Romantic Novelists' Association Blog

Eleanor Harkstead & Catherine Curzon: The Gay Romance Market – A Woman's Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome Eleanor Harkstead and her writing partner, Catherine Curzon, to the blog to talk about writing for the gay romance market and their recent and forthcoming publications. Over to Eleanor first...

When it comes to romance, or in fact any fiction, I love a story which has cracking characters in an interesting scenario. I want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to perch on the edge of my seat in suspense. And it doesn’t bother me if the protagonists are straight or otherwise.

As a genre, gay romance is dominated by stories about same-sex male couples (known as m/m). And although plenty of gay men read and write it, a huge number of women are both fans and authors of m/m romance too. Is that an anomaly? Why should women be so interested in what gay men get up to?

Maybe, being attracted to men, straight and bi women simply want to read a story where not one but two men get saucy – and there’s nowt wrong with that. But there are gay women who enjoy m/m fiction as well. I think it’s the relationships and the characters which attract women to the genre, just as much as they might be attracted by the muscly chaps on the covers. In fiction, a woman can see an emotional moment between men but might be unlikely to in real life.

Readers of genre fiction have certain expectations, and while sweet romance with a gorgeous kiss will please some, many readers of m/m want raunch. But how can a woman write a convincing love scene between two men?

Well, if one might be frank (though not actually Frank), quite a few women writers of m/m romance have been to bed with a man at least once and have a vague idea of the male anatomy. Even so, if I’m rooting for the characters and want them to get together, I don’t really need eye-popping detail. As long as there’s enough for me to picture what’s happening, I’m happy to be taken into the minds of the lovers as they enjoy and explore their emotional connection with each other.

Bedroom action isn’t the only place where women authors of m/m might struggle with realism. When writing a character who’s a gay man, it’s best to avoid him coming across as either a shallow stereotype or, basically, a woman. Whatever sort of fiction you write, you need to be conscious of stereotyping. Making your characters living, breathing individuals is part of your job when you create realistic characters who your readers will embrace.

The gay romance market is more niche than straight romance, with fewer publishers. It has certain sub-genres, such as male pregnancy, which you either don’t find in straight romance, or are more popular with fans of m/m romance than straight. But if you’ve even been curious about reading gay romance, there are all sorts of stories out there waiting for you. And if you’re tempted to write gay romance, then why shouldn’t 2018 be the year you give it a whirl?

Thank you, Eleanor for your interesting insight into writing for this genre. Now over to you and Catherine for our interview:

Your short story, An Actor’s Guide to Romance, has just been released, congratulations and the cover is gorgeous. Where did the inspiration for using actors and the theatre come from?

Catherine: Theatre is a passion of mine and has been for as long as I can remember, so using the theatre as a setting was something I’d wanted to do for a long time. There is such a rich tradition of rivalry in the theatre too that the idea of feuding actors forced to share top billing and a love scene was irresistible. The story pretty much told itself once Adam and Thomas started bickering.

Eleanor: Pride’s covers are gorgeous, and the one for the Actors brilliantly conveys the story's atmosphere. As for writing about Thomas and Adam, during my time in Little Theatre am-dram, I overheard – and, I am sorry to say, participated in – the occasional luvvie spat. Few performances are quite as spectacular as those staged by arguing theatricals.

In April, you have the first in a series of ‘Captivating Captains’ due out: The Captain and the Cavalry Trooper. Each book will be a stand-alone novel with new characters, set in a different time period. Does this add another element to the dynamic of co-writing or is it a challenge you both relish?

Catherine: Because each book is a completely standalone novel with a new setting and a cast of brand new characters, it’s a treat rather than a challenge. We can’t wait to introduce readers to captains of all sorts, from cricket to cavalry and beyond, from a huge range of eras. The joy of the series that we’re working on with Pride is the sheer scope it offers. We really hope readers enjoy meeting the captains as much as we have!

Eleanor: One of the great things about writing together is that we can pool our ideas and bounce them off each other. As soon as we start to discuss time period, location, what type of captain he'll be and who he'll be paired with, we're shaping ideas about character, setting and plot. We write stories together that we wouldn't come up with by writing on our own. And when you see characters talking in our stories, it really is two people talking - Catherine and me!

An Actor’s Guide to Romance is out now and available from Pride, Amazon Kindle and Kobo (and every other ebook platform known to humankind as well…!)

The Captain and the Cavalry Trooper

Captain Robert Thorne is the fiercest officer in the regiment. Awaiting the command to go to the front, he has no time for simpering, comely lads. That’s until one summer day in 1917 when his dark, flashing eye falls upon the newest recruit at Chateau de Desgravier, a fresh-faced farmer’s boy with little experience of life and a wealth of poetry in his heart.

Trooper Jack Woodvine has a way with strong, difficult stallions, and whispers them to his gentle will. Yet even he has never tamed a creature like Captain Thorne.

With the shadow of the Great War and the scheming of enemies closer to home threatening their fleeting chance at happiness, can the Captain and the Cavalry Trooper make it home safely? More importantly, will they see peacetime together?

Available to pre-order from 20^th February.

About the Authors

Catherine Curzon is a royal historian of the 18th century. She has written extensively for publications including HistoryExtra.com, the official website of BBC History Magazine, Explore History, All About History, History of Royals and Jane Austen’s Regency World.

Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Film and when not dodging the furies of the guillotine, she lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill.

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Eleanor Harkstead likes to dash about in nineteenth-century costume, in bonnet or cravat as the mood takes her. She knows rather a lot about poisons, and can occasionally be found wandering old graveyards. Eleanor is very fond of chocolate, wine, tweed waistcoats and nice pens. Her large collection of vintage hats would rival Hedda Hopper's.

Originally from the south-east of England, Eleanor now lives somewhere in the Midlands with a large ginger cat who resembles a Viking.

Website
Facebook
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*****

Lisa writes contemporary romance with a light-hearted tone. What interests her most is people, their interactions, emotions and relationships. It’s probably why her career to date has been based in property; she confesses herself that she is ‘naturally curious’. Her first encounter with a romance author was chats over the garden wall between her father, Godfrey, and Mrs Cooper from the neighbouring village of Bisley. It came as quite a surprise in later life to find that Mrs Cooper was in fact Jilly Cooper! Lisa’s writing inspiration now comes from other Cotswolds' authors including Jill Mansell and Katie Fforde.

Lisa is a graduate of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and attributes this supportive and informative scheme to her winning the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition 2016 with her debut novel Meet Me at Number Five.

www.lisahillwriter.wordpress.com

The RNA's 2018 Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year Awards Ceremony - Judging Panel and Celebrity Guest Presenter Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 14:16:00 +0000

The Romantic Novelists' Association has announced the judges who will decide the Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year, and the celebrity guest presenter for the 2018 Awards ceremony.

The judging panel comprises: Matt Bates, the Fiction Buyer for WH Smith Travel, editor Alex Hammond, writer Elizabeth Buchan and Liz Robinson, book reviewer for Lovereading.co.uk.

The Reverend Richard Coles will present the winner of the award with a trophy and a cheque for £5,000 on Monday 5th March at The Gladstone Library in London. Richard Coles first found fame in the 80s with chart-topping bands Bronski Beat and The Communards, before becoming a Church of England priest. He is a popular media figure, and recently enjoyed a stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

RNA Chair Nicola Cornick said: ‘We are thrilled to have such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable panel of judges with such a commitment to the romantic fiction genre, and a guest presenter who will ensure the evening is enormous fun.”

There are seven Romantic Novel Awards: Contemporary, Epic, Historical, Paranormal or Speculative Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult and the RoNA Rose for a shorter romantic novel. The winners of these categories are chosen by a panel of readers.

The four independent judges read each of the category winners to decide the overall winner of the Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year award.

Matt Bates is the Fiction Buyer for WH Smith Travel. He has been rated in the Evening Standard as one of the Top 1000 most influential Londoners, and has contributed to book-related articles in The Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, and The Bookseller. In 2013 he judged the Historical Novelists' Society International Award, in 2015 he was named Bookseller of the Year by the RNA and in 2016 was one of the judges for both The Costa Book Prize (Novel) and The Booksellers' Association Debut Fiction Category Prize. In 2017 he was named as one of The Bookseller's 100 list.

Elizabeth Buchan worked in publishing before she became a full time writer. Her novel Consider the Lily won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 1994, and a subsequent novel, Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, became an international bestseller and was made into a CBS Primetime Drama. She is a former Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliot literary prizes and was a judge for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the 2014 Costa Novel Award. She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival.

Alex Hammond holds a BA (Hons) in American Literature with Creative Writing, an MA in Creative Writing, and is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing. He worked for the literary agency Rogers, Coleridge & White, with authors such as Zadie Smith, Philip Hensher, Nick Hornby, Sandi Toksvig and Joe Dunthorne. He joined Cornerstones Literary Consultancy in 2014, and is now an editor, mentor, and scout. He works directly with authors at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Summer Conferences, and the A Chapter Away writers’ retreats.

Liz Robinson has been on the editorial team writing expert reviews for Lovereading.co.uk since the beginning of 2014. Reading is her passion, and she enjoys all genres, from crime, mysteries and thrillers to romance, family drama and relationship tales.

A total of 300 books were entered for this year’s Romantic Novel of the Year Awards. The shortlisted books will be announced on 8^th February, 2018 and the RoNA Awards will be

presented in London on 5^th March, 2018.

For more information about the awards, please go to our website.

January's Competition Monthly

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

A new year, a new start. Francesca hopes you'll find something familiar, or even better, something outside your comfort zone in this latest selection of competitions.

When I first attended Adult Education creative writing classes I'd written several short stories and poems, but not a lot else. Our tutor (author Elaine Everest), encouraged us to try our hand at all sorts of different writing. We had a go at scripts, several forms of poetry, articles, flash fiction, tips and fillers, leaflets, non-fiction books, novels and a few more things besides.

One of the most valuable aspects of these classes was that we were also encouraged to submit to all sorts of markets. Between us, we've ended up with a whole heap of different genres and types of writing published in different arenas. This success is largely due to us being pushed to write and submit outside of our comfort zone. Today, now running her own classes, Elaine still encourages us to try new things, giving us challenges that we might not normally tackle.

It's a new year, so why not try a competition outside of your comfort zone? Or dig out work you've abandoned in order to write something else. The selection this month includes short stories, novels for adults and children, script writing, poetry, flash fiction and two humour competitions. Perhaps you fancy yourself as a Ben Elton or Carla Lane? Perhaps the new Mike Leigh? Have a go and see what new doors you can open.

Good luck to you all, and don't forget to let us know of any successes you have.

Kelpies Prize 2018

Theme: Children's novel set in Scotland for either 8-10 or 12-15 year olds.

Prize: Winning author, £2,000

Closing date: 28 February 2018

Entry: Free

Details

Bridgend Writers' Circle Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. 1,500 – 1,800 words

Prize: £200 / £50 / £30

Closing date: 1^st March 2018

Entry: £5 / £7.50 for 2

Details

The International Windsor Fringe Award for New Drama Writing

Theme: Plays of 30 minutes max, 6 actors max. Only amateur playwrights.

Prize: 3 winners selected for stage performance.

Closing date: 5 March 2018

Entry: £10

Details

Brittle Star Short Story Fiction Competition (also poetry)

Theme: Open, 2,000 words max.

Prize: £250 per genre / £50 pg / £25 pg

Closing date: 14 March 2018

Entry: £5 / £3.50 each subsequent

Details

Writing Magazine Humour Short Story Competition

Theme: Humorous short story, 1,500 – 1,700 words.

Prize: £200 plus publication in magazine / £50 plus publication online

Closing date: 15 March 2018

Entry: £5 / £3 for subscriberss

Details

Edge Hill Short Story Prize

Theme: Single author collection of short stories, published between 1^st Jan & 31 Dec 2017 (not self published)

Prize: £10,000 / £1,000 reader's choice.

Closing date: 23 March 2018

Entry: Free

Details

Retreat West Flash Fiction

Theme: 'Forgetting'. 500 words max. No children's stories

Prize: £200 / 2 x £75

Closing date: 25 March 2018

Entry: £8

Details

The International Rubery Book Award

Theme: For international and self published books.

Prize: £1,500 plus read by top literary agent. Catergory winners £150 each. No publication date restriction. All genres.

Closing date: 31March 2018

Entry: £36

Details

Twisted Mysteries Writing Competition

Theme: Read the brief, but basically what lies beneath the surface in 1933.

Prize: £100 / £50 / £25 plus all winners published in an eBook anthology.

Closing date: 30 March 2018

Entry: £5

Details

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Award

Theme: Open. Max 1,500 words. Unpublished writers only (novel and short story)

Prize: £1,000 / 2 x 100 / Scottish prize £500

Closing date: 31 March 2018

Entry: £10

Details

Writers Bureau Short Story Competition

Theme: Open. 2,000 words max.

Prize: £300 / £200 / £100 / £50 plus a WB course for all winners

Closing date: 31 March 2018

Entry: £5

Details

Writers' Forum Fiction Competition (also poetry)

Theme: Open. 1,000 – 3,000 words

Prize: £300 / £150 / £100

Closing date: Rolling.

Entry: £6 / £3 for subscribers

Details

(Writers' Forum also have a flash fiction competition each month, but the duration for each is short and you'll need to look for the current theme)

Bristol Poetry Prize

Theme: Open. Up to 100 lines.

Prize: £600 / £300 / £100

Closing date: 31 March 2008

Entry: £6

Details (scroll down)

Wergel Flump Humor Poetry Contest

Theme: Humorous poem up to 250 lines

Prize: £1,000 / £250 / 10 x £100

Closing date: 1^st April 2018

Entry: Free

Details

Looking Ahead:

First Novel Prize

Theme: Novels over 50,000 words

Prize: £1,000 / £250 / £100

Closing date: Open February 1^st - 31 May 2018

Entry: £25

Details

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers' Conference, Twyford Writers, Chorley & District Writer's Circle, Retreat West, Cordelia.net, Meridian Writing, Flash a Famous Phrase, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. She's had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti plus a few articles and a poem. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog along with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds.

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Hints and Tips for New Writers #1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

When I joined the RNA as a new writer, (after ‘practising’ on and off for donkey’s years), I knew nobody. The famous names were daunting. I had no clue about how to format a ms – not knowing it meant manuscript. People talked of genres, (((shrugs))) and a dénouement was foreign to me (sorry!) Then I joined ROMNA – we didn’t have the RNA Facebook page back then, or these weird things called blogs – or vlogs – or authors talking about their work on YouTube (as far as I recall). Nor did I want to look a fool and ask daft questions EVERYBODY knew the answer to – or so I thought.

I then joined ROMNA and became a serial lurker. Gleaning information and gaining invaluable awareness of the writing world. Sometimes I even knew the answer to a query and posted it – and was taken seriously. I know, who’d have thought it?

