, having to come to terms with what atrocities were done there.

I rather liked him too, and really do hope he keeps that promise he makes. Which did you find the hardest part of the novel to write, and how did you get through that?

The hardest part to write was the round up of the Jews in June 1944. Using eye witness accounts and by now knowing where each family lived and worked in the Jewish quarter, I had to relive this and imagine the terror of their fate as best I could. The fact that the restored Etz Hayyim synagogue remembers its lost community each year and being present at these memorials, helped me tell their tragic story through the eyes of one imaginary family.

The story is set in two time periods, do you write first one then the other?

The story being in two time periods wasn’t a problem to write. I took my characters round NW Crete as if they were on holiday but at every significant place that triggered off a memory, we slip back into past time. So you also get a mini tour of interesting parts of Crete.

I believe you won an award for your last book: The Captain’s Daughter, do tell us how that came about.

Leah in Rome being presented with her award

Winning the Premio Roma Award was great fun. I was invited to the Italian Ambassador’s House in London for a gala evening and told I was shortlisted. We were flown to Rome, wined and dined in great style and chauffeured to the ceremony unaware that I had won. I was seated alone wondering why I was here when suddenly TV cameras zoomed in on me. I was whisked off for interviews knowing I would have to climb the podium of the amphitheatre to receive statues, plaques and flowers but as I was rising up I tore one of my tights into a great hole. So it was a dash to find a loo to strip them off and reveal my pasty legs to the world. I had to make a speech with no Italian to a live broadcast. A night to remember indeed! So what next?

Can you say something about your wip?

Look out for The Postcard, out next year. It’s the story of four generations of a family who are linked by a mysterious postcard. Thank you for inviting me again.

“The Girl Under The Olive Tree” is out in paperback on June 6th 2013 ( Simon and Schuster). It tells the story of a British woman who returns to the island in 2001 reliving her wartime experiences. Alongside a Jewish nurse she met in Athens, Penny found herself stranded on Crete during the battles of 1941. Both hide with resistance fighters during the 4 years of occupation to face danger and separation. This emotional return is a holiday journey with a difference for an old woman with a secret past.

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

Find out more:
Amazon

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 The Romaniacs

noreply@blogger.com (Henriette) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Clockwise from bottom left: Vanessa and Debbie, Lucie and Celia, Catherine, Laura and Sue, & Liz and Jan

Today I'd like to welcome the Romaniacs, a group of writers who decided to get together and offer each other support and encouragement. They are Vanessa Savage, Debbie White, Lucie Wheeler, Celia Joy Anderson, Catherine Miller, Laura E. James, Sue Fortin, Liz Crump, and Jan Bridgen.

Do tell us what decided you to form a support group
Celia: Most of us met for the first time in November 2011 at the Festival of Romance. As aspiring authors and members of the NWS, we all needed encouragement and a healthy shot of cheer-leading to build our confidence. The friendship element of the group evolved quickly, first as a private Facebook page - after this the more computer savvy amongst us suggested a joint blog to give us momentum. It’s hard to meet face to face as we are spread over the length and breadth of the country (very bad planning - virtual hugs, wine and cake are never quite as good as the real stuff.)

How do you encourage each other as writers?
Debbie: This is easy to answer. We can best help each other by being honest and open. The girls don’t dish up any Pollyanna feedback! They all tell it like it is. I think this is because we all have different strengths and different skills and feed off each other, and because we’ve grown to know each other so well, we have huge respect for one another. We can say what we think without fear of it being taken the wrong way. Because of this the girls have made me think outside my comfort zone, and I’ve sometimes had to do things I don’t want or like to do. That’s very important as a writer.

Onwards and upwards

How did you hear about the RNA, and has the NWS benefited your career?
Sue: I found out about the RNA in a roundabout way. At the same time as working on my first manuscript, I read a Sue Moorcroft book which led me onto a writing handbook she had published and to Sue's website. I saw that the RNA was mentioned quite often, and a quick Google of RNA soon took me to the website and through there I found the NWS.

