Privileged

Yesterday I was out shopping with DS1. He needed a book to read and I don't need any encouragement to go to a book shop. So we had lunch at the Dubai Mall and then went up stairs to Kinokuniya, which is massive to say the least. However they didn't have the two books that are hot on my must buy now list - Cally Taylor's HEAVEN CAN WAIT and Allie Spencer's TUG OF LOVE. However I wandered the store with DS1 and kept saying - she's a friend as I saw a row of Katie Fforde's books and then came across another row of Jill Mansell and so it went...Eventually he said, "Do you know everyone?" and I replied, "No." However the next shelve we stumbled upon made me sound a bit of a liar and very privileged indeed.

As I looked across the middle shelf... I had to say that Nell Dixon, Veronica Henry, Julie Cohen and Phillipa Ashley were all friends. In fact in JUST SAY YES by Phillipa there is actually a thank you in the acknowledgements to moi....

So we ended up buying him a ton of Bernard Cornwell books - six to be precise.

I also decided to be brave and probably foolish when we came across another one of Katie's books on a bestseller shelf and I pointed to a spot on the shelf and said to DS1, "One day my book or books will be right there." Bless the child, he rolled his eyes and said, "I know that Mum but could you just hurry up and do it." Don't you just love kids...

An Accident and Good News

DS1 was borrowing my little lappy and it had an ooops - a big ooops. So it is being taken apart to retrieve my data. I was all set early this week to tell you I had my MoJo back. The words were flowing and I knew where I was going. Needless to say this has been arrested along with all other pursuits related to the computer. Have had to invest in new little 'puter (ouch) and refrain from hanging DS1 by toe nails.



On to the stunning good news that I just must share - fellow RNA member Philippa Ashley is going to see her book Decent Exposure (Little Black Dress - and her first book which won the Joan Hessayon New Writers' Award in 2007) made into a film for Fox and it will be their featured film for Christmas. See Philippa's blog for all the details.

Romantic Novelists' Association Winter Party

More photos at last!

Melinda hammond, lovely lady from Midas PR and Kate Allen

Mary DeLazilo and Freda Lightfoot

Editor Maddie Rowe with Melanie Hilton (aka Louise Allen) .

Here is Jean Fullerton with Elizabeth Hawksley.

This group is Philippa Ashley, Janet Gover, Judy Astley and Katie Fforde.

Catherine Jones (aka Kate Lace) our chairman address the party in the Library of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Jan Jones and moi.

Debbie Holt with her agent Teresa Chris.

Suzie Vereker and Pia Tapper Fenton

Jenny Haddon and Emma Dunsford

l to r Jane Gordon Cummings, Teresa Chris and seated Allie Spencer

Editor at Sphere (Little Brown) Caroline Hogg and Catherine King

Moi and Biddy Coady

Kate Harrison

Liz Baily, Evelyn Ryle, Anne Ashurst and Katie Fforde

Fighting internet connection at the moment - have great photos but can only seem to post one. Here's Giselle Green and I. What can I say except that it was another wonderful party and I behaved! I caught up with many friends and unfortunately only had a chance to just wave across the crowded room at others. As usual the room was filled with fantastic writers, agents and editors.......well worth the flight.

Routine

I know how what my problem is.......my routine is out the window and therefore nothing is getting done or not at least the things that I want. Not that I am complaining about a week in Rome but it breaks routine big time. Rome was fabulous. I spent much of my time wandering the back streets inhaling expresso and absorbing the essence of the churches. One warm day just before noon I slipped into a small bascillica for cool peaceful reflection. Being a well raised and true Irish Catholic I knelt to say my prayers and make my three wishes (each time you enter a new church) when I was transported to another world. The organ above began playing the most sublime baroque music. I looked at the the vast paintings of the agony and extacy of the the lives of the staints and inhaled the scent of candle wax and was truly in a place where three senses met and blended to such an extent that thinking about it still brings me out in chills. I have always loved churches and enjoyed the blending of architecture and art to acheive a place that brings you closer to the divine. Music too has always had a way of reaching places inside. Smell is the sense that can invoke the strongest reaction. I have never put all three together and have them work something that left me breathless as the chords of the music spiralled up to the vaulted dome I was literally swept away..............

Enough of the glories of Rome and back to the reality of the writing life. I had optimistically brought the lap top thinking I would work on A Cornish House for at least an hour a day - hah more fool me. Who was I to even think I could work when Rome bathed in sunshine beckoned. So now back to Dubai I am struggling to get back into routine knowing I am winding up here for for the summer in Cornwall. So yet again routine goes out the window. Hopefully the old subconcious has been working while I wasn't.

