Woo-hoo – in the charts! – and lappie love

Current work: I wish...
Listening to: Diana Krall (am on a jazz/blues piano kick at the moment)
Reading: next on TBR pile but NOT until I’ve finished the book

My current US release – Surrender to the Playboy Sheikh – is in the Waldies top ten series romance bestseller list this week! Thank you very much to the lovely people who put it there, and I hope you enjoy Karim and Lily’s story.

Thank you also to the wonderful Harlequin readers – when I dropped by the eHarl pages on Wednesday to pick up the code for the widgets in my sidebar, I noticed that Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion was at #3 in their bestseller chart. Colour me very happy, and I hope you enjoy Luke and Sara’s story.




And thank you to Marilyn Shoemaker, who’s written a very interesting post on Sheikh lit and included my latest in there.

Bought the laptop yesterday – which will NOT be connected to the internet and will, I hope, improve my productivity because it means that if I work on it I can’t be tempted to flick into email/get sidetracked by research. Also means DH and the kids can use my desktop so they won’t keep moaning that I hog the computer when I’m on a screaming deadline, as I am at the moment. And it has a webcam so son can use it for animation. (When he can get it to work. Daughter says she’s going to write on it. Ha. Bet that doesn’t stop her fleecing me for pretty notebooks.)

The thing is, though, a laptop needs storage. As in a lappie bag. The one in the John Lewis tecchie department was a Samsonite: nice enough, but a little boring/blokey for my taste.

(You know what’s coming next, don’t you?)

Radley do lovely workbags (beautifully made and they last for ever) and I’ve been coveting my friend Nell Dixon’s workbag for ages. Sadly, neither John Lewis nor House of Fraser in Norwich had the one I wanted in stock. But I came home to discover a very timely email from Hudson’s Leather Shop giving me 20% off their clearance prices (note, I have been immensely restrained and not bought anything Radley-oriented for myself for almost a year). And guess what was in the sale? Yup, the exact workbag I wanted. Black with a lavender trim. (It looks grey in the pic below, but it's lavender.) Sale price plus discount meant that it was only a tenner or so dearer than the Samsonite bag. Result: one lovely lappie bag ordered, with no guilt whatsoever. And it seems I got the last one: I feel very, very lucky.

I was dreading having to tackle Vista, having heard nightmare stories, but so far (touch wood) have managed to load Microsoft Office, set up the users, and help everyone to change their settings. Have also copied latest WIPs across. So I’m all set for use, now. As for printing: rather than faff about trying to find the Vista driver online for my elderly printer, am going to copy the file to memory stick and print from the desktop PC.

Plan for today: originally, the idea was to do lots of work and wait in for the delivery of the laptop bag.

But.

It seems Dad’s cataract op yesterday was more complicated than expected (haven't quite got to the bottom of that yet) and there isn’t ANY hospital transport available to take him back for an urgent check-up this morning (which might not be a check-up - might be the other half of the op. As I said, not got to the bottom of this yet), so I’m taking him and one of the carers is coming with me to help get him in and out of the car. The hospital said be there from 8.30 - but I need to do the school run first and can't be in two places at once. Which means he’ll be anxious (the joys of Parkinson's); depending on traffic and how long it takes to get him into the car it's more likely to be 9.30. Without a definite time, we may end up with a long wait in a hot, sticky environment; I foresee lots of trips to the vending machine for cool drinks. Must remember to take pack of straws for Dad.

Very hot and sticky here right now, which is why I'm posting at 5am - woke with a nightmare and it's too humid to go back to sleep. And yes, I know what triggerered the nightmare: worry about Dad's eye. Dreams can useful to me as a writer, but sometimes they go a bit far, and this one was pretty upsetting. Not fair to wake DH and sob all over him, so going to do some work instead: kind of useful, as I've lost three out of five working days this week, so having the revisions done and the next book off my desk before the summer holidays is looking pretty remote.

But, glass half full, Hudson’s sent me the tracking number for my parcel, so I rang the courier yesterday to ask if they could please leave it next door if I’m not back from hospital when they deliver; they were lovely and agreed, so at least I won’t have to drive halfway across the city to pick it up when I get home.

busted – and happy publication day to Nina and Olivia

Current work: revisions on MH fairground book
Listening to: Norah Jones
Reading: Kelly Hunter, ‘Exposed: Misbehaving with the Magnate’ – I know I was saving this for a treat, but it was HOT last night and I was grumpy and deserved said treat. Great read – though, sigh, this was a setting I’d planned to use. (On ice for a couple of years, then… ) Really looking forward to the second in the duo.