Laura: My mother introduced me to the wonderful books of Jill Mansell, the first I read being Good At Games. At the time, I had an arm in plaster, and related to one of the characters in the story. I enjoyed the book so much, I read it from cover to cover. Towards the back, Jill mentioned she was a member of the RNA. I went online, checked it out, and discovered the NWS. And what a discovery. What a find! Thank you, Jill, for not only entertaining me and tugging at my heartstrings, but for leading me down this most exciting path. The friendship, advice and support of the members is priceless. The RNA is a very generous organisation in terms of help and time. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a member.

Debbie: I heard about the RNA on a Caerleon course a few years ago and managed to get on the scheme the following January. The NWS has been a huge benefit. In the time I’ve been a member I’ve served my ‘writing apprenticeship’ and really honed the craft in every aspect; structure, plot, dialogue, etc. I’m embarrassed to look back at old work; how I thought I could write when I started! Of course I’m still learning and perfecting all the time but as a direct result of feedback from the NWS, I entered the first

Having a giggle

chapter of my novel in a competition and have an agent waiting to see the finished MS.

How would you describe your own books? Under what genre or sub-genre do they come, and what is its special appeal for you?
Laura: I write women’s fiction with a strong element of romance, focus on an issue, and develop the story from there. I like to get into the nitty-gritty of a problem and delve into the psychology behind it, and I enjoy the challenge of turning weaknesses into strengths. It’s the way I tackle life, and it possibly stems from me living with a disability.

Debbie: I like to think of my own work as gritty, kitchen-sink dramas (remember the angry young men – John Osborne, Alan Sillitoe, Stan Barstow) so definitely women’s fiction/sagas. I love writing about ‘real’ people with ‘real’ issues, the complexity of relationships and what makes people act the way they do.
What do you think is the most essential element of a good novel?

Jan: Great characters with all their many varied, weird, and wonderful quirks and emotions that make us all human, people you care enough about to root for, love or loathe, just as long as you FEEL something. Plenty of secrets, conflict and character growth, and I’m hooked.

Catherine: As The Romaniacs are obsessed with cake, I thought I'd compare a good book with a good muffin. First, it has to be appealing on the eye. If the cover stands out, I'm practically sold. Then the taste has to be good. A good book has to have me in its grip within the first 50 pages. (I know some would say first, but I have to feel involved by page 50.) Of course the texture has to appeal. Paul Hollywood might describe it as a good consistency. Then there needs to be a nice surprise in the middle, preferable gooey chocolate, but equally something gritty will do. By the end I need to feel satisfied as in 'that was yummy, when can I have another?'

Should writers follow the latest hot fashion or write what they love?
Jan: Personally, I’d say write what you love, what stirs you and sings to you, as that passion, excitement and strong voice will shine through in your writing.

All glammed up and places to go

Have you suffered rejections, and if so, how did you deal with them?
Vanessa: Yes! At first I did NOT deal with rejection very well. I started sending my first novel to agents just after my mum died, when I was probably least prepared for rejection. The first came in – lovely, polite, form rejections, one actually personalized with a couple of suggestions – and I thought it was the end of the world. I think that was the first time the book went away in a drawer. I got the dusty MS out again after joining the NWS, carried out a massive re-write after receiving a hugely helpful report and started submitting again. This time, I found I was getting requests to read the full manuscript, and eventually I signed with a literary agent. Of course, I thought that was it, the end of rejection but… the book didn’t sell. That, I think, was harder than the agent rejections, because it really was the end of the road for my poor book, which, for now, has gone back in the drawer.

The main way I dealt with rejection, though, was to just get on with writing something else. Read the rejection, learn from it if it offered any critique and move on. My latest book is now with my agent and a NWS reader somewhere (eek!) And while I wait, I’m planning my next. Here I go again…

In the bar!

