Sunday, July 31, 2011

ROYAL WEDDING

There is nothing like a wedding to add a little sparkle to the day.  Yesterday Zara Phillips, world champion three-day eventer, granddaughter of the HM Queen and daughter of the Princess Royal, married England rugby star Mike Tindall in a private ceremony in Scotland.  Here are some photographs of a lovely day.













Saturday, July 23, 2011

BLOG PARTY - THE RECOVERY!


Good morning!  How are you all feeling!

I don't know about you but I need a long glass of orange juice to pick me up after a week of partying.

There's still some fun to be had - and the butlers are all still on hand to cater to your every whim, so do keep them busy!

Meanwhile, I'll say a huge thank to all the friends who dropped by to help me celebrate this week.  You have all been stars.

And here is a round up of all books winners - including the last two days, so if you haven't got in touch with addresses and so forth, well, call up one of the butlers and get them to send an email now.  (They all take dictation very well!)

Here's the list -

Nicola Marsh - Morton
Jessica Hart - Roz and Sheree
Anna Campbell - Nell, Jenny Swartz and Jane O'Reilly
Kate Walker - Tammy and Raven
Lesley Cookman - Tammy and Nas
Ally Blake - Helen
Sophie Page - Alexandra
Christine Stovell - Teresa Morgan
Nell Dixon - ChrisCross
Donna Alward - Stevie
Jan Jones - Michele L
Phillipa - Wendy McD
Kate Hardy - Stevie
Soraya Lane - Helen

You can send your details to me at liz at lizfielding dot com and I'll pass them on to the lovely authors who donated these door prizes.

Now, a party to celebrate my career wouldn't be a party without a prize from the host.  So, what will it be?

One of my books, I think for everyone who visited me this week, including the authors.  (Tough on Kate Hardy, who has read them all, but I will think of something...)

leave a note in the comment column saying which one you'd like (and whether paper or eBook) and I'll try and sort you out a copy  I don't have spares of some of the early books, although quite a few are available now as eBooks - with more on the way very shortly.

In the meantime, while you tuck into breakfast, I'll introduce the hero of my 60th book, FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN - Matteo di Serrone, who is discovering that a cool English rose can be more of a handful than he bargained for.

Here's a little taster...


‘Out.  Now,’ he said.
     Sarah looked back helplessly at the mess, but he headed for the door and she barely had time to scoop up her bag and cardigan before they were through it and heading down the stairs.    
     ‘Where are we going?’ she gasped, as they burst into the warm evening and, as if coming to his senses, he finally let her go.  Pushed his hands deep into his pockets.
     ‘Anywhere.  Nowhere.  Just out.’  He glanced at her as they headed down the cobbled hill.  ‘Did I hurt you?’
     ‘No.’
     He stopped, looked at her.
     ‘No,’ she repeated, with a gesture that was pure Roman.  ‘I’m not being “nice”, Matteo,’ she said, walking on, leaving him to follow.                                
    ‘I believe you,’ he said, falling in beside her.  ‘Nice girls don’t kiss like that.’  He rubbed at his lower lip.  Smiled a touch ruefully.  ‘You bit me.’
     She’d bitten him?
    He was right.  She didn’t kiss like that.  At least she hadn’t until now.  But then she’d never felt like that.  Been so completely out of control.  
     ‘Do you expect me to apologise?’ she asked.
     ‘I wasn’t complaining.’  He glanced at her.  ‘Do you want me to?’
     ‘Complain?’ she said, choosing to misunderstand. 
     ‘Apologise.’
     Her turn to stop.  ‘No, Matteo.’  She was free, unencumbered by any responsibilities except to herself.  ‘I don’t want anything from you that you can’t give me naked.’
     ‘Let’s go back…’
     ‘I want a lover,’ she said.  ‘A man who will make memories to keep me warm when I’m old.  Memories that will shock my grandchildren.  Make me smile when I’m dying.’
     ‘We should definitely go back…’
     She was trying to be cool, but he had this way of getting beneath her skin and she was fighting a losing battle against a smile.  Who wouldn’t want a man who couldn’t trust himself alone in a room with her? 
     Any woman would smile.
     ‘No, you’re fine,’ she said.  ‘You’ve already passed the physical-’
     He practically choked.                                   
     ‘You are outrageous.’
     ‘Am I?’  He was right, she was.  Tom would not have recognised her.  She scarcely recognised herself.  ‘It’s your bad influence.  You are turning me into a diva.’
     ‘I admit only to liberating the diva within.  A role you appear to have taken to with genuine enthusiasm.’
     She looked at him sideways from beneath her lashes.  ‘If I’m shocking you, you can withdraw at any time.’ 
     ‘That, amore mio, is an offer you may live to regret,’ he said, not bothering to hide his amusement as she blushed.
     A woman, a diva, interviewing a potential lover did not blush.

Does November seem a long way off?  It'll be here before we know it and I have book # 61 to write before then.  

In the meantime, if you haven't yet downloaded a copy of WILD JUSTICE, it's free, for a very short while, at Amazon.  There's a link on the sidebar.

Thanks, all of you for being such fun this week.  It's been a blast.  And before you go - don't forget to tell me what book you'd like!



Friday, July 22, 2011

BLOG PARTY DAY 5

Welcome to day 5 of my party and the last of my very special guests.


I have a whole shelf of Kate Hardy's books. Romantic, emotional, she can always touch the heart strings and make you cry.  She's a hugging friend, one I'm always thrilled to see at a conference, or author lunch.


And she's another of those authors who has won the RNA Romance Prize.  There are only six in the shortlist each year, so it is a very special peer group award.


She'll tell you herself about her latest book: -


The idea for ITALIAN DOCTOR, NO STRINGS ATTACHED came to me when we visited Capri and took the chairlift up to Monte Solaro, the highest point of the island. It was like standing on the edge of the world, and I thought, what a fantastic place to propose to someone... but who and why and when? 

(The answers came a bit later on when a friend told me about a very interesting medical condition, knowing the kind of things that make lightbulbs happen in my head!) ]

I'm thrilled to give away a copy of Italian Doctor, No Strings attached as soon as my author copies come through (any day now). 

To be in with a chance to win Kate's book, just tell her the most romantic place you can think of for a marriage proposal.

Great question, Kate!

And no, Kate, I don't think anyone will be surprised that you'd volunteer to bring Antonio Banderas to the party!


Arriving next is Phillipa Ashley

Phillipa is another of those authors I met online when she was striving to make the break through into publication.  And for those of you who think it's impossible, believe me, I have seen dozens of new authors publishing a pile of books in the twenty years since I made my own break though.

Phillipa was published by Little Black Books - more than that, her first book, Decent Exposure, was made into a movie, 12 Men of Christmas.  And it doesn't get much better than that!

Phillipa has offered a copy of her latest Samhain book, FEVER CURE to one of my guests today.

More  cover envy!

So, what kind of man will bring you out in a fever? Is it going to be Antonio? Or  George Clooney? Daniel? Do you like a man built, or sensitive? (Not saying we can't have both!) Who would you choose as your co-star in a rom-com?


Last but a very long way from least, is Jan Jones

Jan has not only written a handful of books and wonderful serials for magazines - "An Ordinary Gift" starts in Woman's Weekly in the UK next week; a contemporary story about a young woman whose move to Ely awakens an ancient talent should be in the shops from 28 July - but she is a master at arranging the most wonderful conferences for the Romantic Novelists' Association.  We all love her to bits.

I adored her first book STAGE BY STAGE, set in the world of am-dram and with a hero to absolutely die for.

She also writes wonderful Regencies, and she's offering a copy of FAIR DECEPTION to one the my party guests today.

She suggests that the hero is a cross between Orlando Bloom and Robert Redford.  Tricky, but I think this photograph of Orlando does the job!

And we're back to heroes again - what kind of clothes maketh the man for you?


A superfine coat and perfect folded cravat? Cowboy jeans and hat? A pin-striped suit, or just a pair of shorts?  And what turns you off?  Romantic authors everywhere want to know!


Thursday, July 21, 2011

PARTY DAY 4!

Day 4 - I'm starting to feel a little giddy! Maybe it's time for a sit down in the shade while the guys fire up the barbie and we sip on a cool drink.

Colin looks eager to serve.

And just to catch up, winners of books have been announced in the comments column, so do check to make sure you've followed up on that.  I will do a round up of all winners on Saturday, just to be sure you don't miss anything.

My first guest today is the charming Nell Dixon, who writes for Little Black Dress in the UK, Samhain and Astraea Press in the US.  She has twice won the prestigious Romantic Novelists’ Association “Romance Prize” with the accompanying Betty Neels’ Rosebowl – the only author to manage that extraordinary feat.

I first met her face to face at an RNA conference in Leicester and spent a very pleasant Sunday afternoon on the train with as we headed for the hub at Birmingham.

She’s come along today with a copy of her exciting new title, DANGEROUS TO KNOW, which seems to have a whiff of the suspense about it – and haven’t we all been longing for the return of romantic suspense?

The authors who turned me onto romance were Georgette Heyer and Mary Stewart.  Whose book first grabbed you by the heart and made you a lifelong fan of romance?

Moving over to let Donna Alward – darling girl – slide in beside me.


I’ve known her since she was a “wannabe” author on the eHarlequin community; she calls me her “writing mum” and was thrilled to celebrate with her when she joined the tanks of the Harlequin “Romance” authors.  She’s had a pretty stellar year, being shortlisted in a fistful of prestigious published author competitions and I’m so glad she could find a moment to drop by and offer one of her lovely romances as a door prize at my party.


Donna is giving away two of her books, her latest Harlequin "Romance", A FAMILY FOR THE RUGGED RANCHER, and an ARC of the new Samhain, BREATHE.

Donna writes a stunning cowboy.  


Karin Stoecker, until recently the Editorial Director of Romance HQ in the UK, once told me that a sheikh was a cowboy in a different hat.


With that in mind, which hat would your hero be wearing?

Oh, look, Daniel's just turned up to give Colin a hand. 


Excellent!


My next guest, Chris Stovell, is almost a neighbour.

She lives in the next county to me and is a member of the Carmarthen chapter of the RNA. She was also my flatmate at the recent RNA conference at Caerleon; fun to be with and a wonderful author.  


I hope she’ll manage to visit today – she’s in the middle of having her new house rewired so life is a bit on the edge for her at the moment.








She’s offered a copy of her first book, published by ChocLit called TURNING THE TIDE.  The inspiration was her love of the sea and sailing and it’s an “all’s fair in love and war” romance with two strong characters facing off against each other, a wonderful cast of supporting players and some touching sub plots.

Are you captivated by the sea? Does the snap of a sail make your heart beat faster? Or are you a river, or lake woman?  Paddling about in a dinghy, or gliding along in a punt? What memory lingers of a watery moment?






And while you're thinking about that, dig in...




Tuesday, July 19, 2011

BLOG PARTY DAY 3!

Are you keeping up? Maybe a little camomile tea to settle the nerves after all this stimulation.  A cucumber sandwich to keep your strength up. A little strawberry tart? A big fat prawn or two?

What's your favourite party food?  Just say the word and one of our lovely butlers will be at your elbow with a tray. :)

We've still got lots of partying to do, so call over one of the butlers to give you a little massage - Hugh anyone? - to ease out the wrinkles, and then we can party on because I have a very special guest today.

Leah Ashton, our newest author, signed after being mentored by Jessica Hart in the New Voices competition held by Mills and Boon last year. Her first book, Secrets and Speed Dating, will be published in a special pack in September this year in the UK.

Here's Leah to tell you a little bit about her extraordinary year.

Meet the very delicious Tom Harley, a man who looks remarkably like my hero in Secrets & Speed Dating, Dan Halliday :) Dan is just like Tom - tall, strong, a fabulous smile and incredible sky blue eyes that you could just fall into. Tom is an ex-Australian Football League premiership player (and captain), who is now a football commentator, which means I can show a photo of him looking very dapper in a suit, also.

Dan isn't a footballer, he gets his lovely muscles from swimming every morning at Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia. During the day he manages his two super successful - and super trendy - bars, and he thinks his life is trundling along absolutely perfectly - until he meets Sophie Morgan. Sophie's world is full of to-do lists and plans while Dan has learnt that life can't be micro managed. But then Dan finds himself part of Sophie's latest project.

You may have already met Dan last September, during the Mills & Boon New Voices competition, which I was fortunate enough to win. Dan has grown and changed just a bit since then, but he's still the hero I fell in love with when I first typed up my entry. New Voices was such an incredible experience, everything about it was just so new and so huge - from the number of entrants (over 800!) to the prize on offer (publication!). I ummed and ahhed over entering, but I am just so glad I took that deep breath and dived in - because now by the time that New Voices 2011 begins this September, Dan's story will be a real life, published book! I am just over the moon excited :)

It's been a whirlwind since I submitted my entry last year - from the shock of finding out I made the Top 10, to the next nerve-wracking month of the competition, the euphoria of winning - and then the really difficult bit - writing the rest of the book! While some of it was a lot of hard work, I wouldn't change a thing. My writing has improved a hundred-fold through the experience of working with my mentors, but also I had the amazing experience of having readers read my work and provide their feedback - and that support just blew me away.

Thanks to New Voices I now have my first book about to come out, and my deadline for my second book rapidly approaching. I'm just starting out on my writing career with Mills & Boon, but I sincerely hope that I will get to write lots and lots of books for them in the future. I am in awe of Liz and her achievement - 20 years and 60 books - WOW! Congratulations Liz, I loved your books well before I was published. Your books, and your career, are such an inspiration to me.

Thanks, Leah.  Many congratulations on your new career. May Dan be the first of many heroes in your life!


So, here's the question - who would you cast as the hero in your first romantic novel?

Next up is the lovely Sophie Page - better known to some of you as Sophie Weston.  She's written a basketful of books for Harlequin in the past, but this year she caught the zeitgeist with her latest book, To Marry a Prince, published just before the royal wedding.  This is a truly delightful book with a genuine Prince Charming who wins the kind of heroine we all hope a man in such a difficult position will find to share his life.

Here's what Sophie has to say about her inspiration and her book -


The Ordinary Girl and the Prince is the first fairytale I read. 

When the Royal Engagement was announced in 2010, it brought it all back - the anxiety, the excitement, the big happy (and yes, okay, slightly tearful) smile when Everygirl married her One True Love. Only this time, just for a moment, it felt sort of personal - a happy ending in our time, as it were.

To Marry a Prince is a story for every girl, of any age, who has ever dreamed of finding her Prince.  It’s set today (with a few variations, as you would expect). It’s Britain, Jim, but not quite as we know it. The wondrous Terry Pratchett would say we have gone down the other trouser leg of Time and taken a slightly different turn in history.

A long time fan, I pre-ordered this book for my Kindle and devoured it in great big romantic chunks. My favourite bit is probably the nightmarish New Year's Eve party - wild Scottish country dancing, knocking HM's tiara off; lots of fun and very romantic.

Okay - you're at the New Year's Eve party at Balmoral and you've just knocked the tiara off the monarch's head. What would you say!

Okay, time topause for a little refreshment, I think! (I hope you spotted the Thai Coconut Prawns back there!

And onto our next guest, the truly lovely Ally Blake, who has supplied so many gorgeous pictures for us to drool over.

I'm particularly fond of this one, an oldie but totally gorgeous hottie who is an example to all those foolish men who think they need a face lift when they reach the age of the bus pass.  Guys, we love that lived in look. Truly. Think Cary Grant, think ... well, think Paul Newman!

Ally's latest book confusing, has two titles, depending where in the world you are.  This is the UK cover - THE WEDDING DATE, which is part of the new RIVA series.  In the US it's released as a Presents Extra with the title THE ROGUE WEDDING GUEST, but wherever in the world you are it has Ally's witty, emotional voice.

And has this gorgeous guy as its hero.


All work and no play means that Hannah’s crush on her gorgeous boss - blockbuster adventure TV show producer Bradley Knight – has no chance of fading gracefully away.   So the opportunity to go home to Tasmania for her sister’s wedding for a long weekend is just the break from work - and Bradley – she so badly needs.

One problem - Bradley has a gut feeling that if his most able assistant goes back to her beautiful island home, she might find more reasons to stay than to come back.  Thankfully, the stunning, raw, rugged scenery of Tasmania is just the kind of place he could set his next TV show.  It only makes sense that he tag along!

This book is set in the wilds of Tasmania.  Where in the world would you go to go for a romantic escape!

Three great guests, three fabulous books up for grabs. And tomorrow there'll be three more friends dropping by.  See you then!




PARTY DAY 2!

I can't have a celebration without a little cake. Just a mouthful.

Can someone tip Reynaldo out of that hammock and get him to pass them round?

Kate Walker ... just the woman for the job. I'll leave you to handle that while I introduce today's guests.



So, today I have great pleasure in welcoming one of Harlequin's newest authors to the party.  Soraya Lane is a woman made of the right stuff. She delivered a book and then, scarcely pausing for breath, she delivered a baby! As if that isn't enough, she's also being shaken to bits by earthquakes on a daily basis back home in New Zealand.  Romance authors are not made of pink and fluffy; we're Steel Magnolias!


Her book The Army Ranger's Return is about a soldier's second chance…



As nervous as a teenager about to go on her first date, Jessica Mitchell waits for Special Forces Ranger Ryan McAdams—her best friend for the past year— whom she's never met! They've been pen pals while Ryan was away fighting for their country and Jessica was secretly fighting her own demons back home.



She knows widower Ryan's fears of returning to civilian life and his hopes of reconnecting with his son. Now she can't wait to meet him face–to–face—to hear his voice and see his smile…


The returning soldier is so much part of our experience these days and I can't wait to read this story.  And if you'd like the chance to win a copy all you have to do is leave a comment.

Truth, dare, kiss or promise, remember?

Tell us about a kiss from someone special you haven't seen in a long time. A parent, a child, your grandmother, the love of your life.

And meanwhile, back to Kate, if she's finished with Reynaldo! Oh, right, she's brought Jake Gyllenhaal with her, so Reynaldo is going to have to make his own amusement.

I've known Kate almost as long as I've been writing for Mills and Boon and she's the warmest, kindest person you can imagine. Every year we indulge in a "Here Come the Grooms" contest, along with Anne MAllister, definitely one to look out for.  Today she's brought a copy of her most recent book, The Proud Wife, to the party.

Marina thought her dreams had come true when her husband placed a wedding band on her finger. But their marriage was not the fairy tale she'd hoped for, and eventually Marina walked away, her heart broken.  Two years on Pietro D’Inzeo no longer haunts Marina's dreams. She knows the time has come to move on, and even a summons to join him in Sicily won't deter her.


However, with his wife standing before him, about to sign on the dotted line of their divorce papers, Pietro wonders why he ever let her go?

Kate writes the most amazing Mediterranean heroes and you won't want to miss this one.

For a chance to win a copy, tell me which of the great exotic hero types you dream of being swept away by?  A Greek tycoon? A Sicilian Conte? A hot Italian or fiery Spaniard?  Nothing but the truth now!





I've just spotted another guest arriving.

I met Lesley Cookman when she was studying for her Creative Writing MA here in Wales. It started as a cyber-connection but we're now on hugging terms!

A glass of Chianti, Lesley? (Snaps fingers for Reynaldo to deliver!)

While she's distracted by Reynaldo, I'll mention that Lesley writes the "Libby Serjeant" crime series - cosies set in the Kent countryside and I think it's about time they kicked Misummer Murders into touch and moved east! She's the go-to girl if you want to write a pantomime, too, but the multi-talented Lesley is also a long standing member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, writing as Rosina Lesley for Accent Press and she has two of those eBooks to give away, Running Away and A Will to Love.

Catherine Long, in RUNNING AWAY, has a habit of running away from her problems - and one of the biggest problems she's ever had to face goes by the name of James Grant. He was a great support to her and her younger sister Felicity when their father passed away, but when Catherine started developing feelings for this older, married benefactor, she fled to take up residence in her grandmother's country cottage. Except now James has arrived in the village to redevelop his uncle's grand house into a hotel and their lives suddenly seem so intertwined, there's no place left to run for Catherine.
 
It's time for another dare!  For a chance to win one of Lesley's books tell me what you have dared for love. Have you defied your family? Gone to a new country? Run away?  Or do you think that love itself, the risk of your heart, is the greatest dare of all?


Oh, and if you want to see me talking about TEMPTED BY TROUBLE, click on the link at the top of the sidebar!

Monday, July 18, 2011

PARTY TIME!

Welcome! Choose the cocktail of your choice from the barman, draw up a lap and sit down, we're about to party!

It's been twenty years since the day I signed my first contract with Mills and Boon for a book called AN IMAGE OF YOU - and two other titles.  An awful lot has happened in that time.

We've built a house. The kids grew up, went to university, flew the nest. My daughter got married and made me a grandmother and my son had a book of his own published.

And of course I've written sixty books for Mills and Boon - #60 is FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN out in December - and another three for someone else.  That's a lot to celebrate.

Writer friends will be dropping by to help me celebrate this week.  They're bringing along some good looking men to help the party go with a swing, and have books to give away as door prizes, so when you can stop ogling the pecs, leave a comment so that you name can go into the draw.
Meanwhile, my fellow author and webmistress, Ally Blake, has raided her own stash of fit blokes to serve our every whim.

Olive, anyone?

Don't all rush, now. There are plenty more where that came from!


But now to the guests.  Ally will be back later in the week with her latest book, but first to drop by is -

- the lovely Anna Campbell and she's brought a wicked English rake to the party.

He's London’s most notorious seducer, Nicholas Challoner, who lives solely for revenge…

The dashing, licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister—now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin. But one formidably intriguing impediment stands in the way of Nicholas’s vengeance: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe’s unsuspecting daughter.


Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue—banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie—Antonia vows to protect her charge from the same cruel fate. She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is, and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him.

Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes


I have read this book and believe me, she has a fight on her hands!

Anna has three copies of Midnight's Wild Passion to give away.  


So here we have a game of truth, dare, kiss, promise... To win a copy of this book, I dare you tell me your secret passion. 


And while you're thinking about that, here's another of Ally's butlers in the buff with a jug of delicious fruit punch - livened with a touch of something naughty, to cool you down.


 Okay? Glass in hand, a little blini to stave off the hunger pangs.  Here's Nicola Marsh joining the party with her man of the moment, the utterly delicious Rob Lowe.

I asked Nicola about her new book GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS and she told me that the idea was originally sparked by an article in a Sunday newspaper magazine on retro charm schools. 


"Lola Lombard strutted onto the blank pages fully formed and I didn't look back.  Of course, I had to pit her against a hero her opposite in every way to ensure guaranteed sparks and a pic of Rob Lowe in a business suit fitted the bill.  Mind you, having to research loads and loads of Rob Lowe pics once I’d cast him was no hardship either!

I can't argue with that, and if you aren't lucky enough to win a copy of Nicola's Girl in a Vintage Dress here, you can win it as part of her 7 book giveaway at
http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com/2011/07/prize-pack-giveaway.html

Meanwhile, tell me about a dress that you once owned that still makes your heart beat faster. That you wish was still in your wardrobe. And why it holds such special memories. Only the truth now!

I'm also delighted to welcome my RIVA/Harlequin Romance colleague, the witty, wonderfully emotional author, Jessica Hart   Jessica is not only a fabulous writer, but she's a great teacher, too. She regularly teaches hopeful authors in the lovely Tuscan countryside, and last year mentored writers in Mills and Boon's New Voices competition.


She has volunteered Kevin Costner as a butler, so order yourself up a Martini or two!


And she's offering a copy of her latest Harlequin Romance, The Secret Princess, as a door prize today.  It's bang up to the minute with its royal wedding theme and you won't want to miss it, I promise you.


For a chance to win, all you have to do is tell her who you'd choose as your Prince Charming!  Be honest, now. And husbands and partners do not count!


 And come back tomorrow when I'll have more guests, more books, more gorgeous men.