Work in Progress

 'Progress' is a bit slow, but I am working and enjoying it. Not sure what the finished product will look like - definitely not a 'Riviera' book, or even in that style. I've envisages it as one of a pair of books, the link being that security business run by the two heroes- Nathan and Luke, but it is going to be a while before we get there. 

But writing is not just about actually putting words on paper. Not words that will eventually be read, that is. Knowing I was getting myself into a few knots with the time lines of the various characters in the secondary plot that is the pivot of the story I spent an afternoon sorting out their overlapping time lines and producing a fancy board to prove it. As shown below. Now I have a better idea of what I am doing! Emrys - who is a famous artist - was born in 1924 and was old enough to serve in WW2, which is an important part of the story. The other lines on the chart are the women in his life - his first love, the woman he eventually married and the Shakespearean actress who became his muse in later life. The ramifications of those relationships play out in the contemporary part of the story. It's not exactly dual time, maybe a present day story with roots in the past? While I was doing it I discovered some important facts about the personalities - notably that although it was generally assumed that Emrys and the actress were lovers, in fact their relationship was platonic as they were both married to other people.

I also had to do some ongoing research. I have a list. 

• Obituaries of the great and the good.
• Honours awarded to servicemen for bravery in WW2
• Dates and ages for call up during the war.
• Dates and details of the Nuremberg Trials and Dame Laura Knight, who was an official war artist. 
• The rules of probate
• Herbs with associations with Wicca. What every good witch would have in her rather wild garden. That one was fun, as I did an on-line course and now I know what my 'witch,' Iris will have in hers. 

  

All of the above are essential to the plot but probably won't merit more than a passing reference. They are building blocks that are the foundations for the book. 

And a wonderful excuse for productive procrastination. 

 

Chelsea Flower Show

 As I special treat I got myself an 8a.m to 8 p.m  ticket for the first members' day of the Chelsea Flower Show. Staying just moments away I fully intended to be there when the gates opened. But then the RNA Awards came along and my plans went up in smoke with a late night of celebration! I made it to the show a little later than planned and reading the runes on the weather did the marquee first. This was the voice of experience as once the rain began everyone came flocking in and I was ready to wander around the other exhibits under my trusty umbrella. The gardens were lovely - I got a few ideas for the Tuscan idyll I eventually want to create outside my back door. There were some drool worthy plants. I celebrity spotted Monty Don and Rachel De Thame being interviewed for the TV. I bought lilies and a mushroom growing kit and a few other odds and ends and had a good time, despite the weather. 

The Newt's Roman Villa garden

This is a hydrangea - I thought it was an azalea. On the plant of the year shortlist and on my wish list. 

An Italian Balcony - Venice, not Tuscany, but I'll take it. 

The lilies I hope are going to grow for me.
I'll try anf rememebr to post the results, and the mushrooms! 

The Joffe Garden party

 As part of my fancy week staying in London I was able to attend my first publisher's party - a garden party no less, in the grounds of the Royal Overseas League, off Piccadilly. Luckily it was a lovely evening - the rain had stopped. The Choc-lit authors met up first in the pub around the corner and then it was on to the party. It was a lot of fun with the chance to meet and talk to the staff of the publishing house - including the man himself - Jasper Joffe - and other authors including a few friends from the Crime Writers' Association, as Joffe publishes crime as well as romance. It was the tenth anniversary for the publisher, although the Choc-lit family has only been with them just over a year. It was good to celebrate with glasses of bubbly and some very fancy - and tasty - canapes. We all enjoyed ourselves, photos were taken (I've stolen a few again) and the rain stayed away. Looking forward to doing it again next year. 

Meeting in the pub. 

Me. Carol Thomas, Jasper, Morton S Gray
and Jan Baynham

The Joffe authors. 

What I did in Chelsea.

 My original plan for my recent London trip was a day at the Chelsea Flower Show. I decided to do something I'd had in mind for a while and book a couple of nights in the mansion block where I lived when I worked in Eaton Square. Then the awards were announced, and my new publisher Joffe invited me to their annual garden party and the few nights became a week. Cost a fortune, but I had a wonderful time. The apartment in the mansion block is the one that features in Summer in San Remo and Masquerade on the Riviera. It was good to re-visit old haunts.  I had a studio, which was fun and spent a couple of days flaneuring around the neighbourhood.  I did the RHS show - more of that in a future post -  and the party - more about that later too. I spent some time in the re-vamped Battersea Power Station - lots of shops, a very nice bookshop and lunch at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant. I accidentally had dinner in Tom Kerridge's London pub too, without realising. It was raining, I was tired after wandering around the show and the pub was the nearest eating place, at the end of the street. And very good it was too.  I ate icecream in several up market icecream parlours, went to a concert in Cadogan Hall, which was just around the corner,  a ensemble called Voces8 which I had never encountered before, and which was very enjoyable. As well as the flower show, Chelsea had it's own flower festival going on, with all the shops dressed to the nines, so the place was manic on Sunday with florists getting ready and then on all the days after with tourists taking selfies. I intended to take some too, but it was just too crowded! I had a wonderful, if expensive, time. Now I'm wondering if I can do it all again next year. 

