Glamorous author stuff…

Sorry about the gap last week – caused by some family stuff that needed sorting and by, um, being distracted by a new toy.

I can control it by voice. (Well, the stereo, anyway. It’s JUST like the ad. And it’s lovely to drive. And the petrol consumption is a massive improvement…) The pic doesn't really do the colour justice - it's not black but a dark grey with turquoise and purple sparkly bits. (Um. That doesn't do it justice, either. It's classy rather than tacky!)

I also have tickets to see Justin Currie at Epic in Norwich in November – small venue, so it will be fantastic.

Last Friday was the Mills and Boon authors’ annual lunch in London, followed by tea in Fortnum’s and the author toast by M&B. Here I am at the author party with Charlotte Mursell (left, my Rom/Cherish ed) and Sheila Hodgson (my Medicals ed).

It was a fabulous day all round, and even the train home being delayed by flash floods (which also meant it was standing room only) was fine as we chatted to some really interesting people and were entertained by some drunk people in the buffet carriage singing ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ (and forgetting lots of the words…).

Current work: I’m writing M&B #64 (a medical romance), my ed has approved the outline of M&B #65 (a Harlequin Romance) and I’m also working on an indie project.

Books out this month: It Started With No Strings is available in advance from the M&B website (aka M&B #60, aka the Plague Squirrels book) – and there’s going to be a big Facebook party! Watch this space…

Music: listening to Robert Plant and Justin Currie

Reading: Elly Griffiths’ ‘Ruth Galloway’ series – fabulous and she really understands Norfolk. (If you like crime, archaeology, forensics or my part of the world, then it’ll be right up your street. Although it’s written in the present tense, which isn’t usually my cuppa tea, the writing is good enough to transcend that.)

Gym: Not so good last week – only managed two days. (Family stuff is a timesuck…)

Dance class: quickstep and cha cha cha.

Other stuff: Mainly it’s been the author lunch – fabulous stuff. More about it over on the Choc Box blog on 23 Sept.

Have a nice week! :)

#63!

I’ve had a spectacular week – lovely ed decided that she liked what I’d done with the revisions on the Capri Book, so M&B #63 is going to be out in April 2015 – ‘It Started With a Wedding…’ I really like the title! Finding the Pandora bead that said ‘wedding dress designer meets toffee magnate’ was a bit tricky, so in the end I opted for a flower-based bead to celebrate the sale. (Had a sneaky breakfast out with DH in the city on the day I bought the bead – eggs Florentine is one of my all-time favourites.)

Current work: I’m writing M&B #64 (a medical romance), planning M&B #65 (a Harlequin Romance) and working on an indie project.

Books out this month: You can still get hold of Crown Prince, Pregnant Bride from Harlequin/M&B and online retailers; and you can get an early copy of It Started With No Strings from the M&B website (aka the Plague Squirrels book!).

Music: listening to Mallory Knox and Robert Plant

Reading: Jill Shalvis ‘It’s In His Kiss’ (enjoyed very much); Marguerite Kaye ‘Never Forget Me’ (very good and particularly enjoyed the second story)

Gym: Did the full five sessions last week, including the insane cardio. Actually, it was great fun – I was totally shattered at the end (and burned the same amount in the session as I would in the much longer normal cardio session) but I agree with my trainer that I should try doing that twice a week rather than one insane session and one normal session, and then having my three weights days.

Dance class: waltz and quickstep, this week. We can just about get the ‘whisk and wing’ now, but we need a fair bit more practice on the new hesitation move!

Other stuff: First full school week, so dog will not be happy. Especially as I have lunch out with my local RNA chapter this week, which means he will be all on his little lonesome.

Have a nice week! :)

Hello - I'm back!

First of all, massive apologies for neglecting the blog. Life just got in the way. I will try harder, but I’m cutting the blog back to once a week as I think that’s probably all that people really want to read from me (but if you do want to see things as they happen, I’m on Facebook most days).

So… what’s been happening? Apart from the life-in-the-way stuff, it’s been the school summer holidays. We had a wonderful time in Prague (here I am next to the astronomical clock).

And I had holes drilled in my eyes (aka a laser iridotomy to stop me getting narrow-angle glaucoma and losing my sight). It took me a little longer than I expected to bounce back from that, but I have the all-clear now.

Current work: I’m waiting for second revisions on M&B #63 (the Capri book), starting to write M&B #64 (medical romance), planning M&B #65 (Harlequin Romance) and working on an indie project (more on this later).

Books out this month: You can still get hold of Crown Prince, Pregnant Bride from Harlequin/M&B and online retailers; and you can get an early copy of It Started With No Strings from the M&B website (aka the Plague Squirrels book!).

Music: currently listening to Radiohead (and annoying the teens hugely by quoting bits of Paranoid Android at them). I have bought/preordered a lot of music for this month! I’m waiting for Robert Plant’s new album to arrive next week (I have tickets to see him in Cambridge in November, which makes me very happy indeed as he’s my all-time favourite musician and I’m still so thrilled that I will get to see him play live again). I’m also waiting for Mallory’s Knox’s first album to arrive (I just bought tickets to see them in November as well – mainly because Frank Iero is supporting them and he is my daughter’s idol; it means a five-hour drive to Manchester, but it’s worth it) and Joe Bonamassa’s new album (his tour in March is sold out, sob, or I’d have tickets for that, too).

Reading: Jill Shalvis, Once in a Lifetime (enjoying, as always – I do like her romcoms).

Gym: I haven’t been brilliant in my attendance over the summer (and I haven’t been eating brilliantly, either – summer hols, teens, and being forced to eat ice cream on the beach – you know the kind of stuff). Today, however, I’m back on track. I have a new programme – three days of weights, one day of cardio and one day of super-insane cardio (aka my own mini plyometrics class, thanks to my awesome trainer) and I’m going back to eating clean. (Though I have the annual M&B lunch coming up in a couple of weeks and that’s going to involve pudding… and it would be rude not to, right?)

Other stuff: Back to school and sixth form this week, so routine will go back to normal from – well, Friday (Thursday is all over the place with Y10 going in late and Y13 going in even later!). The dog will be sulking for roughly a week because his playmates won’t be around during the day; but he will get used to it, bless him. I’ve been watching Breaking Bad with eldest (mainly because he’s a chemistry geek so I’ve been able to have super-nerdy conversations with him about chemistry as well as plot and character arc). The dramatic tension and the acting are both superb and I can see why it’s won so many awards.

Righty – so that’s me caught up. Have a nice week! :)