On the road

Last week was a busy week, and a lot of fun. To London for the RNA Summer Party, at which the 2017 Joan Hessayon winner was announced - sadly not one of the 3 Choc-lit debut authors who were in the line up - but a win for a Welsh publisher! Kate Field was awarded the trophy for The Magic of Ramblings published by Accent.

It was a fab party, I got to stroke the trophy - all the past winners come over a bit 'precious' when in it's presence - it's hard to believe that it is 5 years since I won it!!!

I renewed my card for the British Library - looking forward to spending some time there later in the year, and did a bit of research, book related, not for the day job, but more of that next week.

The lovely Lusana from Choc-lit, sizing up
the room for the best layout 

Then it was down to Southampton for the second Choc lit road-show. An afternoon of talking, quizzes, chocolate and  a lot of laughter at Southampton Library, in the company of an enthusiastic audience of readers and a few hopeful writers who had the chance to pitch a book to Choc-lit as part of the proceedings. And all the attendees got a goodie bag to take away. I did manage to snaffle a bag, but not the contents - and I did sneak some of the chocolates, so that was probably a win:)

Goodie bags and book stall, waiting for the audience. 

I had a lovely time with Jan Brigden, Liv, who is one half of Isabella Conner, and Laura E James. Luckily the audience seemed to enjoy themselves too, so it was was worth the trip. The next show will be up north, Stockton on Tees, as part of their literature festival, and there is a whisper about a date in London in the autumn, If there is, I hope I'll be there. I took a few pictures, so you can get the idea of how it all went.

My fellow panelists

The chance to talk about yourself and your books - what's not to like? And it was good to start doing some book related things again and to tell people about the new summer book that is in the pipeline. coming soon, I hope.

Giving the trophy back ...

It's a rather sad time for me this week. My reign as winner of the Joan Hessayon Award is coming to an end and I have to return the trophy at the Romantic Novelists' Association  Summer Party, so that it can be passed on to this year's winner.

The trophy

Now where did that year go?

Admittedly I didn't get to take the prize home until the RNA conference in July, after it had been engraved, but it seems to have been a very short space since then. I've enjoyed it so much. I don't really want to give the trophy back, but needs must. There are nine potential winners this time, it's a strong field and if I have to hand the silverware back, I wish it could be to all of them. There can only be one named winner, but they are all winners as they have achieved the coveted status of being a published author.

At the party last year, with my mum and author Anna Jacobs.

So (sigh) if I must part with my favourite toy, I know it will be going to a good home, where it will be cherished and admired as much as it has during its stay with me.

I do get to make a speech, before I part with it.

And it will always have my name on it, among the winners ...

And in the diary for today ...

Things are getting hectic around here.

For a crowded couple of weeks my diary is overflowing:

On Tuesday 15 May Never Coming Home is released in bookshops in Australia and New Zealand. To celebrate, I will be blogging with the Australian Romance Readers Association.

Wednesday 16 May I will be the spotlight debut author on the RT Book Reviews website. Morgan, my interviewer, came up with some great questions, delving into some of the most emotional parts of the book.

Thursday 17 May is the night of the RNA Summer Party and the Awards Ceremony for both the Joan Hessayon Award for new writer of 2011/12 and also the announcement of the Romantic Novel of the Year. It will be a great night, if a nail biting one, for Choc-Lit. Linda and I will be lining up for the Joan Hessayon, and Christina and Jane for the Romance of the Year. We are made of strong stuff, and will party on, regardless.

The full list of nominees for the Joan Hessayon includes some fabulous and varied debut books.

Scarlet Wilson    It Started With A Pregnancy                 

Tanith Davenport  The Hand He Dealt                            

Liz Fenwick  The Cornish House                               

Evonne Wareham   Never Coming Home                            

Lynda Dunwell   Marrying The Admiral’s Daughter         

Rhoda Baxter  Patently In Love                                  

Linda Mitchelmore  To Turn Full Circle                               

Gina Rossi  The Wild Heart             

And the week after? That's the week of Crimefest in Bristol, where I have a twenty minute spotlight to talk about mixing crime with romance. And guess what? I'm on stage immediately after Meg Gardiner.  Scary, or what? Will I hear a word she says?                     

An Interview with the Romantic Novelists' Association

I do know it's Monday, not Wednesday - but I'm sharing my excitement at featuring on the RNA blog today.

I think I'm fairly safe in making a sweeping generalisation, and saying that all the participants in the New Writers' Scheme, which is run by the Romantic Novelists' Association, share a big ambition - to be a contender for the Joan Hessayon Award. Nominees for the award are all graduates from the New Writers' Scheme who have made it into publication. This year there are eight - and I'm one of them!

As part of the run up to the Award, which will be presented at the RNA Summer Party in May, contenders are being interviewed on the RNA blog.

Today it is my turn. So - if you want to know more about me, Never Coming Home, or a distinctly dubious recipe for making sausages, courtesy of the Glamorgan Archive, the link is t.co/CbEzymrc