The SECRETS WE KEEP trilogy that I wrote with Barbara Hannay and Jackie Braun a couple of years ago is being published as a 3-in-1 in Germany at the end of April.
 
DIAMANT MEINES HERZENS von FIELDING, LIZ
Seine Frau Belle entzieht sich ihm immer mehr. Doch der gutaussehende Unternehmer Ivo Grenville ist entschlossen, um ihre Liebe zu kämpfen. Mit fantasievollen Geschenken versucht er, ihr Herz zum zweiten Mal zu erobern. Belle aber scheint das nicht mehr zu berühren …


TAGEBUCH MEINES HERZENS von HANNAY, BARBARA
Dass er Simones Tagebuch findet, ist für den gutaussehenden Journalisten Ryan Tanner ein Wink des Schicksals. Jetzt kann er der attraktiven Frau endlich ganz nah kommen. Doch dabei erkennt er: Simone verbirgt in ihrem tiefsten Innern ein dunkles Geheimnis …

LASS ES FÜR IMMER SEIN! von BRAUN, JACKIE
Endlich hatte es der reiche Unternehmer Ethan geschafft, Claire aus seinem Herzen zu verbannen. Doch nach Jahren steht seine wunderschöne Exfrau plötzlich wieder vor ihm und weckt die Furcht, erneut von ihr verletzt zu werden. Kann er die Vergangenheit vergessen?

This link will take you to Amazon wherever you are.

This reissue handily coincides with an  English language edition of Reunited: Marriage in a Million, the first book in the trilogy which you can pre-order here on Amazon.

Popular TV presenter Belle is married to gorgeous billionaire Ivo, but beneath the veneer of her perfect life is the truth of their marriage of convenience. 

High in the Himalayas on a charity trip, Belle shares a secret that haunts her with two of her companions and, as she takes a look back at the past, she realises that things have to change.

On her return to London she leaves Ivo, resigns from her job and begins a search for the sister she hasn't since she was adopted as a little girl. She finds a lot more than her sister...

Romance Bandits

I'm a guest of the Banditas today, over at the Romance Bandits blog where I'm giving away three copies of Anything But Vanilla. Drop by and tell me where you'd like to visit in the UK if you want your name to go into the hat.

And if you're at the RT Convention, do check out Jackie Braun's fabulous writer clothes store.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN READING?

When the writing is going badly you’d think that the obvious answer is to dive into a good book and forget all about it. It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. When the writing is going badly only a familiar book, something that I know will deliver a great comfort read will do. This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Georgette Heyer’s Venetia. Pretty much anything by Kate Hardy.

But during the last couple of weeks I’ve delivered my sheikh novella and I’m 75 pages into my latest Romance and I’ve been feeding my soul, filling the well with some terrific new books.

First up, comes NEEDED: HER MR RIGHT by Barbara Hannay. This is the second book in the SECRETS WE KEEP trilogy that was a collaboration between me, Barbara and Jackie Braun Obviously I knew the set up of this story. Knew Simone Gray, the heroine, who appeared in REUNITED: MARRIAGE IN A MILLION, and I knew her terrible secret, but that was all. I didn’t know much about Ryan, her Mr Right, or how the story was resolved. I did know that it would be an emotional roller-coaster, though, because that’s what Barbara always delivers.

Just imagine a girl with a terrible family secret, a girl who loses the diary in which that secret is laid bare and then discovers it has been picked up by a hot shot journalist. That would be the same hot shot journalist, son of one of Australia’s richest men, who’s about to be featured as pin-up of the month, wearing nothing but a towel, in the magazine on which she’s a senior editor.

Great set up, but then the emotion kicks in. I’m not going to spoil it by telling you Simone’s secret, or how Ryan proves himself to be a true hero. You’ll want to find that out for yourself and you buy the book here

My second great read is CAFÉ DU JOUR by Lilian Darcy. Lilian guest blogged here last month, talking about this book of the heart and its long road to publication. Lilian is a fabulous writer, with many books to her name, but this is her first mainstream women’s fiction, published by MIRA in Australia. I sent for my copy as soon as it was published and was immediately caught up in this story.

The heroine is a chef who, since her sister’s catastrophic motor cycle accident, has been struggling with food, both cooking and eating it. Her boyfriend wants to involve her in his dodgy “new age” workshops and her boss’s son had decided to make-over the restaurant where she works. Life gets increasingly complicated but through it all she grows towards something that promises a happy ever after.

This is a wonderful, involving story with some truly stellar writing. Lilian has a gift for character. You may not like everyone in this book, but they are all completely real, whole, fully formed people. And her turn-on-a-sixpence descriptions make me want to weep with envy.