Rome did bring three new books. The first was Pandora's Box by Giselle Green. This book was amazing. It takes a heart wrenching situation and treats it with such love, humour and lack of melodrama. All I can say say is five out of five - read it. The while idling away time on my own in cafes in Rome I read Wish You Were Here by Philippa Ashley. The perfect holiday read which kept me away from ogling the Italian men - 'nough said there. Finally on the return flight which was a bit conveluted due to over booking I read and unfortunately could not put down (over night flight - no sleep) The Bride Hunter by Amy Appleton. This story told in first person juggles many characters and I cared about each and everyone of them. It was a superb example in page turning writing told with heart and humour.

This bring me to a superb link here. Way to go Joanna Trollope - I love the term wit lit and I think Melissa Nathan has left a wonderful legacy with her prize for comedy romance. So here's to finally people acknowledging that women's fiction is good in fact better than good!

Christmas Come Early

Sil arrive late on Thursday night and she brought with her my Amazon order!!!!

So where do I start? With Julie's One Night Stand? With Julia's Pasture's New? With Jan's Stage by Stage? With C.S.'s When God's Die? Or with Phillipa's Wish You Were Here?

I don't know but must be discipled and finish the Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox first.....which I am really enjoying but I have waited for these books for so long......

With sil here I may not get much reading or writing done but I used her as a sounding board last night for the changes in A Cornish House and she said to her they worked. DH who was listening said 'and this has a happy ending? How? It sounds more like a slash your wrist job.' It will have a happy ending because that is just me!

Yesterday which went to Friday (remember Friday is Sunday here) Brunch at the Al Muntaha restaurant (200 metres above sea level - the sticky out bit in the picture! ) in the Burj Al Arab. It was too die for........I skipped all the lovely salads, breads and things I could have anywhere and went straight for the lobster tails and prawns. Not that the lobsters were not Maine lobsters or even Cornish ones but they were fabulous and such a decadent treat as was the caviar (got used to this when living in Moscow). I then managed to fit in some prime rib before dd lead me to the puddings. Lets just say that one has to put all thoughts of diets aside and just enjoy. It was a buffet worth living for.....

(the colours in this photos are muted but in life think crayon box primary - red, blue, green!)

RNA Winter Party

Well, it's a crisp clear morning here in Cornwall and last week seeems a long time ago - even this weekend for that matter, but I must tell you about the party.














In truth the party began before I arrived at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers as half the attendees were staying at the New Cavendish Club. I had a brief chance to chat with the lovely Eileen Ramsayand Katie Fforde kindly treated me to a drink at the bar before we went. I had hoped this would help to keep my eyes open (what kind of fool was I to think that you should fly in the morning of the big party???) and give me courage. By the time we arrive at six forty there was already a good crowd.




Evelyn Ryle who writes as Joanna Maitlandfor HMB pushed me into crowd with the words, "There seven agents here today and as many editors. Go get one." With knees shaking I plunged into the crowd and fell at the first hurdle when I bumped into a familiar face. However after a few minutes I reminded my self this was a jolly this was business this time. At all the past events I really didn't have anything to sell but this time it was not so. It was do or die.


I am pleased to report after several fortifying glasses of wine I did do........so in a few short minutes I will connecting the lap top to printer and submitting to two agents that I connected with at the party. They were both willing to look at August Rock - shock horror, no really its all a bit exciting and overwhelming.


The line up of editors were impressive. Represented in very healthy numbers were Orion, Transworld, Hodder, Harper, Piatkus, Harlequin Mills & Boon, and Severn House. It was a place to see and be seen. I was lucky enough to catch the moment when our chairwomen Catherine Jones, writing as Kate Lace, was handed her first copy of her second book for Little Black Dress by editor Cat Cobain.




I also have a very insightful chat with Gillian Green currently editor at Piatkus but moving on to the Ebury at Random House. She listened to me warble on as it was towards the end of the evening and gave me some sound advice - now it I could only recall it!





So who else did I see......Biddy Coady (who was being chased by Karin Stoeker, the editoral director of HMB to get her chapters in - so do it Biddy!) Fiona Harper, Judy Astley, Phillipa Ashley, Mary De Laszlo, Annie Ashurst (Sara Craven), Jan Jones, Jean Fullerton, Susie Vereker and my memory is beginning to fail me. I should have written this Friday morning but I didn't have time as I meeting Phillipa Ashley for coffee :-)


Then it was out to dinner which my body was telling was crazy but how could I turn down dinner with so many friends. I tried to keep my eyes open. At dinner it was a great chance to rehash the party and catch up.