Then one day, I was in my writing room staring out of the window, daydreaming – a lifelong habit, I cannot lie, and wondered at the knowledge I had gained over the years regarding this business we call writing. I realised I could not have been the only new writer who did not know it all, and decided others might feel the same. So as this New Year begins, and new writers join us, here are some hints and tips that might be of help or interest…

1) Write some pages in longhand from the book of your favourite author. This helps get you started.

2) Writers are readers first.

3) Welcome criticism. Seek it out at every opportunity.

4) Try not to get upset if you think the criticism is harsh, don’t be offended – even if you think it’s wrong. And always thank those who take the time to offer it. You never know when you might need to ask their advice again.

5) Right click on a word to use the thesaurus. Do it again on the new word, and make the best use of your vocabulary.

6) After editing the work on screen or in print, read the text aloud; awkward sentences or errors that sneak through earlier edits show up readily when reading out loud. Or use Word’s Speech feature and have the computer read it back. This allows you to catch errors you have missed – especially missing words or words that ’sort of sound the same’ but are spelled differently (e.g. Front me instead of ‘From me’).

7) Write as if you’re on deadline and have 500 words to make your point. Then do it again. And again.

8) Download a memo app or voice recorder on your phone – invaluable for when you have that great idea and can’t find a pen or paper.

9) After starting her fourth book last year, bestselling saga writer, Mary Wood, keeps right on to the end of the road to get the first draft done in 5-6 weeks (and breathe). So, reading and editing what she did the day before is not for her. However, something that she is unsure of could send her off track as she tries to find the details she needs. A killer when she aims for 5000 words a day. So, she came up with this little trick. “I write with tracker on, so when I am not sure of anything, I write what I think it is – then create a comment. In the box I write what is concerning me and I need to check, and then go forward, knowing that I can easily track something in my polishing up and check it out. Before I used this method, I would probably have cut my wordage to around 2000 words a day as I stopped writing to trawl the Internet looking for facts.”

Thank you, Mary! I am sure your tip will be of immense help to some of our new writers.

And last, but by no means least:

10) If there is something you don’t know, or you’re not sure of – ASK SOMEONE WHO DOES! The RNA usually know something or someone who can help you. And remember, no question is ever wasted!

N.B. If you have a favourite hint or tip, don’t keep it to yourself, send it to me at releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org and I will share it with reference to you on next month’s blog.

Happy writing, lovelies.

Sheila Riley

Sheila joined the RNA in 2004 as a new writer. Since then she has written best-selling sagas as Annie Groves. She's a member of the North West Chapter of the RNA and loves to catch up with writer friends at the regular Southport lunches.

*****

Mary Wood's latest book, Brighter Days Ahead, is available now.

Brighter Days Ahead is a moving story set against the backdrop of the Second World War, from Mary Wood, author of In Their Mother’s Footsteps.

War pulled them apart, but can it bring them back together?

Molly lives with her repugnant father, who has betrayed her many times.

From a young age, living on the streets of London’s East End, she has seen the harsh realities of life...

When she’s kidnapped by a gang and forced into their underworld, her future seems bleak.

Flo spent her early years in an orphanage and is about to turn her hand to teacher training.

When a kindly teacher at her school approaches her about a job at Bletchley Park, it could be everything she never knew she wanted.

Will the girls' friendship be enough to weather the hard times ahead?

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent Kate Burke

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

It's a pleasure to welcome literary agent Kate Burke to the RNA blog today for an interview with Helena Fairfax. Kate is with Diane Banks Associates and worked previously at Headline, Penguin, HarperCollins, and as Editorial Director at Century (Random House). Thanks so much for joining us, Kate!

Please tell us a little about Diane Banks Associates, how long the agency has been established, and how you came to join.

Diane set up the agency in 2006 after a career in publishing on the rights side. I head up the fiction side of things for the agency and we also have a non-fiction agent, a children’s/YA agent and a broadcast agent, so we are a full-service agency, handling all rights (translation, film & TV, audio, speaking engagements, etc) in house.

I joined five years ago and also came from the publishing side – I had been an editor for ten years, publishing all types of commercial fiction and editing lots of bestselling authors (Marian Keyes, Fern Britton, Lisa Jewell, Jane Fallon, Jane Green, Cecelia Ahern, Penny Vincenzi to name but a few!) I loved my time as an editor but what I really wanted to do was seek out new writers, so switching sides and becoming an agent was the perfect solution. From my experience at four major publishers, I know what editors are looking to acquire, what they want to see in a submission letter, how they want a book to be pitched to them and, above all, I know that a manuscript needs to be up to scratch before an editor can consider it and share it with their team, so I offer my clients extensive editorial feedback before submitting their manuscripts to publishers.

What genres do you represent personally?

My main areas of fiction are women’s/contemporary romance, historical, psychological/domestic suspense, crime, thrillers and sagas. I’m always looking for new writers in these areas.

You've had extensive experience in commissioning and publishing commercial fiction. What is it about a book that makes you decide it will sell well? (Difficult question, I know…!)

This probably sounds a bit basic but I need to be gripped by the writing and want to read on! It’s all about engaging the reader – I can work with a writer to fix a plot, timeline or structure of a novel – but that writing quality – the flow of words, the telling of the story, characters that feel real – needs to be there from the outset. What’s also needed (for me to see its selling potential) is an original storyline/hook, one that I can pitch to editors in just a couple of sentences.

Have you noticed any particular trends in romance recently, and if so, what do you think is going to be big this year?

I wish I had a crystal ball to predict what will be big this year! Sadly, I don’t, but dark women’s fiction (often labelled domestic or psychological suspense) continues to sell well and I think that trend of exploring the darker side of relationships and romance isn’t going away. That said, I think there has been so much dark and thrillerish romance published over the past few years that readers are now ready for something more uplifting! I think we will see more romantic comedies coming out over the next year or so – warm, romantic, life-affirming reads that will provide a nice balance to all the darker, creepier novels out there.

Do you ever find authors outside the slush pile? If so, how?

Rarely but it does happen. Sometimes I’ll meet authors at literary festivals or conferences and they’ll pitch their novel to me or sometimes a friend or contact of one of my authors will send their manuscript in. The slush pile is usually where I find most of my clients though.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

Know your audience and read widely in the area in which you’re writing. It really helps to know who you’re writing for and which genre your novel would fit into. I like it when writers can position their novel in terms of genre and comparable authors, and they know who they are writing for.

I would also advise that writers check out our submission guidelines on our website before submitting and that they send over clean chapters (ie, not ones riddled with mistakes!) Also, it helps if they get my name right on their submission email (if I had a dollar for every time I received an email saying ‘Dear Katie’…!)

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

Oh, so hard to choose! Not strictly romances, I know, but it’s a tie between The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Oh, and I love Jane Eyre. Sorry – this question is impossible to answer!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have two small children so very little spare time these days but reading is my favourite past-time and I love the cinema and theatre too.

If you could describe your working day in just three words, what would they be?

Emails, edits and negotiations. (Sadly, there’s no time for reading at my desk so that gets done outside of the office!)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions, Kate. It's been a great pleasure getting to know you. Wishing you and Diane Banks Associates all the best for 2018!

If you've enjoyed Kate's interview, or have any questions or comments at all, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

****

About Helena

Helena Fairfax is a romance author and freelance editor. Her latest novel – a feel good contemporary romance called Felicity at the Cross Hotel – is just the type of warm, romantic, life-affirming read Kate mentions in her interview. You can find out more about Helena's books and her editing services on her website www.helenafairfax.com

Juliet Bell: Two authors for the price of one

noreply@blogger.com (AlisonM) — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome Juliet Bell to the blog to celebrate the publication of her first novel, The Heights.

Juliet Bell is the collaborative pen name of RNA members Janet Gover and Alison May.

Juliet was born at an RNA conference, with a chance remark about heroes who are far from heroic. She was raised on pizza and wine during many long working lunches, and finished her first novel over cloud storage and skype in 2017.

Juliet shares Janet and Alison’s preoccupation with misunderstood classic fiction, and stories that explore the darker side of relationships.
You can follow Juliet on Twitter @JulietBellBooks or find out more on her website.

Two hundred years since Emily Brontë’s birth comes The Heights: a modern re-telling of Wuthering Heights set in 1980s Yorkshire.

A grim discovery brings DCI Lockwood to Gimmerton’s Heights Estate – a bleak patch of Yorkshire he thought he’d left behind for good. There, he must do the unthinkable, and ask questions about the notorious Earnshaw family.

Decades may have passed since Maggie closed the pits and the Earnshaws ran riot – but old wounds remain raw. And, against his better judgement, DCI Lockwood is soon drawn into a story.

A story of an untameable boy, terrible rage, and two families ripped apart. A story of passion, obsession, and dark acts of revenge. And of beautiful Cathy Earnshaw – who now lies buried under cold white marble in the shadow of the moors.

So we have two guests for the price of one today. With that in mind, we suggested that Janet and Alison ask each other some questions about their writing. Over to you Janet…

Photo credit: Julie Cohen

JANET: Writing a collaboration meant we had to plan what we were doing in some detail. We became plotters which is not the way you normally write. What was the hardest part about that and what was easier than you expected?

ALISON: I am definitely not normally a planner. Generally, as a writer, I’m the queen of ‘getting a vague idea and then just writing until it’s book length and hoping for the best.’ For a collaboration, that doesn’t work, because it means you’re forever accidentally killing people off that your writing partner might have been intending to feature in the next chapter.

And I do find writing to a set plan much more difficult. For me that sense of possibility and the unknown is a big part of what motivates me to keep writing – if I know exactly what’s coming next all the way to the end, why would I need to write the book? But I guess what made up for that was the fact that there was half a book out there somewhere being written without me. Sure – I knew the story and what events would take place in those chapters, but I didn’t know exactly how Janet would put them down on the page. I think that kept the sense of mystery alive.

JANET: After we decided to adapt Wuthering Heights, we both reread the original. Was there anything when you reread it that you had forgotten or that surprised you?

ALISON: So much! I’ve never thought of Wuthering Heights as a romantic novel, and I’ve certainly never seen Heathcliff as a romantic hero – although I know some readers do. But even beyond that I was stunned by how bleak a lot of the story is, and how self-involved even the ‘nicer’ characters are.

I spent much of the reread wanting to shake pretty much everyone on the page, which sounds like it should probably mean that I didn’t like the book. That’s not the case at all. I love Wuthering Heights – it’s big and ambitious and all-consuming, but it’s also unrelenting, and I think I’d forgotten that unrelenting darkness.

JANET: We use Skype and online storage when we write together, because we live in different parts of the country and are both a bit geeky. What piece of technology do you love most – and hate most?

I’m not sure if it really counts as a ‘piece of technology’ but it’s the same answer for love and hate – social media! Twitter, facebook, Instagram – I have a love-hate relationship with them all. I love being connected to friends and family so easily. Being a writer involves a lot – A LOT – of time spent on your own inside your own imagination. It’s really easy to get very isolated, very quickly, and chatting on Twitter and Facebook is a massive help with that.

But it’s also a huge timesuck, and it pushes crises from around the world into your eyeballs in real-time in a way that I really don’t think the human psyche is evolved to deal with, and it invites you to compare yourself with everyone else’s (carefully edited) social media perfect lives.

And every now and then I think I ought to go social media cold turkey, but then I get a message from a mate I’ve not seen for months, or read a really interesting Twitter thread about Harry Potter, or feel in desperate need of a picture of an otter, and thoughts of stepping away are instantly forgotten again.

Photo credit: Julie Cohen

ALISON: So now, it’s my turn to ask the questions! So Janet, how did you get started writing fiction? I know you were a journalist - what led you into making up, rather than reporting, stories?

JANET: It was actually the other way around. I always wanted to make up stories. I think I wrote my first ‘book’ when I was about 9 years old. I typed it on my parent’s typewriter, and made a cover for it with a drawing of a pony and the title in fancy font. My parents were practical people and realized that making a living as an author isn’t guaranteed or easy. They encouraged me to find another way of fulfilling my need to write while paying my bills. Journalism did that.

After some years, I moved out of being an on-the-road reporter into management, so I wasn’t actually writing any more. That was when I seriously started writing fiction. It’s much harder and much more fun that writing facts, but in its own way, much more rewarding.

ALISON: Why Wuthering Heights? It was you that very first suggested the adaptation - what is it about that book that captured your imagination?

JANET: I grew up in a fairly isolated part of Australia. The snow storms and rain and mists of the Yorkshire moors were very different from my hot dry world, but had much of the same feeling of wildness. I love wild places, wild animals and I guess by extension the wild souls of Cathy and Heathcliff.

Wuthering Heights touches on so many themes, love and hate, isolation and prejudice, dysfunctional families and abuse and… well the list goes on. Any one of these themes is thought provoking, but finding so much in one book is amazing. Every time I read it, something different captures my imagination. There are scenes and phrases from the book that have never left me.

ALISON: The setting in The Heights is as much a part of the story as the characters – they’re all deeply associated to the place where they live. I think of you as a bit of a citizen of the world - you've lived in Australia, the UK and New York and worked all over the world. Where do you think of as home?

JANET: I’ve called a lot of places home. We moved every few years when I was small, and Australia certainly has a lot of space to move around in. I’ve spent so much time in hotels in about 50 different countries in my day job, I even say I’m going home when I head back to the hotel at the end of the day. I guess home isn’t really a physical place in my head. Home is where I can relax and be myself, be with people I care about and there is often a cat involved.

At the moment, home is west London. I love living in London. It is an amazing city. A few weeks every year I go home to Australia where I wake to the sound of kookaburras laughing in the gum trees and often find a kangaroo near the house (yes – seriously). It probably sounds corny, but I guess “home” is all the places that have made me the person I am.

Photo credit: Julie Cohen

Thank you Janet and Alison. The Heights is available now in ebook from Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play.

Janet Gover grew up in a small Queensland country town, surrounded by books. After studying at Queensland University she became a television journalist, first in Australia, then in Asia and Europe. During her career Janet saw and did a lot of unusual things. She has met one Pope, a few movie stars and is on first name terms with a dolphin. She now works with television technology and travels extensively with her job, including some unusual destinations such as Iraq, Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Lesotho. While living in Hong Kong, she met an Englishman, whom she subsequently married and she now lives in West London.

Her first fiction was published in 2002 – a short story inspired by a holiday in Wales. Her first novel was published in 2009. She now has ten published novels, one of which won the RNA RoNA Award for an epic romantic novel in 2017.
You can find out more about Janet on her website, or on facebook or by following @janet_gover on Twitter.

Alison May is a novelist and short story writer. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband, no kids and no pets. There were goldfish once. That ended badly.

Alison writes romantic comedies and commercial women’s fiction, and has been shortlisted in the Love Stories and RoNA Awards. Her next solo novel, All That Was Lost, will be released this autumn by Legend Press.

