Official publication day

Current work: French duo book 2 (deadline now at screaming point)

Listening to: Bach

Reading: CJ Sansom, Revelation (finished and enjoyed – and no, I didn’t guess the murderer. Clever twists); Nicola Slade, Scuba Dancing (enjoying so far, though one of the themes is a bit close to home)

Bit of a cheat, here, as it was on the Waldies bestseller list last week (whoo-hoo!) – but the official publication date of Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress in the US is January… so I’m delighted to say that it's on the shelves right now.

It’s one that’s close to my heart, and I think it’s touched a nerve with others, too, as RT gave it 4.5 stars and Cataromance says it’s one of my best.

You will definitely need tissues – yes, it’s a happy ending, but you’re going to weep on the way!

The kids have an inset day today, so methinks not a lot of work is going to be done (dear ed, yeah, late again, sigh). Also snow is forecast, and I’m all sniffly, so it’s on with the lemsips.

The land of ice and snow…

Yesterday was a bit of a stressy day (not blogging about it, as it’s to do with Dad – dementia is so bloody cruel. And I came home to a savage review - well, I guess that makes the string of three, after some other news about one of my publishers, last week). Though the lovely Modern Heat girls cheered me up with a string of messages about a fabulous review. Er… what review would this be, then? My mate Heidi Rice was a superstar and told me the full story.

And it was something that really pleased and relieved me (I'm a tad paranoid about this book, because I know I was pushing the envelope re settings; before I talked my ed into it, she said that Presents readers like their stories set in exotic – i.e. hot – climates, and this is about as far as you can get). So I’m doing some trumpet-blowing and sharing here. This is what Romantic Times had to say about Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress:

Corporate lawyer Lydia Sheridan longs to be a working artist. She's ready to resign her post, but CEO Jakob Anderson needs her assistance on a weeklong job in Norway. Then, if she still wants to leave, he'll wish her the best. Although the two have their own personal baggage, they find they're wildly attracted to each other and indulge in a whirlwind affair. But after Norway will they be able to go their separate ways? This tale begins as a fun and flirty romance that deepens emotionally as Lydia and Jakob open up to each other. Interwoven descriptions of the sights and sounds of Norway add a wonderful ambiance to the story.

Oh, yes – and they gave me FOUR AND A HALF STARS! (I think that deserves a screamer.) Thank you very much, Sandra Garcia-Myers. You made my horrible day a whole lot better.

Have also updated my website – new book, new excerpt, new recipe. (And it's a nice one. Strawberry and rhubarb crumble. Scrummy.)

sundog

Current work: Modern Heat
Listening to: Debussy
Reading: Anne McAllister: One-night mistress, convenient wife (enjoyed this one – especially the Brazilian grandmother. Anne writes wonderfully rounded heroes – very realistic characterisation)

Every so often, my nerdy streak appears here. Last week, it was prompted by seeing the crepuscular rays (scroll down to see the pic if you missed it – it really was that good).

This week, it’s the sundog I spied yesterday morning, at about 8.45. I’m back to taking my camera around with me, so – with a little help from my sunglasses as a temporary lens filter (and thank you, thank you, O traffic lights at a spectacularly busy junction, for turning red so I had time to take the pic) – here it is.



The official name of a sundog is a parhelion (Greek: beside the sun, which describes it perfectly). It’s formed by refraction of the sun’s rays through hexagonal plate ice crystals formed in cirrus clouds, and you’ll often see two of them (one either side of the sun), at the same distance above the horizon as the sun. Sometimes you’ll see it as a proper ice halo round the sun (and when it’s combined with a sun pillar, it’s spectacular – so far, I’ve only seen pictures, but I live in hope).

In 1461, just before the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, apparently the parhelia were so bright that it looked as if there were three suns. Edward of York convinced his troops it was a sign – and they went on to victory. From then on, he adopted the ‘Sunne in Splendour’ as his emblem (and the novel of that name by Sharon Penman is utterly fantastic).

This is actually work-related, as there’s a scene in Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress where Jake and Lydia talk about clouds and ice haloes. (Yup. Kate’s Northern Lights obsession does indeed extend to other atmospheric phenomena…)

Today's question: what's your favourite atmospheric phenomenon - and, if you've seen it in real life, do tell about the experience.

