Website dilemma and ‘Best of Bosses’

Current work: fiction
Listening to: Bach
Reading: Animal Instincts, Nell Dixon (enjoyed this – made me laugh out loud for the right reasons, and I particularly liked Dave the Parrot); The Valtieri Marriage Deal, Caroline Anderson (enjoyed this one, too – and I’ll have to ring her and nag her to write Luca’s brothers’ stories).


Spend the weekend mainly working, though we did go out to see friends on Saturday. AND I updated my website (yeah yeah, not before time). I think my Books page needs revamping. I mean, it’s fine if you have a short backlist. You can do lots with covers and it looks pretty instead of going on and on and on… whereas if you have a backlist that’s more than 30 books long, it’s a pain for the reader to scroll down to find the one they want if they have to bypass a list of covers and ISBNs and publication date and... (yada, yada, yada).

So I think it’d be easier for readers if I gave a list with clickable links to the titles.

But said list also needs refining – because a list of 30-odd titles in a lump is just not user-friendly. So. Do I put them in order of publication? Reverse order of publication? Alphabetical order? Do I split the Modern Heats from the Medicals? Do I then split them into mini-series and standalone? Because Medical readers like themes, do I say whether it’s an A&E book or a children’s ward or a GP surgery? Do I mention which ones were shortlisted/won awards/were a Waldies bestseller?

In short, what do you look for when you look at an author’s books pages?

Was just checking my new cover on Amazon when I discovered that I have a new ebook bundle out. I’m with Cathy Williams and Barbara Hannay in the ‘Best of Bosses 2008’ bundle. The book is ‘In Bed with Her Italian Boss’, aka my RNA award-winning book Breakfast at Giovanni’s. And you can find it here at e-Harl or on Amazon in a Kindle edition.

Plan for today: looks as if today is the only day this week without heavy rain. Will ask the kids what they fancy doing…

PS Go and congratulate Jan Jones, as she has some great news!

begin at the beginning – or not

Current work: nonfic/MH book 2 c1
Listening to: Martin Ostertag and Boris Bagger, Nocturne (cello and classical guitar)
Reading: Eileen Ramsay, The Stuff of Dreams plus some nonfic research

I don’t often do craft pieces (mainly because I dislike analysing my own work and why I do things – I’m too close to it to judge, and analysing it always gives me a nasty dose of Impostor Syndrome) but I spent a lot of yesterday dithering about this question. One that normally doesn’t bother me – I usually like the beginnings of books and have problems ending them. (We don’t talk about the saggy middle syndrome – my book and my body tend to share this problem, and although I can fix it in the book… no, let’s not go there.) But yesterday the book refused to start.

So where do you start a book? At the beginning? Or not?

I know the theory. In a romance novel, you’re meant to start

• at a point of change (i.e. the beginning of the journey)
• preferably with something that pulls the reader straight into the middle of things
• and with your hero and heroine on the page together as soon as possible. (The theory there is that your readers are like puppies – they bond with the people they meet first. That’s quite insulting to said readers, but it’s a valid point: readers do expect to meet the hero and heroine first because they’re the most important characters.)

Now, the beginning of the journey isn’t necessarily the same as the beginning of the story. Yesterday, I could have started my book in three different places.

Number one was the beginning of the story (and involved a journey, so that appealed to me) – but it just wasn’t strong enough. I could see big information dumps (things which are better shown by the characters in dialogue and action rather than told by Mrs Omniscienct Narrator – oh, how basic a mistake is that? How many books have I written? Have I learned a thing?).

Number two skipped over that beginning and was probably going to end up being a love scene by the end of page two. Too much, too soon?

Number three was definitely a strong, dramatic opening – but it was the storm and I want the calm first. I want the readers to know my characters before seeing them tested.

And then there's the whole question of viewpoint. (Am dithering on that one, too.)

It doesn’t help that I watched a film with DH this weekend which I enjoyed hugely and set all kinds of ‘what if’ threads running through my head. A little bit of self-discipline is required. Which means getting on with what I’m supposed to be doing and not letting myself be distracted by new exciting storyline here. Especially as I know said distraction will wait: I’m putting off starting this book because I’m scared it’s going to go pear-shaped. It’s planned, it’s doable, it’s something I want to write. Bu-u-ut- I’m having one of those sticky moments where I wonder if I’m up to the challenge.

Or maybe authors change the way they work from time to time without realising it. I used to rush through a book and then the ending was like treacle. Maybe it’s going the other way round for me now, because at the moment I seem to be writing the endings first and putting off the moment where I have to write the first words.

Right. I need some trumpet-blowing to bolster me. So. Apologies in advance for this. The University of Leicester has done me proud with their press release (and I’ve had some nice emails about it); this weekend saw me in the local bestseller chart for the sixth week running with Heroes, Villains and Victims of Norwich; and One Night, One Baby is still in the e-harlequin top 10 ebooks. (That’s been ages – about a fortnight now.)

Thank you SO much to everyone who’s been buying my books. I will do my best to write a new story you’ll really enjoy. (And thank you, Jan, for passing on comments to me about Breakfast at Giovanni's (aka In Bed With His Italian Boss). Maybe I should redo my tagline as 'warm, realistic romance' or something like that...)