At dinner (apologies as it's quite a list!) Kaite Fforde, Catherine Jones, Jo Thomas, Henrietta Gyland, Pia Tapper Fenton, Julia Williams(whose book Pastures new is out next month!) Giselle Green and Gilli Allen.......I struggled into the hotel and collapsed.

I can't say how wonderful it was to be with other writers and the bonus that they are friends too.......it will have to keep me going for a while.

As this is such a long post I'll wait until tomorrow to tell you about Dublin.

Vicarious Pleasure

Yesterday while swimming in the pool at the beach club (which sounds very pompous - I know) i had the extreme pleasure of seeing a woman reading Phillipa Ashley's book Wish You Were Here in the pool. As i swam closer to make sure that was what she was reading my excitement grew. I thought how bl**dy fantastic. DD asked why I was smiling and I told her. The I thought what the hell and swam up to the woman and saw she was almost at the end. Boldly because I am a shy person by nature i said, "Excuse me."

She looked up puzzled.

"Sorry to interrupt but are you enjoying the book?"

"Yes." She pause. "Why are you the author?"

"No. Not so lucky. Just curious and if I was the writer I would never have the courage to ask." Sh smiled and I wasn't going to own up to knowing Phillipa.

"Is it good?" I asked. I haven't got my hands on this one yet.

"Yes, chit lit, great beach read." She smiled and stuck her nose back in and I swam off.

I get such a buzz seeing my friends books being read!! I also get a buzz seeing there books on the shelves of stores........Maybe one day I'll get the same buzz from seeing mine (well I can dream can't I?).

Now there are loads of things I want to blog about and everything is rushing about in my head so I will try and make some order of it. First a huge thank you to Phillipa Ashley who kindly posted a photo for me of my beloved Cornwall here.

I am sadly behind in my blog reading having been enjoy the Eid holiday here. When we were away for a few days i was without Internet access which the DH thought was a very good thing but now I have so much to catch up on..........So here's a wonderful link over at Ray-Anne's blog on beats. I couldn't begin to explain it but she does the most amazing job. I don't think I could write this way but I do think as she points of a fantastic tool for writing if a scene isn't working.



I have been tagged by the fabulous Lisa at http://eudaemoniaforall.blogspot.com/. It is a fabulous book meme which I look forward to doing but I realize that without my books with me I can't really do this properly so I will have to wait a month until I am in the villa and the boxes of books are unpacked......so I must post a reminder in the my diary as my brain is not too good at remembering these days.



Now for a bit of a rant. I have spoken about the refresh problem and the wonderful J came to my rescue. I have discovered that doesn't always work ( a 75% success rate) so I am doomed while living here to be behind. I will learn to live with it. I have also found that on Facebook I can't update my virtual bookshelf as that is a banned site. I am also finding that I can't google certain people. The wonderful author Rachel Hore is one. I hope she will find this amusing but I wanted to check to see if she listed who her agent was on her new website( which is beautiful btw) and couldn't remember her web address so I googled it - hah. Big red sign saying banned. Fortunately I remembered that it's was linked from Hilary Johnson's web page and I made it there in the end. This morning it won't let me go to Lisa's blog??? Or visit one of the people who commented on my post below. Arghhhhhhhhhhhh.


Having said all the above living in Dubai is great......I just want to get into my own home!!!! Enough rant. I must catch up on blogs........BTW dd is on half term this week and ds2 arrive Thursday and dds1 arrives on Sunday so posting and visiting may well be erratic at best.

Voice

Voice is a hot topic at the moment on one of the forums I belong to. It was mentioned is several of the RNA Conference sessions and back when I attend the Melissa Nathan Comedy Romance Workshop. Every one throws the term around. Every writer seeks to find their unique voice and some writer's have several - if they write different in different genres. So what is Voice? Have you found yours?

I was over at Phillipa Ashley's blog http://phillipa-ashley.com/blog/2007/08/13/the-end-is-in-sight/#comments and she was discussing voice too. It was in writing a reply to her post that I realized that August Rock doesn't really have my voice in it. I pondered why and realized that my internal editor was doing a very heavy handed job. I was wary of kids reading over my shoulder and the thought of my mother reading my work (Dad if you are reading the blog you can smile now). So after rewriting August Rock six times and definitely improving it I know that it doesn't really have my voice. I don't think it is something you can put back in or at least I can't.

