Heidi Rice's Blog, page 18
August 4, 2011
One Amazing Night, Baby! Competition
And one amazing day for me when I got a little package in the post today containing two copies of my first every By Request title: One Amazing Night Baby!
Which not only features my fourth Modern Heat story Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition (that's the book that topped the Waldies for two weeks in a row - sorry have I mentioned that already??) but also two super cool stories by my fellow Riva gals Robyn Grady and Anne Oliver.
So to celebrate this glorious event I'm gonna give away one copy to anyone who can answer the following two questions correctly:
1) The name of the Hero and Heroine from PPP
2) Why the Hero all but kidnaps the Heroine at the start of the story...
For some clues, check out the sneak peek Here
To enter just email the answers to heidi@heidi-rice.com by Friday 12th August and I'll announce the winner on Saturday.
And just in case you were wondering I'm only giving away one copy cos I'm keeping the other one for myself so I can read Robbie and Anne's Amazing Baby stories!
In other news, I have just enlisted the help of a proper website designer to give me a brand spanking new website.... Not least because my current one seems to have disappeared off my desktop and is consequently going to be stuck in a Spring 2011 time warp forever more. So watch that space!
Also, just wanted to remind all you aspiring writers out there that New Voices is back this September.
It was a phenomenal success last year and they're making some interesting changes which I think will make it an even more positive experience for everyone who enters.
For starters I'm going to be doing two London workshops in Fulham and Mayfair. Will give you more deets about those when I have them. But there will be lots of other authors doing workshops round the country (I know the fabulous Fiona Harper will also be doing one in London), so hopefully they'll be one near you (if you live in the UK). but even if you don't live in the UK you can enter the comp. For details of how just check out the website and don't forget to join M&B's New Voices Facebook page.
July 28, 2011
Nick and Eva's Story has a title!
Woohoo! Nick and Eva's story is now called.... Wait for it:
The Good, The Bad and the Wild
I let you guess who's the good and who's the bad. It's gonna be out in the UK as a Riva in March 2012 (I hope!). Will be posting a sneak peek on my website once I have some cover art... But to get you in the mood, here's a lovely istock photo of The Golden Gate Bridge where Nick and Eva take their first wild ride to be followed by one heck of a wild night!
July 19, 2011
Heidi's Adventures in Romancelandia... NYC 2011
So okay, I'm posting this two weeks after I got back from NYC... Which is pretty pathetic I know, but quite apart from the recovery time needed after spending six days with Ms Abby Green in the city that (as it turns out literally) never sleeps, I also had a little book project to finish...
So with Nick and Eva's story finally SOLD on Friday!!! After frantic typing of epilogue on Hampstead Heath while watching Son Two play football. (As soon as I have a title I shall bore you all rigid with details of how wonderful this story is so you shall all want to rush out and buy it in March next year! Hint -hint) I am now free to tell you all about the phenomenal par-tay in the Big Apple!
Here are a few of the high spots, with pictorial accompaniment (unfortunately crap pictorial accompaniment for the most part, as I still haven't quite figured out how my camera's auto-focus works...)
The gorgeous Ms Abby Green, my amazing roomie (she made me to say that, btw), did a fabo job getting us a room with a great view of Times Square, so when I got in jet-lagged and exhausted after a 10-hour flight (which should have been six - thank you so much Virgin Atlantic and the nice peeps at JFK airport! Grrr) the par-tay was on. That said, sharing the flight agony with Sharon Kendrick, Sue Stephens and Carole Mortimer made it a lot less of a trial.
Here's an arty shot of my spot at the mega-literacy signing the next day (Tuesday I think, but don't quote me on that, I'd already had too much prosecco and not enough sleep)...
A total romance-arama with about a billion eager readers buying books (unfortunately not all of them mine!). But, hey, I got to sit within two seats of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who is one of my auto-buy authors! So it was quite a thrill.... To watch everyone charge past me to get to her...!
Now, to the great regret of my thighs, there happened to be a wonderful retro Noo Yawk diner across the road from the Marriott Marquis hotel called Juniors... This is fellow Riva Divas Fiona Harper and Lucy King who I enjoyed the first of many slap-up breakfasts with on Tuesday morning.