Righty... back to the Ardèche and the heat of the midday sun...

and another fabulous review

Current work: Modern Heat (and ministering to DH, who's home with a bug today - not the same one as mine so it's TLC from a distance!)
Listening to: Satie and the Lepps
Reading: next on TBR

And this is what the Pink Heart Society had to say about my Northern Lights fantasy. (Note, it scores very highly in their weepy factor, for a good reason…)

Two scarred souls find romance under the breathtaking Northern Lights in the latest romance by best-selling author Kate Hardy: Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress.

Lydia Sheridan has finally decided to stop pleasing other people and to start pleasing herself. A passionate artist, she's always repressed her desire to be a painter because of her parents' insistence that she go to university and study economics before qualifying as a lawyer. But Lydia has finally had it. She cannot bear to spend another minute working in a stuffy office so she decides to quit her job at Andersen's. But her boss, Jake, is not going to let her slip through his fingers...

Jake has had his eye on Lydia for quite some time and he's determined to get to know the real person behind the capable professional. When he needs a lawyer to accompany him on a trip to Norway, Jake asks Lydia to go with him, and although her every instinct is telling her to quit her job once and for all, she cannot help but be drawn to her handsome Norwegian boss...

As fate throws them together, their attraction begins to simmer and Jake and Lydia soon give into temptation and begin a seven-day affair. But as the seventh day approaches, they soon begin to wish that their seven days could turn into a lifetime!

When you pick up a novel by Kate Hardy, you know that you're going to get an emotional and dramatic tale full of warmth, charm and heart and Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress is no exception. Poignant, moving and wonderfully romantic, Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress is just the thing to brighten up the cold autumn nights!

***

Thank you, PHS. I'm delighted. (And I might have to change my strapline. Here am I, kidding everyone that my books are all about drama, passion and danger. They're not. It's warmth, charm and heart, mixed up with a bit of heat...)

an award, a catch-up and a happy birthday

Current work: Modern Heat
Listening to: Def Leppard (still X - I think it's my fave of their albums. Very underrated. 'Scar' seems to be becoming this book's theme song)
Reading: next on TBR

Was delighted to discover that the Daily Reviewer has included me in their top 100 romance blogs. And here’s the lovely graphic – click on the link and it’ll take you to the Daily Reviewer. Many thanks for including me.

Top romance novels Blogs

What else has been going on this week? Monday, took the car to the garage to get the rear wiper fixed. Turned out it was just the blade, so the cost wasn’t as bad as I thought. And there was a big upstide: while I was waiting, I browsed through the Vauxhall magazine and it netted me some extremely interesting info for the gelati book – OK, so that’s not going to be written until this time next year, but gather ye info while ye may).

Work’s flowing nicely (she says, touching wood to avoid jinxing it). Dad was very frail yesterday. Saying no more out of respect for his privacy, but I was a bit down last night.

Plan for today: work! Sainsbury’s shop has been delivered, so I’m staying off the net for the rest of the morning and focusing on the book. I think this one might be darker and a little more intense than I planned, but there you go. Emotion, emotion, emotion. Sometimes it helps to bleed on the page.

Righty - on to something more cheerful. It's the Pink Heart Society's third birthday today. Do hop over to the blog and make a comment, because there are books up for grabs - including Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress.

Stinking bullies (aka draw to win a book)

Current work: MH duo, book 1
Listening to: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (deluxe edition so I get the acoustic stuff and the Hendrix cover, which is lovely – probably my third fave Hendrix track (Little Wing), #1 being All Along the Watchtower and #2 being Voodoo Chile)
Reading: India Grey – Spanish Aristocrat, Forced Bride (enjoyed this one – very emotional read. Lovely warm heroine, and she told the hero exactly what I wanted to tell him, poor guy)

Finally, my author copies have arrived (yay!). So I am a happy bunny.



Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress is my Northern Lights book, and I loved doing the research for this one. Sadly, I didn’t get to do the research on location, but I’m working on that. (Dear Ed, you know the reindeer? We-e-ell…)

Have also started the vineyard book. Still not settled on the heroine’s name (which is crazy, because I know everything else about her and she’s talking loud and clear, but she won’t give up her name). This will come, so I’m not too worried.

Am really looking forward to going to London tomorrow – seeing some of my fave fellow authors and my lovely ed, then staying overnight with my best friend - but at the same time I wish it wasn’t this week. I will be much less fidgety when I’ve picked up son this afternoon and found out whether the bullies have backed off.


Yup. It's back.

