50th party blog guest - Fiona Harper

The first time I met Fiona Harper, it was at an awards do and I was in rabbits-in-headlight mode and didn’t say a lot (I’d been shortlisted for the first time and it was scary stuff – like being at a posh wedding when you’re one of the really common, vulgar cousins, y’know?). She probably thought I was the rudest person on the planet, especially as she’d sent me a really lovely email about one of my books! But I did buy her a coffee and apologised for it, next time I met her :o) She’s another of my friends who gives me major hair envy. (I want her hair. I do.) We’re about the same age, our kids are similar ages, we discovered years back that we both like Suzanne Vega and chocolate and wine, and – well, she’s a really lovely woman and I’m proud to be her friend. (She is also responsible for me buying a PDA, in the years before the iPad came out, and an updated version of Dragon. So we have techie stuff in common as well.) And her books are great. (I would know. I have all of them. Her housekeeper book made me wake up my littlest so I could give her a hug.)

Over to Fiona:

The whole of Britain is gripped by Olympic fever at the moment – me especially. I’m a London girl, born and bred, and I’m very proud of my hometown right now. But I’ve always loved the Olympics, and sit glued to the television for the two weeks it’s on, even though I never watch any other sport throughout the year. Why? What is it about the Olympics that grabs our hearts and imaginations?

I think that maybe it’s the same things that engage us in a really good book. It’s all about hopes and dreams, high stakes and supreme obstacles. It’s about the stories of the men and women behind the public face of the athlete, the things that have driven them to dedicate themselves to their sport. Not just the physical but the personal sacrifices they have made to get them where they are today.

And I’m here to celebrate the milestone of FIFTY good books by my friend Kate Hardy! And she’s written them in a scarily short space of time. Some of them have been bestsellers. Some of them have won awards. But I know she isn’t finished yet. She’s got plenty more stories left in her, thank goodness!

But gold isn’t just for Olympic champions… When we think of anniversaries, each of them have a significant symbol. And fifty means GOLD. So, well done, Kate! If I could give you a gold medal to celebrate this amazing achievement, I would. (Maybe I can find a chocolate one somewhere, because I know that will go down well!)

And for a present for Kate’s mega blog party, I’m giving away a copy of my latest release Always The Best Man, which features a sassy bridesmaid in a gold dress. She’s got her sights set on the oh-so-perfect best man, heaven help him… Just comment below (all you have to do is put your hand up and say you want to enter) and Kate will pick a winner.

Find out more about Fiona’s books on her website:
http://www.fionaharper.com
or find her on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/fi.harper.author
Follow her on Twitter @FiHarperAuthor