Unfortunately, I ended up eating my way thru most of Juniors breakfast menu by the end of the week (well, apart from the fruit plate)... So the less said about that the better.
Here is a picture that I will be putting in 'Heidi's Hall of Fame' because... Yes!! That's me sitting next to LINDA HOWARD... I may have mentioned this a few times already, but thanks to our Alabama heroine Kimberly Lang, the Mod Hot posse got to have lunch (at Juniors of course) with this great lady. Not surprisingly she turned out to be gracious, gorgeous, classy and a whole lot of fun... And I'd just like to add that those other women in the photo didn't actually sit with us, they insisted on muscling in on the photo, it was actually just me and Linda.... Honest!
Have to admit that during the four days of the Conference proper, which as always was organised with military precision by the RWA, I was so busy sightseeing and socialising (and generally trying to pretend what a proper author I am!) that I didn't attend nearly as many workshops as I would have liked (although Jennie Cruisie's Wonder Woman talk was an inspirational exception)... So here's Abby and me (with the lovely Lucy King on camera duty - hence the focussing) going AWOL on the High Line.. Which if you ever go to NYC I would highly recommend (no pun intended!)
And here are some more AWOL moments....
Which include me and Fi Harper in Central Park and Riva Divas Sue Stephens, Fi Harper, Lucy King and Amy Carson supping margaritas at a down-town bar...
Among other events I attended there was the Presents lunch in a bijoux restaurant off Fifth Avenue, Sandra Marton's legendary Pizza Party (where I had a good old chinwag with Maisey Yates, Jennie Lucas, Lynne Raye Harris, Jane Porter, Sue Stephens, Sharon Kendrick and ... well, all the usual suspects) and then there was the Harlequin Black and White Ball at the Waldorf Astoria, where we all got glammed up and danced till dawn and I met lovely New Voices winner Leah Ashton (and her hunky new hubby).
I did take the camera to those events but was concentrating way to hard on being gorgeous and erudite (and that takes a lot of concentration these days btw) to take any picures....
Anyone jealous, yet?? Good, my work is done.
On the last night of conference, I had the great honour of being Rita-nominee Ms Abby Green's date for the super-plush RITA and Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Now sadly, Abby didn't nab the prize for her spectacular book Breaking the Sheik's Rules, or the lovely Kelly Hunter or Sarah Morgan, but Karen Templeton who did win gave a wonderfully empowering speech and then Hall of Fame honouree Sharon Sala had us all blubbing like, well, a room full of romance writers, with her speech... And the emcee Meg Cabot was a dead ringer for Tina Fey. Plus we all looked absolutely fabulous, of course. So it was really all right on the night....
Have borrowed this photo of me and Abby from Fiona Harper (because I thought you might want more than one in focus) as proof to sign off with.
Roll on RWA 2012!
So with Nick and Eva's story finally SOLD on Friday!!! After frantic typing of epilogue on Hampstead Heath while watching Son Two play football. (As soon as I have a title I shall bore you all rigid with details of how wonderful this story is so you shall all want to rush out and buy it in March next year! Hint -hint) I am now free to tell you all about the phenomenal par-tay in the Big Apple!
Here are a few of the high spots, with pictorial accompaniment (unfortunately crap pictorial accompaniment for the most part, as I still haven't quite figured out how my camera's auto-focus works...)
The gorgeous Ms Abby Green, my amazing roomie (she made me to say that, btw), did a fabo job getting us a room with a great view of Times Square, so when I got in jet-lagged and exhausted after a 10-hour flight (which should have been six - thank you so much Virgin Atlantic and the nice peeps at JFK airport! Grrr) the par-tay was on. That said, sharing the flight agony with Sharon Kendrick, Sue Stephens and Carole Mortimer made it a lot less of a trial.
Here's an arty shot of my spot at the mega-literacy signing the next day (Tuesday I think, but don't quote me on that, I'd already had too much prosecco and not enough sleep)...A total romance-arama with about a billion eager readers buying books (unfortunately not all of them mine!). But, hey, I got to sit within two seats of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who is one of my auto-buy authors! So it was quite a thrill.... To watch everyone charge past me to get to her...!