She is also qualified teacher with a degree in Creative Writing and runs novel writing workshops and courses. Alison is currently Vice-Chair of the RNA.
You can find out more about Alison on her website, or on facebook or by following @MsAlisonMay on Twitter.

Introducing the RNA Blog team

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

As many regular blog readers will know, we have a great team of members who organise the fantastic content you read on the blog every week. As we go into the New Year, we thought it was time to give them a chance to introduce themselves properly so you can see who to contact if you'd like to contribute to the blog or to be featured on it during the coming year. So, without further ado...

Sheila Riley - New Releases and Hints and Tips for Newer Writers

Sheila joined the RNA in 2004 as a new writer. Since then she has written best-selling sagas as Annie Groves. She's a member of the North West Chapter of the RNA and loves to catch up with writer friends at the regular Southport lunches.

Sheila is also starting a new feature this year called Hints and Tips for Newer Writers.

The new email address for monthly publications is:

releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org.

Ellie Holmes - Interviews with Book Bloggers, Reviewers, Editors

Ellie Holmes writes commercial women’s fiction with her heart in the town and her soul in the country. Ellie’s debut release was The Flower Seller. A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors, Ellie’s latest book, White Lies is out now.

Francesca Capaldi Burgess - Competition Monthly

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers' Conference, Retreat West, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. She's had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists.

Twitter

Write Minds Blog

Lisa Hill - Author Interviews and Guest Posts

www.lisahillwriter.wordpress.com

Julie Stock - News items and everything else!

Julie writes and indie publishes contemporary romance novels, novellas and short stories from around the world. To date, she has published two novels, and has two novellas and another novel planned for this year.

She is now a full member of the RNA, The Society of Authors, and The Alliance of Independent Authors. Julie recently took over as RNA Social Media Co-ordinator and is looking forward to working with the team to keep the blog sparkling in the months to come.

Thanks for all your support for the blog. We look forward to working with many of you once again in 2018!

January 2018 New Releases

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 07:00:00 +0000

Helen J Rolfe – Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn

Women's fiction

Paperback

Independently Published

14 December 2017

As the flames on the log fire flicker and the snowflakes swirl above the New York streets, maybe this Christmas could be the one that changes everything...

When Darcy returns to Manhattan, she’s put in charge of the Inglenook Inn, a cosy boutique hotel in the heart of Greenwich Village. The Inn needs a boost in bookings if it’s to survive the competition, so Darcy is convinced that hosting Christmas this year is the answer. What she doesn’t expect is to meet a face from the past, which can only spell trouble.

Myles left England behind and took a job in New York. It’s a step forward in his career and has the added bonus of being nowhere near his family. He’s also hoping to avoid Christmas, the worst time of the year. But when his company puts him up at the Inglenook Inn and he recognises Darcy, it isn’t long before they clash.

When disaster strikes, can Myles and Darcy put their differences aside to make Christmas at the Inglenook Inn a success?

Rachel Brimble – A Stranger In The Cove

Contemporary Romance

Harlequin Super Romance

1 January 2018

Mac Orman is on a mission. When he discovers his recently deceased father had been searching for his birth mother, Mac aims to finish the job by finding the grandmother he never knew.

His quest leads him to Templeton Cove – and a firecracker of a woman who instantly jump-starts his tortured heart. For Mac, Kate Harrington is the most tempting kind of distraction. But their sizzling connection comes with a side of suspicion for Kate, who doesn’t trust this brooding stranger in her town.

Mac arrived with no plans to stay, but as he falls for Kate, he wonders how he could ever possibly leave.

Jill Barry – Mallorcan Magic

Ulverscroft Large Print

Linford Romance

1 January 2018

Following her broken engagement, Eira Campbell quits her job and visits an old friend who lives on Mallorca. This holiday leads to a life-changing encounter with millionaire entrepreneur Danny Carpenter.

His children need a new nanny and Eira accepts Danny’s job offer. Fighting her growing attraction to her boss, she offends the family chauffeur by rejecting him but calamity strikes when Danny is set up and taken into custody.

Many envy the businessman’s luxury lifestyle but the chauffeur’s disappearance makes him the prime suspect. Eira, by now deeply in love with her boss, uses every means within her power to clear Danny’s name, enabling him to walk freely into the future.

Juliet Bell – The Heights (a collaboration between Alison May and Janet Gover)

Women’s Fiction

HQ Digital

3 January 2018

Two hundred years since Emily Brontë’s birth comes The Heights: a modern retelling of Wuthering Heights set in 1980s Yorkshire.

Decades may have passed since Maggie closed the pits and the Earnshaws ran riot – but old wounds remain raw. And, against his better judgement, DCI Lockwood is soon drawn into a story. A story of an untameable boy, terrible rage, and two families ripped apart. A story of passion, obsession, and dark acts of revenge. And of beautiful Cathy Earnshaw – who now lies buried under cold white marble in the shadow of the moors.

Sarah Bennett – The Butterfly Cove Collection

Ebook

HQ Digital

7 January 2018

A year of taking chances…Mia is finally putting the past behind her and pouring all her savings into renovating a crumbling guesthouse in peaceful Butterfly Cove. But when her first guest, Daniel Fitzwilliam, arrives it’s soon clear that the tranquil seaside village has a few surprises in store!

Kiki is hoping for a fresh start after her marriage falls to pieces – and her sister’s guesthouse by the sea is the perfect escape. Yet when Aaron Spenser offers to share his cottage until she’s back on her feet, she realises she may have found more than just a new home…

Nee knows that returning to Butterfly Cove means facing Luke Spenser, the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night. Running away was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made?

Anna Jacobs – One Kind Man (Ellindale #2)

Saga

Hodder & Stoughton

11 January 2018

1931, Lancashire:

When Finn Carlisle loses his wife and unborn child, he spends a few years travelling to keep the sad memories at bay. Just as he's ready to settle down again, his great-uncle dies and leaves everything to him. This includes Heythorpe House in Ellindale just down the road from Leah Willcox and her little fizzy drink factory.

Finn finds a village of people in dire need of jobs, a house that hasn't been cleaned or lived in for thirty years and Reggie, an eleven-year-old who's run away from the nearby orphanage and its brutal Director, Buddle. When Finn sees the marks left by regular beatings, he decides Reggie will never go back there.

He can't turn away two hungry young women from the village seeking jobs as maids, either, and they too need help with their lives. But Buddle has other plans for the child and will stop at nothing to get Reggie back in his cruel grasp.

Finn's new neighbours help him save Reggie but other surprises throw his new plans into turmoil.

Georgia Hill – Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café

Romantic comedy

Harper Impulse

11 January 2018

It’s all happening in seaside Berecombe! Millie’s café business is facing disaster when a multi-national opens up. She bakes up a storm to save her café – but is distracted by gorgeous Jed.

Millie’s delighted as her friends gradually find love but Jed’s been keeping secrets, leaving her broken-hearted. She faces a new dilemma. Is it time to start over somewhere new?

Or is everything she’s ever wanted right here in Berecombe?

Natalie Kleinman – The Ghost of Glendale

Regency Romance/Mystery

Pocket Novel

DC Thomson

11 January 2018

At twenty-four years old, Phoebe Marcham is resigned to spinsterhood, unwilling to settle for less than the deep love her parents had shared.

That is until adventurer Duncan Armstrong rides into her home wood, larger than life and with laughter in his eyes and more charm in his little finger than anyone she has previously known.

Far from ridiculing her family ghost, Duncan resolves to help solve the mystery which has left Simon Marchant a soul in torment for two hundred years.

Rachel Dove – The Long Walk Back

Ebook

HQ Digital

11 January, 2018

When army trauma surgeon Kate saves a man who doesn't want to be saved,

they end up teaching each other what it means to give life - and love - a second chance.

Rosie Hendry – Secrets of the East End Angels

Saga

Hardback and ebook

Little, Brown Sphere

18 January 2018

London, 1941.

The East End Angels - Frankie, Bella, and Winnie - are settled into life as ambulance crew members at LAAS Station Seventy-Five. The threat of air raids and other atrocities are a constant worry, but life continues regardless and the weight of responsibility weighs heavy on each of them.

Frankie's grandfather is unwell and she promised him she would always look after Ivy, her step-grandmother, but things between the two women are becoming increasingly strained. And then Frankie discovers something that turns everything she thought she knew about herself on its head.

Winnie's natural leadership puts her at the forefront at the station and she's soon making the difficult decisions on call-outs. As she is exposed to a higher level of war and destruction, she begins to wonder how much more London can take -

and how much more can she take?

Bella is beginning to drive the ambulances, she is growing closer to James and her love for writing is opening up new doors for her. Then she receives devastating news about someone close to her and things begin to unravel.

Life and war may keep testing the angels but love will always find a way to shine and the strength of their friendship will see them through the darkest of times.

Sheila Norton – The Pets at Primrose Cottage, Part 3: Trust Your Heart

Ebook

Ebury

18 January 2018

Emma Nightingale finds she’s accidentally becoming something of a local celebrity in the small town of Crickleford, and it seems that everyone wants her to look after their pets.

While looking after a hamster, she accidentally uncovers a mystery that threatens to draw even more attention to her.

With nowhere to turn, soon Emma will have to make a decision that could cost her everything…

Lynne Connolly – Sinless
Paperback and ebook
Kensington Lyrical
23 January, 2018

Lord Darius Shaw has never been in love before. But when he renews his acquaintance with lawyer Andrew Graham in a raid on a molly house, where men meet men for forbidden pleasure, they discover mutual feelings as deep as they are dangerous. For while society will turn a blind eye to an aristocrat’s transgressions, Andrew has far more at stake. The son of city merchants, Andrew has a disastrous marriage in his past, and a young daughter to support. He could lose his livelihood, his reputation and even his life—and drag Darius down with him.

Darius and Andrew’s only choice is to deny the true nature of their relationship. But when an enemy Italian spy threatens their secret – and their futures – the two set out to catch him. And in the process they are forced to face their desires – and make a life-changing decision.

*

Kate Walker – A Proposal To Secure His Vengeance (Cathy Wade)

Modern Romance

Harlequin Mills & Boon

25 January 2018

Raoul Cardini will have his revenge! His preferred method? Ruthless, irresistible seduction!

Imogen O’Sullivan is horrified when charismatic tycoon Raoul breaks up her engagement and makes her his own convenient bride! She once surrendered everything to Raoul—body, heart and soul. But as he stalks back into her life it’s clear he has punishment in mind—not just passion!

Can Imogen resist Raoul’s potent brand of delicious vengeance?

Jill Mansell – This Could Change Everything

Hardback and ebook

Headline Books

25 January 2018

On the one hand, if Essie hadn’t written that letter - the one that only her best friend was meant to see - then she'd still be living like an actual proper grown-up, tucked up with Paul in his picture-perfect cottage, maybe even planning their wedding...

On the other hand (if her true feelings hadn't accidentally taken the internet by storm, that is) she wouldn't have moved into the attic flat on the square. She would never have met Conor. Or got to know Lucas...

And she wouldn't have found herself falling in love with someone she really, really shouldn't fall in love with...

Evelyn Orange – Falling on Ice

Romantic suspense

My Weekly Pocket Novels

25 January 2018 (Cover reveal on publication day)

Elsa has recently fulfilled two ambitions – to open her own café on the seafront at Heronsburn, and to learn to ice skate at the local rink. But her life is turned upside down on the day she takes part in her first competition and bumps into her teenage sweetheart, Daniel, at the ice rink.

There is still a spark between them, but she is torn. Is she opening herself to having her heart broken again? What’s more, Daniel might have something to do with the sinister goings on at the ice rink, which started around the time he became involved in its running. Can Elsa keep her cool and prevent herself from falling on ice?

Jane Holland – Forget Her Name

Ebook and paperback

Thomas & Mercer

25 January 2018

As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package – a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition – that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past.

Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery.

Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks.

Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages…Someone out there seems intent on tormenting her.

But who? And why now? The only alternative is what she fears most. Is Rachel still alive?

The new releases list is compiled by Sheila Riley. Sheila joined the RNA in 2004 as a new writer. Since then she has written best-selling sagas as Annie Groves. She's a member of the North West Chapter of the RNA and loves to catch up with writer friends at the regular Southport lunches.

The new email address for monthly publications is:

releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org.

Please use the following format when sending details of your new release to Sheila:

Author Name and Name of Title

Genre

Format(s)

Publisher (Whether traditional or independent)

Date (e.g. 27 January 2018)

Thank you!

Rachael Thomas: Trekking along The Great Wall of China

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

The support of members of the RNA has always been unwavering and when I took on the challenge of trekking along parts of the Great Wall of China to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, that support from fellow members was the same.

I completed my challenge in October and myself and my fellow twenty-seven trekkers raised over £52,000 for the cause, so thanks to everyone for your support, be that through sponsorship or sharing my endeavours to raise awareness.

The five days' trekking had its unique challenges for me. I was not too happy with heights, but ‘infinity steps’ were something else! Talking of steps, I encountered thousands of them along the wall, from never ending steps I had to clamber up to tiny little ones, which made my legs ache.

Most days we were off the beaten track on what we quickly named the ‘wild wall’ and hardly ever saw anyone else. We all agreed this was much nicer than the tourist parts which are easily accessible from Beijing and thronging with people – even in the rain!

The group also had a day in Beijing where we went on a jam-packed tour starting at The Temple of Heaven, with its peaceful park where all the locals go each day to do everything from exercise to hold knitting and chess clubs. Then onto the Pearl Market for a bit of bartering for souvenirs before going to Tiananmen Square and finally The Forbidden City.

Well done, Rachael for this fantastic achievement!

*****

Rachael's latest novel is Valdez's Bartered Bride (Convenient Christmas Brides, Book 1):

Genealogist Lydia Carter-Wilson is horrified by the debts her father has run up in her name. Then magnate Raul Valdez approaches her with an outrageous proposition. If she helps him claim his inheritance, he’ll pay off her debts and save her tarnished reputation. But there’s a catch. If she fails, she will marry Raul on Christmas Eve!

No matter their instant and electrifying attraction, Lydia knows Raul’s proposal amounts to blackmail. Yet faced with an impossible choice – risking ruin or becoming Raul’s bartered bride – Lydia finds she cannot resist her desire to make a deal with the dark-hearted billionaire…!

About Rachael:

I love to contrast my daily life working on the farm with writing romances, which are set in locations all around the world and take my characters on an emotional and passionate journey.

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Heidi Swain: The Christmas Market

noreply@blogger.com (AlisonM) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Today we add a little bit of tinsel to the blog as we welcome Heidi Swain to talk about her experience of writing for the festive market.

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster.

Her debut novel, The Chery Tree Café was published in July 2015 (paperback June 2017) and Summer at Skylark Farm hit the shelves the following June. Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market was a hugely successful Christmas 2016 release and her fourth book, Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage was published in July 2017. She is currently celebrating her October 2017 Christmas release, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair.

