I Never Write Reviews...

It's true. I never, well very rarely, review books.

I will sometimes tell my twitter or facebook fans if I've enjoyed a book, but this weekend I downloaded The Other Us by Fiona Harper.

Hands up, I download a lot of books. I don't always read them. This, however, was by someone I've known for a long time but it wasn't just that. This book sounded very different to anything she'd written before and I was intrigued.

Here's the blurb...

If you could turn back time, would you choose a different life?

Forty-something Maggie is facing some hard truths. Her only child has flown the nest for university and, without her daughter in the house, she’s realising her life, and her marriage to Dan, is more than a little stale.

When she spots an announcement on Facebook about a uni reunion, she can’t help wondering what happened to Jude Hanson. The same night Dan proposed, Jude asked Maggie to run away with him, and she starts to wonder how different her life might have been if she’d broken Dan’s heart and taken Jude up on his offer.

Wondering turns into fantasising, and then one morning fantasising turns into reality. Maggie wakes up and discovers she’s back in 1992 and twenty-one again. Is she brave enough to choose the future she really wants, and if she is, will the grass be any greener on the other side of the fence?

Two men. Two very different possible futures. But is there only once chance at happiness?

I am not a reviewer but here goes. 

My Saturday began with a hunt in the cupboard under the stairs for a load of batteries that needed charging, a handsaw and that machine that makes your legs tingle. A quick steam of the kitchen floor followed by breakfast and a dash to Sainsburys to catch up on the weekly shop. After that there was a stint in the garden putting in plants I'd bought the day before, clearing a clematis intent on world domination and replacing sad containers full of weeds with some petunias to brighten the day of anyone who walks past our garden. 

That done I was a bit pooped to tell you the truth, so I made coffee, the dh put on the F1 practice session and I opened up The Other Us. Just half an hour.I told myself. I had to stop when the dh prodded me to make lunch but then it was back to the book. Apart from stopping for cups of tea, something to eat, that was it. Me and my Kindle on the sofa. Do Not Disturb..

At one point my battery warning light came on and I moved so that I could plug it in and carry on reading. The dh went to bed. I read until I reached the last page when I went straight to Amazon and gave it 5 fabulous stars.

I can't remember the last time I did that.

The Other Us is an extraordinary book. Imaginative, emotional, especially evocative for anyone who grew up in the 90s. Full of questions, lots of answers... At one point there were tears running down my cheeks. 

If I ran a bookclub - I don't - it would be top of my list. 
Demand it at your local bookshop, order it from Amazon, pick it up in your local supermarket, but read it.

Finalists!

The Romantic Novelists’ Association has announced its shortlist for their annual RoNA awards. Congratulations to  Fiona Harper for finalling in the RoNA Rose Award (for Short/Series/Category Romance) with her title ALWAYS THE BEST MAN, a 2012 RIVA release and to Pam Hartshorne, aka Jessica Hart, for her final in the Historical Romance category with her wonderful single title timeslip set in York, TIME’S ECHO.

The Australian Romance Readers Association also have announced their finalists for the annual ARRA awards. Double congrats to Barbara Hannay who shortlisted with THE CATTLEMAN’S SPECIAL DELIVERY in the Short Category Romance category and also in the Favourite Contemporary Romance category with her single title, ZOE’S MUSTER.  Nicola Marsh, also got a shout out with her indie title CRAZY LOVE being nominated in the Favourite Meeting Between A Hero and Heroine category!

For a full list of RoNA nominees click here

A Christmas Letter from Donna Alward

My guest today is the fabulous Donna Alward who, since she was first published six years ago, has been winning plaudits and prizes for her wonderful warm, emotional romances.

This Christmas, she has teamed up with fan favourites Fiona Harper and Shirley Jump to produce a fabulous threesome of stories (in the UK - the books stand on their own in the US).

Here is Donna to tell you about it...

 

Thanks for having me over to visit, Liz, and helping you celebrate such a great milestone. To be in this business for twenty years takes some staying power. I can’t even begin to imagine the changes that have happened in the industry over that time. I’m six years in and my mind is already blown.  Not only that, but your books continue to be as warm and charming as ever… I looked up to you way before selling my first title and I still do. There are lots of times I ask myself WWLD? (What would Liz do?) Thanks for your ever-present generosity and inviting me to share a bit about my latest release, Sleigh Ride with the Rancher.