Busted? DH doesn’t read my blog but he knows me rather too well. Gave me a grilling yesterday morning (while I was making his packed lunch, pah). ‘So what did you buy our daughter in town, then?’ A book and some pens. (Knowing smile from DH.) ‘Anything else?’ Oh, yeah, chocolate. Sorry. That was inhaled before you got home. ‘Anything else?’ (Uh-oh: he knows.) Went for innocence: What else would I buy? ‘How about a tortoise from Sonkai?’

Ah, yes. That. Not sure whether he spotted the receipt on my desk or whether he noticed daughter’s bracelet was a tiny bit fuller (do men REALLY notice these things? I think not), or both. So I confessed I’d bought one myself, too. But hey, it’s my money and I earned it. (This is why we have a joint account for bills and separate accounts for everything else. Saves rows over money.) And it’s the first one I’ve bought for months. Teal green glass, and it’s lovely.

Son has an inset day today. It’s also meant to be the hottest day of the year (and storms are forecast for Friday). We’re going into town this morning and buying a laptop, if John Lewis has the one I want in stock (if not, will order online), and then I am going to be Bad Mummy and let him play Peggle for a couple of hours while I work.

Righty, on to the really good stuff. Publication day.

Happy debut publication day to my mate Nina Harrington, with her Harlequin Romance ‘Always a Bridesmaid’ (it’s a lovely story and I really enjoyed it). Do go over to her blog and congratulate her.

And happy publication day to my friend (and fellow Essex girl) Olivia Ryan – do go over to her blog and wish her luck with the publication of Tales from a Honeymoon Hotel.

Both of them are showcased on the new Romantic Novelists' Assocation's blog where you can see this month's new releases by members. (I'm so proud to be part of such a talented bunch!)

happy July

Current work: revisions on MH fairground book

Listening to: Norah Jones

Reading: Sarah Mayberry, Anything for You (superb – I have a very soft spot for friends-to-lovers books and this was a particularly good one)

Happy July – and here’s this month’s calendar pic.

Actually, it reminds me very much of my part of the world: a lighthouse and the wide, wide skies of Norfolk. Though our skies currently don’t have any clouds at all, much less clouds that spell my name…

Lovely skivy day off with daughter yesterday. Basically we shopped and flopped. Oh, wait – I mean, we did admin and flopped.

En route to town, daughter insisted that we should play the Grease soundtrack really loudly and sing along to it. Great fun. Bought books: yessie, yessie, a new Louise Allen, a new Jill Shalvis AND a new Kelly Hunter as carrots for finishing my work this week – colour me happy – as well as a book for daughter that I might borrow when she’s finished as it’s a timeslip and looks good. Highly amused when she did the ‘I just can’t choose between these three books’ and gave me a pleading look – I would’ve been nice and bought all three BUT she’d already fleeced me for something in the shop opposite. (Sonkai. Saying no more on the grounds of not wanting to incriminate myself.) Also bought copies of Suffolk book so can dish out to family. (Sadly, no, authors do not get tons of free copies.)

Had lunch in the M&S café (Dad likes the mini coconut tarts from M&S, so the aforementioned lunch was actually part of errand-running) and an enforced trip to Hotel Chocolat. I was VERY good as I bought myself some gorgeous bright pink gerberas instead of a caloriefest; chocolate purchase was for son and daughter.

But then I had to face the car park machine. Which decided it didn’t like me. Not only did it refuse to take my money, it informed me that my ticket was blocked. The car park staff were nice and told me to go up to the kiosk at the exit and stick my hazard lights on, and they’d sort me out a new ticket. I hated blocking all the cars behind me, because I’m not selfish and antisocial – unlike the woman in front of me, who parked smack in the middle of BOTH the M&S ‘collect by car’ spaces because she couldn’t be bothered to park properly.

Nice visit to Dad; then picked up son from school and flopped a bit more in front of a fan to cool me down before hitting the revisions again. Too hot to work, though.

Plan for today: work. And enormous consumption of iced water with a slice of lime to stop me melting.

hot hot hot (the weather AND my review)

Current work: revisions on MH fairground book
Listening to: Robert Plant
Reading: Sarah Mayberry, Cruise Control (really enjoyed it but it made me bawl my eyes out – heroine’s conflict is one of the subjects I find a bit close to the bone and can really only cope with at this time of year. Have another of hers which I’m really looking forward to)

We’re having a heatwave. And I function best in cool, crisp temperatures. So it’s a matter of having a fan on all the time and drinking lots of iced water with a slice of lime and, um, being grumpy.

Daughter is becoming more and more a mini-me. She had a major strop on Sunday night. ‘It’s HOT. I can’t sleep.’ (Yeah. Neither can Mummy.) ‘It’s not fair. You’ve got a fan.’ (Yup.) And then, looking daggers at her father: ‘It’s all right for you – YOU don’t have long hair.’ (DH has, um, not much hair. So that was hilarious and she wasn't very pleased when we laughed.) Bless. I taught her the trick of running cold water over your inner wrists to cool you down. She responded by… yup, using our en-suite rather than the family bathroom at 2am. Urrr.