Heidi lives in Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Over to you Heidi…

When I set out to pursue my dream of becoming a published author there were a few goals I hoped to achieve. Seeing my books in a library, on the supermarket shelves, in the Bookseller and with an Amazon bestseller flag were a few, but the epitome for me was the opportunity to write a book specifically for the Christmas market.

With two books under my belt I was delighted when the chance came along and I grabbed the opportunity to start planning with both hands, but not before I had chatted at length to fellow authors, friends and a lot of readers.

The first thing I realised was that writing a Christmas book came with a heavy weight of what I call Reader Responsibility. That same responsibility is present at any time of year. For example, if an author has a book out during the summer and there’s a chance that it will be given the much coveted Holiday Read spot and packed along with the sarong and sunblock, that itself produces a pressure to tick certain boxes.

However, I soon became aware that throwing the word ‘Christmas’ into the mix was enough to crank that level of responsibility up tenfold. Not only because the book is being published at ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, but also because there’s the possibility, if the price is right (and let’s face it, with supermarket promos it more often than not is), that it will be deemed special enough to be given away as a present.

I hadn’t undertaken many pre-planning conversations before a common theme started to emerge. Lots of people objected to books which had ‘Christmas’ in the title, when they realised, just a few pages in, that the festive flourishes were going to be lacking and the big day itself barely mentioned, let alone made a feature of. If the cover was shiny, sparkly, glossy and glittery, the readers expected, desired, hoped for snow, sleigh rides and Santa himself and if they didn’t get it they felt let down. Many said they felt cheated and that the book which had disappointed them had only included ‘Christmas’ in the title as a way to increase sales.

And so, with this in mind, I made it my mission to not only write an interesting and plot driven book, but one which also centred around the snowy season and held celebrating Christmas as its heart. Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market was crammed full of festive makes, bakes, markets, workshops and gifts, but did my plan work? If the reviews and sales were anything to go by, yes it did and the fact that my editor called early on in the New Year to ask if I felt that Wynbridge had more winter cheer to offer was proof enough for me.

Second time around and I’ve written a book I think I love more than any of the others, but that could be simply because it is the current book on the shelves and I have developed a tendency to say that every publication day. However, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair delivers everything the title promises, along with a Solstice celebration, romantic encounters under the stars and more than the average number of trees.

The book has a new setting, Wynthorpe Hall, and a brand new set of characters to get to know, but one thing they have in common with their neighbours in town is that they love Christmas and know how to celebrate it in style. And, as if that wasn’t enough to cheer about, there’s the added excitement that my readers have also taken it to their hearts and turned me into a Sunday Times Best-selling Author!

I’m immensely proud to have reached another of my goals and I hope that if you have a festive book out this year then you’ve enjoyed the experience of writing it as much as I have.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a productive New Year!

Heidi x

Thank you for that Heidi and a very merry Christmas to you too!

When Anna takes on the role of companion to the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, she has no idea that her life is set to change beyond all recognition.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona.

Jamie, struggling to come to terms with life back in the Fens, makes a pact with Anna – she has to teach him to fall back in love with Wynthorpe Hall, while he helps her fall back in love with Christmas. But will it all prove too much for Anna, or can the family of Wynthorpe Hall warm her heart once and for all...?

Join Anna for a festive journey that is festooned with sleigh rides and silver bells and help her discover her happy ever after.

Silver Bells and Sleigh Rides is available now.

You can find out more about Heidi and her writing on her website, facebook, or by following her on twitter.

Adele Blair – Kraftireader

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Thank you to Ellie Holmes for this lovely interview with book blogger, Adele Blair, this month.

I am delighted to welcome Adele Blair to the RNA Blog’s monthly series where we speak to book bloggers and get an insight into their world. Welcome Adele.

I love the name of your blog – Kraftireader – and your motto “A book and tea puts a smile on me”. Can you tell us how long you have been running your blog and share your review policy with us?

I started my blog back in the summer of 2014. My preferred book genres are contemporary fiction, romcoms, chicklit, historical romance, and family sagas. I love this quote about a “book and tea”. There is nothing more comforting than sitting down and finding yourself a nice quiet corner to read a book and pair it with your favourite cuppa.

What’s the best and worst thing about running a blog?

The best thing about running a blog is discovering new authors, especially indie authors. I feel that bloggers are indie authors’ best friends as we can help bring their work to the limelight. As a consumer when we are searching for our next read we do tend to look for the authors we know and have heard about. However, there are some wonderful gems out there in the indie author world and I love championing this. The worst thing about having a blog is time, I don't have enough time to read all that I'd love to read.

Do you ever read just for fun or do you review every book you read?

I would say especially this year that my reading has been 95% for reviews. I'm thinking of blocking a week off each month to read a book for fun.

What was your standout book of 2017?

My standout book of 2017 is always such a difficult question to ask any book lover. However, I do have a book series that I've completely fallen in love with and that is the Wild Warriners by Virginia Heath. It is a Regency Romance series published by Mills & Boon Historical about four brothers trying to break away from their father's bad reputation, trying to build their family farm back to what it was in its prime and trying to find how they fit in the world. Virginia Heath has created a wonderful series with each book concentrating on one of the brothers (we've met two already). There is heartache, family saga, romance, comedy; the Warriners are like a 19th century rural middle England 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'.

I see from your blog that you are very active on NetGalley. Can you tell us a little about that?

NetGalley is a portal for authors, publishers and professional readers: a place where authors and publishers can offer their books out for early review to professional readers. Professional readers do have to prove themselves with links to their previous reviews on various websites.

I know you are a keen crafter. What are you working on at the moment and do you get torn between your crafting and reading?

When I first started my blog it was to share what I love: reading, crafting, food etc. However, once my blog became established and I found I was really enjoying learning about new authors, the reading has ultimately taken over but my other interests are still there waiting for me. One of the last projects I crafted was découpaging a pre-bought paper mâché owl. I'd never done découpaging before and it was quite easy to pick up. The end result was such a treat, my owl has pride of place in my home...I must do some more découpage and it would be an ideal project to do to make as a gift.

I love the fact you describe yourself as a “recipe hoarder” (me, too!). If you were able to host a fantasy dinner party for your favourite authors (alive or dead), who would you choose as your guests and what would you prepare for them?

Oh my goodness that's a difficult question...I would love the following authors at my table: Jojo Moyes (I'm in awe of her stories); Lesley Downer (I read and was completely captivated by her historical romance The Shogun's Queen, I had the pleasure of meeting her recently and she has so much knowledge and experience of Japan, fascinating insight); Beatrix Potter (her illustrations and imagination around the animals she clearly adored); Milly Johnson (she's a Yorkshire lass whose warmth radiates in her books and I've had the pleasure of meeting her a few times) and Jacqueline Susann (I read Valley of the Dolls last year and was transfixed). I would cook a big pot of chilli that would be warming and comforting and it's one dish I can do a pretty decent job of!

We often ask agents and publishers what they consider to be the next “big thing” - what do you hope to see in 2018?

I would love indie authors to become the spotlight. I'd love it if a big glossy mag would do a series of bringing the spotlight to these unsung heroes in the book world.

Thank you, Adele for being such a wonderful guest.

Find out more about Adele via these links:

Website

Twitter

*****

About Ellie

Ellie Holmes writes commercial women’s fiction with her heart in the town and her soul in the country. Ellie’s debut release was The Flower Seller. A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors, Ellie’s latest book, White Lies is out now.

Amazon

Twitter

Website

Facebook

Rosie Hendry: On Not Giving Up

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

The acknowledgements at the back of East End Angels begin with “A huge and heartfelt thank you to the Romantic Novelists’ Association, without whom this book would never have been written.” And it’s true.

The first steps towards writing it started when I applied for one of the coveted 1:1 appointments with an agent at the 2015 RNA conference at Queen Mary’s in London. I was lucky enough to get an appointment with agent, Felicity Trew, (thank you Elaine Everest), to whom I sent the first few chapters and synopsis of a WW2 saga which I’d had published as a two part People’s Friend pocket novel in 2013. I’d had plans to write something else to show an agent but life had taken a downward turn at the beginning of the year when a close family member became ill and died, pushing novel writing very much on the back burner. I almost didn’t apply for a 1:1 but decided to try anyway and perhaps get some feedback on my writing I’d done so far.

To my astonishment Felicity liked my writing, and this led on to a meeting a couple of weeks later at the Caroline Sheldon agency where she works, for a brainstorming session with the aim of me writing something new to approach publishers with. By the autumn Felicity had signed me up, in early 2016 she sent off three chapters and a synopsis, plus ideas for another two books in the potential series and two publishers put in offers for a three book deal, bidding against each other. It was unbelievable, thrilling and nerve wracking. After meetings with each publisher I had to choose who to go with, which was a really tough decision but in the end chose the wonderful Little, Brown, Sphere.

I’ve been a member of the RNA since 2007 when I joined the New Writers’ Scheme and tried to write a Mills & Boon, which I soon discovered are a very difficult craft to master and not suited to my writing. Eventually I graduated from the NWS in 2011 with a People’s Friend contemporary pocket novel. Since then it’s taken quite a few years to find my voice and discover what genre suited me best, in the meantime writing lots of short stories for women’s magazines, both contemporary and historical, and a WW2 serial for People’s Friend. It was after the 2015 conference that I finally found my writing home.

There have been times over the years when I have thought of giving up writing but the RNA’s brilliant support has kept me going, especially the generosity and kindness of members who have shared advice and their experience - this is one of the amazing strengths of the RNA. Way back when I was unsuccessfully trying to write a Mills & Boon, Kate Walker (a fabulous Mills & Boon author herself) advised me to find out what I should be writing and she was right. I remember Jean Fullerton giving excellent advice at the Chichester conference saying that the writers who get published are the ones that keep trying and trying, and those who give up, don’t. Since I joined the RNA, I’ve seen many members who kept on trying and not giving up, eventually succeeding which is fantastic, well deserved and utterly joyful. Anyone in the NWS who is doubting themselves or feeling like giving up, don’t, keep going, keep trying and you will get there, it might take time but none of that is wasted because you are learning and improving and the RNA and its members are there to support you every step of the way.

Rosie's début novel, East End Angels, is available now on Amazon.

Strong-willed Winnie loves being part of the crew at Station Seventy-Five but her parents are less than happy. She has managed to avoid their pleas to join the WRENS so far but when a tragedy hits too close to home she finds herself wondering if she's cut out for this life after all.

Former housemaid Bella was forced to leave the place she loved when she lost it all and it's taken her a while to find somewhere else to call home. She's finally starting to build a new life but when the air raids begin, it seems she may have to start over once again.

East-Ender Frankie's sense of loyalty keeps her tied to home so it's not easy for her to stay focused at work. With her head and heart pulling in different directions, will she find the strength to come through for her friends when they need her the most?

Brought together at LAAS Station Seventy-Five in London's East End during 1940, these three very different women soon realise that they'll need each other if they're to get through the days ahead. But can the ties of friendship, love and family all remain unbroken?

About Rosie:

Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband, two children, chickens and a snake.

Listening to her father’s tales of life during the Second World War sparked her interest in this period and she’s especially intrigued by how women’s lives changed during the war years. She loves researching further, searching out gems of real life events which inspire her writing.

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December's Competition Monthly!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Francesca takes a look at how to stand out from the crowd in a themed contest and has a diverse batch of competitions to enter this month.

Depending on what competition you've entered, you could be pitted against thirty other people, or thousands. If the competition has a theme, this makes coming up with an original idea, one that the judges aren't going to groan at because they've already read fifty other entries with the same idea, quite difficult. Ideas are all around us, and if you're like me, you're forever jotting them down and storing them for future pieces of work. But when having to think of something for a specific subject, the mind can often go blank.

When faced with an empty page, I like to mind map with a spider diagram. I'm sure some of you will already do this. For other, newer writers, hopefully this will help the creative juices flow. The first ideas I have will be obvious, but as the tendrils of the diagram get longer, more obscure thoughts come to the surface, ones that may seem outside the box, but have a better chance of grabbing the judge's attention. Even if the idea seems ridiculous, don't dismiss it out of hand. I find the more connections I make, the more an idea starts to materialise and grow. Sometimes several of the ideas can be used together.

It's too late for Christmas stories now, but it's a good theme to use as an example:

These are just off the top of my head and would normally be more extensive. Coloured pens are optional! Different things work for different people, but it might be worth giving it a go if you're stuck.

Hope you're all inspired by the festive season. Best of luck with the competitions you enter now and in the new year.

Buon Natale / Nadolig Llawen / Happy Christmas!

Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize
Theme: Open, including children's and YA, by women over 21. First 40-50 pages and synopsis 5-10 pages long.
Prize: All shortlisted receive one to one consultations with a literary agent and opportunity to meet other agents.
Closing date: 12 noon, 9 February 2018
Entry: £12
Details

Writing Magazine Dialogue Only Short Story
Theme: No description, only dialogue. 1,500 – 1,700 words
Prize: £200 and publication in magazine / £50 and publication online
Closing date: 15 February 2018
Entry: £5 / £3 subscriber
Details

Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Theme: Open. 1,000 to 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: £7
Details

The Hate and Coat Award
Theme: Darker side of human nature. Three items mentioned must be included. 999 words max
Prize: Winner 50% of entry fees. Shortlisted remaining 50% shared.
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: $15AUS
Details

Dream Quest One Writing Contest (also poetry)
Theme: Open, five pages max
Prize: $250US / $125 / $50
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: $10US
Details

The SciFan Fire and Ice Competition
Theme: Fire and Ice – dystopian / dark. 2,000 words max
Prize: £100 / £50 / £25. Shortlist offered opportunity to be in anthology.
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: £5
Details

The Debut Dagger Award
Theme: Crime. For unpublished writers. First 3,000 words, 500 – 1,000 word synopsis
Prize: £500 / shortlisted get brief professional assessment and are submitted to agents
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: £36
Details

Crime Writers' Association Margery Allingham Short Story Award
Theme: Must satisfy Margaret's definition of a mystery (see site). Up to 3,500 words.
Prize: £500
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: £12
Details

Exeter Writers' Short Story Competition
Theme: Open (excluding children's). 3,000 words max
Prize: £500 / £250 / £100 / Devon prize £100
Closing date: 28 February 2018
Entry: £6
Details

Nottingham Writers' Club Short Story Competition
Theme: Any genre in a chosen season. 2,000 words max
Prize: £200 / £150 / £50
Closing date: After February 1st (see page for details)
Entry: Possibly £5 – To be confirmed
Details

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent Kate Nash

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 07:30:00 +0000

Literary agent Kate Nash needs no introduction to many members of the RNA. Kate has attended several RNA events, including the RNA conference 2017, where she accepted pitches from members.

It's a great pleasure to welcome Kate to the blog today. Thanks for accepting our invitation, Kate!