 

I wrote this book as part of a trilogy with Fiona Harper and Shirley Jump. I couldn’t have picked two better people to work with. It was a lot of fun chatting back and forth (sometimes even about the books!) and now having the stories out for the holidays. In the US the books have come out back to back – Oct/Nov/Dec. But in the UK the Holiday Miracles trilogy has come out as a single volume called A Christmas Letter. I have serious cover love for this version. In fact, Fiona and I first caught a glimpse of it together! We were in California for the RWA conference and editorial sent it through to her e-mail. Since seeing each other in person is a very rare occasion, it was super special that we were there together. We were just missing Shirley…

 

The cool thing is that each book offers something slightly different while still blending into each other. When I got my antho copies, I read all three from start to finish so I can tell you that’s really true. If you like romantic English settings and a fairy-tale romance, Fi’s title SNOWBOUND IN THE EARL’S CASTLE is for you. If you’re into rugged heroes, independent women, and snow, then SLEIGH RIDE WITH THE RANCHER (mine! Set in frosty Canada!) should fit the bill. And if you like heartwarming, small-town Hallmark-style Christmas stories, you’ll adore Shirley’s MISTLETOE KISSES WITH THE BILLIONAIRE, where she wraps up the holiday (and the entire family!) with a big bow.

 

You can check it out at amazon uk, at Mills and Boon or if you check out the M&B facebook page, you can enter to win a copy (and a chance at a new ereader!)

 

Thanks for having me Liz, and congratulations. Here’s to many more.

Impressions from Conference...

I'm typing this blog sitting in bed at 5 o'clock in the morning on Sunday morning. It's light enough to see the furniture in my room here in Caerleon, but not quite light enough to see the keys of my netbook, which is making typing a rather slow process.  I'm a touch typist, but the keyboard is not very familiar - a bit small - and using the mouse on the quilt is a new experience.


What am I doing up at this time on a Sunday?


I'm at the RNA Conference, and having slept the sleep of the dead for six hours, I am now wide awake.  In a moment I'll go along to the kitchen and make a cup of tea, but before I do, I wanted to pass on some impressions of this wonderful conference.


On the opening day, we were given some fabulous advice about contracts from agent Lizzy Kremer; a reminder that publishers and authors are equal partners in the contract. That no matter how happy you are to sign, to be published, you need to look for the pitfalls, think about what would happen if the book were not a success or, conversely, if it's a huge success.  Does your contract give you a good deal in either case? Can you get your rights back if your book goes out of print? Are you getting a fair deal on eRights? If you're a British author, her advice is to get a copy of the Society of Authors' leaflet on contracts.


We then had a panel of award winning authors, Elizabeth Chadwick, Louise Allen and Jill Mansell talking about their work.  The two things that stood out from this were that Louise Allen has the best working titles I've ever heard - Gonad the Barbarian, anyone? - and that they are all extremely hard working.


I saw some amazing book videos in a talk by author and copywriter Lorelei Mathias on book marketing for small pockets; I'm eager to go "viral", but suspect it's never going to happen unless I find myself best friends with a fabulously talented actress and film director.  Or learn to draw cute stick men.

Freda Lightfoot, having spent a lot of time and trouble and effort learning how to publish her backlist on Kindle, generously gave us the benefit of her experience. Actually, Freda, I think you should be publishing another book on Kindle - Kindle for Dummies!  And Linda Gillard, author of the prize winning Emotional Geology, gave a fabulous workshop about setting the scene and creating characters ... painting with words.


My final workshop of the day (we don't sit around here drinking coffee - or anything else - and nattering) was a crime writer's panel consisting of Lesley Cookman, Jean Goodhind and Penny Grubb.  An insight into how they work with their series characters.


My own talk on blending humour and emotion went pretty well, and there will be a longish blog on the subject somewhere else later in the year - I'll tell you where and when.  I still can't believe that one of my own favourite (and very funny) authors turned up to listen to me.  And would have been much more careful talking about my writing methods if I'd realised that one of the editors who works on my books was sitting right up at the top, at the back, where I couldn't see her!


It's been a wonderful couple of days for catching up with old friends, making new ones, reminiscing with Jane Holland about her mother (the legendary Charlotte Lamb) and having a few fan girls moments. I've also met many of the tweeps I know, which was the best fun. Teresa, Jude, Cally... you know who you are!

At dinner last night -  fabulous catering from the Caerleon campus of the University of Wales all round - Cally Taylor (Heaven Can Wait) won the Elizabeth Gouge trophy for the first 1000 words on a story with the theme "keeping a secret"; Liz Fenwick and Anna Louise Lucia were runners up.  Our chairman, the wonderful Anne Ashurst (Sara Craven - pictured here) - aka Mastermind - hoped that all the entries would be published and spark a revival in the romantic suspense genre.



Today I have a full morning lined up, listening to Fiona Harper - getting emotion on the page, Simon Petherick, the future of fiction publishing, and Janet Gover, where are published authors going now.  Then lunch and home.

Conferences are both fun and very hard work, especially the talking, which for authors who spend most of their time alone with their computers is a bit of a shock to the system.  But they are incredibly worthwhile and I can't recommend the experience highly enough to the unpublished author.  You will meet so many people, all of whom will be happy to share their experience with you, hear so much good advice and make so many friends and see so many fabulous shoes.


