A day at M&B (aka London trip #4)

Current work: working on M&B #60 (Medical – tropical medicine) and two or three other projects
Listening to: All Time Low (borrowed from daughter)
Reading: The Sweetheart Bargain, Shirley Jump (fantastic, with a comic creation to rival Grandma Mazur); The Billionaire’s Matchmaker (anthology – Shirley Jump, Barbara Wallace, Susan Meier and Jackie Braun – loved it); The Disappearance of Emily Marr, Louise Candlish (very well done and I didn’t see the twist coming at all!); partway though The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel (enjoying so far)
Gym: day off to recover from London (six hours of train travel yesterday, and I am middle-aged and need travel recovery time nowadays!)

Yesterday was (ahem) my fourth trip to London in two months. Yesterday was because my editor asked me to go and meet Barbara Vey from Publishers’ Weekly and do an interview.

Going to Richmond means a three-hour train journey each way, so I decided to refill the well rather than work. (Insert rave about how brilliant it is to have an e-reader instead of having to carry at least three decent-sized paperbacks around for said train journey…) So this is my ‘desk’ on the train. (NB first class travel doesn’t cost that much more than second class if you book it in advance, and it’s a lot easier on my hearing.)

And this is Romance HQ, i.e. Eton House on Paradise Road.

Barbara Vey was totally charming and a very kind interviewer (apart from her last question, which caught me a bit on the hop! … but I’m not giving any spoilers, here). It was lovely to meet her, and to catch up with my mates Sarah Morgan and Fiona Harper (albeit very briefly). (LTR Sarah Morgan, Carole Mortimer, Barbara Vey, Fiona Harper, me)

It was also lovely to catch up with the editorial and production team. Especially as I got to meet Carolyn from the production team, whom I’ve worked with for many years (I used to be one of the freelancers for the team, before A Baby of Her Own was accepted), but it’s the first time one of my visits has coincided with her days in the office.

I guess everyone thinks that when a romance novelist goes to see her publisher, champagne is involved. It doesn’t happen every time (!), but it did yesterday. (I might also add that Jo Grant and I had been talking about my weightlifting at the M&B party a couple of weeks ago, so I lifted her up – despite the fact she’s a gazillion miles taller than I am. I’m not sure which of us was more amused by it, though she got to Twitter first, LOL – and there could well be a new sport of editor-lifting ;) )

This is me with the Meds team – ltr Charlotte, Sheila (senior Medicals ed and my editor), me and Laurie.

And then it was lunch with my lovely ed at Jamie’s, and discussion about the next year’s books.

And then back home. I’m having a day off from the gym today as I’m shattered from travelling (haaa – might have to admit I’m middle-aged now) and also still recovering from a bug. It’s the Twilight Race for Life on Friday, and I need to be in a fit state for that, so I’m going a little gently right now. Sadly, my friend and former agent Dot Lumley – one of the people for whom I’m running – passed away last week, and her funeral’s actually on the day of the race. It’s kind of a fitting tribute, but Friday’s going to be a very sad day. (And if you’d like to sponsor me and my daughter – even if it’s £1 or the price of a cup of coffee – the link to our page is http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/katehardyauthor - no pressure, especially as there's a recession on, and if you can’t sponsor us then please just wish us speed on the night.)