Please tell us a little about the Kate Nash Agency, how long it’s been established, and how you came to set it up.

I set up the Agency in 2009. As a publisher I worked with a wide variety of literary agents and

came to the conclusion that it was the best job in the business. This is because agents have the amazingly privileged position of being able to work closely with an author and drive the direction and success of the author’s overall career. Publishers are of course critical to an author’s success but there remains a potential tension between their interests as a business and the interests of the author. A literary agent’s interests are the author’s interests so we can be there champion as well as having those difficult conversations.

I set up my own business as I felt I was a little too old and opinionated to garner a job making the tea at an established literary agency and wanted to start building my client list right away.

What genres do you represent?

I represent commercial fiction across most genres, namely romantic fiction, women’s fiction, family sagas, historical fiction, crime and thrillers. I also represent some narrative non-fiction.

What services do you provide for your authors?

The Kate Nash Literary Agency is a full service literary agency, by which I mean that we offer representation to book authors across all territories and formats. As primary agent I would handle an author’s work across the World in English language for all book formats. For translation and television / film we work in partnership with specialist agencies: RightsPeople on translation and Collective Talent for dramatisation.

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

I’m looking for a gripping, unputdownable read from the opening sentence onwards. When I request to see a full manuscript, it’s usually the best thing I’ve started reading all week, possibly all month, occasionally all year. We get a lot of submissions and I read a lot so I always say to writers that if any agent requests to see more material this is a brilliant sign, even if things don’t move forward with that particular agent.

Do you ever find authors outside the slush pile? If so, how?

I have found a number of my authors from literary events and competitions. I actively try to attend a variety of writing conferences and literary festivals every year, including the Romantic Novelists Association annual conference. I feel that by the time that aspiring writers have the confidence to start attending conferences they are some way down the road in taking their craft seriously. It is affirming for me to engage face to face on all sorts of levels, to be encouraging and be available as an industry professional.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

My client list is fairly full meaning that I can only take on a couple of new clients a year but it is really important not to be put off by statistics like that. Finding the right agent is in some ways similar to finding “the one”: you only need one good one and the rest are irrelevant! Few things are as satisfying or as thrilling as a debut book deal for a writer and therefore I will always continue to work with new writers and encourage submissions. This year I’ve had debut success from two RNA members: Lucie Wheeler (The First Time Mums’ Club, HarperImpulse) and Maggie Sullivan (Christmas on Coronation Street, HarperFiction).

It is tough out there for new writers trying to find an agent. There are possibly not enough agents to meet the demand. Don’t take it personally if an agent isn’t interested or fails to get back to you. Agents have clear guidelines and because of the volume of submissions it is really important that writers stick to these to make sure that their submissions are read and lost somewhere in a parallel universe. My guidelines are on the website: www.katenashliterary.co.uk

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

Pride and Prejudice because of its many other layers of social commentary, character analysis and humour.

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

Clare Mackintosh’s I See You was terrifying and I literally stayed up late into night to finish it.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My favourite going-out treat is the theatre and now my children are a bit older I’m trying to go to more than just children’s theatre (great though that is). A good few weekends are taken up with literary events so when I am at home I love to organise family days out but also relax in my kitchen on a Saturday morning, cooking and listening to Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio. I also donate a day or two a month as a trustee to a publishing charity, the Catholic Truth Society, who publish resources for Catholics in the UK.

If you could describe your working day in just three words, what would they be?

Coffee. Work. Repeat.

Thanks so much for dropping in today, Kate, and for your thoughtful and encouraging answers. Wishing you much continued success with your authors, and we look forward to seeing you at the next conference!

If you've enjoyed Kate's interview, or have any questions or comments at all, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

Helena Fairfax is a freelance editor who writes feel good contemporary romances and romantic suspense. Her novel A Year of Light and Shadows tells the story of how plain Lizzie Smith is plunged into a year of mystery involving a missing princess, a false diamond, a doppelgänger and a hot bodyguard.

You can find out more about Helena's books and her editing services on her website www.helenafairfax.com

Festivals and Workshops: Essex Book Festival

noreply@blogger.com (AlisonM) — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Elaine Roberts with another in her interesting series about literary festivals and workshops.

This month I have interviewed Rosalind Green from the Essex Book Festival. Welcome to the RNA blog Rosalind.

Can you tell us something about your festival, how it came about and how long its been running?

Essex Book Festival has been running for 20 years. Initially Essex Libraries ran it, now it is an independent charity based in the Centre for Creative Writing at the University of Essex in Colchester.

Syd Moore speaking at Colchester Castle

Who are your main speakers this year?

Oh, that’s a secret! We don’t announce our line up until early January. However, I can say that we have a strong emphasis on fantasy and fiction for 2018.

As our blog is for writers can you tell me how your festival would benefit our members?

Supporting new and emerging writers is one of our key aims. And, as such, we host a number of creative writing workshops across the county. Next year we are delighted, amongst others, to be running a Writing for Radio Workshop led by leading Radio 4 dramatist Robin Brooks and our first Sci-fi Writing Workshop in Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker led by Matthew De Abaitu. Plus a Beginner’s Crime Writing Workshop led by Nicola Upsom. Tickets go on sale in January – our advice is to get in quick.

Essex Book Festival

Is there anything to enter (maybe a writing competition), if so could details be provided?

We are in the process of planning next year’s writing competition. Information will be posted on our website www.essexbookfestival.org.uk in due course.

How about staying over for the whole event. Where can people stay?

Essex Book Festival takes place in 45 venues across Essex across one month so it is difficult to be specific about places to say. One thing we would recommend is booking into the Park Inn Palace Hotel in Southend-on-Sea for our annual Golden Age of Crime Weekend, one of our festival favourites and the location of Nicola Upsom’s writing workshop.

Liz Trenow at Essex Book Festival

What does it cost to attend?

£7 / £5 concessions (under 27 yrs old)

Do workshops/talks fill up quickly?

Very quickly!

How much time does it take to organise the festival?

We work on the Festival all year round.

Dates for 2018: 28^th February- 31^st March

Link to website: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk

Email for queries: hello@essexbookfestival.org.uk

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me and I wish the festival every success.

Elaine is a member of the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and is currently working on a family saga. She has sold short stories worldwide and enjoys attending RNA events such as the London Chapter and our annual conference. Elaine is a great fan of writing retreats either week long by the sea with friends or one-day retreats with fellow writers in her hometown of Dartford. Elaine runs a writing blog along with writer, Francesca Capaldi Burgess called WriteMindWritePlace.

December Releases

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Freda Lightfoot - Peace in My Heart
Saga
Paperback, ebook and audio
Harlequin
28th December, 2017

The war is over and Evie Talbert eagerly awaits the return of her three children from their evacuated homes.

But her carefree daughters and son are barely recognisable – their education has been disrupted, the siblings split up, and the effect on them has been life-changing. Her son has developed serious behavioural problems and with her daughters, there’s jealousy and a nervous disorder that cannot be explained…

Evie’s husband also has problems. Having returned from being in action, he suffers nightmares and fits of rage. He’s no longer the gentle, quiet man Evie married.

Peace may finally be here, but Evie’s family is in shreds. Now she must rebuild a loving home to achieve the happiness she’s always dreamed of…

Mary Wood - Brighter Days Ahead
Historical Saga
Paperback and ebook

Pan Macmillan
30th November, 2017

Brighter Days Ahead is a moving story set against the backdrop of the Second World War, from Mary Wood, author of In Their Mother’s Footsteps.

War pulled them apart, but can it bring them back together?

Molly lives with her repugnant father, who has betrayed her many times.

From a young age, living on the streets of London’s East End, she has seen the harsh realities of life...

When she’s kidnapped by a gang and forced into their underworld, her future seems bleak.

Flo spent her early years in an orphanage and is about to turn her hand to teacher training.

When a kindly teacher at her school approaches her about a job at Bletchley Park, it could be everything she never knew she wanted.

Will the girls' friendship be enough to weather the hard times ahead?

Jen Gilroy - Back Home at Firefly Lake
Contemporary romance
Paperback and ebook
Grand Central, Forever
5th December, 2017

She has a million reasons to leave. Can he give her the one she needs to stay?

Cat McGuire's return to Firefly Lake is turning into much more than she bargained for. Sure, she missed the crisp pine-scented air and the comfort of having her family around her. But being home makes her feel less like the successful single mom she is – and more like the awkward teen who never fit in.

It doesn't help that hockey-pro Luc Simard is back in town, too. Luc was her childhood crush, the hometown hero who never noticed her, and yet somehow he still makes her heart skip a beat.

Luc's homecoming has been bittersweet. He's lost his wife and his career, but there's no better place to start over than Firefly Lake. Coaching the local kids' hockey team makes him feel alive again, and he thinks his life is complete--until Cat arrives.

The shy girl he always wanted to protect is now the gorgeous woman who's stealing his heart and making him believe in second chances.

But how can he convince Cat that Firefly Lake is where she truly belongs?

Rosie Hendry - East End Angels
Saga
Paperback
Little Brown, Sphere
14th December, 2017

Strong-willed Winnie loves being part of the crew at Station Seventy-Five but her parents are less than happy. She has managed to avoid their pleas to join the WRENS so far but when a tragedy hits too close to home she finds herself wondering if she's cut out for this life after all.

Former housemaid Bella was forced to leave the place she loved when she lost it all and it's taken her a while to find somewhere else to call home. She's finally starting to build a new life but when the air raids begin, it seems she may have to start over once again.

East-Ender Frankie's sense of loyalty keeps her tied to home so it's not easy for her to stay focused at work. With her head and heart pulling in different directions, will she find the strength to come through for her friends when they need her the most?

Brought together at LAAS Station Seventy-Five in London's East End during 1940, these three very different women soon realise that they'll need each other if they're to get through the days ahead.

But can the ties of friendship, love and family all remain unbroken?

Gwen Kirkwood - A Scottish Destiny
Saga
Paperback and ebook
Romaunce

A Scottish Destiny - a gripping tale of love in a heart-warming climate. Book 4 in the series following Moorland Mist, Moorend, and Return to Bonnybrae.

When seventeen-year-old Marie Sinclair travelled to Strathlinn in Scotland in1920 to visit her brother and his new family, all she was looking for was rest and recuperation after the death of Lady Hanley, for whom she had been caring for over the past eighteen months. But when her pregnant sister-in-law is rushed to hospital in danger of the life of her and her twins, Marie is forced to take on a far greater role in the lives of her Scottish family.

And who is Mark Blackford, the new, young Estate owner, who seems only interested in machines and who is struggling under the new responsibilities of running the estate and gathering rent from tenants who are not always inclined to pay? Meeting him on the train to Strathlinn, Marie’s life becomes entwined with his, as friend, help-meet, and, maybe, something more?

Full of complex, loveable characters, and poised at a moment when the world is changing in new and dramatic ways, A Scottish Destiny is a beautiful novel which explores how, in a world turned upside down, the things that bind us continue to do so – family, responsibility and, though Marie dare not whisper it to herself, love.

From the author of Return to Bonnybrae, this is another gripping tale of love in a heart-warming climate.

Margaret Mounsdon - Hungry For Love

Contemporary romance
Large print paperback
1st December, 2017

Louise Drew replaced celebrity chef Charlie Irons when he was let go from his daytime cookery slot.

Charlie's fans deserted the programme in droves and after Louise suffered an appalling case of on air nerves the show folded.

Desperate for a job she answers an ad and discovers to horror it would mean working for Charlie Irons - a nightmare in the making, but what choice does Louise have? If she doesn't take the job she will be homeless.

Lesley Cookman - Murder Most Fowl
Mystery
Ebook
Accent Press
21st December, 2017

A Libby Sarjeant Christmas "Long/Short" story

It is almost Christmas, and pantomime rehearsals are well under way. Once again, local butcher Bob is playing the dame, but the whole production is put under threat when someone sabotages his business. Libby Sarjeant recruits Fran Wolfe to help find the culprit and restore the Steeple Martin pantomime.

*

Evonne Wareham - What Happens at Christmas
Romantic Suspense
Ebook
Choc Lit
5th December, 2017

A Christmas to remember

Lori France and her four-year-old niece Misty are settling in to spend the holidays away after unexpected events leave them without a place to stay.

Best-selling author Andrew Vitruvius knows that any publicity is good publicity. His agent tells him that often, so it must be true. In the run-up to Christmas, she excels herself - talking him into the craziest scheme yet: getting himself kidnapped, live on TV.

Little do they know they’re about to make a discovery and experience a Christmas they’re not likely to forget...

Awen Thornber - Foxtrot in Freshby
Romance with Intrigue
Paperback and ebook
Crooked Cat Books
6th December, 2017

When dance teacher Gina Pendleton throws her cheating boyfriend out of her house, she has to find some way of earning extra money to pay the bills. The obvious answer is to offer dance classes at her home, even though she knows this will incur the wrath of the owner of the local well-established dance school.

Her life becomes even more fraught when she is targeted by vandals and intruders.

After she meets Chris Jackson, it doesn’t take her long to realise he is the man of her dreams, especially as he’s also a wonderful dancing partner.

But can she trust him when it appears he is hiding something from her?

Sheila Norton - The Pets at Primrose Cottage: Part 2 New Beginnings
Cosy romance
Ebook (part two of a four-part serialised novel. Full-length paperback available in April 2018)
Ebury
21st December, 2017

All Emma wants is a quiet life in sleepy Crickleford, away from the prying eyes of the press who are obsessed with the life she used to lead. She is enjoying her new vocation: the town's most in-demand pet-sitter.

But her journalist friend and fellow animal lover Matt is desperate for a big story to make his career – such as Emma’s true identity… Emma doesn’t want the spotlight, but it keeps finding her anyway.

Can she keep her past a secret and live the life she’s dreamed of?

Lynda Stacey - House of Christmas Secrets
Romantic Suspense
Choc Lit
Ebook
5th December, 2017

This year we’re just going to have a nice, normal Christmas…

Last year’s Christmas at Wrea Head Hall didn’t quite go to plan, which is why Jess Croft is determined this festive season will be the one to remember, for the right reasons. And she has plenty of reasons to be hopeful, she’s going to marry the man of her dreams, Jack Stone, seven days after New Year’s Eve.

When family secrets are revealed in hidden letters and two unexpected guests turn up on the doorstep, Jess is left wondering whether her life will ever be the same again.

Can Jess and Jack still experience a peaceful festive season that they had imagined, or are there some problems that even Christmas can’t fix?

M W Arnold - The Season for Love
Contemporary Romance
Ebook
Passion in Print
16th December, 2017

Believing she was responsible for the death of her husband, Chrissie Stewart retreats from all those who love her.

A chance meeting with mysterious stranger, single-parent Josh Morgan and his bewitching young daughter Lizzy, breathe new life into her and gradually, she feels able to start to let go of the memory of her lost love.