Sue: It’s horrible the very first time but if the reasoning behind the decision is constructive then you can turn the rejection into a positive. I try to avoid any knee jerk reactions, letting the 'No' settle for a couple of weeks, then going back to it once I've put a bit of distance between it and my feelings. That way I can then be objective about taking on the comments.

Liz and Lucie also send their regards, and all the Romaniacs would like to thank the RNA for inviting them on the blog.

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today. We wish you continuing success with your writing.

Best wishes

Henri

June New Releases

noreply@blogger.com (theromaniacs) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Lady of Passion - Freda Lightfoot

Severn House

Hardcover 978-0727882875

30 June 2013

£19.99

Beautiful and talented actress, poet and fashion icon, Mary Robinson was one of the most famous women of her time - yet she died virtually penniless, her reputation in ruins. Mary was destined always to be betrayed by the men she loved - her father, her husband and, most seriously, by the Prince of Wales, later George IV, for whom Mary gave up her career, her husband and her independence, only to be cruelly abandoned. This is her enthralling story: a tale of ambition, passion, scandal and heartbreak.

http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk

Duchess of Drury Lane – Freda Lightfoot

Severn House

Paperback 978-1847514646

30 June 2013

£11.99

Passion, jealousy, scandal and betrayal - a true-life Regency Romance of the rise and fall of an extraordinary woman born into extraordinary times. Growing up in a poverty-stricken, fatherless household, Dorothy Jordan overcame her humble beginnings to become the most famous comic actress of her day. It was while performing on Drury Lane that Dorothy caught the eye of the Duke of Clarence, later to become King William IV. Her twenty-year relationship with the Duke was one of great happiness and domesticity, producing ten children. But ultimately, Dorothy's generous nature was her undoing and she was to be cruelly betrayed by the man she loved.

http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk

Dreams of Yesterday by Jill Barry

D C Thomson People’s Friend Pocket Novel – new style
6 June 2013

£2.99

In the autumn of 1939, Charlotte is faced with running the family garage business when her menfolk join the Army. She swaps dungarees for pretty dresses when local funfair owner’s son Robert makes his feelings clear. Inevitably they’re parted but the coming months test Charlotte and make her much more appreciative of those around her. There’s joy when Robert is given pre-embarkation leave but darker days loom before hope and love triumph.

www.tonisands.co.uk

Reforming the Viscount - Annie Burrows

Harlequin Mills & Boon
paperback, ebook
June 2013
£4.99

Beautiful widow Lydia Morgan is in Town steering her stepdaughter through the shoals of her first Season. Her most important task is to shield young Rose from handsome, charming rakes like Viscount Rothersthorpe. Only...the Viscount isn't interested in pretty young debutantes, and never has been. He's set his sights on Lydia, the one woman who, ten years earlier, almost tempted him to turn respectable.
www.annie-burrows.co.uk

Beguiling the Barrister by Wendy Soliman

Carina Press

E Book

24^th June

$3.03

Book two of The Forsters.

England, 1814

Flick—more properly known as Lady Felicity Forster—was twelve when she decided she was going to marry her handsome neighbor Darius Grantley. Now, embarking on her second season, she's no nearer to that lofty ambition. She commits to making Darius fall in love with her, if only he'd take a break from pleading the case of the common criminal as a barrister at the Old Bailey.

Darius adores the lovely, high-spirited younger sister of the Marquess of Denby, but he's all too aware that Flick is far above him in social status, not to mention fortune. Winning the high-profile Cuthbert case will earn him a promised appointment to King's Counsel and just enough income to provide a home for his well-born lady.

But the cards are stacked against him. Not only do the newspapers trumpet his clients' guilt, but a powerful peer bribes the witnesses and threatens Flick unless Darius sabotages his own case…

Website: www.wendysoliman.com

A Throne For The Taking by Kate Walker

Harlequin Mills & Boon Modern Romance

Paperback

June 7^th 2013

£3.49

A kingdom’s safety . . .