When I wrote A Cornish House at the beginning of year, I put the internal editor in a box and wrote without stopping. My voice is there now. I now may have to tone it down but it is there. Have you experienced this?

RNA Conference Part 9

Little did I realize that the conference would provide so much blogging material! I just went through my notes and realized that I four more sessions to cover. Clearly I took a lot out of the conference.

The next session I am about to blog about I chose not because I could even begin to write for the the line but I just felt that an session with an editor was going to provide some hard core tips - I wasn't wrong. Cat Cobain the editor for Headline's Little Black Dress imprint ( http://www.littleblackdressbooks.com/ ) spoke about 'What Women Want' -(Little Black Dress). Now as I said I know I can't write for Little Black Dress although I love reading them (think Julie Cohen and Phillipa Ashley) - after this talk I really really wanted to because I felt that Cat must be a fabulous editor to work with. Enough of my dreams here's what she said:

First off she spoke about LBD.
- it's one year old
- it's a brand
- they have 35 authors
- currently they are publishing 4 books a month but will be increasing to 6 ( 3 paper/ 3 hardback)
- it's aimed at 20 to 35 year olds ; it is very young in focus; just working out their lives; this group is very fickle and media savvy; used to tv and films
- they need a new twist but can be the same story
- must have a hook and an angle

Then she went on to elaborate that the good stories twist normal life creating the angle and escapism - something like Rachel's Holiday by Marion Keyes. It's sort of like watching friends. It masquerades for normal life but its not.

Then Cat went on with some writing tips:

1. can't please everyone
2.do it for yourself - love it
3. writing communities - use them carefully
4. allow quiet time - don't fill your time with too much blogging
5. careful of the advice you are given
6. don't share your work too much with others; be careful of homogenization; don't lose your spark; use others input wisely and not too often
7. it can become a bit of a conveyor belt once your published
8. allow time for ideas to germinate
9. structure - synopsis is the strongest tool; you can see plot flaws and it focuses the mind and gets rid of bagging (think of it as a miniature Turkish carpet - you have to look at it to see the pattern; must be able to see the beginning and the plot coming out as flecks through out)

I think those writing tips are superb. She mentioned have Internet free days!!!! She especially spoke of allowing time for things to grow properly. So although I could never write for LBD I'm so glad I chose this session to attend!

Life here in Cornwall has improved and so has my colour. Due to several days on the beach and on the river I slowly achieving a light Cornish mahogany. I am still reading Kate Harrison's Self Preservation Society (fabulous btw) and Rebecca ( my last blog on the conference will explain why I am reading this other than it's wonderful). I'm frustrated that I'm reading in such short bursts. I would love a long day of just reading but with my three kids plus one extra, a house and a husband to look after I have to be happy with short bursts of reading and snatched moments on the puter. So if I haven't be visiting blogs as much that's why. Come September something like normal service will return :-)
10.

RNA Conference - Part 7

The Romantic Novelist Association is broad church so to speak as it covers all fiction dealing with romance from Harlequin/Mills&Boon to main stream women's fiction. It is a welcoming place as they have this wonderful program called the New Writer's Scheme with helps new writers on their way to publication. Regular readers of the blog will know that I have just posted the much rewritten August Rock off to the scheme where a published author will read through and provide feedback. August Rock went through the scheme last year and the reader was one of the very helpful voices that hopefully will send AG on it's way. The scheme not only provides readers for your work but if it is up to publishable standard it will help you on your way by putting the script in front of an agent or publisher. Good stuff huh?


The first session I attended on the Sunday of the conference was on the New Writers Scheme. Roger Sanderson (pictured above with Sara Craven) who writes Medicals for Harlequin/Mills & Boon as Gill Sanderson heads the scheme and told us of the 250 new writers on the scheme.

He then handled over to Elizabeth Hawksley who gave us the readers view. She has recently co-authored a book with Jenny Haddon - Getting the Point: A Panic-free Guide to English Punctuation for Adults.