Interestingly, son, aged 12, has already worked out that the girls in the gang who are plastered in make-up tend to be stupid and spiteful, and those who don’t bother tend to be nicer to talk to (not to mention brighter). Seems things haven’t changed since I was at school, then. Tricky one. All I can do is be supportive to him, keep close tabs on the situation and make sure everything’s in writing at school so they can deal with it – and also try to stop being a bad person and wishing I could stake out this nasty boy next to a wasps’ nest, smeared in jam.

We all know that bullies allegedly become bullies because they’ve been bullied (er – there is such a thing as making a choice) and we’re supposed to feel sorry for bullies because they’re poor, innocent victims. But I’m afraid I don’t feel sorry in the SLIGHTEST for the lad who hassles my child. I just want him to leave my child alone.

It’s said that the best revenge is living well. There is some truth to that. When I was 8, there was a nasty girl who ruled the playground. If you dared talk to someone she decreed shouldn't be talked to, then you were ostracised as well. (The ones she said shouldn't be talked to were nice. So I'm afraid I ignored her and continued talking to them.) And again, when I was 12, one particular girl made my life a misery. She wasn’t plastered in make-up, like the nasty girls in the current bully’s gang – but neither was she thin or pretty. She was at the bottom of the class, though, so I guess the geeky girl at the top of the class was her natural target for her frustration. Understandable, but not pleasant when you’re on the receiving end. I wouldn’t mind betting that I have a happier life now than either of those two nasty girls. But when you’re 8 (or even 12), you really can’t see that far ahead.

Oh, for a magic wand.

But the best I can do on the magic wand front is to write stories with happy endings that make people smile (and maybe shed a tear or two on the way).


To cheer myself up, I’m giving away a signed copy of the Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress. Tell me a revenge story, or a bully story, or a bad pun, or a fascinating fact, and I’ll add your name in to the draw. Will draw the name on Sunday evening UK time and announce it on Monday morning.

publication day (ish), insecure dogs and new paint

Current work: last push on revisions
Listening to: Def Leppard (some of my CDs arrived this weekend…)
Reading: Julie Cohen, Girl From Mars – really enjoyed this. Great pace, good story, excellent characterisation; and Julie’s definitely a skilful writer, because in real life she’s glamorous and trendy and cool – yet she actually gets down on paper what it’s like to be one of the untrendy, unsporty types. Very nicely done and I recommend it highly.

The radio session on Friday was great fun. I did indeed talk about the dangerous biscuits story. Oh, and I discovered this on sale in WH Smith just before the show.


It’s not supposed to be out until Friday, so I was delighted to see it. Especially as I’m still waiting for my author copies (distribution glitch, sigh), so I bought the two they had left. (I think it’s a good sign they only had two left… that, or I’m going to be completely paranoid!)

Spent the evening with DH watching a romcom. Dog refused to settle, pattering upstairs to check that the kids were really home, and then down again to check that DH and I hadn’t disappeared. The new term has made him really insecure… and as a consequence the ‘you are NOT allowed on the sofa, dog’ rule has been bent a little bit. Cue one spaniel sprawled across both of us.

Saturday: DH painted our bedroom while I worked. My job was making coffee and bacon sandwiches (with crusty French bread). New paint is quite a bit darker than the old (cue whimpers from me – clearly hitting my 40s has suddenly made me resistant to change instead of being happy to widen my boundaries) but it does look nice. And then we had what I think will have to be the last barbecue of summer – got cold very quickly.

Sunday: DH glossed while I worked on revisions.

Plan for today: finish revisions, book taxi to train station for Thursday… and then, yeehah, I can work on the French duo. (Which is actually what I did on Friday, bad puppy that I am, but the opening scene was in my head really strongly so I had to note it down. Besides, I needed a break from revisions…)

Happy September

Current work: revisions on Med book/plotting
Listening to: Planet Rock
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still enjoying, just been too wiped to read in the evenings!)

Happy September – and here’s this month’s calendar pic. Quite appropriate for the book that's out later this month...