Betrayed by those she loves, Honoria Escalona must now face the only man capable of bringing stability to the Mediterranean kingdom of Mecjoria. A cold, hard man who once called her his friend... Alexei Sarova-the true King of Mecjoria.

In exchange for her happiness

But Alexei's tortuous past has changed him into someone she hardly knows. He blames Ria's family for his bitterness, and his help-when he offers it-comes with a price: he'll take his rightful place as King with Ria as his wife, until she produces a true-blood heir...

Website http://www.kate-walker.com

Tony Drury - CHOLESTEROL

City Fiction

Paperback and kindle

6th June 2013

£7.99
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 gangster, Nigel de Groot. As if that wasn’t enough, he is 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...

Not only does Helen become pregnant – and there is doubt as to who is the father – but the mother is subsequently kidnapped as Nigel de Groot tries to hold Adrian to ransom. The rescue by DCI Sarah Rudd, now stationed at Islington Police Station, is dramatic and she is badly injured. She loses her libido and marital pressures follow.

De Groot returns to the UK and says that he’s going to kill Adrian. He offers him a clue: “Seventeen days to go. This webb never meant you to escape but don’t see red.” This defeats the brains of the Metropolitan police and a private detective agency.

DCI Rudd finally cracks it and races to a well known London landmark where she is to gain international recognition for what was later described as one of the bravest acts of courage ever committed by a serving police office.

Adrian, meanwhile, flies to Johannesburg to make a last desperate attempt to find happiness...pity about those nasty fatty deposits lurking under the surface.

As Sarah and Nick Rudd walk through St. James’s Park she has some interesting news for her husband.

http://www.tonydrury.com

DARK MAIDEN by Lindsay Townsend

Ellora's Cave
Ebook and Print Book
13th June
£3.19

As demons haunt medieval England, Geraint and Yolande rely on their love to survive.

The 1300s are a time of pestilence and unease, plagued not just by disease but by demons and the restless dead. Yolande wanders England and Wales, armed with her blessed bow and sacred herbs, laying the spirits to rest and driving the demons away. She’s bound to serve for a time of seven—though she knows not what that means.

Geraint the Welshman travels the countryside, juggling and tumbling to earn his keep. When he meets Yolande, he’s caught by her fierce yet sweet nature and vows to stay by her side. As they journey closer to Yolande’s final trial and face foes ever more cunning and dangerous, Geraint and Yolande have only their mutual love and trust to help them survive.

website - http://www.lindsaytownsend.net/2008/04/dark-maiden.html

Night Music – Margaret Mounsdon

My Weekly Pocket Novels

Paperback

23 May 2013

Price - £1.99

Marian Barr, dedicated concert pianist is engaged to world renowned conductor Georges Pascal the bad boy of classical music, but Marian has a secret of her own, one she thought no one knew about, until she starts receiving blackmail letters, threatening telephone calls and a stalker begins to follow her every move.

margaretsromanceworld.blogspot.com

http://www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk/

Destiny Calling - Chrissie Loveday

Ulverscroft (Large Print)

1 June

£8.99

The final part of my Potteries series.

In 1952 William Cobridge has returned from a trip to America a different man.

Used to a life of luxury, he was sent away to learn about life in the real world. He meets Paula Frost on a visit to see her aunt, the housekeeper at Cobridge House. He is keen to see Paula again an asks her for a date. Could this be the start of new romance? But things never go smoothly …

http://www.chrissieloveday.com

HUBBLE BUBBLE – Jane Lovering

Choc Lit Publishing
Paperback
07 June
£7.99

Be careful what you wish for…
Holly Grey only took up witchery to keep her friend out of trouble – and now she’s knee-deep in hassle, in the form of apocalyptic weather, armed men, midwifery…and a sarcastic Welsh journalist.

Kai has been drawn to darkest Yorkshire by his desire to find out who he really is. What he hadn’t bargained on was getting caught up in amateur magic and dealing with a bunch of women who are trying really hard to make their dreams come true.

