50th party blog guest - Annie Burrows

I’ve known Annie Burrows for some years and drunk champagne with her at M&B parties, but it was only this year that I discovered we have something fabulous in common – ballroom dancing class! DH and I only started having lessons in January (so Annie is far more proficient than I am, plus she has PROPER dance shoes – am waiting until we crack the waltz before I buy mine), but Annie and I have had great fun swapping notes, as our dance class is on the same day of the week. (If you say ‘Rumba face’ to either of us and mention the other’s name, we’ll start laughing hysterically.) She also writes fabulous historicals, so we can talk history for hours as well. And… oh, I’ll let her tell you the rest.

Over to Annie:

Thanks, Kate, for inviting me to join in the celebrations for your fabulous milestone. 50 books published!! It's an event worthy of cake, so I thought I'd bring a virtual one for you.

Virtual cake is the best kind, after all - no calories!

You can say "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips," but the reality is that sadly, when cake is gone, it's gone.

Books are a far more lasting indulgence. After I've read one I particularly enjoy, I put it aside, and can take it out again and re-read it whenever I need another fiction fix.


Just having a quick look along my bookshelves, I can see I've got copies of several of Kate's books, waiting for a re-read: "The Ex who hired Her" and "Breakfast at Giovanni's" to name but two.

And...just because books are worth celebrating, here's another celebration cake.

I had it made recently for my first ever book launch. This is actually my 9th full length Regency romance, but I decided to throw a little party for its launch, to thank my writer's group for all the support and advice they gave me during its creation.

The baker and I had great fun planning the decoration. We chose to depict the country house where most of the action takes place. If you look closely you will see a tiny man in a red jacket (Major Cathcart, the hero) climbing in through a bedroom window, while on the opposite side of the house a tiny figure in a white nightie (Lady Jayne Chilcott, the heroine) is busily climbing out through another one. My heroine, you see, is naively trying to avert a scandal, while the hero is attempting to save her from making a terrible mistake. As a consequence the pair of them manage to create an even bigger mess than they started with. It's that kind of book!

"An Escapade and an Engagement" was out in July in the UK and US in paperback, but is still available from the Harlequin and Mills & Boon websites if that little taster has whetted your appetite (groan...)

Annie is giving away a copy of An Escapade and an Engagement to one commenter - tell us your favourite sort of cake!

Find out more about Annie's books on her website:
www.annie-burrows.co.uk
or find her on facebook:
www.facebook.com/AnnieBurrowsUK