There will be a full post on the flower show later - but until then these are a few of the friends I made along the way. 

Well - I didn't win ...

 But I had a wonderful evening. 

It was great to be on my publisher Joffe's table to celebrate simply being nominated. Sue Fortin won the Jackie Collins but she is a friend so I have forgiven her. Next time! 

I enjoyed wearing my sparkly jumpsuit. I took the long gloves then forgot to put them on! I wondered if traveling on the Tube to the venue at Tower Hill from Chelsea at 4 p.m. in all my finery would be 'interesting'  but except from one young girl no one batted an eyelid. 

Anton Du Beke was an excellent celebrity presenter, along side the RNA's Brigid Cody and he was super generous in posing for selfies with everyone. There was food and drink and photos and excitement. Lots of gossip and laughter and the chance to see old friends.  Finalists had to arrive early for a photo shoot, but I haven't been able to get those photos to open! The tension built up from there until the moment when the envelope was opened. If you want to see - and read - all the winners you will find them on the RNA website. A real variety of popular romantic fiction. 

The awards were only the start of a fabulous week I spent in Chelsea. More posts over the next few weeks. 

I've  borrowed the photos from Fellow finalist and Cariad Chapter member Jan Baynham and from the official photographer Katie Hipkiss Visuals. Ownership acknowledged with many thanks. 

Table awaiting guests.

My name in lights

Deep in conversation - and where did the sumo wrestler arms come from? 

Posing with Anton along with fellow Joffe contender Jan and her daughter Jo. 

The RNA Awards

 Well, the awards event was on Monday so we know by now if I won, but as I will still be in London today and away from the nuts and bolts of creating the blog, I won't be talking about it until next week, as this post was written before I left. Are you with me so far? 

Whatever the outcome it is always a privilege to be chosen to compete for an award and the RNA awards, with the short lists selected by panels of ordinary readers, are particularly special - at least I think so. I admit I am a bit of a pot hunter - been that way since age 13 when I made up my mind to win what my dad called the Victor Ludorum at the school Eisteddfod. And I did - next time around. But the big prize for me, as a writer, is that people should enjoy my books. 

If you don't win you don't get to make a thank you speech - so I am doing mine here and if you've heard it before - I will be delighted! 

Thanks have to go to Lu, my long suffering editor, who deals with all sorts of holes and hiccups with patience and humour. To Berni for the lovely covers and for Choc-lit who took a chance on me over a decade ago and were willing to try the American style genre, romantic suspense, on a UK audience. Happily they seemed to like it!  Thanks to friends, inside and outside the RNA, for their help and support, listening to half soaked plot plans, patchy word counts and general moaning. To the RNA and the award organisers for the work they put in, all on a voluntary basis

But the  biggest thanks have to go to the readers who buy and enjoy the books, That is what makes it all worthwhile. 

So - what are you going to wear?

 My mother was a dressmaker by trade. Fashion and sewing were her passion the way words and writing are mine. It's not surprising that I was a clothes-horse before I could walk. It was natural that if I had an event coming up, she would make something for me. In fact, we would sometimes sit down and review the next few months to make a programme. She was a fabric addict, collecting supplies in sales in advance of requirements which were stored in 'The Trunk'. It's big tin affair which now has the paperwork for my PhD in it, as I wanted somewhere to store all my precious hand written notes that I thought might be a protected in the event of fire. The fabric has migrated to other locations and I've donated some. When we were doing one of those reviews the trunk was always raided to see what goodies it might contain that could be used, without having to spend much more than the cost of cotton and a zip and maybe a pattern, if she didn't cut her own, or adapt one. During the war she had enough fabric stored to clothe herself, my grandmother and my aunt for the duration, when dress material, like many things, was scarce. You can imagine the size of the stash - I think it must have overflowed the trunk then. 

Now she's gone I am on my own. If I want a new outfit I have to buy it! One of the last things she made me was a floor length sequined dress for a convention ball in America. I still have it and planned to wear it for the Awards when A Villa in Portofino was nominated. Unfortunately when I tried it on, it had got a bit snug around the middle, so I wore the green jumpsuit I'd bought for a gala dinner at the RNA Conference. Not sparkly.

Now I am a nominee again for Masquerade on the Riviera and this time I am going sparkly - a jump suit I bought in the Phase 8 sale after Xmas. That was a speculative purchase, a bit like the fabric in the trunk. I knew I would have the chance to wear it somewhere, but I really didn't think it would be another trip to the awards.  It was a bargain, but like all Phase 8 garments much too long, so I have had to shorten it. Took a while, with much trying on and a brief panic over whether I had done the same leg twice, but it is now done and gives me a buzz every time I pass it hanging up in the spare room. 

It's black - or at least dark grey - and I don't wear much black these days as I think it doesn't suit me as much as it did when I was a teenager and wore it all the time - as you do. But well, it was a bargain, and I shall just have to go heavy on the blusher. I'm looking forward to wearing it, with some sparkly shoes and jewelry - may as well go all out. 

There is one big question though - if I can find them, do I wear my elbow length evening gloves?