She has an inset (teacher training) day today. We had planned to do baking, but NOT in this heat. We’re shopping and flopping instead. And visiting Dad.

And the hot review? Well. Sometimes you write a book and think ‘this one’s a bit special’. I had two of those, last year: the second being Surrender to the Playboy Sheikh. It’s netted a Top Pick from Romantic Times… and it got a GRADE A from TGTBTU. Their review made me glow (and not just because I’m in the middle of a heatwave).

This is what Lynne Connolly had to say:

If anyone thinks that HMB books are churned out with next to no effort from the writer - this is one of the best examples against this argument that I've read, and certainly the best this year… This book took the trope of the playboy sheikh and turned him into a real person, one you could like... I adored the way he considered the needs and wants of the woman he falls in love with. He doesn't take for granted that she will fall in with his wishes, he doesn't force her or blackmail her or coerce her, he seduces her… with respect and healthy anticipation. I adored that about Karim and I could see exactly why Lily fell for him.

…And a warning here - Kate Hardy knows about cooking and if the descriptions of little ice-cream balls and coffee mousse filled choux buns don't make you hungry, ur not doin it rite. [note from me – yup. This is why Kate Hardy is overweight. She cooks the stuff in her books AND eats it.]

The stumbling blocks in the romance are believable and are dealt with in a great way… you can see the couple falling in love, and even before they fall they care about each other, so the sex scenes are about connection and pleasure, not about athletics or marathons.

I spent a lovely morning with this book, and I'd advise you to do likewise. I read the UK version, but the US version is one of the July Harlequin Presents offerings. Get it. You'll love it.

***

Read the full review here. And thank you, Lynne, for putting a huge smile on my face (no mean task in a heatwave, when I am usually grumpiness personified).

fabulous review

Current work: revisions on MH fairground book
Listening to: Alison Moyet, Voice
Reading: Amy Andrews - Greek Doctor, Cinderella Bride (aka the jellyfish book – the medical stuff in here is really interesting and the hero/heroine’s conflicts are incredibly emotional. I know Amy’s a mate of mine, but she really IS getting better and better with every book. This one’s a great read)

I’m struggling with time right now, with just under three weeks of school left and revisions/a book to write before I go on holiday. (Yeah, yeah. Kate overreacher. Just need to FOCUS. And try to ignore the fact it’s hot and sticky – uuh, give me crisp frosty mornings any day, because I think better…) Weekend was spent working, except during thunderstorms when I wished I'd bought the laptop. (This week...)

So I’ll leave you today with a lovely four-star review from Romantic Times for Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion:

When business tycoon Luke Holloway hires Sara Fleet as his temporary assistant, the only thing he's hoping is that she'll organize his office. Business consumes him, so he has little time for his personal life, and he doesn't like mixing business with pleasure. It doesn't take long before they are breaking all the rules and Sara is bringing color and laughter into his life. It's all fun and games, until Sara tells him she's pregnant. This story features a strong heroine who gains strength from her family and a hero who realizes the importance of love and family before it's too late. Add in their captivating romance and it makes for one great read.

Thank you, Sandra Garcia-Myers, for making my day.

beginnings, bites and lunches

Current work: Medical
Listening to: Colin Blunstone
Reading: next on TBR

One thing that interests me is how an author’s writing patterns change. When I first started writing Medical Romances, I used to have a really, really clear view of the beginning of a book, almost like watching a film, and I wrote the early sections of the book at a ridiculously fast speed. Then I hit the saggy middle, and by the end of the book it was like wading through treacle. The last chapter took me longer than the first five.

For some reason, this seems to have reversed nowadays. The beginning of the book is like treacle, the middle still sags and needs tightening up, and I have this clear view of the very end.

This is when it’s timely to read my mate Julie Cohen’s Ten Commandments as a reminder. Particularly #1 and #10. Really, there’s no point in whining about it and putting off the start of a book: it’s so much easier to fix a page that doesn’t work than to stare at a blank screen. (And yes, I DO need a holiday. Four weeks and counting…) Writing something that I’ll cut later might seem like wasted work, but actually it’s quite helpful for developing characterisation – kind of thinking on the page instead of in my head.

The big problem with this book is something I’ve set up in the outline: the hero and heroine don’t work together. Part of the premise of a medical romance is that they should work together: then the medical scenes underpin the romance and move the plot forward rather than acting as filler.