Now, to the great regret of my thighs, there happened to be a wonderful retro Noo Yawk diner across the road from the Marriott Marquis hotel called Juniors... This is fellow Riva Divas Fiona Harper and Lucy King who I enjoyed the first of many slap-up breakfasts with on Tuesday morning.Unfortunately, I ended up eating my way thru most of Juniors breakfast menu by the end of the week (well, apart from the fruit plate)... So the less said about that the better.
Here is a picture that I will be putting in 'Heidi's Hall of Fame' because... Yes!! That's me sitting next to LINDA HOWARD... I may have mentioned this a few times already, but thanks to our Alabama heroine Kimberly Lang, the Mod Hot posse got to have lunch (at Juniors of course) with this great lady. Not surprisingly she turned out to be gracious, gorgeous, classy and a whole lot of fun... And I'd just like to add that those other women in the photo didn't actually sit with us, they insisted on muscling in on the photo, it was actually just me and Linda.... Honest!
Have to admit that during the four days of the Conference proper, which as always was organised with military precision by the RWA, I was so busy sightseeing and socialising (and generally trying to pretend what a proper author I am!) that I didn't attend nearly as many workshops as I would have liked (although Jennie Cruisie's Wonder Woman talk was an inspirational exception)... So here's Abby and me (with the lovely Lucy King on camera duty - hence the focussing) going AWOL on the High Line.. Which if you ever go to NYC I would highly recommend (no pun intended!)And here are some more AWOL moments....
Which include me and Fi Harper in Central Park and Riva Divas Sue Stephens, Fi Harper, Lucy King and Amy Carson supping margaritas at a down-town bar... Among other events I attended there was the Presents lunch in a bijoux restaurant off Fifth Avenue, Sandra Marton's legendary Pizza Party (where I had a good old chinwag with Maisey Yates, Jennie Lucas, Lynne Raye Harris, Jane Porter, Sue Stephens, Sharon Kendrick and ... well, all the usual suspects) and then there was the Harlequin Black and White Ball at the Waldorf Astoria, where we all got glammed up and danced till dawn and I met lovely New Voices winner Leah Ashton (and her hunky new hubby).
I did take the camera to those events but was concentrating way to hard on being gorgeous and erudite (and that takes a lot of concentration these days btw) to take any picures....
Anyone jealous, yet?? Good, my work is done.
On the last night of conference, I had the great honour of being Rita-nominee Ms Abby Green's date for the super-plush RITA and Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Now sadly, Abby didn't nab the prize for her spectacular book Breaking the Sheik's Rules, or the lovely Kelly Hunter or Sarah Morgan, but Karen Templeton who did win gave a wonderfully empowering speech and then Hall of Fame honouree Sharon Sala had us all blubbing like, well, a room full of romance writers, with her speech... And the emcee Meg Cabot was a dead ringer for Tina Fey. Plus we all looked absolutely fabulous, of course. So it was really all right on the night....
Have borrowed this photo of me and Abby from Fiona Harper (because I thought you might want more than one in focus) as proof to sign off with.
Roll on RWA 2012!
July 8, 2011
Hottie alert!!
Am over at the Pink Heart Society today doing my monthly Must-Watch Friday slot talking about the uber sexy Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in the funny, smart and also surprisingly deep Love and Other Drugs... So come on down!
July 7, 2011
Are you kidding me???
Ok, am now back from the glorious RWA conference in NYC and will be doing a long and anecdotal post shortly all about my marvellous adventures once I've finished the revs on my current book and figured out how to download the pictures from my new camera...
But until then, I just had to post my response to this article in The Telegraph today which (surprise, surprise) quotes a recent article in the British Medical Journal blaming romantic fiction for relationship breakdowns, unplanned pregnancies, the rise in abortions, the spread of STDS, the black death and... Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but come on... Seriously? Are you kidding me?
Read the article, read the comments (some of them great, some of them assinine) and here's my response, which I posted in the comments thread too.
It never ceases to amaze me when reading articles such as this that criticise romantic fiction and the subsequent comments attached to it, the number of people who feel justified in saying 'I've never read one of these books myself, but...' And then go on to give a detailed analysis of something they know nothing about.
And I'd hazard a guess that Ms Quillium may well be one of those people, because anyone who has ever read Pride & Prejudice (or any Regency romance) would know that if Elizabeth Bennett had spent her time gazing lovingly across the ballroom at Mr Darcy there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell...Condescending? Much?
So as an avid reader of romantic fiction, and someone who is currently in the process of writing her 11th book for M&B I'd like to give you all a little head's up about this genre and why women (and - shock, horror - some men) find it so compelling to read.
First and foremost these are books about relationships, in all their variety and complexity and emotional intensity. And yes, they have a happy ending, but that's the pay-off for the reader, just as the detective discovering 'whodunnit' is the pay-off for a lover of crime fiction. But it's the journey, the way in which the couple grow and change as people and resolve the conflicts between them that's really at the heart of their story. So the suggestion that these books are somehow bad for relationships defeats me.
As to their impact on Sexual Health & Family Planning, I can safely say that my couples almost always use condoms and on the rare occassions they don't they will have discussed 'safe sex' issues, because funnily enough there's nothing very heroic or romantic about a hero (or heroine) who spreads STDs at will.. A number of my couples have had unplanned pregnancies but in the context of a romance novel (just as in real life) an unplanned pregnancy will increase the conflict between the couple, not diminish it, so I would hazard a guess that any woman thinking the opposite is the case certainly doesn't read the novels I'm reading (or writing!).
And yes, some elements of these books are hyper-real, and depending on the level of fantasy in the books there are some which don't address the condom issue. But are we seriously suggesting that escapism and fantasy doesn't have a place in modern life? Or that women can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality? After all if a plumber in Peckham can read a James Bond novel without becoming convinced that he's actually licensed to kill in Monte Carlo, why can't a housewife in Hounslow read a M&B without wanting to have unprotected sex with a Greek Shipping billionaire? I'm just saying!
And for all those people who would suggest that romantic fiction is the equivalent of female porn, can you really not tell the difference between real sex performed on camera between two (or more) people who quite possibly don't know each other and are most likely doing it to pay the rent and a fictional sexual encounter described within the context of a developing relationship? I mean, seriously?
And last but not least. I'm a tad surprised that a family planning professional would evaluate the choices their clients make about their sexual health and their relationships based on the genre of fiction they choose to read, but maybe that's just me!
Feel free to join the debate! After all that's just my humble opinion. Right, back to work on another story that's going to destroy civilisation as we know it.
But until then, I just had to post my response to this article in The Telegraph today which (surprise, surprise) quotes a recent article in the British Medical Journal blaming romantic fiction for relationship breakdowns, unplanned pregnancies, the rise in abortions, the spread of STDS, the black death and... Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but come on... Seriously? Are you kidding me?
Read the article, read the comments (some of them great, some of them assinine) and here's my response, which I posted in the comments thread too.
It never ceases to amaze me when reading articles such as this that criticise romantic fiction and the subsequent comments attached to it, the number of people who feel justified in saying 'I've never read one of these books myself, but...' And then go on to give a detailed analysis of something they know nothing about.
And I'd hazard a guess that Ms Quillium may well be one of those people, because anyone who has ever read Pride & Prejudice (or any Regency romance) would know that if Elizabeth Bennett had spent her time gazing lovingly across the ballroom at Mr Darcy there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell...Condescending? Much?
So as an avid reader of romantic fiction, and someone who is currently in the process of writing her 11th book for M&B I'd like to give you all a little head's up about this genre and why women (and - shock, horror - some men) find it so compelling to read.
First and foremost these are books about relationships, in all their variety and complexity and emotional intensity. And yes, they have a happy ending, but that's the pay-off for the reader, just as the detective discovering 'whodunnit' is the pay-off for a lover of crime fiction. But it's the journey, the way in which the couple grow and change as people and resolve the conflicts between them that's really at the heart of their story. So the suggestion that these books are somehow bad for relationships defeats me.
As to their impact on Sexual Health & Family Planning, I can safely say that my couples almost always use condoms and on the rare occassions they don't they will have discussed 'safe sex' issues, because funnily enough there's nothing very heroic or romantic about a hero (or heroine) who spreads STDs at will.. A number of my couples have had unplanned pregnancies but in the context of a romance novel (just as in real life) an unplanned pregnancy will increase the conflict between the couple, not diminish it, so I would hazard a guess that any woman thinking the opposite is the case certainly doesn't read the novels I'm reading (or writing!).
And yes, some elements of these books are hyper-real, and depending on the level of fantasy in the books there are some which don't address the condom issue. But are we seriously suggesting that escapism and fantasy doesn't have a place in modern life? Or that women can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality? After all if a plumber in Peckham can read a James Bond novel without becoming convinced that he's actually licensed to kill in Monte Carlo, why can't a housewife in Hounslow read a M&B without wanting to have unprotected sex with a Greek Shipping billionaire? I'm just saying!
And for all those people who would suggest that romantic fiction is the equivalent of female porn, can you really not tell the difference between real sex performed on camera between two (or more) people who quite possibly don't know each other and are most likely doing it to pay the rent and a fictional sexual encounter described within the context of a developing relationship? I mean, seriously?
And last but not least. I'm a tad surprised that a family planning professional would evaluate the choices their clients make about their sexual health and their relationships based on the genre of fiction they choose to read, but maybe that's just me!
Feel free to join the debate! After all that's just my humble opinion. Right, back to work on another story that's going to destroy civilisation as we know it.
June 10, 2011
The King of Cool.. And Drool
Ever wondered why Steve McQueen is called the King of Cool? You may want to check out my Must-Watch Friday post today on Pink Heart Society, where I am considering this important question in quite considerable depth as regards The Thomas Crown Affair circa 1968. NB: let's face it what other macho man could wear a day-glo orange shirt and blue hotpants and still look straight? (check out pictorial proof above)
In other news am still trying to work out the kinks on my latest ms... Had a light bulb moment on a flight to Dublin this weekend when I was visiting Abby Green (and avoiding my problem child ms). My heroine and my hero may have a tad too much emotional baggage... Think it might have come about as a result of being on a Ryanair flight. Nuf said.
Would put up pics of my trip but was having far too much fun helping Abby put together her outfit for the RITAs to take photos!
May 24, 2011
Domestic Goddesses Unite!
Am on the Pink Heart Society today talking about my fabulous Lemon Chicken recipe that makes me look like a Domestic Goddess without me having to actually be one... And in other news, I'm sure some of you have heard of the cringe-making article the Daily Mail decided to publish about our lovely RNA Summer Party under the headline: "The Blue Rinse and Bodice Rippers: In Twin-Set and Pearls Meet the Ladies Behind Britain's Steamiest Novels"
Just like to state for the record I never saw any blue rinses, pearls or twin sets, but even if there had been I do wonder why the Mail seems obsessed with recycling all the boring old clichés about romance writers and romantic fiction (I mean Bodice-Rippers, seriously? Haven't we moved passed that yet?) instead of reporting the reality - what we write and read isn't a guilty pleasure, it's not some grubby little secret we're all scribbling away at to top up our pensions (actually I haven't got a pension yet!!). Romantic fiction is instead one of the biggest sectors of the fiction market precisely because women love reading and writing these stories. Now you've got to wonder why the Mail and its reporter seem so determined to try and belittle and degrade what we do? Could it be that they're actually the boring old cliché and not us?
I'm not sticking in a link to the original article because, believe me, life's too short and for some reason they seem to have deleted all the fab comments! But here are a few great blog responses from the fabulous Julie Cohen and Talli Roland. You rock, ladies... As do we all.
Now, must go dig out my twin-set and pearls for the next party!
May 21, 2011
Parties and Pirates
Have had a fun-packed week here in London Town.
First off was the RNA Summer Party in Birdcage Walk on Wednesday night. As always it was a glittery affair with lots of hot gossip (actually probably not that hot as I always seem to be the last to hear anything!), delicious canapes (was particularly partial to the risotto balls, yum) and sparkling fizz (which I managed to down before the toasts, as always).
But best of all of course is the chance to chat up a storm with old mates (waving to Riva gals Fiona Harper & Lucy King, Romance Minx Lorraine Wilson, NWS author Carol Christie, Oxford journo Mary Zacaroli and Modern star Sharon Kendrick here among others) and meet some new peeps. It was particularly lovely to meet Minx Sally Clements for the first time (am just tucking into her book Bound to Love btw and loving it!) who was up for the Joan Hessayon award (and has somehow managed to get four books published in the interim... another author who's much more prolific than me then!).
She didn't win (even though I was cheering up a storm for her with my empty champagne flute) and got pipped at the post by Charlotte Betts, but as I told her on the night she's in great company when it comes to former nominees who didn't win (ie, moi!). Also bumped into my ed which was actually great (even though I had been contemplating hiding behind a pillar if I saw her due to state of my current ms and fast approaching deadline), she talked me down from the ledge of panic and gave me an extra week on my deadline (always nice to have a little extra breathing room) and between us we decided that my stoic-to-the-point-of-speechless hero might just be the strong, very silent type! Phew! And Amazingly, now he seems to have finally started talking (better late than never buddy) and to the heroine no less. Double phew!
I've pinched some lovely photos from the evening of myself from Lorraine and the lovely Philippa Ashley because as usual I didn't bring a camera (I know, call myself a blogger!).
Finished off the week with a fun outing to the IMAX cinema in Waterloo to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides... Something I've been looking forward to for a while and not just because of my mad passion for Cap'n Jack! During last summer the production was shooting in Greenwich (in the fabulous Royal Naval College where we had the RNA conference last year) and Son Two worked as an extra for two weeks on it. He was bound by a confidentiality agreement until release, so I haven't been able to talk about it online till now. Needless to say, he had a high old time missing school and dressing up as a Georgian boy (complete with topcoat, tri-corn hat, stockings and breeches) and even got to exchange a high-five with Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow regalia (who he said was 'totally cool')... I on the other hand had to wake up at 5am every morning to drive him to the set and did not get to meet Johnny Depp or Jack Sparrow (cue mournful violin solo please)! I did see one of the stunts being filmed from a distance, thought I had spotted Jack and then Son Two informed me it was probably one of JD's three stunt doubles (but I shall insist to my dying day it was the real Jack Sparrow!).
The film itself turned out to be a blast, maybe not as hilarious as the first, but at least a lot more intelligible than the other two (ie, I actually had a clue what was going on) plus there was a brilliant mermaid attack scene and a very sweet romance subplot.... More about that on the Pink Heart Society soon. And we spotted Son Two in the crowd shots... For about a nanosecond, so all those early mornings were worth it!
Right, back to my latest ms. My hero better still be talking!
First off was the RNA Summer Party in Birdcage Walk on Wednesday night. As always it was a glittery affair with lots of hot gossip (actually probably not that hot as I always seem to be the last to hear anything!), delicious canapes (was particularly partial to the risotto balls, yum) and sparkling fizz (which I managed to down before the toasts, as always).
But best of all of course is the chance to chat up a storm with old mates (waving to Riva gals Fiona Harper & Lucy King, Romance Minx Lorraine Wilson, NWS author Carol Christie, Oxford journo Mary Zacaroli and Modern star Sharon Kendrick here among others) and meet some new peeps. It was particularly lovely to meet Minx Sally Clements for the first time (am just tucking into her book Bound to Love btw and loving it!) who was up for the Joan Hessayon award (and has somehow managed to get four books published in the interim... another author who's much more prolific than me then!).
She didn't win (even though I was cheering up a storm for her with my empty champagne flute) and got pipped at the post by Charlotte Betts, but as I told her on the night she's in great company when it comes to former nominees who didn't win (ie, moi!). Also bumped into my ed which was actually great (even though I had been contemplating hiding behind a pillar if I saw her due to state of my current ms and fast approaching deadline), she talked me down from the ledge of panic and gave me an extra week on my deadline (always nice to have a little extra breathing room) and between us we decided that my stoic-to-the-point-of-speechless hero might just be the strong, very silent type! Phew! And Amazingly, now he seems to have finally started talking (better late than never buddy) and to the heroine no less. Double phew!I've pinched some lovely photos from the evening of myself from Lorraine and the lovely Philippa Ashley because as usual I didn't bring a camera (I know, call myself a blogger!).
Finished off the week with a fun outing to the IMAX cinema in Waterloo to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides... Something I've been looking forward to for a while and not just because of my mad passion for Cap'n Jack! During last summer the production was shooting in Greenwich (in the fabulous Royal Naval College where we had the RNA conference last year) and Son Two worked as an extra for two weeks on it. He was bound by a confidentiality agreement until release, so I haven't been able to talk about it online till now. Needless to say, he had a high old time missing school and dressing up as a Georgian boy (complete with topcoat, tri-corn hat, stockings and breeches) and even got to exchange a high-five with Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow regalia (who he said was 'totally cool')... I on the other hand had to wake up at 5am every morning to drive him to the set and did not get to meet Johnny Depp or Jack Sparrow (cue mournful violin solo please)! I did see one of the stunts being filmed from a distance, thought I had spotted Jack and then Son Two informed me it was probably one of JD's three stunt doubles (but I shall insist to my dying day it was the real Jack Sparrow!).The film itself turned out to be a blast, maybe not as hilarious as the first, but at least a lot more intelligible than the other two (ie, I actually had a clue what was going on) plus there was a brilliant mermaid attack scene and a very sweet romance subplot.... More about that on the Pink Heart Society soon. And we spotted Son Two in the crowd shots... For about a nanosecond, so all those early mornings were worth it!
Right, back to my latest ms. My hero better still be talking!
May 5, 2011
Some heartfelt thanks
Thanks to fabulous-o blogger Rebecca at the Every Day Is The Same Blog, I have pictorial evidence of my latest Harlequin Presents Extra release, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger on the shelves in New York City.... As I consider NYC one of the coolest cities on the planet, this photo brought a special little glow to my day yesterday. Gotta say, it never gets old seeing your book on the shelf. So muchas gracias for that, Rebecca!
And I also discovered this lovely review of my latest Riva book Cupcakes and Killer Heels on romance novelist Louise Rose-Innes's blog... She's turning into a bit of a Riva fan. Go Louise!
Here are a few snippets while I bask...
"I was surprised to discover that the main characters, the hero in particular, apart from being drop-dead gorgeous, are also fairly flawed, which adds a depth that is seldom found in category romance these days."
"The first chapter starts with a bang, quite literally, as the hero and heroine connect in a funny encounter that had me laughing out loud."
"Ultimately, the hero and the heroine reach a point in their emotional development where the crazy, all-consuming passion they feel for each other can evolve into a mature and rewarding relationship."
Wow! How cool is that? So thanks Louise for the review! It's always so great to hear that the effort we're all putting in to make Riva fresh and fun and flirty and something a little bit different for category romance readers is appreciated!
April 30, 2011
My Little Tribute to London's Big Day
Have to admit I'm not big on flag-waving or patriotism or most of the things that go with celebrating royalty in this neck of the woods, but the romance-arama of yesterday's Royal Wedding was kind of hard to avoid if you're a Londoner — and a hopeless romantic like moi. And I did get a free day off, which is never a bad thing IMHO, especially if you have a book to finish by the end of May and you've still struggling through chapter six (eek!!).
That said my oldest son did manage to prise me away from my ms (not nearly as hard as it should have been) insisting that I watch some of the ceremony because it was 'history'... And have to admit I ended up enjoying it more than he did... Teenagers after all have remarkably short attention spans when it comes to pomp and circumstance.
Things I particularly liked:
My home town looking pretty magnificent with the green trees and regency splendour nicely offset with views of the Millennium Wheel and the city's modern heart.
Historian Simon Schama on the BBC valiantly trying to give all the hoopla a bit of historical context.
The jets flying over my house in formation... Very impressive!
William's eyeroll to Kate in the Abbey, nicely documented here.
And last but not least the cool bit of graffiti I discovered yesterday while cycling to the gym which I have used to illustrate my post. Marmite indeed!!