It's been an inspirational weekend, a time to recharge the batteries before turning home to wrestle my next book into shape.

PS Don't forget that starting the week beginning 18th July I'll be having loads of guests, all giving away copies of their books, and I'll be introducing Leah Ashton, winner of last year's New Voices programme and our newest author.

PPS If you'd like a copy of my conference handout, please do get in touch and I'll happy to send it to you by email.

HOLIDAY PICS...

I've been on my holidays. Well, just a little break to be honest -- something I promised myself the minute the last book was finished. For just a few days, we packed a lot in. Since we were taking the Eurostar to Brussels, we stayed overnight with the darling daughter whose wedding was such a delight last year. She and her best beloved are expecting their first baby in January and so there was a lot to talk about and celebrate.

A taxi picked us up at 6 the next morning and sped us towards St Pancras where we snatched a cup of coffee, before we were being whisked away at high speed towards the continent. I love the Eurostar and would never catch a plane if I had a choice.

Connections were all perfectly timed and we were met at our destination, Dordrecht in Holland, by the first born. He hates having his picture taken (don't we all!) but here is Bob, # 3 in the dog hierarchy. (The other are Kaes, Flynn and Milo but Bob is the poser -- appearing in a dog food advertisement went to his head!)

Dordrecht is the oldest city in Holland, is surrounded by water and has wonderfully picturesque old harbours, streets and buildings. The old State House actually has a canal running beneath it. We came across this quiet little street and I would just love to live in one of those houses. The big building on the left is a school.

This is the Grand Kerk which has a lovely carillion of bells that plays every quarter. We sat in an open air cafe by the harbour on our first evening, watching yachts coming and going through a lift bridge and felt utterly European in a way you never can in the UK.

And what about this for a chimney?

On Saturday we went to the market, which is amazing. Not as crazy as the ones in Italy but all beautifully ordered in that totally Dutch way.

Fruit, flowers, vegetables and fish to make a woman drool, but since we were in Holland I thought you'd want to see the cheese.

(And yes, of course we bought some -- a very old, smokey Gouda if you must know!)

We took the waterbus into Rotterdam, a high speed trip along the Maas, and then, because honestly the feet were worn out, we took another boat trip around the port, which is huge. There was a warehouse just for orange concentrate from Brazil. (It was orange...) and there were some of the amazing buildings for which Rotterdam is famed.

I'll gloss over the return journey. European trains tend to be in a class of their own, but a fire in a tunnel involved going backwards to go forwards and no one seemed to have a clue what was happening. We made our check in at Schipol but then missed our early boarding call. But we made it.

If you haven't checked the comments on the last blog, my thanks to everyone who offered "hero" names for the book I've just started. I did settle on Adam Gilchrist, then the dh reminded me that he's a Australian cricketer, which explains why is sounded so absolutely perfect. He's now Adam Wavell (his heroine is Emily -- Millie -- Coleridge), but I now have a lovely file full of names to call on for the future. Michele L and Robyn1 won books from the backlist (who could resist Horatio!) and I'll be getting them into the post asap.

Chapter Six of Wild Justice is now online here Fizz thinks she's found a way to avoid Luke Devlin's financial hold over her. Oh, dear...

Last, but not least, don't forget that Harlequin Romance authors now have their own blog here at eHarlequin, where series writers will be sharing their writing lives with readers two or three times a week. You should not miss Fiona Harper as "Barbara Cartland"!

RNA ROMANCE PRIZE

The minute I declare I'll only post once a week, life gets truly interesting. Here's a press release from the Romantic Novelists' Association. It speaks for itself, but huge congratulations to those on the shortlist.

Romance Prize celebrates shorter fiction alongside the Romantic Novel Of The Year

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.

(PS come back tomorrow for Here Come the Grooms).

IT'S BEEN A HUNDRED YEARS...

It was quite a party...

Flaming torches and "flamingoes" on stilts greeted us at the entrance to the Walker Collection in Manchester Square, London on Thursday night.

This wonderful art gallery was the most beautiful setting for Mills & Boon Centenary party, at which editors -- past and present -- guests from Harlequin in the US, and the truly yummy Alan Titchmarsh were present to celebrate this amazing anniversary. Alan made a charming speech in which he said very nice things about Mills & Boon.

Then there were the "Butlers in the Buff"... Not stripped to the waist as they are for less refined parties, but looking for all the world like those sexy guys on the covers of our books. Bow ties pulled loose, shirts unbuttoned. And this one was handing out roses to the authors.




There was an opera singer to serenade us, delicious canapes, chocolate dipped strawberries, ice cream cones -- and after an hour or so, we needed them! -- and Bellinis, pink champagne.

So what did we do?

We talked, of course.






Here is Carol Townend, Donna Hayes (President and Publisher of Harlequin) and Michelle Styles.






Here is Natasha Oakley and Fiona Harper.












Here is one of the very hot "butlers".














Here I am with Jessica Hart.

And here I am with both hands full of more of those gorgeous guys.








Whew! (Pause to fan myself...)







Oh, and before I forget, Jackie won the signed copy of ENGLISH LORD, ORDINARY LADY from Fiona Harper.

And you've still time to enter the HERE COME THE GROOMS competition and win copies of books from Kate Walker, Anne McAllister and my own The Bride's Baby.

HERE COME THE GROOMS...

For full details you'll have to scroll down the page, but here are all three questions again -- you'll find the answers on our websites and if you send all three answers to each of us, you'll have three chances to win all three books.

My addy is liz @ lizfielding.com (no gaps); you'll find contact details of Kate and Anne's blogs.

The books are:

Anne McAllister's ONE NIGHT LOVE CHILD

Flynn's Question: What story did he come to Montana to cover when he met Sara in the first place?

Kate Walker's SPANISH BILLIONAIRE, INNOCENT WIFE

Raul's Question: What are the full names of the hero and heroine of Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife

And my own THE BRIDE'S BABY.

Tom's Question: What colour silk did he become intimately acquainted with?

WHAT AN ELEGANT, SWELLEGANT PARTY, IT WAS…

As some of you may know, I was shortlisted for the RNA Romance Prize this year, along with a handful of other fabulous Mills & Boon authors – Lucy Gordon, Julie Cohen, Kate Hardy and Fiona Harper and so, on Monday I left my sleepy little village, boarded a train and set off for London.

The train was a little bit late. The taxi driver discovered the road to my daughter’s office – she was coming with me – was blocked and we arrived at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, barely in time for the official photographs and a glass of champagne before we were summoned to lunch.

We were all very bad and didn’t go and sit down, but stood about taking photographs of each other and talking like mad and the very forceful lady Toastmaster had to get quite firm with us, but even when we were sitting down the noise level didn’t subside. My ears are still ringing slightly…

Here are some moments from my day. First a hug from my daughter. Then a glimpse of the table and me with the red rose that was waiting for me there.

Kate Hardy and Karin Stoecker (Mills & Boon) chat over lunch.

Julie Cohen and Anna Lucia, me with Fiona Harper and although I’m sure you know this already, the winner of the Romance Prize was

KATE HARDY with BREAKFAST AT GIOVANNI’S

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

COMPETITIONS GALORE AND A VERY SPECIAL GUEST…

I’ve got a lot to get through in this post but I’ll do my best to keep it short because I’ve got Fiona Harper as my guest this week and I don’t want to keep you from the excerpt from ENGLISH LORD, ORDINARY LADY, her latest book and already short listed for the RNA Romance Prize.

First, Elizabeth Rolls has chosen her prize winners. Three of you! What a generous woman :) Congratulations to Eva, Cryna and Jean, this week’s lucky winners. You’ll be hearing direct from Elizabeth about your prizes.

Now I have to tell you that February – tomorrow! -- sees the start of the annual Anne McAllister/Kate Walker/Liz Fielding “Here Comes the…” competition. Last year it was the Brides leading the Grooms a merry dance. This year it’s going to be Grooms turn and who knows what they’ll get up to. What I can tell you is that there are three prizes and each prize will consist of the three latest titles from each of us. Anne's ONE NIGHT LOVE-CHILD, Kate's SPANISH BILLIONAIRE, INNOCENT WIFE and my THE BRIDE'S BABY.

You’ll find a question from each groom on our blogs and for a chance to win, you’ll have to send all three answers to each of us. Which gives you three chances to win. I think that’s clear…

I’ll introduce you to Anne and Kate’s grooms next week, but for now let me introduce you to self-made tycoon, Tom McFarlane.

He's a man who has everything except the very necessary well-bred wife to put the gloss on his meteoric rise from the lowest sphere of society.

A man who knows that love hurts and is having none of it, only for love to throw a spanner into the carefully oiled works and overturn his well-laid plans.

No doubt he'll take over and tell you the tale himself, but here's a bride's eye view of him to be going on with.

Sylvie turned to find her way blocked by six and a half feet of broad-shouldered male and experienced a bewildering sense of déjà vu.

A feeling that this had happened before.

And then she looked up and realised it was not an illusion. This had happened before – except on that occasion the male concerned had been wearing navy pin-stripe instead of grey cashmere.

“Some billionaire…” Laura had said, but she hadn’t mentioned a name. And she hadn’t bothered to ask, pretending she didn’t care.

She cared now, because it wasn’t just “some” billionaire who’d bought her family home and was planning to turn it into a conference centre.

It was Tom McFarlane, the man with whom, just for a few moments, she’d totally lost it. Whose baby she was now carrying.

Tom’s question is --
What colour silk did I become intimately acquainted with?
You’ll find the answer on Liz’s website.

If that’s not enough excitement for one week, Nicola Marsh is running a Valentine competition during February with books galore to win, including one of mine on the 1st. Check it out here.

Okay, you’ve had the trailers, now here’s the main attraction.

Fiona Harper stepped into stardom with her first book, the wonderful BLIND DATE MARRIAGE, winning the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Award against a line up that included mainstream women’s fiction. This year she has two books on the the “Romance Prize” shortlist and she’s going to be telling you about one of them, ENGLISH LORD, ORDINARY LADY, and offering a signed copy to one lucky prize winner. You’ve got until Monday morning (Sunday evening if you’re in the US) to enter.

Here’s Fiona to tell you about the inspiration for her book and give you an irresistible taster.

The inspiration for English Lord, Ordinary Lady came from a secondary character in my first book, Blind-Date Marriage. The heroine’s best friend was a rule-breaking pink-haired dynamo called Cassie, and I so badly wanted to give her a story of her own, even if it meant killing off her vicar husband and leaving her pregnant and homeless (aren’t I wicked!). I even had a hero all set up and a great idea for an ending, but…I just couldn’t get the timelines to fit with the past I had given Cassie in the previous book.

So, in the end, I decided to take the ‘spirit of Cassie’ and create a new heroine – one whose history I could manufacture to fit my story – and, hey presto, Josie popped into being. Her hair was just as pink as Cassie’s, her take on life just as unconventional, but she turned out to be younger, feistier and naughtier than I could ever imagine! I also kept the same ending I’d dreamed up for Cassie. In fact, the whole of English Lord, Ordinary Lady was written, and Will’s character created, just to let that ending make sense. I’m not going to give anything away, but let’s just say that it’s the bit where Will decides to keep everything under his hat (wink, wink).

It just so happens that I have relatives that run a tea room at a stately home. What a great way to bring an ordinary girl into the path of a stuffy, need-to-be-shaken-up English lord, I thought. But then the ‘what if’ fairies got to work on my idea. What if, instead of being a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, struggling to make good, Josie was actually from a family just as privileged as Will’s? What if she’d turned her back on that life? Suddenly, Josie became an upper class party-girl seeking to straighten herself out – and I knew I had a story that I was itching to write. But it turned out that I could take the it-girl out of the party circuit, but I couldn’t take that special something – the ‘it’ – out of the girl. And, despite himself, Will noticed it too. And that’s when all his troubles began, poor man…

'I’ve had an idea about how to get some more money in for Elmhurst Hall.’

‘Fire away.’

Josie was so excited she was almost bouncing in the chair. ‘I first got the idea yesterday…but I wasn’t sure…now I think it could.’

‘Josie, you’re not making any sense.’

The next sentence was delivered in such a breathless rush he only just recognised it as English.

‘You and me…we could…do a wedding, see how it goes. It could give us a wonderful future.’

Uh-oh. This is what you got for kissing your employees in the orchard. He’d known it had been a mistake right from the moment he’d opened his eyes afterwards. But this? This had caught him completely off-guard. Josie didn’t look like the rushing-into-wedlock type one little bit.

‘You mean…Josie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.’

She looked puzzled. Had he really read her that wrong? Who would want to get married after just one kiss? He wasn’t that good a kisser, was he?

‘Why not?’

He stared at her. ‘Isn’t this a little sudden? I mean, I only just…’

She gave him a begging look. ‘I know you’ve only just given me the job, but I think this could really work.’

‘You do?’

‘Of course.’

She was deadly serious. He had fun with Josie. She was great company. And OK, despite his best efforts not to be, he was attracted to her. But marriage?
Seriously?

‘Give me a few seconds to mull this over.’

She crossed her arms, leaned back in the chair and waited.

His thoughts wandered back to the blossom-scented orchard of two nights ago. What had she said about him needing a wife and producing an heir? Not that he wasn’t flattered she was offering her services. But he couldn’t see Josie in that role.

He needed someone who not just knew the rules of high society, but was willing to play the game. If he got married—and it was still a big ‘if’—he would need a peacemaker, someone who could pour oil on troubled waters. That wasn’t Josie. Oh, no. She was the type to light a match and watch the oil slick explode.

Of course, her family money might help—he presumed this was part of the reason. And great families down the ages had made marriages of convenience to cement their positions, to increase their status or wealth, but he didn’t think it was something he could stretch to.

Money alone would not buy what he wanted. For the sake of his grandfather, he needed respect and a good reputation. With Josie on board they'd have reputation in spades. Just not the kind he wanted.

‘I think I’m going to have to say…’ How did he say this? He’d never had to turn down an offer of marriage before.

‘Please don’t say no before I’ve told you my plans!’

‘Plans?’ His voice was horribly croaky.

‘My brother is getting married in July. If they have the service and reception here, we could use it as a test run.’

‘Test run?’ This was getting scarier by the second.

‘Will, are you OK? You keep repeating the last thing I say.’

He clasped his hands, lay them on the desk in front of him and tried to look normal. ‘Fine. Absolutely fine.’

‘If Alfie’s wedding goes well, we could plan to book more for next year. I’ve checked the figures. People will pay thousands to get married at a beautiful place like this. It’s part of the fantasy, isn’t it? In a few years we might be able to get every Saturday through the summer booked. It would boost the income substantially. What do you think?’

Oh. She was talking about other people getting married. Weddings. Business. And he’d thought…

He checked his reflection in the blank computer screen to his left. Sometimes, Will, you rate yourself a little too highly.

My question for the competition is:

What is the name of the stately home that Will has just inherited in English Lord, Ordinary Lady? Check out my website for the answer. I'll be giving away a signed copy of English Lord, Ordinary Lady to the winner.

Send your answer -- plus your name and street address -- to liz @ lizfielding.com with "Fiona Harper" in the subject line.

DELIGHTS AND DISASTERS...

The new bed is amazing. It’s so HUGE – I’m thinking that maybe I should have settled on king-size rather than going to the superking, but the space is magic. As is the sheer comfort of the foot-thick mattress. I won’t mention the bruise where I caught my shin on one of the screws as we put the frame together…

No, honestly. Never has getting up in the morning been so difficult.

Just as well I made the effort on Friday. As I reached the kitchen there was a noise like torrential rain. Except it wasn’t rain, but you’d already guessed that hadn’t you? It was hot water pouring from the bottom of my washing machine and no, I hadn’t gone to bed leaving it running.

Experience has taught me that if a washing machine is going to stick, it will always stick on “fill”, never on “drain”. Just as well the little grey cells were sufficiently awake for me to grope for the switches under the sink and turn off the water. Luckily I’m completely up to date with the washing – if not the ironing – so a few days while it gets sorted out is not going to be a problem, but it looks as if the cheque for the last book arrived in the nick of time. I'm still waiting for my author copies of Bride for a Billionaire, though.

The new book is doing what new books always seem to do these days. Not a lot. I’ve got a hero and a heroine and a complication, but I keep running up against that little part of me that refuses to suspend belief and go with it; the one that keeps say “But…” And then, yesterday afternoon everything shifted sideways and I began to see a story emerge. And lying awake half the night with it going around in my head has shifted one of the niggles. With luck and a following wind, I might just get this done.

Fortunately, I’ve a couple of inspirational trips to London next week, dallying with colleagues and editors, first at the RNA Awards lunch, then at the Mills & Boon Centenary Cocktail Party; the stimulating conversation of fellow writers always acts like a whiff of oxygen to the brain, which reminds me, I’d better go and shake out my pink feather boa, but not before I've thanked Elizabeth Rolls for being such a star guest last week. It’s been a while since I read a Regency romance. Definitely time to reacquaint myself with their particular charms.

I'll post news of the winner of A Comprised Lady on Thursday.

There are a couple of other things I have to mention before I go. First Nicola Marsh is running a fabulous Valentine Quiz during February with books galore on offer. She’s got one of mine up for grabs on the 1st so make a note on your PC diary to drop by and join in the fun!

February 1st also sees the start of the annual Anne McAllister, Kate Walker, Liz Fielding competition. Last year it was Here Come the Brides. This year we’re going with HERE COME THE GROOMS.

Anne’s Theo has promised to put in an appearance, Max Valentine might just find time to drop by and I’m hoping that Kate will tempt Domenico into putting in an appearance to provide support for the three grooms being put through it by their brides this year. Whatever, you can be sure the males will be alpha, the brides will be spirited and that three winners will each win a signed copy of all three books being featured this year.

Finally, Fiona Harper – winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer Award for her first book, double Rita nominee in her first year of publication and with two books on the shortlist for the RNA’s “Romance Prize” this year – will be my guest here on Thursday. Better get out the red carpet…

Fiona will be telling us about her February “Romance”, offering a signed copy to one lucky reader and, hopefully, telling us the secret of her success.

Not to be missed.

SHOPPING, WEATHER AND ANOTHER GUEST...

January progresses at a dizzying speed. This week I finally braved the incessant rain to return a Christmas present (my fault, I chose it, then decided it really wasn't me). I bought a copy of Writers News while I was out and there's an article about Mills & Boon with bags of advice from the delightful Fiona Harper.

Then the dh and I spent the afternoon putting up the new bed. We've finally decided we've reached an age -- and girth -- where we needed something a little bigger than a standard double. We went for a superking -- getting the mattress up the stairs caused a few hairy moments -- but it looks fabulous. I'll be having a lavender scented bath, then it's early to bed for me. :)

Then this afternoon I heard the very sad news about Heath Ledger who utterly enchanted me in The Knight's Tale. One just feels for his family.

Now, though, I have a lovely task, to introduce you to the delightful, award winning Regency author, Elizabeth Rolls, who is my guest this week. Elizabeth has always loved writing, but was drawn to the Regency romance by the Queen of the genre, Georgette Heyer and the story of how she sold her very first book is on her website. But here's Elizabeth to tell you about her new book, A COMPROMISED LADY.

It’s a huge honour being asked by Liz to help celebrate her fiftieth book. Fifty! Wow! If I ever have that many written it will be a major miracle. Coming in the same year as Mills & Boon’s Centenary it’s a double pleasure. Anyway Liz has been kind enough to spread her joy around and she’s asked me to tell you a little bit about my latest UK release A Compromised Lady, available in February. And I’m thrilled to say that it has just won a Cataromance Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Harlequin Historical.

To be perfectly honest, it was the Book From Hell to write. I started it after finishing His Lady Mistress and I told myself that there had been enough angst already in that one. This time I was going to write A Romp. Have Fun. Be Frivolous. Yeah, right. The idea that came to me was of a very shy woman who completely out of the blue inherits a large amount of money and has to run the gauntlet of society as an heiress. A real fish-out-of-water story. I had an opening that I thought was absolutely the bee’s knees and it was all buzzing along merrily.

Then my editor persuaded me to put it aside to work on a collaborative project with Joanna Maitland and Nicola Cornick. That definitely sounded like a lot of fun, so I shelved the book and dived into A Regency Invitation exchanging hundreds of emails with Joanna and Nicola in the process. By the time we finished it and I returned to my Romp, I’d been on a hiking holiday in New Zealand and the DH and I had moved house half way across the country with two children, two dogs and two cats to an idyllic location. A lovely, green valley full of apple and cherry orchards, a peaceful, shady garden . . . perfect for a writer, wouldn’t you think?

Only the dratted book didn’t want to be written. Not the way I’d conceived it anyway. My bee’s knees opening now sounded contrived and wooden. The problem was my hero, Richard Blakehurst, the twin brother of Max, the hero in His Lady Mistress. Richard was quite familiar to me. He was a much quieter, but no less passionate man, than his twin. Scholarly, private and very much in control of his life and choices. But he also had a very strong, must-slay-the-dragon streak of chivalry in him and the story and heroine I was forcing on him didn’t interest him at all. He kept on walking back into his library and slamming the door in my face, a sure sign that I had got things wrong. That and the fact that everything I’d written felt “weary, stale, flat and unprofitable” to quote Hamlet.

I once heard the Editorial Director at Mills & Boon, Karin Stoecker, say, ‘Start with your characters.’ Believe me, you have to listen to them as well!

When finally Thea arrived in my head complete with secrets, fears and enough emotional baggage to sink a ship, I cursed. With Thea on board the plot was shaping up to be just as angst-ridden as His Lady Mistress. Not what I wanted at all. Richard however put his head around the library door, took one look and started co-operating. So I bowed to the inevitable. Start with your characters and then listen to them.

Some of the original concept remained, like Thea’s inheritance and their mutual, interfering godmother Lady Arnsworth who is desperate to arrange a match between them. But in the end none of this was enough for a story. Not for Richard’s story anyway, which is bizarre in way because so much of the story is about Thea and the revelation of her past. I had to dig deep to find out why Thea’s inheritance was so unwelcome to her initially and why she did not want to come to London. I guess that was what Richard was trying to tell me all along. He was a slay-the-dragon sort of fellow and he didn’t want me to waste his story.

In the end Richard didn’t get it all his own way and slay all the dragons. It was Thea’s story and she had to find the strength and courage to sort out her own life and Richard had to support her while she did that. Not that he wasn’t willing to slay all the dragons, but he realised when it was time to stand back and let Thea confront her final nemesis.

Do I regret the Romp? No. Not in the least. What I regret is that I forced myself through about 30 000 words of it before I worked out what was wrong!


Excerpt from A Compromised Lady

Thea took a deep breath and asked huskily, ‘Would you kiss me again?’

He stopped dead in his tracks.

‘I beg your pardon?’

Stubbornly she met his disbelieving gaze. ‘Please . . . if you wouldn’t mind . . . would you kiss me again. P . . . p . . . properly this time.’

He was having difficulty just breathing, but he managed to say, ‘I think I might just about be able to cope.’ Dear God in heaven – what the hell did she mean by properly? Unfortunately, the way – all the ways - he wanted to kiss Thea Winslow came under the heading Improper. Extremely improper. Now was probably not the right moment to point out that he’d been wanting to kiss her properly for sometime. And it certainly wasn’t the right moment to lose all control. She had refused even to listen to his last offer of marriage. So why in Hades did she want him to kiss her?

‘Here?’ he suggested, keeping his voice very neutral. At least his voice was under control. It was about the only part of him that was. Apparently the shreds of his control had been used up keeping that last kiss within the bounds of propriety.

She looked about. ‘Y . . . yes. Here would be nice.’

Nice? Richard took a shuddering breath. Here would be perfect. He suspected that here, in the sun-dappled green of the beech woods, was about to become the most wonderful place on earth. Slowly, he raised a hand and brushed his fingers along the elegant line of her throat and jaw. So soft. So silky. He couldn’t remember any woman’s skin ever being that soft. He couldn’t remember any other woman at all for that matter. She, and only she, filled his memories, his heart, his soul. And she had asked him to kiss her. Just kiss her. If anyone had ever offered him anything sweeter, he didn’t remember that, either. Carefully he cradled her jaw, smoothing his thumb over her lips. They parted on a soft gasp and heat shot through him.
Just a kiss, he reminded himself.

Thea waited, shivering in wonder at his touch, her mind reeling with shock, that she had actually done something so outrageous as to ask a gentleman to kiss her. Properly. Only . . . having asked him to kiss her, she now had absolutely no idea what the next move should be. She didn’t even know what properly involved. Fortunately it was obvious that Richard did know.

His fingers, light and caressing, drew tingling magic from deep within her, melting her shyness in the warmth of his tenderness. Gentle, feather light kisses caressed her temples, her closed eyes. Controlled strength drew her closer, nestling her against his body as that teasing mouth brushed fire along the line of her jaw, until, in sudden frustration, she turned, clumsily capturing his lips with her own.

A moment’s stillness as their mouths met, then his lips moved in a heart shaking entreaty, the silky heat of his tongue tasting, teasing her own lips open. So different, a melding this, and she responded to the heat spreading within her, parting her lips, opening her mouth in acceptance.
His tongue slid deep, stroking, and heat burst inside her as she felt the aching pulse deep within, echoing the possessive surge and retreat of his tongue.

He took, but he also gave. And she could sense his restraint. In the taut strength of his arms, cradling her so tenderly. In the low groan deep in his throat as she tentatively returned his kiss, tasting, probing with her own tongue.

Her bones melted. Every fibre softened in delight and she clung, pressing against him, closer than sunlight, feeling joy and love pour through her, illuminating every dark corner, flinging back the shadows.

Finally, far too soon, he drew back, releasing her mouth and settling her cheek against his chest. She could hear his heart hammering. Beating to the same wild, burning rhythm as her own. His hand stroked her hair, soothing, gentle.
His voice came, utterly calm. ‘Was that what you meant by properly?’

Question for an autographed copy of A Compromised Lady.

What is the name of Lady Arnsworth’s butler? (You’ll need to go to the excerpt on my website for that.)

And for a bonus book from my backlist: Check out the photos page on my website and count how many different creatures we have!

Back to Liz...

Thank you so much, Elizabeth, that's so generous. And since, clearly, we can't have the answers on the comment section, please email your answers to me at liz @lizfielding.com with Elizabeth Rolls in the subject line, adding your name and address in the body of the email along with your answers. But do come and talk to Elizabeth, too. About the Regency, writing and her life in Australia.

Meanwhile, if you can't wait until February to buy A Compromised Lady, you'll find it online at Mills & Boon website -- there's a link on the sidebar.

THANK YOU!

First a big thank you to Melissa James for being my guest over the weekend. And to everyone who responded to that terrific question about favourite storylines. You’ve given us all plenty to think about in your replies.

Bectoria and Snookie were both prize winners this week. Snookie, I have your address and I’ve already passed it on to Melissa. Bectoria, if you’ll contact me at liz @lizfielding.com with your street name and address, I’ll see that Melissa gets it asap.

Well, it has been an incredibly busy week following the announcement of the Romance Prize shortlist. Did you all go and check out the full list? As well as The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella, Fiona Harper has two books on the list, Kate Hardy is there with her fabulous Breakfast at Giovanni’s along with titles by Julie Cohen and Lucy Gordon. We’ll all be meeting up at the awards lunch in February and whoever wins it’ll be a cause for celebration, which remind me, I must book my seat on the train!

Also an interview with a journalist from The Observer about writing for Mills & Boon. It’s part of the M&B Centenary and will be in the Review section on Sunday 27 January.

This week my guest will be Elizabeth Rolls, who writes the most fabulous Regency romances. Check out her website and read the story of how she became hooked on Georgette Heyer while staying with a friend, wrote the book to unwind in the evenings and, seven months pregnant, she sold it. What a woman!

Her blog will be online on Thursday and she’ll be giving away a copy of her latest book A COMPROMISED LADY to one lucky winner, so do drop by over the weekend to chat with her.