We spent the weekend (including the bank holiday) painting. The idea was, the kids were going to join us. Except Chloe couldn’t quite get the hang of using the roller, and son… Well. You need to get a kid with ADHD to repeat instructions back to you. DH failed to do this when he asked son to start at the bottom of the slope under the stairs and work his way backwards, going horizontally so he wouldn’t end up covered in paint. You can guess what happened next…

Anyway. The hall, landing and stairs are now done, including ceilings, gloss and stain on the stairs. The main bathroom is done (and, bah, DH made me do the gloss – plus the special paint for bathrooms smells utterly foul). Madam’s room is done (and she’s very pleased with the colour). So we’re halfway there. Three bedrooms and the ensuite to go. (Though this is taking longer than I expected. Whereas we used to be able to do the decorating from 7am to 10pm and still feel bright and chirpy, nowadays it’s 9am to 6pm and then I’ve definitely had enough: sort dinner, fall into bath, and then slide into zombie mode. I’m in my early forties. I shouldn’t have to start slowing down yet, surely?)

Woke at stupid o’clock with a bad dream (probably caused by paint fumes). Rather than lie there, fidgeting until DH was awake, I went downstairs and spent a while coding my website. So today it’s actually up to date. There’s a new recipe up plus an excerpt for the book that’s out in 17 days’ time – Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress, aka the Northern Lights/reindeer book – and more information about Good Girl or Gold Digger?, aka the fairground book. There are also new reviews of various books (and thank you to the reviewers who made such positive comments).

I will be better in future about updates, because I am organised again: I’ve gone back to using Lotus Organiser, which is still far and away the best for me. This week is the last week of school hols; so next week I’m going back to a proper routine. I’ve scheduled in exercise, and I’ve scheduled in breaks. And I’ve scheduled in time for the net, which means I should be productive rather than wasting time. My to-do list is on track, and I know what I’m doing.

However, I want to get my revisions done this week, so I can start next week with a clean slate. I also want to finish my accounts. Chances of doing it? Hmm.

Plan for today: into town to pick up a blackout blind for son’s room and a new lampshade for Madam; visit Dad; run some errands. And then hopefully I can start my revisions tonight, after dinner…

new cover – and MEN (growl)

Current work: Medical (and counting down to holiday)
Listening to: Def Leppard (haven’t played them for ages – have forgotten how much I always liked them)
Reading: next on TBR

Was delighted to discover two new things this weekend. Firstly, the cover for the Northern Lights book, Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress.

I had hoped for the Northern Lights on the cover; however, this has lots of glass in it and to me it has the ‘feel’ of Nordic design. Amazon has changed the format of its book covers, so unfortunately this is the only size I can use until I get hold of a physical copy and scan it in, because the larger Amazon cover is now a zoomable image rather than a jpg. (If you want to see it, click here…)


Secondly, DH ignored my ‘do not disturb’ notice on Saturday and walked in waving the EDP. Was about to growl at him (not seeing any evidence of chocolate to make up for said interruption) when he informed me, ‘You’re number one in the charts again, with Norfolk Miscellany.’ So that was lovely, too. Especially as I’d ripped out a big chunk of the new book on Saturday morning and was feeling a bit panicky about my wordcount, hence in need of a bit of anti-crow stuff.

However, DH lost all brownie points on Sunday morning. Let’s just say that if you decide to take the pipes under the sink apart to clean the traps, and said pipework is on the complicated side, you need to make notes of what you do and in which order, so you can put it back together again…

I’ll probably be able to laugh about this after my deadline, but yesterday I was pretty cross because it was such a time-waste.

Why do men have this obsession with being good at DIY? It really doesn’t matter if you’re not good at it. Everyone has different strengths, so why not play to them and work round your weaknesses – i.e. pay other people to do the things you can’t? But men… no. Male pride (usually completely misplaced) gets in the way and common sense disappears. (Hmm. This is book fodder, isn’t it?) Anyway, after a brief fight over male stupidity and pride (!), I did the sensible thing and rang our lovely builder, who sorted it out for us.

Plan for today: into town with the kids, to pick up bits for the holiday; see Ice Age 3 (3D version); have lunch; and then be Bad Mummy and let them play on the X-box while I work.

Oh, and I’ve found the book’s ‘conflict song’. Here’s a link to the acoustic version at YouTube from way back in 1995. Actually, there are a lot of songs from this particular set on YouTube and they’re wonderful. Great sound. I would’ve LOVED to be at that gig. (I’ve had a thing about Joe Elliott since I was in my early teens - and he looks particularly gorgeous in this set. Sigh. Definitely a potential Kate Hardy hero, except my ed would give him a haircut in revisions. Hmm. Won't work in the duo as the next two heroes are lawyers, but he will work in another book...)