Café du Jour is, infuriatingly, only on sale in Australia but it’s a piece of cake to buy it online from the Harlequin Mills & Boon website here. You’ll need to register, but you have to do that with any website you want to buy from these days, and after that it’s a piece of cake. My copy took about ten days to reach the UK.


And finally, PLAY IT AGAIN? by Julie Highsmith. This is one for fans of Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews.

A joyous muddle of relationships, with an aging rocker Dad, his gorgeous son, the girl next door, an ex wife, a dog, old school friends and that boy who, in the sixth form, reduced the mother of the girl next door to an incoherent, blushing idiot. Oh, and possibly the most incompetent gang of kidnappers in the entire world. Lots of fun and available here from Amazon, UK

REVIEW

I wrote that headline in gold for a special reason :)

I thought all the reviews for Reunited: Marriage in a Million were in and then today, this was posted at We Write Romance

"...a unique and very memorable read."

Belle Davenport has deep, dark secrets that she's hidden from not only her television viewers but her husband—billionaire, workaholic, Ivo Grenville. But she's not the only one with secrets and as this story unfolds we find out that both have kept things hidden that could ultimately tear their marriage apart.

As the story opens, we find Belle asserting a bit of independence by defying Ivo. She refuses to drop out of a charity cycle event in the Himilayas—an event to support homeless children, a cause dear to her heart— to simply play host for him. Ultimately, she's risking the security she married him for...but in the end, the ride was a life changing eye opener for her. She returns home determined to make some changes. The first, but certainly not the last, being to look for her lost sister whom she feels she abandoned after the death of their mother. And so the story begins...

Liz Fielding's Reunited: Marriage in a Million is a unique and very memorable read. In a time when romance novels are full of the same old story lines I was relieved to read one with a fresh and exciting twist to the marriage of convenience plot. This is definitely a must read for anyone who likes stories that keep them guessing and wondering whether or not the couple really should be together until the end.

What a really lovely end to the day!

ANOTHER WINNER...

Jackie Braun is back from a relaxing week by the lake and she has now drawn Pam as the winner of her signed book. Email me, Pam -- there's a link on my website -- with your full name and snail mail addy and I'll pass it on.

I still haven't heard from Joye!!!

Don't forget to comment on the Elizabeth Oldfield blog about VINTAGE BABES. You've got until the 25th!

BARBARA HANNAY and CLAIMING HIS FAMILY

I first met Barbara Hannay at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York. Since then we've shared a meal in London and maybe, one day, we'll get together in Australia.

Here's what she has to say about her Rita nominated book CLAIMING HIS FAMILY...

A marriage renewal…

Many of my stories have ended with happy marriages in the Outback, but in Claiming His Family, I asked, what if, this time, one of my characters simply cannot face the unrelenting isolation, the hardship and danger in remote Australia?

Erin Riley, a born-in-the-womb New Yorker, has agreed to take her little boy to the Outback to meet his father – her ex-husband – whom she hasn’t seen for five years.

Seeing Luke again, Erin’s not sure how she’s supposed to act around the man she once loved so deeply.

The memories of their marriage come flooding back… the happy times, and the problems that tore them apart. Now Luke is determined for her to stay. But Erin knows their problems have not disappeared, so how can she give their marriage a second chance – and let them become a family again…?


Here's an excerpt ...

“There’s no point in my coming to the airport,” Erin said, keeping her gaze no higher than Luke’s broad shoulder. “I’ll say goodbye here.”

She knelt beside Joey and gave him a hug and a kiss and then another hug. Joey clung to her and she could feel his little body trembling with excitement and just a little fear. “Daddy’s going to take good care of you,” she whispered. Then she said more brightly, “You can call me when you get to Warrapinya. I’ll expect to hear all about your adventures.”

The boy nodded against her shoulder, and she gave him one more kiss, a final hug.

“I love you,” she whispered and then she stood. Her eyes met Luke’s and she forced a smile. “I packed a photo album in with Joey’s things. It’s for you. I had copies made of all the best ones. Of Joey. You know. All the milestones.”

“Thanks.” His voice sounded rough around the edges.

“You’d better get going,” she said, keeping her chin bravely high.

“Indeed.” With two fingers he snagged Joey’s suitcase.

Erin opened the door. “Have a great trip now.”

The man and the boy passed through the doorway.

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Joey-boy.” Erin swallowed to push away the sharp lump in her throat.
Luke was still watching her closely, and then he set down the suitcase. “I’d better say goodbye, too.”

Before she had time to understand what was happening, his hands were at her waist and he was kissing her.

Her heart took a leap. She felt a hot rush of excitement as he drew her against him. Within seconds she was trembling beneath the unexpected warmth of his lips.
She had tried so hard to forget what Luke’s kiss was like. She’d blocked from her mind the physical desire she’d always felt for him. But now her senses sprang to life. The taste of Luke Manning sent her skin aflame. Her heart was a flower bursting into bloom.