I guess that’s where the creativity us going to come in, because I don’t want to change who they are. The heroine is a neurosurgeon (pain relief specialist, not brain surgeon – there’s a lot of spinal work involved and it’s really interesting) and the hero is a GP (family doctor). Oh, and she’s currently on sabbatical.

Obviously they will have to work together so he can help solve some of her conflict; and working with her will also solve some of his. But. How to get them working together. Starting the book. Getting the momentum going so they speak to me clearly. (I can see the proposal scene and the end REALLY clearly). Hmm. A cup of coffee and ten minutes on Peggle is required, methinks.

Peggle? It’s my new vice: an X-box game. Husband and son both love gaming; I’m trying to show an interest for their sake, but RPGs and shoot-em-up games leave me cold. However, I noticed a review of Peggle in son’s X-box magazine and it intrigued me – you earn points by bouncing a ball off coloured pegs (which sounds dull, but it’s all about angles and strategy and there are lots of different levels and challenges). Son was a sweetheart and downloaded it; and he looked SO pleased with himself when he fished me out of my office to show me, bless. We’re all enjoying this one, though I’m currently stuck on the 400,000 points challenge.

Bites: for some reason, gnats take the meaning of my name very literally. Dear gnats: please note, I am not all honey, so please stop chomping on me – especially near the edge of the sleeve on my T-shirt, because that one is driving me insane. Today I reek of ammonia, owing to the need for frequent application of After-Bite. Note to self: buy citronella candles for use in garden. Another note to self: maybe the garden isn’t the best place to think or write…

But could you resist a sunny patio with a chair, table and a glass of sparkling mineral water with ice and a slice of lime? Not to mention a good view of the bird-feeder, the scent of honeysuckle and Mexican orange blossom, bees buzzing contentedly around the clover on the lawn and a spaniel lying flat out with his head resting on your feet? It’s a very nice work environment. Apart from the gnats.

Oh, yes, lunches: I’m out today with my ex-PTA mates for our termly lunch. Our birthdays fall very conveniently, one per term, so we have a great excuse to meet up. Too much talking and too much laughing – can’t beat it.

Anyway, today’s question: how have you found that your writing methods or routines have changed, over the last couple of years?

launch parties and castles

Current work: Medical
Listening to: Colin Blunstone
Reading: next on TBR

I love launch parties – they're so exciting - and I went to one yesterday. Not books, this time: my friends have just bought a shop and yesterday they had an open evening to launch their new range. DH and the kids came with me.

This is La Maison in King Street, New Buckenham: a shop that sells lovely gifts and girly stuff as well as having tea rooms. (Mulberry, Lisbeth Dahl – actually, this is the kind of shop one of my heroines would own. Hmm. Must tell Di that I’m going to pinch her shop for a future book. Will amuse her greatly.) This is the exterior shot, but it’s even nicer inside.

Daughter and I looked at the shelves and then at each other. ‘We have to come back without Dad,’ says daughter, eyeing up pretty china knobs that would look very nice on her chest of drawers. ‘Problem is, you don’t count as a responsible adult,' I explain, 'and actually, you never will because he knows your mind works like mine. This shop will be on The List, along with House of Fraser, Lakeland, and any shop that stocks Radley or Pandora.’ (I should add, for people who might be under the misapprehension that my husband is a miser or thinks he rules the house, The List is a standing joke between us - as long as I pay my half of the bills, what I do with my money is entirely my decision. Ditto with his. We don't argue over money because we have a joint account for bills and separate accounts for everything else. Simple and sensible.)

But my Responsible Adult was with me last night, so I left him with the nibbles and picked up a couple of things. I was actually quite restrained because the shop was very busy, so I bought daughter a skipping rope, daughter and myself a seriously girly pen each, and a mug that just screamed ‘I must belong to Kate Hardy’. I love the shape… but it’s the picture that caught my eye. Isn't it lovely?

Feel slightly guilty about not buying son or DH anything, but there weren’t really any blokey gifts. I would have put a link up, but their website isn’t ready yet (and considering that Jon and I used to work together on internet stuff in the mid-1990s, just as the internet was taking off, cue a little bit of teasing from me). But if you’re looking for some nice things for the home, or unusual gifts, I can definitely recommend La Maison in King Street, New Buckenham (and not just because it belongs to friends: their range is lovely. My pal India Grey would LOVE it because it's very stylish, like her). Oh, wait, I can put a link up - this is the catalogue of GreenGate, one of their ranges. Just lovely. Very summery.

Incidentally, the oldest and largest circular Norman keep in England is about half a mile down the road, and worth a visit. If you want to know more about that, you can read about the sieges and bloodthirsty stuff in my book Norfolk Ghosts and Legends. And if you're wondering what it looks like... here are a couple of pics from two summers ago.

The walls are 14 feet thick. Just to prove it, here's a close-up of that doorway: