RWA 09: Washington DC - Wednesday part 1

I think my optimism about blogging from the conference was a little premature! Not only was I very short on time, but I could never get a strong enough signal from the Wifi in the hotel lobby and meeting rooms to be able to get onto the internet. Anyway, here's the next post about my week in Washington DC:

Wednesday started off with a little bit of sightseeing. Historicals author Michelle Willingham had volunteered to act as tour guide for a group of assorted authors and editors. I was still a bit jet-lagged and very glad just to troop around after someone who would tell me where to go so I didn’t have to think too hard.

We got the metro to the Smithsonian and stopped to take a few photos as we walked across the National Mall to the Museum of Natural History. Here’s Kim Young and Jo Grant, lovely editors from the London offices of Harlequin Mills & Boon.

After looking at the dinosaurs, we went upstairs to stare at the gemstones.Here’s the Hope Diamond, which was truly stunning and my washed-out photo really doesn’t do it justice. Even the setting and necklace was exquisitely crafted. And that wasn’t the only piece of marvellous jewellery. We wandered round, speculating on which rocks would go best with our RITA outfits on Saturday night. Here’s a few pics of some of my favourites:

After that, we nipped along the road to the Museum of American History and took in an exhibition of dresses worn by first ladies from the time of Martha Washington right through to Laura Bush. Jewels first, and now frocks and shoes…you can tell it was a girls’ outing! Here’s Mamie Eishower’s wonderful red dress and shoes and Mary Lincoln’s gown. The lighting was quite low in the exhibit so you can’t see the fabulous pleating and detail where the black satin meets the patterned section of the skirt, but it was truly a work of art.

We then did a bit more sightseeing, before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing – but that’s a whole post in itself!

Me and Senior Editor for Harlequin Mills & Boon Romance, Kim Young


World War II Memorial


The reflecting pool with the Lincoln Memorial in the distance


Me with some of my sightseeing companions: Michelle, Kim, Elaine and Mary-Lou


The Washington Monument
(which I could see quite clearly as my plane passed over the city the day I arrived)

RWA Conference 1 - Tuesday

It’s amazing how much you can cram into a few short days. This is the first time I’ve had a moment to blog about the RWA conference – partly down to the fact that the Wifi in the hotel lobby is a little patchy.

I arrived on Tuesday afternoon and immediately ran into my fellow Romance author, Donna Alward, in the lobby. Suddenly, even after the really long flight, the adrenaline was flowing and I was bouncing all over the place. I checked in and dropped my luggage off. My room is huge. Mahoosive.

The evening was spent having dinner at the hotel pub with Donna and Harlequin Presents/Modern Romance author Jennie Lucas. Much fun was to be had, mostly down to a Lemondrop cocktail that Jennie started and Donna finished. It was really nice to sit outside in the warm evening air and catch up on news, laugh an immense amount and strengthen friendships.

Blogs and Magazines

I’m off a-travelling on Tuesday. I’m attending the RWA conference in Washington DC this week. If you see me there, say hi!

I shall be blogging about my experiences, when time and jet lag allows, both here and over at the Pink Heart Society - along with some of my writing buddies.

In the meantime, check out the August issue of Prima magazine. On p146 there is an article on ‘How To Write A Bestseller’ and I’ve given some advice on writing romantic fiction.

Dresses, DC and Dallas

I'm a happy bunny at the moment. Finally, I am going to be able to wear the ball dress I bought from eBay back in 2007 for the RWA conference in Dallas.

The dress was a lovely Monsoon creation in black and green. Although I'd ordered the right size, it came up quite small and, since I was losing weight, I decided to see if I could slim into it. I got so close. So close. But then disaster struck - and no, it wasn't in the shape of a dozen doughnuts...

Basically, I was up early one morning at the conference (blame jet lag), was at a loose end and decided to try my party frocks on to decide which to wear to the Harelquin party, and well...the zip broke. You can read the whole story here. So, it was 6am and I was stuck in a full-length evening dress. Not a good situation to be in. Leaving the hotel room to get help would have made me look slightly (!!) ridiculous.

To cut a long story short, I managed to get out of the dress without assistance - but only by breaking the zip. The wonderful hotel concierge managed to arrange for it to be fixed for me but, when I tried the dress on again later that day, I realised they'd had to take it in to fit the new zip and now the dress was too tight. Sniff. I packed it away and hoped I'd be able to wear it again one day.

Well, that day is about to arrive. Not only can I do my dress up now, but I can do it up with ease. This year I will be wearing it to the RITA/Golden Heart ceremony at the RWA conference in Washington DC. Yay!

If you're in that neck of the woods on Wednesday 15th July, come and see me at the Authors for Life Literacy Authographing, to be held at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel from 5.30 to 7.30 p.m. (Disclaimer: I may not be wearing the ball dress to that event, but I will smile and sign a book for charity for you if you come and talk to me.)

New Cover

If anyone was feeling particularly eagle-eyed when looking at my last post about my Clippykit bag, you would have noticed the covers for my new book, due to be released in September - Invitation To The Boss's Ball.

This book is part of the In Her Shoes mini-series - modern-day Cinderella stories for the 21st century reader. Mine has a downtrodden heroine, a suitably remote prince in his high tower, a ball and even a fairy godmother who completes a transformation on the heroine with a wave of her (mascara) wand...

Alice Morton ends up having to organise a charity ball and fashion show for tycoon Cameron Hunter after his event planner elopes and leaves him in the lurch. She's a wannabe vintage fashion retailer who never, ever wears anything glamorous, and he's the boy she had her first crush on, aged sixteen, who has always been out of her league. But as the night of the ball approaches and Alice and Cameron start working closely together, magic begins to sizzle. Will Cinderella make it home with both her shoes? And will her prince come looking for her when she disappears into the night? You'll just have to read it to find out!

As you can see, in the UK, Mills & Boon are trying something new with the Romance line. From August, the books will be 2-in-1s, and have a brand new look. I'm sharing the pages with Nicola Marsh, whose Trip With The Tycoon is set in exotic India and is part of the Escape Around The World mini-series. I think the cover is very pretty and I'd been interested to hear what you think of it compared to old-style pink Romance covers. Will this look be less embarrassing to read on the train or in the coffee shop, or will die-hard M&B fans just not care?

Almost there...

My 'first draft' of my Clippykit bag is done! (I see this as a work in progress that will be 'tweaked' over the coming months).


I ended up using the small book covers with coloured paper behind, bookmarks, notebooks, the ticket to the RNA party on the day I sold my first book, pencils, mini notepads and lots of felt flowers, bows and stick-on bits. I tend to think of the front as the side with the bows on the handle and the other side as the back.


The colour scheme is based on my website/blog banner. I initially went with these colours as I was going to slip a buisness card in one of the pockets. I was going to cut out stars and flowers and hearts out of card to match the banner, but I ended up using some felt flowers I got in my local craft shop instead, as they were just the right colours. Sometimes they were too big, so I cut them down a size or two until they looked right.

But now I have another dilema.

When I orginally bought my bag, I ordered the black liner to go inside. When I was trying out my inital attempts (see previous Clippy post) the black looked too stark and I decided the pink bag my black liner came in was a better colour behind my pictures etc, so I asked if I could exchange it for a pink liner. But now my bag is just about finished and looking more 'bitty', I don't think the black looks as stark. (I tested my theory out with a folded-up T-Shirt). So...do I stay with the pink liner or do I order a black one?

After changing the liner once already, I wouldn't be cheeky enough to send it back a second time, but I could get another liner. Then I could change my coloured liner to suit my mood. Good idea? Or am I letting my obession start to show? (Start, Fiona? Start?) Oh, the curse of being both a perfectionist and indecisive too! This will haunt me in my sleep until I make a decision. Anyone got any suggestions?

Bag Obsessed

I have a new obsession.

I have a Clippykit bag. It is a thing of beauty. Or it will be once I manage to translate the vision of how gorgeous it’s going to look into reality. The problem is in the execution. My fingers are not as nimble as my ideas.

If you haven’t come across this wonderful product yet, here’s the lowdown:

It’s a clear plastic bag with pockets (see picture above). Mine’s a small one, so it has six each side. Put like that, it doesn't sound very exciting, but the idea is to personalise it by putting pictures and objects in the pockets and to basically make it look as funky and cute as you like.

I’m experimenting with book covers, back blurbs, book pages, scraps of notes and craft paper, and basically anything I can get my hands on that looks as if it will fit in a 9cm x 11cm pocket. (You can see some beautiful examples on the Clippykit website).

Actually, I need some advice. I had intended to use cover flats (flattened out book jackets) in the pockets, but I’m not sure it has the desired effect, so I tried printing out a small, whole book cover and I think that looks better. What’s the verdict? Partial cover (bottom right pocket) or whole cover (top left pocket)?

Told you it was becoming a new obsession…

Anyway, my plan is to have the bag finished by the time I go to the RWA conference in Washington DC. I’m sure it will be an eye-catching bit of promo and will help start a few conversations. I will post pictures when I have finished filling the pockets and getting it just so.

Husband totally does not get this. He looked at the bag, just stared at it, when I pulled it out of the box, ooh-ing and ahh-ing. ‘You hate it,’ I said. He just shrugged. ‘It’s another bag’, he said. What does he know? I think you have to be a girl to get it, really I do.

Super Fi

I couldn't resist this when I saw this link on Liz Fielding's blog - the chance to create a super hero version of myself:

What fun! Personally, I couldn't resist the angel wings.

And what superpowers would I have? Hmm. I know!

• The ability to write 10k a day and never need to edit it.
• The ability to clean my house by just imagining it clean.
• Moving at the speed of light. This would mean I needn't ever get on an aeroplane again, I could decorate my house in seconds and I would probably burn off a lot of calories too!

Go and have a go yourself! You know you want to.

Fiona Harper in Manga!

I'm so excited! I discovered yesterday that English Lord, Ordinarily Lady is out this month as a manga comic in Japan! How cool is that? Check out the funky cover:






I think this may be my favourite cover of all time. Josie actually has pink hair – something I thought I'd never see on a Harlequin cover!

Video book review

Here's a definite first for me - a video book review from a reader on YouTube! Made my day!

Catching up

Sorry there's been nothing new on my blog for so long! Between book deadlines and family illness, something had to give - and this blog was it. But I'm just popping by to re-direct you to the new blog related to my next book, Blind-Date Baby.

Blind-Date Baby is part of the Blind-DateBrides.com trilogy - three books about three women finding love and friendship in the world of internet dating.

Book 1: Nine-To-Five Bride by Jennie Adams (out now!)

Book 2: Blind-Date Baby by Fiona Harper (available at eHarlequin and Mills&Boon.co.uk now!)

Book 3: Dream Date With The Millionaire by Melissa McClone (out soon!)

We've set up a blog with excerpts, dating profiles, background to the stories and settings, so pop by and take a look! You can find it at http://www.blinddatebrides.com/!

And if that's not enough, my heroine, Grace, is blogging all through the month of May on what's going on in her head as she goes on a blind-date and gets tangled up with sexy Noah Frost - with totally unexpected consequences! There'll be a new post every day and you can find Grace's blog here or by clicking on the link in the sidebar of the Blind-Date Brides.com website.

Grace is a forty-year old empty nester who is determined to grow old disgracefully, and no one is more suprised than her when she discovers she's back at square one with a new chick to hatch!

Kiss Goodbye To No Kissing

What I love about being British is that we are all certifiably bonkers from time to time. Here's a prime example:

It seems a no-kissing ban at a British railway station has sparked an outrage! Apparantly, too many people are spending too long smooching goodbye and it's clogging up the station. Here's a link to a news story about it: http://tinyurl.com/cj8d2m

Madness, I say. While I can understand the frustration that delays can cause, surely there has to be a less daft way to handle the situation.

Anyway, it seems my publishers, Mills & Boon, have started a campaign to 'Kiss Goodbye to No Kissing'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/18/no-kissing-zones

There's even a group on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55595782510

So what do you think? Should we put timetables ahead of love?

RNA Awards Lunch 2009

Yesterday was the RNA’s annual awards luncheon, where the organisation presents trophies for the Romantic Novel of the Year, the Romance Prize (for shorter romantic fiction) and this year, for the first time, a Lifetime Achievement Award. Did I mention I was on the shortlist for the Romance Prize for the second year running? I may just have mentioned it in passing…not that I was at all excited about it, you understand.

All the shortlisted authors were asked to be at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington early for PR and photographs, which was great, because I got to meet up and chat with some of my old friends, such as Kate Hardy (right, with yours truly), who took the Romance Prize home last year, Jessica Hart and India Grey. I also got to meet fellow finalist, Beth Elliot, but unfortunately Lucy Broadbent, the last contender on the list, was unable to make the ceremony.

I was also excited to be sharing a ‘green room’ (how showbizzy is that?) with some of the committee members and authors shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year —which, by the way, I think we ought to call the Ronnie (RNY?). Cecilia Ahern looks so fresh-faced and young, she must have been a toddler when she got her first publishing contact. Here are some of the shortlisted authors for the Ronnie (See? It’s catching on…) signing their books.

Lunch itself was lovely and the service was fantastic. An army of waiters seemed to arrive and place the plates on the table simultaneously. I know it seems weird taking pictures of your dinner, but people really want to know! And who am I to deprive them?

The starter was Scottish Salmon Parfait with Tuna Tartar and Crème Fraiche Caviar. I took a picture, but I was so intent on eating it, I forgot to take one before I dived in. Here is a picture of someone else’s plate who was slightly less piggy than I was (but for pristine picture of the food, you'll have to visit Kate Hardy's blog - she obviously has mose self-control than I have).

The main course (can you tell I like my food?) was Chicken filled with a Paris Mushroom Mousse, Marsala Cream Sauce, Marquis Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas. This too was gorgeous. I loved the sauce. And just enough to fill me up without making me too stuffed, which was just as well, because pudding was just around the corner…

I don’t need to say much about dessert, apart from telling you that it was Bitter Lemon Tart with Raspberry Jelly and Crème Fraiche Ice Cream. A picture may say a thousand words. I’ve two to demonstrate how much I enjoyed it:

Anyway, enough of the frivolous stuff and on to the awardsy bit. Unfortunately, our speaker, the debonair and charming Peter Bowles was unable to attend because he was unwell (get well soon, Peter!). Fist up was the Romance Prize and my little heart starting pattering hard as one of the judges, Margaret James, got up on stage and a short video display of all the shortlisted books appeared on screens all round the room. Margaret then gave a short description of each of the books, outlining what the judges liked most about them. I think she may have said Saying Yes To The Millionaire had “charm in abundance”, but I knew as I heard the judges opinion of one of the other books that it had stolen their hearts. And that book was…

Hired: Mistress For the Billionaire’s Pleasure by India Grey.

I’m very glad I didn’t read it before the ceremony because it sounds fabulous and I would have been too scared to turn up! India, lovely as always, was completely shocked by her win and even though she said she hadn’t prepared a speech, she was warm, funny and completely disarming as she accepted both the Betty Neels rose bowl, which she gets to keep for a year, and a little star-shaped glass trophy, which she gets to keep for ever.

And while India was still reeling with surprise, it was on the next event, a Lifetime Achievment Award to Judy Piatkus, founder of Piatkus Books.

Then, it was time to present the Romantic Novel of the Year (okay, maybe The Ronnie wasn’t really a good nickname…), which went to Julia Gregson for her novel East of the Sun. All the books on the shortlist sounded fabulous. Uh-oh, I can hear my credit card groaning at the thought of another book shopping-spree...

Here's Julia with her trophy:

Finally, now all the nail-biting was over, it was time to breathe out and socialise. Here’s me with new M&B Romance author Nina Harrington:

And here’s a little montage, including India with her trophy:

Now, the questions now is: who can I bribe to get myself on the shortlist again next year? Any ideas, anyone? ;-)

The Sexiest Thing On Two Legs

It's official - according to the Romantic Novelists' Association's annua poll:

British actor Richard Armitage has leapt from last year’s 4th place to this year topping the ratings in the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2009 Valentine’s poll, to take the title of Sexiest Thing on Two Legs, beating top Hollywood stars to the number one spot.

Johnny Depp, who topped last year’s poll, was pushed firmly into second place, with Hugh Jackman and George Clooney mere also-rans. "Richard Armitage took 20% of the vote, more than double the count of any other male on the list," said the RNA pollster. "He was a clear winner from the off."

The picture below is the closest one I could find to match my mental image of Will, the hero of English Lord, Ordinary Lady.

Anyway, here's the rest of the list. According to romantic novelists, the sexiest male celebrities of 2009 are:

1 Richard Armitage
2 Johnny Depp
3 Hugh Jackman
4 George Clooney
5 Daniel Craig
6 Sean Bean
7 Alan Rickman
8 David Tennant
9 Pierce Brosnan
10 Gerard Butler

Snow in London

I'm interuppting my pre-deadline silence to post a few pics of the snow in London over the last few days. We've had about 10" where I live - which is a lot for us! Normally, we're lucky if we get an inch or two and it normally disappears by lunchtime.

My eldest daughter was in seventh heaven as it was her birthday. It was the first 'snow day' she's had in years and got to make snowmen and go sledding too. I lost count of the time she said, "This is the best birthday ever!".

Romance Prize 2009

Finally I can let the cat out of the bag and tell you that I've made the shortlist for the RNA's Romance Prize again this year!

Here's the full press release, including the shortlist:

The Romantic Novelists’ Association, who will announce the shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year award on 13th January, is also honouring writers of shorter romances such as those published by Harlequin Mills and Boon.

“Although both awards celebrate novels with a high romantic content,” explains Catherine Jones, Chairman of the RNA, “the Romance Prize honours the most memorable stories set around a single theme that concentrates on the developing love affair.”

The Romance Prize will be presented at the RNA’s Awards Lunch on 10th February 2009 at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington. The winner will be selected from the following books:

What's Love Got to Do With It? - Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress, Headline)
The Wild Card - Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)
Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure - India Grey (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Sold to the Highest Bidder - Kate Hardy (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Saying Yes to the Millionaire - Fiona Harper (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Promoted to Wife and Mother - Jessica Hart (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Fiona Harper has been short-listed before, and both Jessica Hart and Kate Hardy are past winners. Kate Hardy, who won in 2008 with Breakfast at Giovanni’s, had this to say: "Winning the Romance Prize has been the highlight of my career to date, and it's certainly opened up opportunities. I'm very proud to have won the award and to be part of the RNA - and have been delighted by messages of support over the year. I even had a personal letter of congratulations from the chancellor of the University of Leicester!"

The shortlist will be judged by Margaret James, creative writing teacher for the London School of Journalism and regular columnist with Writing Magazine; Paul Reizin, writer, producer and journalist; and Linda Leatherbarrow, prize-winning short story writer, reviewer and MA lecturer at Middlesex.

Margaret James, a member of the RNA for 20 years with 13 published novels to her credit and a former organiser of the Romance Prize and the New Writers’ Scheme, says it’s a delight to be involved in the judging. “I'm finding the shortlisted novels are perfect reading treats for these cold winter evenings, and I know that choosing a winner is going to be very hard.”

Former journalist and TV producer Paul Reizin is the author of three comic novels and a memoir of his life in the lonely hearts, Date Expectations - the true story of how he met his wife. Reizin says: “Romantic fiction is generally thought to be a female preserve, so in helping judge the 2009 Romance Prize, it’s particularly nice to be asked to provide a male perspective.”

Linda Leatherbarrow’s story collection Essential Kit was published by Maia in 2004. She has won a Bridport Prize, an Asham Award and is a three time winner of the London Writers Competition. Her stories have been widely published and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Linda says: “I was delighted to be asked to judge this prize and look forward very much to meeting the short-listed authors.”


Now, do I read the ones on the shortlist I haven't read yet and continue to scare myself silly before the ceremony on 10th Feb, or do I bury my head in the sand and remain blissfully ignorant?

Anyway, congratulations to all the other authors on the shortlist and I look forward to saying hello to you all on the day!

Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses - Settings 2

I know it’s been a while since I posted and this book has been out for a couple of months now, but I couldn’t not write about these settings in Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses. Blame flu, Christmas chaos, book deadlines and family crises. But better late than never...

Across the river from Louise’s house is the little village of Lower Hadwell. Those of you who have read Her Parenthood Assignment will recognise it as the same hamlet in which Luke and Gaby live. They even get a quick mention in Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses – but if you blink, you’ll miss it.

Dittisham from Greenway Quay

Lower Hadwell is based on the real village of Dittisham on the River Dart in Devon. It’s a beautiful, chocolate-box kind of place with cottages painted in pastel colours and the steepest hill ever. Louise and her son, Jack, walk backwards up the hill to try and stop their calves from screaming. Been there, done that, felt the lactic acid building up in my muscles…

The other key location in this book is Louise’s boathouse. I had no idea when I sailed past it hundreds of times during my teenage years that it belonged to the mysterious white mansion up on the hill (see previous post). The boathouse always looked so idyllic, with its arched windows and balcony – just the place to spend a lazy summer’s afternoon.

A view of the boathouse taken from the river

In reality, it’s a pretty sparse place inside, with only a tiled fireplace and some old cane furniture, but in the book I embellished. The fireplace was still there, but Louise chose this as her bolthole, her hiding place, when life wasn’t going as planned, and renovated it to make it a little more comfortable. Think New England creams, pale blues and deep reds, a roaring fire and a wrought iron daybed covered with a quilt and you’ll be pretty much there.

The inside of Greenway boathouse, which once belonged to a certain Mrs Mallowan - better known as writer, Agatha Christie.

This is the place where Louise goes to lick her wounds when she has to spend her first Christmas without her son – and the place where her Christmas Wishes start coming true. Ben realises how miserable she is and decides to cheer her up by bringing Christmas to her solitary pity party – whether she likes it or not! And this is the place where Louise and Ben’s romance both starts and ends – in terms of the book, anyway. I like to think the romance keeps going even when there are no more words left on the page…

A sign on the boathouse jetty that inspired Louise's loathing of tresspassers.


The view from the boathouse balcony

Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses - Settings 1

My father loves sailing and when I was about 12 he bought a boat and moored it on the River Dart in Devon. Many weekends and holidays were then spent on the yacht. I can’t say I always appreciated the wet weather, anything above a force 5 wave, or some of the chores, but hey, I was a teenager, it was my job to whine about these things.

I did, however, love the scenery, the feeling of freedom that comes from sailing and getting to see things you never normally see from the road. Up the Dart, just above Greenway quay was one of these places. Just through the trees, you can see a lonely white mansion – just a glimpse, before the boat motored on and it disappeared from view. I always used to look out for the house, every time we came back to the mooring from a sailing trip, and wonder who owned the house and what it would be like to live there.

Years later I discovered the house was called Greenway and had belonged to Agatha Christie. That just made me even more intrigued. Then, a couple of years ago, I learned the National Trust had acquired the house and that the public could go and view the gardens. Next time we visited Devon, I was there like a shot, camera in hand. I knew I wanted to use this mysterious white house as a setting in a book – I just didn’t know which one yet.

The house was old and crumbling, when I visited in May 2007, although there are plans afoot to renovate the house and provide holiday accommodation in some of the upper floors! So I had to guess what it might be like inside and take some of my inspiration from the surroundings.

This was the perfect place for my WAG heroine, Louise, to come and hide out from the world when she’d finally ditched her cheating husband. The loneliness, the beauty, all seemed to match her mood. I knew at once that she would love to live there and I based her fictional home of Whitehaven on Greenway, although I did take a little license here and there. Not only is the house stunning, but the gardens and views across the river are wonderful too. Here are just a few of my favourites:

The hilly woods of 'Whitehaven'

The greenhouse where Louise and Ben first meet.

Inside the greenhouse.

View from Greenway looking towards Dartmouth & Kingswear