Archive for the ‘social life?’ Category
March 22, 2010 | RNA, social life?
So apparently I haven’t blogged for a week. My excuse is that the RNA awards luncheon was so fantastic that I wore myself out for an entire seven days. So much so that it’s exhausting even to think about blogging about it, but fortunately others have done that for me, so I’ll just point you to the links (each link opens in a new window):
Kate Hardy’s blog about it for the RNA blog (My shoes are on there, and Barry Norman. Not together, sadly.)
Some wonderful photos on the RNA blog including this one of me, Brigid Coady and Catherine Cobain
Photo gallery on the RNA website, and official release about the event with the winners
Love Story of the Year winner Nell Dixon’s blog (Hooray Nell!)
Love Story of the Year nominee Nina Harrington’s blog (I took the shoe photo.)
Fiona Harper’s blog (She doesn’t include the fact that I incessantly babbled at her in the pub across the street afterwards.)
It was a wonderful, glittering occasion perfect for celebrating the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 50th anniversary.
And I’ve just about recovered.
February 11, 2009 | RNA, social life?
Oh, man, do I love the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Not only have they given me some of my best friends, and helped me hugely in my writing career, but they also really know how to throw a party.
After a frantic wardrobe consultation in the Starbucks across the street, Biddy and I strolled over the red carpet into the Kensington Garden Hotel yesterday morning to attend the RNA awards lunch. Because it was absolutely freezing, Biddy and I had to duck into the mirrored labyrinth of the ladies’ room to shed some layers and change into more suitable tights and shoes. Of course half the RNA, resourceful ladies that they are, were doing exactly the same thing. Mary Z, for example, turned up in perfectly ordinary clothes and then proceeded to pull the most gorgeous blue satin outfit out of her bag. I half-expected her to pull out a coat rack, a la Mary Poppins.
Then it was champagne all round in the foyer, meeting old friends and new ones, chatting with editors and my agent, and then we were called in to lunch. The tables were decorated with black candlabras and red and black ostrich feathers, but more impressive was the sight of a couple hundred romantic novelists dressed in their finest. This being the year of the Credit Crunch, conversations focused around the topic of how cheaply we got our outfits…two novelists, who shall remain nameless, found their fabulousness at Asda and Primark, a certain RVA VIP had picked up the most gorgeously sophisticated red shoes at M&S, and I personally was wearing a gold linen sale bargain.
Fortunately my agent was wearing an ivory silk blouse that probably cost millions and I believe my editor had just stepped off the catwalk in Milan.
The wine flowed and the food was delicious, and talking to other authors, I found to my great relief that a) every writer has lots of doubts and struggles, even if they are mega-bestsellers, and b) novelists will always admit that their spouses have a rough deal.
Then the awards were announced. The Romance Prize shortlist were all friends, and I was happy when the lovely India Grey was the winner (go read her speech on her blog). I have to admit that I hadn’t read the shortlist for the Romantic Novel award, but I was intrigued by all of them and I’m going to the library this weekend to pick up or order the lot of them, including East of the Sun by Julia Gregson, which won.
After the lunch, we made our way to the pub across the street where we took over the front room like a flock of beautifully-plumed wine-swilling exotic birds, and thence to dinner with Vicky, Gemma, Pia and a very nice Canadian woman who I realised very late on was Susanna Kearsley, one of the authors shortlisted for the main award. Caught the late train home and a taxi and poured myself into bed.
I might be a tiny little wee bit hungover today. Just a little bit. But it was worth it.
February 9, 2009 | Girl from Mars, social life?
On Friday, my lovely editor sent me a revision letter for Girl from Mars, so I’ve got to drop everything (including YouTube soaps) and get to work on that now. Of course, down deep, as an author you always want your editor to tell you “This is great, a work of genius, don’t change a single thing” but actually, it’s much better to have revisions to make the book stronger.
In this case, nearly all of her revisions focus around doing something that I know I wasn’t capable of doing when I wrote the book originally. I’ve spent so many years being so focused and disciplined in my stories that the idea of breaking out a little bit makes me hyperventilate. However, distance, time and having written another book makes me more confident of being able to do what she’s asking. It’s exciting.
Today, I started reading the manuscript, which I haven’t done since last spring. I sat on my bed with it spread out around me and attacked it with pens. I got about a third of the way through. My best guess is I’m going to have to write two or three new scenes, and change the focus of several more.
Tomorrow, though, I have the day off because I’m going to the RNA Awards Lunch in Kensington to see my lovely agent and lovely editor and lots of my lovely lovely fellow romantic novelist friends. More snow is predicted (the south of England is brought to its knees by an inch or two of snow) and I’m coming down with a cold but I will not be deterred! I have a new dress and I will wear it!!!
July 7, 2008 | social life?, writing
On Saturday I whizzed down to Chichester for the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference. Originally I’d planned to only go on the Sunday, because I was giving a workshop on pacing, but my husband had an unexpected night off so I begged the lovely organiser Jan Jones to let me come for Saturday night, too, and stay over. And she let me. (Yes, I plied her with chocolate.)
Romantic novelists en masse are wonderful. For one thing, we are strangely obsessed with shoes. For another, we think nothing of talking about heroes all night and when we are together we drink more than is humanly possible. Well, in any case, I do.
I was thrilled to see my friends and colleagues…there are far too many to name-drop about. Besides, I was far, far too drunk. (I don’t get out that often, you know.)
Brigid Coady won third place in the Elizabeth Gouge award. She rules. Nell Dixon and Anna Louise Lucia sold out of their books at the bookstall. They also rule.
I seem to remember drinking much champagne very late at night and then staggering across a field. And the next day I had a hangover of epic proportions. Fortunately Jane Wenham-Jones spoke in the morning about writers’ bottom and her hilarious body wrap experiences in Egypt and I laughed most of my headache away. I also went to Kate Walker’s talk about author websites, and Kate Hardy’s talk about using local history in your novel. Useful and fascinating, both of them. I also wheedled Kate Harrison out of her handout on “Botox for Writers”, even though I couldn’t stay for her talk.
I gave a talk about pacing which involved photographs of my closet door. And I came home with lots of lovely lovely shiny new books to read! (And a lighter purse.)
Anyway, being amongst romantic novelists is always a life-affirming experience. They are warm, friendly, talented and generous and I feel privileged to be part of the group.
Plus, man, can they drink me under the table.
Tags: Romantic Novelists' Association
June 13, 2008 | about me, social life?
Last night I went to the launch party of Titania Woods’s Glitterwings Academy series. They’re magical little books about a fairy school, published by Bloomsbury.
Titania is actually my good friend Lee Weatherly, and the launch was held in the garden pavilion of a lovely red-brick country hotel. As the dress code stipulated that “fairy wings are a must!” the guests were all very colourful and ethereal. Titania’s wings were things of beauty, purple and pink and glittery and flowery, made specially for her. Here’s a pic of the two of us:
The books’ illustrator, Smiljana Coh, had come all the way from Croatia to be at the launch and (poor woman) I grilled her about using Photoshop in illustration. And I met all sorts of children’s writers. The interesting difference between children’s writers and romance writers is that when romance writers get together and talk about work, they say “I’m doing sexy vampires” or “I’m doing a Greek tycoon” or “I’ve got a marriage of convenience.” Children’s writers say “I’m doing ice-skating princesses” or “I’m doing dragons in World War I.”
I can heartily recommend an evening in the company of fairies!
September 23, 2007 | social life?
Kate Hardy sent me a photo from the Mills & Boon author evening in London…this is me and Kate Walker.
Note the nearly empty glass of champagne…
I’m feeling better today. Yesterday I brought the Fecklet into London for lunch with a bunch of authors–Anna Lucia, Brigid Coady, Fiona Harper, Nell Dixon, Carol (and baby-to-be), and Donna Alward, over from Canada. We enjoyed three courses of Turkish food–Fecklet loved it, particularly the creamy, lemony rice pudding–and lots of conversation and laughs.
Must write like madwoman today.
September 22, 2007 | social life?
Last night, I went to a Mills & Boon author evening in London. There was one particularly good-looking waiter bringing the champagne round and I (and several other authors) found him very difficult to say no to.
This morning, I am hung over.
June 28, 2007 | social life?
Party was awesome, full of glam publishing people, authors, scouts, agents and journalists in glam little black dresses, and at the end we got to take home some books and some chocolate and a rather fetching little keychain. As usual I forgot to take my camera so I didn’t get any photos (darn).
I got home at 12.30 (apologising profusely to my friend who was babysitting) and was up again with the Fecklet at 5 am, so I’m still suffering from lack of sleep.
Today I wrote a synopsis (sort of) for my next book, which I’m thinking of calling The Honey Trap. What do you think of that title?
