A Cornish Affair Won!

A few days later and I am still in a state of delighted shock… A Cornish Affair won the Festival of Romance's Readers' Award for Best Romantic Read! The short list was superb and I still become teary when I think about it. This book took a long time in coming to publication. Those who follow the blog know that it began life as August Rock back in 2005.

Since then if has been rewritten more time than I want to count. But I am so thrilled that Jude's story won.

As with last year the Festival was held in Bedford and this year it was bigger and better. This is the only event in the UK for readers of romance to meet their favourite authors and connect with new writers. I think there were 60 romance authors this year.

Me holding the lovely Miranda Dickinson's latest book Take A Look At Me Know

On Saturday morning it was the coffee and cake event with 14 authors. I read an short extract from the award winning (need to keep saying so I can believe it!) A Cornish Affair. And the big highlight was meeting the wonderful John Jackson!

Me reading…picture courtesy of John Jackson

The book fair was held in the Corn Exchange and it was great with share a table with Kat Black and William Coles.

Then I had a book signing at Waterstones with the lovely Hazel Osmond (one of my fellow short listed authors)…

Then complete collapse in my room. I was beat. I looked at my dress which glittered and sparkled at me and thought I can't wear it. But bullied on by friends on Twitter I donned the frock and set forth the ball. As with any time when you get a bunch of romantic novelist together the volume is high and the conversation can slip low…this was no exception….

I was happily tweeting the award winners live and was all set to type in the winner of the Readers' Award for Best Romantic Read when…my name was called. I am grateful there are no pictures of my face! I fully expected any other the other wonderful authors on the list but not my name.

Sue Morrcroft, Liz Fenwick, Jane Lovering, Rowan Coleman and Hazel Osmond

Somehow I made it up to receive my award from the wonderful Christina Courtney (fellow Heroine Addict) and then sat down stunned. In fact I was shell shocked all evening and didn't know what to do with myself…still feeling this way but now I can at least work on the next book!

Sorry about the pink lightening…Tracy Bloom (Tracey won the Best Author Published Book) and Liz Fenwick

Kate Allen has done a wonderful job with the festival and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Broo Doherty won the agent award

I wish I could thank the readers personally. I am so thrilled they loved Jude's and Tristan's journey…

So off to Dubai in about a half hour…yes, back to normal life on a plane.

PS…finishing this post at 35,000 feel somewhere over Europe!

Romantic Novelist Association Award Lunch

Well, finally I am on line. It's strange how I was connected in the Maldives and yet couldn't connect in the New Cavendish Club! Having said that I think anything that I may have written yesterday would have been complete and utter gibberish. Between lack of sleep, jet lag, and far too much wine yesterday did pass in a haze.

Monday was my 3rd RNA award lunch and well it felt like a home coming as opposed to the fear and trembling that gripped me the first time. My day began at Jenny Haddon's house and where I laughed till I nearly cried with her and Anne Ashurst (aka Sara Craven). Once in me finery - such as it was- we set off for the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. The first familair face was that of Janet Gover who is the lucky friend that just signed the contract with Little Black Dress. (pictured l-r Liz Baily, Janet Gover and Susie Vereker)

Then I bumped into friends who were up for the Romance Prize - Julie Cohen and Fiona Harper with Kate Hardy (who won!!!) and the lovely Anna Lucia. (l-r Anna Lucia, Kate Hardy, Janet Gover and Julie Cohen)

Events on this scale don't take place without huge effort on many people's part and here are two - Jane Gordon Cummings and Jan Jones. Catherine Jones (aka Kate Lace), the chairwoman, did a fantastic job thanking all those involved.

So the drinks reception allowed me to catch up with fellow Novel Racer while she was chatting with Katie Fforde. We tried to persuade Katie to join but she was too afraid she couldn't keep up!

I glanced at the seeting arrangement and was delighted to see that I was sitting with the lovely blog friend Ray Anne, editor Gillian Green from Ebury, Bex Leith, reader/reviewer Lizzie Roach,Henri Gyland, Jan Sprenger, and the big surprize was a distant relation by marriage the elegant Una Mary Parker. (pictured l-r Pia Tapper-Fenton, Gillian Green and Ray-Anne Lutener)

Trisha Ashley did a wonderful presentation of the romance award which the lovely Kate Hardy won and then Helen Lederer (pictured here with l-r Anne Ashurst, Helen and Evelyn Ryle) had us all in stiches with her chat before presenting the Romantic Novel of the Year Award which went to Freya North for Pillow Talk. Freya's speach was wonderful and brought a tear to my eyes as she dedicated the award to a friend who had died of cancer and she was donating her prize to a cancer charity.

(pictured Lizzie Roach and Freya North)

After a final word by Diane Pearson, the President of the RNA, we emerged for another drink in the reception area where I caught up with the lovely Judy Astley. The crowd moved to the Goat across the road which finally gave a me chance to a decent chat with Julia Williams and moan about not being to get my hands on a copy of her book. In fact I am leaving London very frustrated today as thus far I have not been able to put my paws on Julie Cohen's latest One Night Stand, Julia Williams' Pastures New and Jan Jones' Stage by Stage. I think I will have to do a massive Amazon order that my sil will have to bring out to Dubai with her in March. (picutred below Julia Williams and Kate Hardy)

The pub also brought a chance to catch with with Biddy as she flew in after work to join us and was kind about our obvious intoxicated state.

The evening wound down in a wonderful restaurant in Kensington Church Street with Katie Fforde, Jan Jones and the suprememly kind Nick Robinson of Transworld.

I have to say it was well worth the treck to come. I connected not only with friends but editors again which makes it much easier to approach them later. I think the thing that stays with me most is the friendship generousity of of my fellow writers.

Confession

I have a confession to make and I feel very guilty - I'm going on holiday - not just on any holiday but to the Maldives! With DH on gardening leave we are taking advantage of the time and indulging in some serious R&R! We are taking the dd with us so the two ds's will not speak to us when they realize that their sister is being spoiled..........



So I will be taking three books with me to read......C.S. Harris's What Angels Fear, Lucie Whitehouse's The House At Midnight, and Rowan Coleman's The Baby Club. Plus I will be taking my own revision work with me not too mention having to write the next chapter of Explosive dreams. I have no idea where the heck this is going. It is utter cr.p but I am treating it like a cw assignment. So the next chapter of my chit lit meets thriller will be written while I sit and look at this view.

It's tough but someone gotta do it!

Romantic Novelist Association - Romantic Novel of the Year Shortlist Has Arrived

Well, I was sad not so see Rowan Coleman's name one the shortlist but the list is good and very varied. The link is here http://www.rna-uk.org/index.php?page=awardlist&id=10&type=shortlist. I have to say the book that appeals to me most is One Last Summer by Catrin Collier (Orion) . The synopsis:-

“Allenstein, East Prussia, 1939 – Charlotte von Datski’s parents hold a glittering ball to celebrate her 18th birthday and to announce her engagement to a Prussian count. Meanwhile, Hitler is ready to plunge the world into war, one that will wipe East Prussia from the face of the map. Charlotte is eventually forced to leave her beloved homeland and by 1946 finds herself in London with her young son, struggling to adapt to a new country and a new way of life. The secret of Charlotte’s life is revealed when a book entitled One Last Summer is smuggled out of a Russian prison camp and tells of an affair between a Russian POW and a Prussian aristocrat. It becomes an instant international bestseller. Years later, Charlotte’s granddaughter Emma comes across material relating to these events and she and her grandmother embark on a journey into Charlotte’s past. Charlotte finally faces the demons that have haunted her for over half a century and recalls the one great love of her life. A moving and turbulent novel unlike anything Catrin Collier has written before, but with her trademark storytelling skill and her ability to portray characters with depth and sympathy.” (The novel is based on the life of Catrin’s mother and grandmother).

The other five are intriguing too but the best best thing is that I will be there to see whoever wins pick up their award. Yes, I am flying back for it. I have promised the DH that is not just a knees up with the girls, it is serious networking. Hell last year I met the most powerful woman in British Publishing, Amanda Ross of course I didn't realize who I was chatting to at the time....

Again, I find myself in the position of apologising for being a bad blogger. Dh is now on gardening leave and my parents seem to be stranded here in rainy Dubai. Yes, very rainy Dubai. My parents are longing to get back to Sunny FL but they are on standby and with George Bush's visit here yesterday it didn't seem a good idea to venture to airport last night. It might have been chaos.

I have been meaning to write about my delight at Heathrow terminal 3 as we left the UK. I wandered through Borders and found Patricia Wood's Lottery smothering the front tables in the store where I also found Lucie Whitehouse's The House at Midnight. It was so exciting as I almost felt as if they were my own books on display. I have followed Patricia's blog regularly and many of you know that back when Lucie was wearing her agent hat she gave me some of the best advice I have received in this writing lark.

I was also able to pick up Rowan Coleman's The Baby Club - so all in all I was well pleased with Borders except that they didn't have Julia Williams' Pastures New. However all is not lost as I will be back briefly in the UK. Did I mention that already?

Now finally on to my won writing........none, zip, zilch but I do plan to start today. I will keep you posted.

Romantic Novelist Association - Novel of the Year Long List and it includes the Novel Racers' own Rowan Colman

I can't say how excited I am that one of our Novel Racers is on the long list for Romantic Novelist Association Romantic Novel of the Year long list here! Rowan Coleman'sThe Baby Group is there!!!!!!

Also up there is the wonderful Kate Lace (aka Catherine Jones) for The Chalet Girl. She is pictured at the RNA Winter Party with her latest book Movie Girl.

I must find a way to convince my dh it is essential that I come back for the lunch in February!!!!

Now back to Christmas tasks but smiling!!!!!