Plan for today: school run, guitar lesson, work, school run, evening meeting at Madam’s new school (where I get to hand in admission forms etc). And then a bit more work.

an unusual visitor

Current work: messing about with a new outline (nonfic)
Listening to: Lifehouse
Reading: Louise Allen, The Dangerous Mr Ryder (loved this – great characterisation and Louise writes such sexy heroes! Good plot, too. And I learned stuff from it: I know Louise and she's meticulous about research)

Happy St George’s Day. And guess who’s on the Waldies this week, too? Happy bunny, here. Thank you to the readers who put me there - I do hope you enjoy Giovanni!

Yesterday, we had a rather unusual visitor at the bottom of the garden (this is by the shed and under the trees). Amazingly, dog didn’t notice him – or perhaps they were just ignoring each other. Isn’t he beautiful? (What a pheasant is doing in our back garden… probably came from the field over the back, but it’s still not that common. We had herons around, the summer before last, and they looked like pterodactyls when they were flying over. Or maybe that’s my novelist’s head again.)

Today: I really ought to do my accounts. However, I’m messing about with an outline or two. (Jan’s right, sadly. I do consider this a treat…)

And no, I haven’t tidied my office yet. Yesterday, my modem was playing up (or maybe my ISP was having some outages as, touch wood, seems OK today) so I spent much of my time fiddling with it and resetting and... (sigh). I was discussing with son what we’re going to do tomorrow when his school’s on strike. He was out of ideas, mainly because he knew his sister would be upset if we did a museum, cinema or seaside trip without her – and also I think I’d shocked him by saying I’d take the day off – so I came up with, ‘Well, you can tidy my office.’ Littlest one pipes up: ‘I LOVE tidying.’ (Ha. Doesn’t take after her mother, then.) ‘I’ll tidy your office for you.’


Now, she offered. She likes doing this sort of thing. So could I be Bad Mummy enough to accept?

Guess who’s in the Waldies top ten?

Current work: nonfiction (final readthrough and appendices)
Listening to: Bach
Reading: obscure stuff to do with the current book

Thank you very much to the readers who’ve put me in the Waldenbooks’ Top 10 list again. Much appreciated, and I do hope you’re enjoying Giovanni!

Spent the weekend working on the book, which included a couple of field trips (because even though I try to take most of the pics in advance, if I discover something during research that would make a good picture, then I need to go back). This is Thetford’s castle motte – claimed to be the tallest manmade medieval earthwork in England (is 89 feet tall - the two ditches in front of it were originally Iron Age earthworks but the ramparts were enhanced when the Norman motte was built).

Son, of course, heads straight up it. Followed by daughter. Followed by DH, after a piteous look from me asking him to keep an eye on them. (This was taken with a zoom lens, btw.) I don’t mind going up – it’s down that’s the problem. Remember, I’m clumsy. And I can see how far down I’ll fall and… Cough.





Besides, my thighs were already protesting from the previous day’s excursion up a church tower in Ranworth. Think 89 very steep spiral steps, plus two ladders and a trapdoor: I got to step 80 and thought about getting down again and wussed out… Instead I examined the gorgeous rood screen and the antiphoner (the latter was the reason for the visit, but the tower happened to be open and I was feeling impulsive. Someone really should save me from myself).

Anyway. DH was very patient. This is why he gets most of my nonfiction dedications and always gets a thank you in the acknowledgements. The kids loved it because we followed up with another castle (well, actually, that was just me because they protested it was too cold to get out of the car, plus the church next to it was shut) and then a walk in the forest.


Today: I'm on the last bit of the book. Just need to read through, smooth things out and make sure certain usages are consistent throughout.


Actually, I think I need two appendices. A timeline and a 'daily life' one. Or maybe three, if I explain the differences between the religious orders. Hmm, hmm. See how it goes.

Your clue in the Modern Heat Treasure Hunt

Assuming you visited Anne Oliver before me (and if you didn’t, go back now!), I’m the next stop on the MH Authors’ Valentine’s Treasure Hunt.

I’m giving away a copy of In Bed with Her Italian Boss (my April US release - you can get an early copy from the eharlequin website next month – click on the link in the sidebar to the left). This book was known as Breakfast at Giovanni’s in the UK and Australia, and, um, caused a rather nice splash. (I should add, I haven’t had my US copies yet so I’ll be sending a UK cover – the contents are the same but the cover is a little different.)

What you do is have a look over here to find out about the book (and you can read the first bit too, if you like), make a note of the answer to the question below, then head over to the next author’s blog to collect their clue. At the end of the month, send ALL the answers to win@allyblake.com and you’ll be entered in the draw to win all the books.

My question is: which award did this book win on 4 February 2008?

Next stop from me is lovely Heidi Rice, who met me for coffee before the awards do and made sure I didn’t spill it over myself (trust me… I do that sort of thing) - and if you want to reminds yourself of the 12 fabulous books up for grabs, have a look at Sensational Romance. Happy hunting :o)