And now the Fecklet is asleep so I’m going to take an afternoon nap.
June 25, 2007 | about me, social life?
Tomorrow is going to be an exciting yet exhausting day.
In the morning, I’m taking the Fecklet to the US Embassy in London to apply for his US passport. He already has his British one. This will involve getting on a very very busy train (and probably paying loads for the privilege) and a very very busy bus, unless it is sunny in which case we’ll walk. (From Paddington, not from Reading.) The Transport for London website is wonderful and for the sum of 25p will text you directions to wherever you are going. Fantastic.
Then it’s back to Reading, then it’s a quick change for me and handover to the babysitter so I can pull on my fairly useless magic knickers and my little black dress to get on another train back to London for the Little Black Dress first anniversary party. This is at a rather glam club and I am hoping my ancient FCUK dress, black fishnets, and £1 scarf are going to cut the mustard.
If I am lucky it will be rather dark.
May 29, 2007 | about me, social life?
In other news, I’m off to London tomorrow to go to the RNA Summer party. The Joan Hessayon New Writer’s Award is going to be presented, and my dear dear friend and critique partner Anna Louise Lucia is one of the finalists with her fab novel Run Among Thorns, to be released just about one year from now in June 2008 from Medallion Press.
I have to admit to being shamelessly prejudiced because Anna is one of my favourite writers as well as one of my favourite people. She writes like an angel with a very twisted imagination. But there are some other friends and line-mates among the nominees:
Phillipa Ashley, for her Little Black Dress Decent Exposure, which is a really fun read, set in the Lake District
Judy Jarvie, for Taking the Leap, published by Moonlit Romance–I haven’t read this but I did read an earlier ms of Judy’s and it was charming and full of life
Jessica Raymond, for Haunted Hearts, published by Moonlit Romance–her heroine is a paranormal investigator. So cool.
(Both Jude and Jess are too pregnant to go to the party so I shall have to drink for them!)
Heidi Rice, a fellow Modern Extra writer, for Bedded by the Bad Boy (what a title!)–this is on my TBR shelf
Jean Fullerton, for Cutlasses and Caresses, published by Triskelion–I haven’t read this either but man, I’m telling you: pirate romance, what’s there not to like??
There are some other contenders who I don’t know personally–you can see the whole list here–whose books are bound to be fantastic, too…but a blog is all about blatantly promoting your mates, right?
I haven’t bought a new dress, mostly because I’ve been on unpaid maternity leave for the past three weeks. However I did buy some new shoes for ten quid at Primark: blue shiny vinyl with faux-cork platforms and faux-stacked heels. Fab.
I’ll be seeing my agent and my LBD editor, and I’ll be saying the same thing to both of them: Oh, my revisions? Going great, of course! Noooooo problemo! Hey, do you like my shoes?
May 19, 2007 | free book, six-word novel, social life?
Our local writing group, Reading Writers, is having a Writers’ Day today so Fecklet and I are going along. Workshops, speakers, and competitions, food and drink and conversation.
One of the competitions is to write an entire novel in six words. We’re putting them up and judging them anonymously. I’m assuming nobody from the group is going to check my blog before they go, so this is my entry:
No arms, no legs–five wives.
I think I’ll do a similar contest next week for a copy of All Work and No Play… so hone your short writing skills!
It will be the first time Fecklet’s eaten solid food in public. I’ve made him some apple puree for the occasion and I hope we don’t ruin the church hall.
It should be a good day.
Psst–Only ONE MORE WEEK until the Sun is giving away my book!!!
April 29, 2007 | about me, social life?
The Savoy was wonderful, not least because Nell won the Romance prize.
It was a day of firsts for me. First time getting baby on a train and in a cab and in a bus. First time leaving baby with a babysitter (the saintly Biddy). First time putting on high heeled shoes since last July. First time being at the Savoy when not pregnant and therefore able to drink champagne with my editors. First time breastfeeding baby in the posh ladies’ loos at the Savoy.
All these firsts make you so much more confident. I know, now, that I can travel to London with a pushchair, and how to find routes around the city. I know that the Fecklet will behave himself with a non-parent, and that he will come out safely on the other side even though I’m not watching him breathe.
It wasn’t my first time getting my breasts out in public, not by a long shot, but it was definitely the first time in such elegant surroundings. (Ann Summers van notwithstanding.)
By the time I got home I was utterly exhausted and I spent yesterday doing little but sloping around the house grabbing a nap whenever possible.