Elizabeth's pointers were:

Character, Conflicts, and Story Arc


-early on make sure that the heroine is likable; someone you could sympathize with; not a wimp


-set up a problem; make sure there are enough hooks in chapter one (at least 3 problems)


- run the hero past a real guy; have a man real it aloud; make him realistic


- distinguishing plot - not just a series of events; plot has consequence - emotional and/or real






Next the writer to speak was Amanda Grange and she tackled 'Why do my books keep getting rejected?' Her key points were


-Edit, edit, edit

-Be harsh

-Identify problems and fix them

-Keep characters consistent not wobbling
-Are they too stupid to live - TSTL
-Something that begins and chapter one and takes the reader all the way through the end
-Do the actions have consequences - is there enough conflict; external and internal
-Does every scene have a point
-Is the character the same at the end of the scene?



The session ended with the reminder of all those who have made it through the scheme are eligible to enter The Joan Hessayon NWS Award. This awarded to first novel published who have been through the NWS. This year my friend Fiona Harper, winner in 2006, handed over the award to another friend Phillipa Ashley for her debut novel for Little Black Dress - Decent Exposure. (Phillipa is picutred below with Jan Jones)

Strengthening My Protagonist

Yet again the Jennifer Crusie in the He Wrote She Wrote Workshop, http://www.crusiemayer.com/workshop/, has hit the nail on the head for me - character development. At nearly 60k I know my characters very well. The story is moving along at a good pace but I am not sure if Madde's story is compelling enough. The antagonist, Serena, well being Serena she gets her space and her time. Madde being of quieter nature is too calm. Her change from beginning to end is not yet strong or compelling enough. No, I am not going to stop at this stage and rewrite. I need to get the bones of the story down and then work really hard on Madde's motivations. It is her story after all and if I'm not careful it will be Serena's.

I was going to talk about the discusision on writing sex scenes in the first person and otherwise over on Julie Cohen's blog, http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog and Phillipa Ashley's http://phillipa-ashley.com/blog/, but that will have to wait for another day!

What I Have Been Doing Wrong

Yesterday was good. I managed almost 2000 words and in between the torrential downpours the sun was glorious. So it was a good day.

It was also good because over on Phillipa Ashley's blog, http://phillipa-ashley.com/blog/2007/02/27/waterstones-2/#comments, she mentioned Maureen Johnson's blog, http://maureenjohnson.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-be-writer-in-ten-easy-steps.html, which has "How To Be A Writer In Ten Easy Steps". I now know where I am falling down. I could start at the beginning with the photo and work my way through so that I get it right! How could I have failed on so many points? Must pull up my socks!

Holiday Reading

Well, our time in Dubai was way too short. I mean way too short. We arrived at just before midnight Sunday and left Dubai in the early hours of this morning. As we had lived there for three years it was intended as a quick break to enjoy friends and enjoy the sun. Ticks on both accounts. I didn't write a word. The first morning I thought about it but after that well the pool, the sun, the food all beckoned. So I gave up guilt and embraced the joy of reading. My tbr pile was educed by two......joyfully. The new imprint Little Black Dress was designed for holiday reading from the two books I sampled. First off I read Phillipa Ashley's Decent Exposure.

Maybe I should first tell you all what a great book - which it was. But first I will talk about the grief ds1, the 14 yr old gave me about the cover. "Mum, there's a naked guy on the cover."

"Yes."

"Mum."

"Yes."

"You like looking at naked guys?"

Now what is a good up standing mother of three to say but, "Of course."

Needless to say he walked away and left me to happily read the book. Boys get so embarrassed about these things! He was still asking me about it today when I unpacked and he saw the book again. This time he just rolled his eyes and asked where the calendar was. I reminded him I didn't need a calendar when I had his father around. He beat a quick retreat!

Now to the book itself. I fell head over heals for the hero Will. Emma's vulnerability was so credible and how she held off for so long I don't know. It was a great read and I smiled my way through it. All the twists and turns felt real and I loved each moment of it. Definitely ideal holiday reading to make you smile even more.

Next out of the bag was Julie Cohen's Spirit Willing Flesh Weak. Now I have read and loved Julie's other books. So in a way I wasn't prepared for the different feel of this book. The book is told in first person and you get right into the head of Rosie. She grabs you from the start. I loved her complex nature and really found myself wondering if Harry could ever be good enough for her. I rooted for her the whole way through. It could be that she is from Massachusetts went to university near where I did but we won't pull those things in to it. It was a great story and a very different read. But like all of Julie's books I have read filled with incredibly real character portrayals.

The two books from the same imprint were very different in feel but both were perfect shorter reads that completely satisfied. Ideal for a holiday from life :-)

Now back to laundry and hopefully writing again. Have fallen way behind my fellow racers!