Post Cards From Vienna

I have two days of Vienna to catch up on...the first day



This lovely carving guards the outside entrance to the catacombs



the outside entrance to the catacombs

Then yesterday we were treated to a wonderful evening of sightseeing and good food and wine

The big wheel which was over a 100 years old

More champange

The Spanish Riding School

a dinner serenaded by a string quartet....with the sound of hooves on the cobbled streets below...what century???

The tack room was amazing

Lipizzaner Stallion

This Is What A Romantic Novleist Looks Like

Interrupting my postcards from Vienna to join the campaign....on Twitter in responce to the Daily Mail's article here there is a Hash Tag #thisiswhataromanticnovelistlookslike thanks to gorgeous RNA member Kate Johnson. Her post is here...

So in case you did know...here's is what a romantic novelists looks like -

and here's a picture from the party in question. It's me with the winner of this year's Romantic Novel of the Year JoJo Moyes

And just for the record I was wearing pearls at the party....(but with Pucci not with support tights and twinset). For a brilliant reply to the article see Julie Cohen's responce here.

Lazy Sunday Morning in Vienna

DH had an all day meeting yesterday...so I went to Mass at the cathedral then roamed the quiet streets of the city before the crowds appeared....

Vienna

Well, my life is rarely quiet...on Friday morning we flew to Vienna...(DH has a conference here this week and well he needed company!)

Here's a few pics from days one and two and as you can see I'm still keeping this champagne thing going (and will try and spread it out for as long as possible)...

Friday's lunch

This sign caught DH's eye

Fabulous restaurant on Friday evening

Moi with yet another glass of champagne!

Just outside the Spanish Riding School (watched them practice - so beautiful)

A little morning music

The rose garden in the Volkspark - the scent was amazing

In the courtyard where we had a lovely lunch

Discovered the realities of carriages on cobbles

St Stephan's Cathedral

Another Big Day

This picture taken by Carole sums up my day before

Yesterday was amazing....

First I went to the Blake Friedmann office and my wonderful agent handed me my first contracts (*squee*) she took the pictures too - very useful...

After that she took me to lunch at the York and Albany and gave me more champange...

So by now I had a perma-grin and set off to the Orion pre RNA Summer Party drinks at the Leopard Bar at the Rubens Hotel...



Orion authors Jean Fullerton and Essie Fox



Essie and moi

 And then off to the RNA Summer Party and pictures are all on RNA Blog. Now to recover as I'm off tomorrow to Vienna for a week...

It's on Amazon

Sorry for the third post in a day but I had to share this...THE CORNISH HOUSE is on Amazon here. It's real -well sort of.

Trivia note: the other book on the page by John Raynes (wonderful artist who lives in Cornwall) has a portrait he painted of me in it and on the opposite page is a portrait he painted of Anthony Andrews...so I am pressed up against him for enterinity or as long as the books last :-)

The Big Day Continued

Just back from meeting my lovely editor Kate Mills at Orion (yes, still pinching myself)...so I thought you might want know how it went.. and I or I should say my wonderful agent Carole took some pics...

I left the flat in good time as I wasn't quite sure where I was going...I was to meet Carole for a cup of coffee first then onto the Orion offices. All was going well until I emerged from the tube station...wind whipping up from below and whirling all around me. I had frantically grab the front of the wrap dress so it wouldn't flap open and hold the back of it down so I didn't do a 'Marilyn Monroe' as I came to street level.



The Mountbatten Hotel (Under scaffolding)



The interior

I quickly found the hotel and settled in to the lush surroundings. DD would love the purple velvet everywhere...Carole and I started chatting and I think could have stayed there all day just catching up, but we had a meeting...so off to Orion House.

It was amazing...champagne and people telling me how they loved my book (what more could I ask for???). Lining Kate's shelves were books by some of my favourite authors and friends (I almost felt that they were there with me smiling and enjoying the bubbles too) - I could just tell I was going to be in good hands.



Carole, Moi and Kate



Kate and Moi

After a tour of the offices (cool to see the art department working on all sorts of covers) we walked to a nearby restaurant, The Forge, for a delicious lunch and more champagne. I think I did a tremendous amount of chatting (nerves or champagne or both???) as I was the last to finish my cod with samphire. Then it was time to say goodbye to Kate and guess what?

Yes, Carole and I took a few minutes to shop for shoes...bliss.

Tomorrow is another busy and exciting day...lunch with Carole, pre RNA party drinks with Kate and her Orion collegues and then the RNA Summer party (and oh, I just happened to have found a wonderful new dress at TK Max yesterday...). It's a hard life but someone has to do it.

Big Day

I'm so excited...I'm meeting meeting my editor today! Scared too...any new step into the unknown is always scary. However I keep reminding myself that she loved THE CORNISH HOUSE and I will now have a chance to work with someone on my book...not just anyone but someone who wants it to be the best it can be...This is the really wonderful part.

So I now need to figure out what to wear??? Of course there will be wonderful shoes involved....