Together they realise that getting what you wish for is sometimes just a matter of knowing what it is you want…

http://www.choc-lit.co.uk/html/hubble_bubble.html

Bad Behaviour – Lesley Cookman

E-book, print later
19 June 2013

A small collection of previously published short fiction to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Accent Press

www.lesleycookman.co.uk

A French Affair by Lucy Felthouse

Xcite Books
eBook
3^rd June
0.99

Sydney Tyler is renting a barn conversion in Northern France, planning to spend the fortnight getting some words down on her novel. Unfortunately, construction work in the other half of the building puts an end to her peace and quiet. Genuinely upset that the builders are going to disturb her, the property’s handsome English owner, Harry Bay, offers to make it up to her. He’s a little flirtatious, and after spotting his wedding ring, Sydney keeps him at arm’s length. Sexy as he is, she has no intention of getting involved with a married man. But when Sydney learns the truth about Harry, will their mutual attraction spur them on to work through their emotional baggage and make this more than just a French affair?

website: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk

The Aphrodite Touch by Romy Gemmell

Tirgearr Publishing

e-published short novella

Now available

£1.35

Carla hopes that ten days on the romantic island of Cyprus will finally progress her relationship with reserved Scottish boyfriend, Jamie, to a full physical commitment. Or prove that they have no future together. But they had reckoned without the intervention of the goddess Aphrodite and her lover, Adonis. Will Aphrodite awaken Jamie’s hidden depths and allow him to return the passion that Adonis senses in Carla?

This is the first novella in my new Aphrodite and Adonis series.

website www.rosemarygemmell.com

The Sea Inside His Head – Theresa Le Flem

Robert Hale Ltd

Digital ebook

30 June 2013

£4.28

Website: http://theresaleflem.wordpress.com

Interview with Theresa Le Flem

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Lightfoot) — Fri, 31 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Theresa Le Flem inherited the creative gene. Studying Art at college, her CV includes studio-potter, hairdresser, factory-worker, sales-assistant, and veterinary receptionist. With children grown-up, and five granddaughters in New York, she lives in the Midlands with her husband Graham, a greyhound, a Persian cat and two budgies. She now writes full-time.

I believe you come from an artistic family; do tell us something of your journey as a writer. How did it begin?

My father moved our family to St.Ives in Cornwall when I was 16, to join the artists’ colony. I took a job in a café; this perhaps formed the setting for THE FORGIVING SAND. I was writing a children’s book in verse, at that time, by candlelight. I illustrated it too. I had been sending poems to publishers from the age of thirteen but without success. After hairdressing and factory work, I had my own Studio Pottery business. I wrote short-stories, but money was always tight. I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue writing seriously. Now retired, I have the luxury of time and a husband who encourages me. Having my first novel published by Robert Hale was amazing – now, with my second due out on 31st May – well, I’m still pinching myself!

Have you met any particular difficulties or rejections along the way?

I sent my first novel: THE SEA INSIDE HIS HEAD, to seventeen literary agents, one at a time, revising it each time it was rejected. I was running out of agents to try. Then an article in The Writing Magazine spurred me into sending the first three chapters to Hale directly. After two days I received an email requesting the full MSS. I was using the public library’s computers, not having internet connection at home. After sending off the complete manuscript in hard-copy, I remember driving the four miles into town every single day just to check my emails…only to be disappointed. One day I returned home, again with no news, to find a small letter on the mat. It was from Robert Hale - they wanted to publish!

Your books explore strong themes, what made you decide to write romance?

I enjoy exploring conflicting emotions in my writing; relationships are often tested by circumstances beyond our control. Work, marriage, money. Life’s very hard. Love is never enough; there is so much pressure to earn a living, to raise children, and to retain one’s self-esteem and pride. Whether it’s bullying or bankruptcy, as in The Forgiving Sand, or the threat of unemployment The Sea inside His Head, you can tell I’m passionate about expressing feelings. I’m a romantic novelist but not one who wears rose-tinted spectacles!

Which author would you say has most influenced your work?