Unexpected links are revealed between the two families that strengthen the growing bonds she feels to this man and with the encouragement of her best friend Annie, herself hiding a hidden conflict from Chrissie, she battles with her demons to believe in her ability to trust and love again.

Everything comes to a head on Christmas Day; which all goes to show that this is truly The Season for Love.

Bella Osborne - Ottercombe Bay Part One - Where There’s a Will
Romantic Comedy
Ebook
Avon, HarperCollins
28th December, 2017

Daisy Wickens has returned to Ottercombe Bay, the picturesque Devon town where her mother died when she was a girl. She plans to leave as soon as her great uncle’s funeral is over, but Great Uncle Reg had other ideas.

He’s left Daisy a significant inheritance – an old building in a state of disrepair, which could offer exciting possibilities, but to get it she must stay in Ottercombe Bay for twelve whole months.

With the help of a cast of quirky locals, a few gin cocktails and a black pug with plenty of attitude, Daisy might just turn this into something special. But can she ever hope to be happy among the ghosts of her past?

Rhoda Baxter - Snowed In
Contemporary Romance
Ebook
Independently published
27th November, 2017

Tracey doesn't do socialising. Vinnie is recovering from a nasty break up. Neither of them is looking for a relationship.

When a snow storm forces them to take shelter in the same rural cottage, they find out that they have far more in common than they originally thought.

Helen J Rolfe - Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn

Women's Fiction
Ebook
Independently published
12th December, 2017

As the flames on the log fire flicker and the snowflakes swirl above the New York streets, maybe this Christmas could be the one that changes everything...

Myles left England behind and took a job in New York. It’s a step forwards in his career, and has the added bonus of being nowhere near his family. He’s also hoping to avoid Christmas, the worst time of the year. But when his company puts him up at the Inglenook Inn and he recognises Darcy, it isn’t long before they clash.

When disaster strikes, can Myles and Darcy put their differences aside to make Christmas at the Inglenook Inn a success?

Helen J Rolfe - The Magnolia Girls
Women's fiction
Paperback (already available as an ebook)
Independently published
27th October, 2017

Fall in love with Magnolia Creek, the small town that draws you in and refuses to let you go...

Carrie has it all: a stellar career, a gorgeous heart-surgeon boyfriend, and an apartment in the city. But when something happens that forces her to question her ability to do her job, the only way she can see through the mess is to get far away from everything. Carrie is thrust into a very different life in Magnolia Creek.

She’s knee-deep in renovations at her house at the top of the hill; she’s sharing time and space with her ex, Owen; and newcomer, Noah, gets under her skin from day one.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Lachlan, is doing everything he can to convince her she belongs

back in the city with him doing the job she’s worked so hard to establish.

Carrie never had time for anything apart from work but in Magnolia Creek it isn’t long before she strikes up a lasting friendship with Rosie, Gemma and Bella, and when a face from the past turns up offering forgiveness, Carrie realises that everyone needs a little bit of love and friendship in their lives.

Louise Allen - A Scandalous Lady
Regency romance
Ebook
Independently published (Revised version of the book of the same title by Francesca Shaw published by Mills & Boon.)
1st December, 2017

Pride, prejudice and a shocking secret. Has love any chance at all?

Camilla Knight, has a secret that would ruin her, and her family, if it was ever known.

She is also becoming increasingly attracted to Nicholas Lovell, Earl of Ashby, which would be delightful - if it were not for the fact that Nicholas is intent on the pursuit of lovely actress Lysette Davide, who just happens to be Miss Knight.

What begins as a careless wager for Nicholas becomes a tantalising dilemma as he comes to realise that the two women he is attracted to are one and the same. And neither is a fit wife for the Earl of Ashby.

The new email address for monthly publications is: releases@romanticnovelistsassociation.org.

The New Writers' Scheme

noreply@blogger.com (AlisonM) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome not one, not two, but three RNA members to the blog to talk about their different experiences of the New Writers’ Scheme. We’re delighted to be joined by scheme member, Sasha Greene, schene reader, Jennifer Young, and our NWS Co-ordinator, Imogen Howson. Imogen is up first:

In 2018, the RNA will offer 300 memberships to writers who are not (yet) published, and so who are not (yet!) eligible to join the RNA as Full or Independent members. These New Writers’ Scheme (NWS) members will then have the opportunity to send in a full-length manuscript for a critique from our team of readers, all of whom are multi-published, experienced authors.

As NWS Organiser, I have the privilege of managing the administration involved.

And it is a privilege. In the world of writers’ organisations, the NWS is, as far as I know, unique.

The life of a writer is an isolating one. And all the craft books, talks, workshops and writers’ forums in the world can’t offer the help that you get from an actual hands-on appraisal of your writing. It’s why personalized rejections can be so valuable (albeit disheartening!), and one of the many reasons why a good agent or editor is worth their weight in gin.

So being in the position of assigning manuscripts to the most appropriate reader, sending the resulting report to the writer, and then hearing the subsequent success stories, is deeply satisfying.

This year, in particular, I’ve had a huge amount of comments from the readers for the scheme, telling me that the quality of manuscripts this year has been particularly good. I’ve also had a huge number of extremely happy members of the scheme contact me, asking me to pass their thanks to their reader and saying how helpful and encouraging their reports have been.

This year, as every year, I’ve also seen members take their revised manuscripts to publishers, and end up with contracts. Something that the RNA celebrates at our Summer Party in May each year, when the Joan Hessayon Award is given to someone whose book has been through the NWS and has gone on to be published.

The presentation of the Joan Hessayon Award is a lovely event. It’s wonderful to see all the members who are ‘graduating’ the NWS, a thrill to see who’s won this year, and always fun to change from writing clothes (pyjamas, anyone?) into party clothes to celebrate with them.

Managing the day-to-day administration of the NWS is, admittedly, less glamorous, but on the other hand, it gives me the opportunity to read emails from members saying: “When I sent my manuscript in for critique I didn’t know any more whether it was good or terrible. Thanks to my report, I now know that it is good, but I also know how to make it better.”

Or sometimes, which is even more lovely: “This year has been really discouraging, and I’d reached the point where I was thinking of giving up writing. My report has given me so much encouragement and spurred me to carry on.”

I don’t get to put on my party dress and heels and drink prosecco when I read those emails (although I guess I could!). But all the same, knowing I’m part of an organization that not only helps writers become better, but helps them know they’re better, what could be more exciting than that?

Imogen Howson writes science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She won the YA category of the Romantic Novel of the Year 2014 with Linked, and also won the Elizabeth Goudge trophy in 2008 and 2017. She’s represented by Mandy Hubbard of Emerald City Literary Agency.

When Immi’s not writing, going to RNA parties, or organizing the NWS, she cooks, runs, reads, and looks after a household of one Church of England curate, two young adult daughters, three cats, and one tiny dog. She lives in rural Nottinghamshire between a cornfield and a graveyard, and expects aliens, zombies, or both, any day now. You can find out more about Immi on her website or by following her on twitter.

So that’s the NWS from the co-ordinator’s point of view. What’s the scheme like for those who read the manuscripts? Over to Jennifer Young to find out:

I enjoy reading and critiquing other people’s work, so when I saw that the NWS was looking for readers, I jumped at the chance, as a grateful graduate of the scheme, to give something back.

In my time as a reader, I’ve critiqued everything from the tentative words of complete beginners to the polished work of writers far more accomplished than I will ever be. I’ve critiqued a first draft full of beginner’s errors yet which had that certain something that brought a tear to my eye. I’ve felt like a fraud writing comments on novels even as I learned from their authors.

I try — always — to find something good to say about a manuscript and I can put my hand on my heart and say that I’ve never read one where I’ve had to resort to false compliments. To produce a manuscript for submission, even if it isn’t complete, requires imagination, application and effort, and all of them — especially the imagination — show through.

That said, I don’t think it’s fair to shrink from the problems. Just as I pass my own work to beta readers expecting them to be as hard on me as an agent, editor, publisher or reader would be, I will always tell a writer where I perceive that there are problems. I find it difficult to write a tough critique, especially because I know from experience how hard it is to read one, and the last thing I — or any other reader — would want to do is discourage an aspiring author when the game we play is all about persistence.

Of course — and this is something I always stress — judgement is subjective. No matter how hard I might try to be dispassionate, I will inevitably be kinder to someone who writes in my style, or somehow catches my imagination, or even accidentally sets a novel in a place dear to my heart. There will always be a reader who loves a book that I find fault with, or hates the one I adore. It’s like love. A book and a reader require chemistry, and that’s beyond our control.

So my tip for NWS members is this. Don’t be afraid to write what you want. Listen to your reader’s comments but don’t be bound by them. Writing is a craft and craft requires hard work. But never, ever give up.

Jennifer Young is an Edinburgh-based writer of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She graduated from the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2014 with her contemporary romance, Thank You For The Music. Five other novels followed with e-publisher Tirgearr Publishing, and in 2016 she branched out into self-publishing with a series of romantic suspense novels set in her home city.

Thank you Jennifer. The work of the NWS readers is so valuable to the RNA, but what does the scheme mean to its members? Here’s Sasha Greene to talk about her experience of being in the NWS:

This is my third year in the New Writers' Scheme. It all started a few years ago when I went to a course given by the lovely Kate Walker. She encouraged me to join the RNA, and mentioned the NWS. The midnight deadline for applying was a little unusual, but by some twist of fate I was visiting friends in Canada that year and so I sent my application off on the dot at 5pm in the afternoon!

The excitement upon hearing that I had been accepted was soon replaced by the realisation that I had only written around 10,000 words of the manuscript that I was supposed to be submitting at the end of August. I put my nose to the grindstone (or rather, my fingers to the keyboard), detemined to finish something that I could be proud of. I submitted so close to the deadline that it took a while for comments to be returned, but when they did I sat down and laughed for at least five minutes, as I had made so many of the elementary mistakes I had promised myself I would never do. And my characters always seemed to be eating...

The reviewer was incredibly thoughtful and positive in the comments made, which gave me fresh motivation to take the story forward. The following year I submitted a revised version, and was advised that once the comments had been taken onboard I should try for publication. This year I submitted a fresh manuscript, and also had very encouraging feedback which has spurred me on.

What I really like most about the NWS is how encouraging everyone is. Submitting your work for another person to comment on is never easy, but the reviewers always make sure that the comments they give are constructive. Imogen does an amazing job of organising everything, and we even had a NWS session at the RNA conference this year where we could meet the other NWS members and ask her and a graduate of the scheme any questions we needed to know. All the published writers in the RNA are so incredibly supportive, and go out of their way to help us make the networks that might help us get published. I can highly recommend the scheme to any unpublished romance author who is really serious about trying to make a career with their writing.

Thank you Sasha, Jennifer and Immi for telling us what the NWS means to you. The 2018 scheme will open to new applicants in January 2018, and is expected to fill up quickly. Details of how to apply can be found in the ‘Join’ section of the RNA website.

Rosemary Morris: My First Steps When Writing a Novel

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Today, we welcome Rosemary Morris to the RNA Blog, with some tips for new writers.

Since the first of my nine Romantic Historical Fact Fiction Novels was published by BooksWeLove Inc. a frequent question is: “Where do you find ideas?” I answer: When I read historical non-fiction something activates, my imagination. For example, I read about James II, whose daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, usurped his throne. After their deaths, his younger daughter, Anne, became Queen. When the peers of the realm were required to swear an oath of allegiance to her, some refused to break their pledge to James II. Even if they disliked the man, his politics and his religion, they believed they were honour bound not to break faith with him during his lifetime.

I closed the book and asked myself what future two children, whose fathers were Jacobites, would have in my novel, Tangled Love.

Before I begin writing a story I choose Christian names and surnames appropriate for my main characters’ era. After hours of consulting dictionaries of names, I chose Gervaise Seymour and Richelda Shaw for my hero and heroine in Tangled Love.

Who were Gervaise and Richelda? To find out I filled in detailed character profiles that brought them to life. By the time I had described: their appearance, eccentricities, education, family, bad habits, preferences e.g. perfume, music etc., and religion, I knew them almost as well as I know my family. Although a lot of information did not surface in the novel it saved Gervaise and Richelda from being stereotypes.

While doing housework and other mundane tasks I spend a lot of time deciding what makes my major and minor characters tick. Duty, Fear, Greed, Hatred, Jealousy, Loneliness, Love, Revenge or Vanity?

Another step is making notes about the economics, politics, social history, etiquette etc., as well as the settings that I will use as a background for my fact fiction.

Some novelists plot every chapter, before they begin writing. I did this, after reading a How to Write Book, for Sunday’s Child, Heroines Born on Different Days of the week, Book One.

In Sunday’s Child the heroine’s father and brothers died during the long war against the French, and the hero suffers post-traumatic stress syndrome after serving in the army, (a condition not recognised at that time). Although I wrote a detailed plot plan I struggled when I tried to apply it. After I wrote half of the book, I and my characters were in straight-jackets. The story seemed contrived, so I tore up the plot plan. When I wrote the draft of the next version, I allowed my protagonists to surprise me as they experienced happiness and distress, conflict and obstacles etc.

Since then, although I have a plot, a theme and characters in mind, I have never planned a novel in detail. However, if a murder takes place in a future novel I might want to work out the details in advance.

There is no right or wrong way to tackle fiction, what works for one author may not work for another. I am merely sharing my first steps.

I think all of us have read novels that promise more than they deliver, and have either abandoned them or been disappointed at the end. Perhaps this is because the author plunged into the book without adequate preparation or the inability to diverge from a rigid outline.

Whichever method we choose and whichever genre we write in, we need to be versatile, bring our characters to life and show the reader their world, historical or modern. This coupled with a ‘page-turning’ story with lots of twists and turns should earn excellent reviews, and satisfied readers, who look forward to reading our new releases.

Thanks so much for your post, Rosemary. We will be posting some more Hints and Tips for new writers next year on the blog.

*****

Rosemary's latest book, Wednesday's Child, Heroines Born on Different Days of the week, Book Four, is available now.

Sensibility and sense are needed for Amelia Carstairs to accept her late grandmother’s choice of her guardian, the Earl of Saunton, to whom Amelia was previously betrothed.

In 1816, Mrs Bettismore lies on her death bed. Her twenty-year-old granddaughter, Amelia is distraught by the imminent loss of her only relative, who has raised her in an atmosphere of seclusion and unyielding discipline.

Amelia inherits her grandmother’s fortune, but after such a sheltered upbringing she finds herself lost and alone. Her emotional growth, is stunted by Mrs Bettismore and she is afraid to do or say anything of which her grandmother would disapprove.

The heiress is unprepared for her introduction to Saunton, her guardian’s noisy household and his family of irrepressible sisters.

Will this cause Amelia to retreat into herself even more, or will a home filled with love and high spirits change her outlook and encourage her to find love?

Or do the long-hidden secrets of her birth threaten to spoil everything?

*****

Find out more about Rosemary on her website or via her publisher, Books We Love.

Rosemary Morris was born in Sidcup, Kent. As a child, her head was ‘always in a book.’ While working in a travel agency, Rosemary met her Hindu husband. He encouraged her to continue her education at Westminster College. In 1961 Rosemary and her husband, now a barrister, moved to his birthplace, Kenya, where she lived from 1961 until 1982. After an attempted coup d’état, she and four of her five children lived in an ashram in France.

Back in England, Rosemary wrote historical fiction and joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Historical Novel Society, Watford Writers and many online groups. To research, Rosemary reads non-fiction, visits museums and other places of historical interest. Her bookshelves are so crammed with historical non-fiction, that if she buys a new book she has to consider getting rid of one. Apart from writing, Rosemary enjoys time with her family, classical Indian literature, reading, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.

Liz Taylorson: Write better, you will, with a mentor…

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Today, we welcome Liz Taylorson to the RNA blog.

When I was offered the chance to take part in a novel writing group run by Writers’ Block North East (based in Middlesbrough) part of the experience was individual mentoring sessions from a creative writing tutor. I’d never been mentored before, and I didn’t know what to expect. In my imagination, my mentor was going to sit next to me as I wrote, encouraging me when it was going well and sympathising when it was going badly, as well as deducing exactly what I should do when I got stuck. Perhaps an occasional cup of tea and a cake would be involved along the way too? I envisaged someone who would be a cross between Yoda, Miss Marple and Mary Berry.

Laura Degnan, my mentor, looked nothing like Yoda, Miss Marple OR Mary Berry. Before we began, she asked to see the first few pages of my current work in progress and a summary of the plot, chapter by chapter. This meant that I had to write a proper summary of the plot that could be understood by somebody other than me… and suddenly, before I’d even had a single mentoring session, I was beginning to see the weaknesses and flaws in my plan for myself, the places where I hadn’t considered how I was going to get from event a to event b, the parts where I was telling, not showing and the bits where, frankly, it was a bit dull. The first mentoring session had effectively taken place before we’d even shared a single cup of tea!

When I did get to sit down with Laura, we met in the tearoom of the local art museum which was a perfect setting. It was casual enough to feel like two friends chatting rather than a teacher/pupil setting, but had ample space to work at a table and plenty of light to work by – and plenty of tea! I opened my notebook, took up my pen and waited for Laura to tell me what to do next with my novel; how to brighten up the bits where it felt a bit dull – only she didn’t actually tell me anything. She asked me questions. Lots of questions. Questions like: “Why does your story have to take place in this place and time?” “What else is your heroine prepared to do to succeed – how far could she go?” or “What are the dramatic consequences of her reading those letters?”

Instead of the truthful answer which was: “Well, the dramatic consequences of her reading those letters are that I get to put in a nice historical parallel to her situation in Chapter 4,” I suddenly began to realise that perhaps the answer should be more along the lines of: “Well, the dramatic consequences are that this is when she realises that the priceless painting in the library is a forgery AND I get to put in a nice historical parallel…”

Without giving me a single idea of her own, or actually telling me to do anything at all she encouraged me to raise the stakes for my own characters and suddenly my story started taking off in several different directions at once. Instead of talking about a problem to a third character, the protagonists were fighting about it; instead of worrying endlessly about what she should tell her ex-boyfriend, my heroine was telling him the wrong thing only to have him turn up and confront her about it; instead of looking at a beautiful house in the distance and wishing they could visit, my characters were exploring it.

So, in my experience, being mentored didn’t mean I was told what to do (or even what not to do), it meant being guided to discover what to do for myself. It was a wholly positive experience, I enjoyed every minute of it and came out of my sessions buzzing with new ideas. Yoda, Miss Marple and Mary Berry had better watch out …

*****

Liz's debut novel, The Little Church by the Sea is available now.

Isolated and unwelcome in the picturesque seaside village of Rawscar, Reverend Cass Fordyce has lost her faith and her home. Christmas is coming, and she isn’t looking forward to it. Then she meets attractive local man Hal - twice divorced and with a reputation as a ladies’ man he’s everything that a celibate vicar like Cass should avoid... especially as Hal is hiding secrets of his own, including his past with the mysterious Anna.

Can Cass ever find her way in Rawscar? What secret does Hal have to hide? And is there ever such a thing as a truly fresh start?

Find out more about Liz here:

Liz has always surrounded herself with books. As a child, she was always to be found with her head in one and she still has a bookcase full of her childhood favourites to this day. (She once read The Lord of the Rings thirteen times in a row, cover to cover!). All through childhood and adolescence she wrote - mainly historical romances involving impossibly perfect heroes. All this reading and writing led to a degree in English Literature (and another book-case full of books) and then a job as a cataloguer of early printed books for a major University Library.

Children (and then cats and chickens) interrupted her bibliographic career, and having given up library work Liz started writing fiction and hasn’t stopped since, joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme to try to learn how to write novels properly in 2015. She has also written some short stories, with one "The Second Princess" winning a competition in Writing Magazine which led her to think that maybe publication wasn’t a pipe dream after all.

The publication of her first novel, The Little Church by the Sea, published by Manatee Books in November 2017 is a dream come true.

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you for your very interesting post about your experience with a mentor, Liz. Has anyone else had experience of working with a mentor? How did you go about finding yours?

Kim Nash - Book Blogger, and Publicity and Social Media Manager

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Thank you to Ellie Holmes for this interesting interview with Kim Nash this month. As you will see, Kim is a woman who wears many hats! So, over to Ellie and Kim...

I am delighted to welcome Kim Nash to the RNA Blog's monthly series where we speak to book bloggers, reviewers and magazine editors and get an insight into their world.

Welcome Kim, tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog – Kim The Book Worm.

I am the publicity and social media manager for Bookouture (digital publisher), and a book blogger at Kim The Book Worm. I am also an independent consultant with Arbonne, an online skincare, makeup, and health and wellbeing company.

As a book blogger I love to read and review women’s fiction and mix it up with crime and psychological thrillers, and I also love a good personal development book too.

What made you start to review/blog?

I read a book called A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson. It was about a lady who read an article in a magazine about clutter clearing and she decided to do it to her house. When she’d done that, she realised that it wasn’t just her house that she wasn’t happy with, it was her life.

This story really resonated with me and I wrote an email to the author who responded within an hour, which gobsmacked me as I never really expected an answer. I’ll never forget her words. She said “You lady, are the reason I write books!”

I went out and bought all her other books and we kept in touch. I had the idea to start a blog and she encouraged me to do it and mentioned it to a couple of her author friends who asked me to review their books. So my Kim The Book Worm blog was born! That was in February 2011! So I’ve been a book blogger for nearly 7 years! OMG!

Has your blog ever won or been nominated for any awards?

Last year I won the RNA Media Star of the Year award. What an honour and a privilege that was!

What’s your review policy?

I don’t have a particular policy, I just only review books that I like the sound of. It wouldn’t be fair on an author to review a book in a genre that I don’t like as it wouldn’t be a true reflection of the book. Now that I’m working full time for a publisher, I don’t have as much time to read and review books as I used to.

Do you ever get to read just for pleasure or will you always write a review after reading a book?

I very rarely read for pleasure and try to review every book I read but I do sometimes forget! Obviously, I always remember if I’m on a blog tour. And I do try to be very organised! But with a manic work and home life, sometimes I’m only human and do drop a ball!

I know you are one of the organisers behind regular book blogger/author meet ups. Can you tell us a little bit about how you became involved in this?

Author Holly Martin and I just decided one day to organise a meet up in London. It was just before Christmas and around 16 people turned up. Not a bad turn out, so we organised one in Birmingham too. It was really well attended with around 50 people and we were cramped for space at that one. We did another London one and around 80 people turned up! Luckily there wasn’t much else on in the bar we met at as we really did take over the whole place!

So we periodically do events in Birmingham and London. We haven’t done a London one for a while though as not many people came along to the last one. Holly has since moved to Devon so we organised an Exeter meet up in the summer this year, which was great and vey well attended and we have organised another event in Exeter for the end of November.

What’s the best thing about going to a book blogger/author meet up? If members of the RNA want to find out more about a meet up in their area how do they go about that?

For me, it’s about meeting authors and bloggers that you know and love. You can build really good relationships with people online, and to then meet them in person, is such a joy! I’ve made so many good friends both authors and bloggers that I know I’ll be friends with for life.

If anyone fancies coming along to our events, as long as they are an author or a blogger, then we’d love to see you. We do need a rough idea of numbers so it would be great to hear from you beforehand to confirm whether you are definitely coming. You can get in touch with Holly or myself to get an invite.

How do you like to spend your time when not working or reading?

I love doing stuff with my ten year old son, whether it be just hanging out or doing something fun. I also run a book club in Cannock in Staffordshire. It’s such a lovely group and we’ve made some fabulous friends and we really do love our little book club! I love going out for meals with friends. I also do some family travel reviewing and love that too. I find reading very relaxing, and as I don’t get much other chance to relax, that’s my real sanctuary.

We often ask agents and publishers what they consider to be the next 'big thing' - what do you hope to see more of in 2018?

I think we have an incredible mix of women’s fiction and psychological thrillers around at the moment and I hope that continues. Maybe some different lead characters might be nice. There are so many brilliant female detective-led novels around at the moment, but it would be good to see some different professions in the mix too. I do like a cosy crime too. I love a book that makes me feel the emotions of the characters whether that be getting my heart fluttering with gorgeous lead males, my heart pounding with breath-taking suspense or warming my heart with wonderful stories. Please do keep them coming authors.

Find out more about Kim via her Social Media links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Arbonne

Thank you for being such a fab guest, Kim and for giving us an interesting insight into your world.

*****

About Ellie

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Maxine Morrey: Why Romantic Fiction Novels Are Important

noreply@blogger.com (AlisonM) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome Maxine Morrey to the RNA Blog.

Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten. Coming in first, she won a handful of book tokens - perfect for a bookworm!

As time went by, she continued to write, but 'normal' work often got in the way. She has written articles on a variety of subjects, as well as a book on Brighton for a Local History publisher. However, novels are what she loves writing the most. After self publishing her first novel when a contract fell through thanks to the recession, she continued to look for opportunities.

In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK's 'Write Christmas' competition with her romantic comedy, 'Winter's Fairytale'.

Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words loves to read sew and listen to podcasts. As she also likes cake she can also be found either walking or doing something vaguely physical at the gym.

You can find out more about Maxine on her website, facebook, or on twitter, instagram and pinterest @ScribblerMaxi.

Over to you Maxine...

A few months ago, there was an article in The Guardian that alerted us to a new genre of books now proving serious competition for the incredibly popular ‘grip lit’ and its domination of the book charts. This new genre is about empathy, kindness and hope. It’s been christened ‘Uplit’.

Except it’s not a new genre at all. Not really. All these attributes are at the forefront of romantic fiction. The article may have specifically excluded romance in its description but ask any reader what romantic fiction means to them and the most common answer is ‘hope’. And in a dark world, hope is exactly what we need.

For years, romantic fiction has taken a bit of a bashing by those who feel that what we write has no relevance to the world we live in. Which just goes to show exactly how uninformed these opinions are. Romantic fiction is entirely relevant to the world, and it has been offering empathy and hope, love and kindness to its readers for generations.

Romantic fiction is escapism. That’s the point of it. It’s really the point of novels as a whole. They take us to places. With darker fiction it may not be a place we want to go. It’s a place we read about and are thankful not to be there. But romantic fiction is total escapism. We read the words and are absorbed, drawn into the world created so carefully by the author, and we want to be there. We feel a connection with the characters, laughing when they laugh and feeling their pain when hearts are damaged. Romantic fiction authors work hard to create empathy – the exact thing that the article claims as a new aspect in fiction. It’s not new. It’s just been overlooked until now.

What seems to be so misunderstood is the range that romantic fiction encompasses. Some books tackle incredibly deep, traumatic issues whilst others are lighter in tone, but this doesn’t mean they should be dismissed. We want books that explore things but we also want books that makes us laugh. Sometimes we want books that do both. And if we look, we will always find exactly what we’re looking for. The breadth of the genre is expansive.

And the most brilliant things about this genre is something people always accuse it of with derogation in their tone. They call it predictable. I prefer the term ‘dependable’. If we have a hero and a heroine, we want them to get together. Yes, they will need to work for it. There will be conflict and barriers to that love but in the end, they’ll be together. And that’s exactly what we want. If a reader got to the end of the novel and the hero or heroine just walked out, the disappointment for that reader would be immeasurable!

People accuse the genre of being predictable like it’s a bad thing. It’s not. It’s a good thing. It means we can rely on it. We know these two characters will end up together – the enjoyment comes from seeing how that’s going to happen. That’s what critics of the genre seem to wilfully misunderstand.

In today’s world, nothing is reliable. It’s dark, and unsure and sometimes downright frightening. It’s no wonder people are turning to books that step away from that with this ‘new’ genre of UpLit. But if they open their eyes – and more importantly – their minds, they’ll see there’s nothing new about ‘Uplit’. It’s been here all along.

Maxine's latest book, The Best Little Christmas Shop, is available now.

Home for the holidays…

Icing gingerbread men, arranging handmade toys and making up countless Christmas wreaths in her family’s cosy little Christmas shop isn’t usually globe-trotter Lexi’s idea of fun. But it’s all that’s keeping her mind off romance. And, with a broken engagement under her belt, she’s planning to stay well clear of that for the foreseeable future…until gorgeous single dad Cal Martin walks through the door!

Christmas takes on a whole new meaning as Lexi begins to see it through Cal’s adorable five-year-old son’s eyes. But, finding herself getting dangerously close to the mistletoe with Cal, Lexi knows she needs to back off. She’s sworn off love, and little George needs a stability she can’t provide. One day she’ll decide whether to settle down again – just not yet.

But the best little Christmas shop in this sleepy, snow-covered village has another surprise in store…

Thank you for that Maxine. So what do you think? Is UpLit a new phenomena or romantic fiction by any other name? Why do you think romantic fiction matters?

Introducing the New RNA Social Media Co-ordinator

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Hello! For those of you who don't know me already, I’ve been a member of the RNA for the past four years. I joined the New Writers’ Scheme initially, after lots of other writers recommended it to me. I've loved every minute of being on the Scheme, and have learnt so much as well. During those four years, I've self-published two contemporary romance novels, with some more on the way, and as a result, I'm just about to graduate from the Scheme to become a full, independent member of the RNA.

I thoroughly enjoy being a member of the RNA and have thrown myself into the social life it offers its members with great enthusiasm, attending conferences, parties, afternoon teas and chapter meetings all around the country. I've also been very lucky to make lots of new friends as a result of being a member, something I didn’t expect to be doing at this stage in my life. I love the way the RNA welcomes everyone as equals, so newbies can find themselves talking to big names, and mixing with writers and publishing folk at all different stages of their careers.

In my life outside writing, I work part-time for a local charity as their communications officer, overseeing their marketing, PR, social media and website activities. I also work freelance as a proofreader, website trouble-shooter and occasional supply teacher – a real Jill-of-all-trades! I live with my husband in Bedfordshire. We have two daughters; one is now away at university and the other is studying for her ‘A’ levels.

Since autumn 2016, I have been supporting Adrienne Vaughan, as deputy editor of Romance Matters, the RNA’s wonderful magazine, and now I’m taking on the role of social media co-ordinator, with responsibility for the blog, Twitter and the RNA’s Facebook page. Elaine Everest has done a sterling job for the past five years, and we’re all very grateful to her and her wonderful team for raising the RNA’s profile in that time.

I have a great blog team to support me and we're planning to keep blogging two or three times a week, with a mixture of regular blog posts about your favourite items – competitions, new releases, interviews with book reviewers and authors – as well as news items as and when they crop up, and some new ideas too. If you have any ideas for features you’d like to see, please do let me know and we will do our best to bring the subject to you.

I look forward to taking on the blog completely from Alison May in the New Year, and to taking it from strength to strength as we move forward. Thank you for all the support you have shown the blog in the past – I hope you will continue to do so for many years to come.

*****

My latest book The Vineyard in Alsace is available now.

Is there really such a thing as a second chance at love?

Fran Schell has only just become engaged when she finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. She knows this is the push she needs to break free of him and to leave London. She applies for her dream job on a vineyard in Alsace, in France, not far from her family home, determined to concentrate on her work.

Didier Le Roy can hardly believe it when he sees that the only person to apply for the job on his vineyard is the same woman he once loved but let go because of his stupid pride. Now estranged from his wife, he longs for a second chance with Fran if only she will forgive him for not following her to London.

Working so closely together, Fran soon starts to fall in love with Didier all over again. Didier knows that it is now time for him to move on with his divorce if he and Fran are ever to have a future together. Can Fran and Didier make their second chance at love work despite all the obstacles in their way?

A romantic read set against the enticing backdrop of the vineyard harvest in France.

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November Competition Monthly!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

There are a number of speculative fiction competitions this month, featuring fantasy, science fiction and the supernatural. Maybe it's because of the long nights we're now facing, but at least it might get you in the mood for writing one of these stories.

It was a couple of years ago now I mentioned record keeping on the competition monthly, so it's

worth bringing the subject up again. I'm certain I'd have got into a right mess with my submissions without my spreadsheets. I used to add the competition entries to the sheet for my magazine subs, but eventually created a new spreadsheet especially for the comps, which I found much more useful.
These are in date order. I also keep a paper system. This is an exercise book set out by story. This does include the magazine submissions and allows me to see exactly where each story has been sent.

Novel competition entries likewise go on the competition sheet, but I also add them to the spreadsheet for each novel. It sounds complicated but really makes everything much simpler. Since at times I've had up to sixty 'out theres' of various kinds, whether competitions, magazine subs or novel subs, it's important to keep control of it all. I'd hate to send a story or novel out to the same place twice, and incur the annoyance of the competition or publisher concerned.

Best of luck with the competitions you enter, and don't forget to let us know of any competition success you have.

**Closing very soon**
The Creative Competitor Temptation Writing Competition
Theme: Temptation, 500 words max
Prize: £400 / £250 / £100
Closing date: 25 Nov 2017
Entry: £3.50
Details

**Closing soon**
Fields of Words Feature / Genre Competition
Theme: Ghosts / Hauntings, 1,000 – 2,000 words
Prize: AUD$500 / $125
Closing date: 30 November 2017 (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Entry: AUD$20
Details

**Closing soon**
Ink Tears Short Story Contest
Theme: Open, 1,000 – 3,500 words
Prize: £1,000 / £100 / 4 x £25
Closing date: 30 November 2017
Entry: £7.50
Details

**Closing soon**
Writers' Bureau Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, 500 words max.
Prize: £300 / £200 / £100 plus WB course for all winners
Closing date: 30 November 2017
Entry: £5
Details

Creative Competitor 'Storm' Writing Competition
Theme: Storm, 700 words max.
Prize: £400 / £250 / £100
Closing date: 5 December 2017
£3.50
Details

Writing Magazine Other Worlds Competition
Theme: SciFi and Fantasy, 1,500 – 1,700 words.
Prize: £200 plus publication in magazine / £50 plus publication on website
Closing date: 15 December 2017
Entry: £5 / £3 subscribers
Details

Audio Arcadia's Science Fiction Short Story Competition
Theme: SciFi, 5,000 words.
Prize: 10 winning stories will be published and each winner will receive a royalty percentage of sales.
Closing date: 31 December 2017
Entry: £5.50
Details

Writing Magazine Open Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,500 – 1,700 words.
Prize: £200 plus publication in magazine / £50 plus publication on website
Closing date: 15 January 2018
Entry: £5 / £3 subscribers
Details

Retreat West First Chapter Competition
Theme: First chapter of an unpublished novel, up to 3,500 words. Open theme.
Prize: First 3 chapters, cover letter and synopsis reviewed by a literary agent.
Closing date: 28 January 2018
Entry: £15
Details

The Creative Competitor Now or Never Creative Writing Competition
Theme: Now or Never, 800 words max.
Prize: £600 / £400 / £200
Closing date: 28 January 2018
Entry: £4
Details

Bath Novella in Flash Award
Theme: Open, Adult or YA. 6,000 – 18,000 words.
Prize: £300 / 2 x £100, all 3 published.
Closing date: 29 January 2018
Entry: £16
Details

The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition
Theme: Supernatural, 1,000 – 7,000 words.
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Closing date: 31 January 2018
Entry: £8
Details

Writers' Forum Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,000 – 3,000 words.
Prize: £300 / £150 / £100
Closing date: Rolling competition.
Entry: £6 / £3 subscribers
Details

The Writing District Contest
Theme: Open, 3,000 words max.
Prize: $50
Closing date: Last day of every month.
Entry: Free
Details

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers' Conference, Retreat West, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. She's had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog along with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds.
Twitter.

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

The RNA Industry Awards 2017 Celebrate those who Champion Romantic Fiction

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:24:00 +0000

THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

London: 15 November 2017 The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) is delighted to announce the winners of its annual industry awards, which this year feature the addition of a new category, Librarian of the Year. This new award recognises the important work that librarians do in supporting the romantic fiction genre, and the Association in particular. Six awards were presented during the RNA’s Winter Party, held in the Library at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London.

Librarian of the Year

Shirley Everall, Librarian of the Year

The inaugural award was presented to Shirley Everall, Audience Development Officer, Hertfordshire Libraries, for hosting a great number of events for RNA members, and promoting romantic fiction in Hertfordshire Libraries.

Runner-up Rachel Gee, from Tiverton Library, was nominated for her continual support and proactivity in promoting romantic fiction.

Romantic Bookseller of the Year

Kearan Ramful, Sainsbury's

This award recognises booksellers promoting and championing romantic fiction in a positive and proactive way throughout the year. This year’s winner, Kearan Ramful, book buyer for Sainsbury’s Plc, was awarded the title for his continuing support for romantic fiction by selecting many romantic titles for Sainsbury’s stores.

Runner-up was David Headley and team at Goldsboro Books.

Best Adaptation of a Romantic Novel

Debbie Horsfield

The award for best adaptation of a romantic novel, whether for stage, screen (TV or movie) or radio goes to Debbie Horsfield for Poldark Series 3 (BBC TV). The adaptation must have been broadcast/screened from September 2016 through to the end of September 2017, at any time and for any duration. After three series, Poldark remains a fantastic series with stunning scenery, excellent casting, and still stays close to the original text. It is one of those can't-be-missed programmes, with a charismatic but flawed hero and heroine.

Runner-up was Whit Stillman and Jane Austen for Love and Friendship, a film based on Jane Austen’s novella.

Media Star of the Year

Blogger Linda Hill was awarded Media Star of the Year for her continued support for romance novels through retweeting, reviewing and blogging. Friendly and professional, even when her TBR pile is overflowing, she’ll take more books on, going above and beyond the call of duty, and all with a smile. This award recognises those who have helped raise the profile of romance writing and/or the RNA in a positive way.

Blogger Kaisha Holloway was runner-up and was nominated for her great support for authors and her honest, detailed and reflective reviews which are constructively critical.

Agent of the Year

Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency

For the literary agent who has striven to support, mentor, nurture and promote their authors’ careers, the genre in general and the RNA in particular. This year’s winner, Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency, was nominated for her championing of romantic fiction and support for the RNA. With a list featuring several authors in the genre, she provides guidance and great support to her clients, being honest and tactful, as well as kind, supportive and savvy about romantic fiction.

Runner-up Rebecca Ritchie, AM Heath Agency, was nominated for her dedication, warmth and genuine passion for the genre. A great editor and all-round fantastic partner, a great listener, offering wise words and sound advice.

Publisher of the Year

Charlotte Ledger, Publisher of the Year

For the publisher who embraces the genre, mentors writers to produce their best work, and is innovative, creative and visionary in the marketing and promotion of romantic fiction on every level. This year’s award goes to Charlotte Ledger, HarperImpulse, for her tireless championing of romance novels at Harper Collins, giving many debut novelists their first break. Open and honest, she provides transparent dealings with those authors under her wing and many nominated her, citing that working with Charlotte is a team effort, and she has a real personal touch when it comes to developing writers’ careers.

Runner-up was DC Thompson, a stalwart and steady publisher of a great number of members over the years. Both The People's Friend and My Weekly magazines have pocket novel imprints and their editors have mentored and published RNA members over many years, following a long tradition of nurturing writers of romance.

The RNA Industry Awards are decided by the membership, with every member eligible to nominate within each category. The awards were presented at the RNA’s Winter Party at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, London on 15^th November 2017.

Photos from the event will be available on The Romantic Novelists' Association's website in due course.

For further information please contact:
Pressofficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org
Or Katrina Power 07 963 962 538 or katrina.power@yahoo.com

About the Romantic Novelists' Association

The RNA was formed in 1960 to promote romantic fiction and encourage good writing and now represents more than 900 writers, agents, editors and other publishing professionals.

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent Rebecca Ritchie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 07:30:00 +0000

Tonight the winners of the Romantic Novelists' Association Industry Awards 2017 will be announced at the RNA Winter Party. It's a special pleasure to welcome Rebecca Ritchie of the AM Heath Agency to the RNA blog today, because Rebecca has been shortlisted for the literary agent of the year award for her work "supporting, mentoring and nurturing authors' careers and promoting the romance genre and the RNA in particular".
Many congratulations on your nomination, Rebecca, and thank you for taking the time to come and talk to us!

Please tell us a little about the AM Heath Agency, how long it’s been established, and how you came to join.

AM Heath was founded in 1919, which makes it one of the UK’s oldest literary agencies. It represents established contemporary authors like Hilary Mantel, Maggie O’Farrell and Conn Iggulden, iconic literary estates, such as those of George Orwell and Winston Graham, and of course the RNA’s very own, wonderful Katie Fforde. I joined AM Heath in April 2017, after over six years at Curtis Brown where I worked alongside Sheila Crowley and had the pleasure of working on some of my favourite authors – Jojo Moyes, Santa Montefiore and Jane Costello, to name just a few – and also started building my own list. The first author I took on was Iona Grey – who I met at a RNA event! – and her debut novel Letters to the Lost went on to be published by Simon and Schuster and won the overall Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year award in 2016. I joined AM Heath to build up the commercial women’s fiction side of the list, which is an area that the other agents here don’t tend to focus on hugely.

What genres do you represent?

Commercial fiction across the board: contemporary women’s fiction, historical, reading group, crime, thriller and psychological suspense.

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

The first thing, of course, is the writing. As an agent, when you open a submission and can tell immediately that someone can truly write – that you’re in the hands of a genuine storyteller – you can relax and let the story transport you with it. Of course the plot and the characters have to be great too, but excellent writing is first and foremost. When it comes to commercial women’s fiction specifically, character is paramount: as a reader you want to really get your teeth into a protagonist’s character, to really root for them or to love to hate them. In terms of specific plots/themes, I’d never want to be too prescriptive, but I’d love to find a really moving love story (heartbreaking, heart-warming, I don’t mind), and while I’m always partial to some gripping psychological suspense I do think the genre is saturated and there are enough horrors to read about in the news, so I’d also love to find something at the opposite end of the spectrum: some uplifting, life-affirming fiction.

Your agency recently put out a call for pitches on Twitter, under the hashtag #TellAMH. How successful was this? Did you have any interesting pitches, and what made them stand out? Is something your agency will be repeating often? (Lots of questions in one here…!)

This was a fun week! We invited debut writers to pitch their novels to us on Twitter (so their pitches had to be concise, 140 characters – not an easy feat), with each day focusing on a different genre. We received hundreds of pitches and invited our favourites to submit directly to us, and I thought the commercial women’s fiction day was particularly strong. The pitches that stood out most were the ones where the novel had a clear, intriguing hook that made you want to read on, or where they asked a question that you just had to know the answer to.

You attended the recent Frankfurt Book Fair. What was your role at the Book Fair and how important is this event for you and your agency?

At the Frankfurt Book Fair (and at the London Book Fair in the Spring) we meet with editors from around the world, pitch our authors’ books and hear what editors are looking to acquire and find out what’s working in their markets. While of course we correspond by phone and email throughout the year, it’s always wonderful to meet with editors face to face and foster those relationships (and of course there are plenty of parties to attend too!) I met with editors from the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Israel and more, and pitched books by my own and also my colleagues’ clients.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

Really know your novel: be able to sum up the hook of your novel at the start of your covering letter in an immediately memorable way that just compels me to read on. I always think it’s a good exercise to be able to complete the sentence: “My novel is about a woman/man who…” – it really makes you distil the essence of your novel and what’s unique about it into a single punchy line.

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

I can’t pick one! Sense and Sensibility (my absolute favourite Austen), I Capture the Castle (a more perfect coming-of-age love story there isn’t), The Time Traveller’s Wife, Love Story (small but perfectly formed), Me Before You for starters. But there are so many more.

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman – quirky, sweet, heart-breaking, funny and moving, I loved it.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Tennis, cooking, travelling.

If you could describe your working-day in just three words, what would they be?

Frenetic, fun, fulfilling.

Thanks so much for dropping in, Rebecca, and for your thoughtful answers. Wishing you all the best and we hope everyone at the Winter Party has a great evening!

* * *

Helena Fairfax writes heartwarming contemporary romances, except when she's in the mood for danger, when she writes romantic suspense. Her novel A Year of Light and Shadows tells the story of how plain Lizzie Smith is plunged into a year of mystery involving a missing princess, a false diamond, and a handsome bodyguard.

You can find out more about Helena's books and her editing services on her website www.helenafairfax.com