D.H.Lawrence I think, because he portrays passion so well. I don’t mean simply sexual, his characters are so real. Charles Dickens is brilliant and Thomas Hardy, with all that rustic angst! I also like H.E.Bates for his love of nature. I’ve learned a lot from John Braine’s book: How to Write a Novel.

Do you plan much of the book before you start or let it emerge as you write?

I don’t plan until well into the book. The idea emerges out of a single phrase, like poetry. I deliberately gave Christina a physical disability, in The Forgiving Sand, as a sort of vulnerability. The characters usually dictate what’s going to happen to them, I hear their voices, but they often surprise me.

Considerable research must be involved in your books, how do you set about it and keep good records?

I like old books, the internet, and I use libraries a lot. Apart from keeping a few box-files, I’m not very organised; there are books all over our house. I don’t research before I start but later on, to check dates. Because I often include social history as the background, I use a reference book of 20th Century British History to weave in news events. I bounce hard facts against the softness of romantic love and ordinary home life.

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

Rosie enjoying home comforts.

I’ve only been member for a year and a half. Joining gave me a tremendous morale boost. I find the RNA helpful and friendly, and enjoy their company by email. Such a vast pool of writers as a resource is a huge asset. Their ‘non-writerly’ advice gave me my lovely rescued greyhound Rosie. I wouldn’t be without “my Romna girls” as I call them. (Apologies to any Romna boys!) Having a platform on which to publicise events is invaluable. Thank you RNA for inviting me to give this interview and actually, just for being there!

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

That feels a bit delicate at the moment. I’m nearing the end of the first draft of my third novel and it’s like giving birth to a baby. The surprise element is still with me until I type ‘The End’.

The Forgiving Sand - Published in hardback on 31st May 2013 by Robert Hale Ltd.

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?

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

Find out more:
Amazon :
Website: http://theresaleflem.wordpress.com

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

Interview with Joss Alexander

noreply@blogger.com (Isabella Connor) — Tue, 28 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Today, we welcome debut author, Joss Alexander, to the blog.

Joss won a poetry competition in a national newspaper when she was seven. She says, ‘It sounds impressive, but I was living in Southern Yemen and the Crater Times didn’t exactly have a mass market circulation.’ Joss has been writing ever since, at the same time as pursuing careers as a teacher, editor, and ‘jet-setting professional beggar’. She’s had six non-fiction books and many short stories published, and won several competitions, including First Prize in the International Daphne du Maurier Short Story competition. Tainted Innocence, a romantic mystery set in Tudor England, is her first novel.

Tainted Innocence is available from Amazon, http://amzn.to/SlfzQ1; Carina Press website http://bit.ly/UeR9Zw, and all major e-book sites.

England, 1524. In Cambridge, the College of the Young Princes brings together all manner of people—with all manner of secrets. Among them is Bryony, an illiterate laundress and a stranger to the town, who lives in constant fear that her unusual upbringing and lack of friends will leave her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.

When Matthew Hobson, a scholar at the college, is found murdered and wrapped in linen that Bryony lost, she immediately becomes a suspect. But she is not the only one. Luke Hobson, a taciturn local tradesman who has sacrificed much for his charismatic but selfish brother, also has motive for the murder.

With the university authorities eager to solve the crime, outsiders Bryony and Luke are forced into a wary alliance, knowing they have to track down the killer if they are to escape hanging. But can they trust in each other’s innocence—and the growing attraction between them—in order to uncover the truth?

Joss, tell us about the novel that has put you on the short list for the Hessayon Award, and how you got the idea for it?

I adore books, and to be prevented from reading them, either through blindness, as was the case with my mother, or through a lack of education, which is still happens in many places today, is terrible. Can you imagine desperately wanting to be able to read, but being denied the opportunity to learn, simply because you are poor and female? That frustration was the starting point for my romantic mystery novel, Tainted Innocence, set in the very heart of learning, the ancient University of Cambridge.

You write historical romance, so what is it about the Tudor period that particularly inspires you?

I love the Tudor period of history in Britain; it’s such a rich, dangerous and voluptuous time, with so much happening in literature, architecture, food and politics. What really intrigues me, though, is exploring what life would have been life for those people who were not ‘the great and the good’. That’s why I chose to make my heroine an illiterate laundry maid and my hero a hard-working carter, struggling to keep his business afloat.

Do you have a critique partner, or share your work with anyone before you submit to an editor?

Cambridge Writers and the RNA New Writers’ Scheme have been brilliant in encouraging my writing and giving me very useful feedback. Without the RNA NWS I may not have achieved publication and it was wonderful to be shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Scheme Award. However, the first person to read my completed draft is always my daughter. Whether it’s an opinion on your clothes, the food you have cooked or the novels you have written—daughters have a knack of giving you the unvarnished truth, whether you want it or not!

How did you devise the hero and heroine? Do you plan bios before you start or let them evolve as you write?

I live in Cambridge, and wandering through the narrow streets and by the willow-fringed river Cam, I seem to encounter those who lived here in years gone by, and they bombard me with their stories. Walking my dog one day over the fen, I came across an ancient, deserted orchard and I had the strongest feeling that a girl had lived there in a cottage, centuries ago. That's how I met Bryony, my heroine. Another day I followed the stream near my terraced cottage to its source - the quiet magical wood where the Nine Wells bubble up from the earth. I discovered Luke Hobson was walking by my side, dark and troubled, a man who has learned from bitter experience to trust no one, and is angry to find himself attracted to a gypsy girl who is prepared to steal and lie in order to survive. What else, he wonders, is she prepared to do? Luke Hobson was inspired by Thomas Hobson - of 'Hobson's Choice' fame - who lived in Cambridge some decades later than my tale, and the stream that I followed is now known as Hobson's Conduit. Luke and Bryony feel so real to me, I often wonder if they really existed in the past.

Do you have to juggle writing with the day job? What is your work schedule?

My day job is also writing—anything and everything! Articles on health and on travel, websites on subjects as varied as medical instruments, fertilisers and the ash dieback disease, restaurant and film reviews, and brochures for universities, museums and charities. Oh, I’m rather good at eulogies too…

Which craft tip has helped you the most?

Read it out loud. Ow! You really wince as you hear the words and phrases that jar. I’ve just been redecorating a bedroom, and whilst doing so, I listened to the Audible version of Tainted Innocence before going back to edit the first draft of the sequel. That was brilliant, because to hear somebody else read your work gives you a completely fresh insight into it, and you learn about what works for them and what doesn’t.

If you could slip into a time machine and meet a famous historical figure from the past, who would you choose and why?

It would have to be Shakespeare! Maybe some of his genius would rub off on me. Second choice would be John Donne — sexy and good with words.

Which is your all time favourite book?

What a tough question! Perhaps The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis. I loved the Narnia series as a child, and enjoyed reading them to my children when they were little. I’ve still got my original versions with the pages falling apart. For me, those novels represent the wonderful escapism that reading can provide; that feeling of participating in another world is one that I strive to achieve in my own writing; I would love to give my readers the gift that other writers have given me. Another favourite book, also much read and also falling apart, is Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer.

Where would you most like to escape to and write?

‘Escape to and write’ is an oxymoron for me. I write best in my miniscule study at home. I need somewhere without a wonderful view. If I am looking out at a lovely landscape, I want to be outside, not inside. So a sky full of dreary rain is best; that way, imprisoned inside, I retreat to the world that I create.

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

I have just finished writing the sequel to Tainted Innocence, which is also set in Tudor Cambridge, and which continues the stories of several of the characters. They just refuse to be quiet—they all have such fascinating tales to tell, they aren’t done with me yet!

Find out more:

Facebook http://on.fb.me/OgqxSr

Random Jossings http://bit.ly/SfQaDd,

Twitter @joss1524

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us, Joss. We wish you every success with your books.

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Liv. 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 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