“No!” Joey’s voice shouted beside them. “No, Dad, stop it. Mommy doesn’t want you to kiss her. She told me.”

With a sharp groan, Luke lifted his head. His arms released her as quickly as he’d embraced her and he stepped away.

Stunned, flushed and breathless, Erin sagged against the door frame.

“Are you all right, Mommy?” Joey looked worried and he touched her hand.

She took a quick breath and nodded and she squeezed his fingers to reassure him. “Yes, sweetheart, of course I’m okay. I’m fine.”

Her eyes sought Luke’s, but he was already bending to retrieve the suitcase. When he straightened, she saw that his face was flushed and his eyes were burning beneath stern brows. He stood very stiffly and gave her a curt nod, and then turned to the boy. “Are you ready, Joey?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ve been ready for ages.”

“Then we’d better be on our way.”

Now they were heading down the hall and Joey flashed Erin one last, searching glance over his shoulder.

She waved and smiled fiercely to show him she was fine.

“I don’t know why Mom doesn’t want you to kiss her, do you, Dad?” she heard Joey ask, and she knew that Luke said something in reply but she couldn’t hear his answer.
It must have been flippant, because as she watched, Joey laughed and then he gave a little skip and he took his father’s hand and then they turned the corner and disappeared.

More from Barbara...

And finally....

When Liz Fielding first asked me to join her in writing a trilogy with Jackie Braun, I didn’t hesitate – not even for a split second. And what a wonderful journey we’ve been on together, from the early discussions through all stages of the writing process.

In much the same way, our three heroines, Belle, Simone and Claire support each other when they return home from the Himalayas to face the challenges of their pasts. For Simone, revealing the truth about her own past is terrifying, but she’s plunged into even deeper turmoil when she loses her private dairy and compromises the shared secrets of her two friends.

Simone never expects to find that very special man, someone she can trust with the truth about her past and her hopes for the future. She has no idea that Mr. Right is just around the corner. Fpr more information, check out Barbara's website

Coming in September from Barbara Hannay…

Needed: Her Mr. Right, the second book in the SECRETS WE KEEP trilogy…

And for a chance to win a signed book from Barbara's backlist, why don't you tell us what it is that you love about stories set in the Outback?

Draws for the prizes won't take back until after the weekend when the travellers have returned from conference.

TRADITIONAL ROMANCE

Since this seems likely to be the last year that Traditional Romance will stand alone as a category in Romance Writers’ of America annual RITA awards for excellence in romantic fiction, I wanted to celebrate the wonderful authors and books who have been short-listed this year. This is who they are

Jackie Braun

Barbara Hannay

Fiona Harper

Marion Lennox

Sandra Paul

It’s Fiona’s first RWA conference, she’s up for Best First Book as well as Best Traditional Romance. Marion is flying in from Australia, too. Already a double Rita winner and a RWA veteran, I imagine that they’ll need stewards at the book-signng keep her fans in line, but it’s a long trip from both England and Australia and if you can make the book-signing – the money from all the books sold goes to the cause of Literacy -- please so make a point of stopping by to say hello.

During the week of the conference, Tuesday to Saturday, I will be featuring the five authors in the line-up. They have each been kind enough to donate a signed book – for the chance to win, all you’ll have to do is answer a simple question.

I’m taking the finalists in alphabetical order and the first up is

JACKIE BRAUN talking about A WOMAN WORTH LOVING

I loved writing this story. It's a powerful tale of redemption and not just for the heroine but for the hero. I have to say, I was a little surprised that my editor climbed on board when I pitched this book to her, and as the first book in a trilogy no less. This is a very different kind of story for a traditional romance. My heroine, Audra, was thrice-married and a failed actress. My hero, Seth, was a photojournalist who turns to a career as a tabloid photographer to pursue Audra, whom he blames for the accident that killed his family. It's my hope that readers enjoy Audra and Seth's journey to forgiveness and love as much as enjoyed writing it.

Here's the story in a nutshell --

Audra Conlan has always been flirtatious, flamboyant and wild, until fate gives her a second chance she vows not to waste. This time she'll repent her mistakes, face her estranged family and avoid men like photographer Seth Ridley, whose sexy smile and welcoming ways tempt her to fall for him hard and fast. But when the past threatens her new life, will Audra dare to forgive the woman she once was and embrace the woman she was meant to be ... a woman worth loving?

And here's an excerpt --

It was easy to have regrets about the way she’d lived her life when a man’s hands were wrapped around her throat, thumbs pressing insistently on her windpipe to cut off her oxygen supply. In truth, though, the excuses Audra had made for her bad behavior hadn’t seemed valid for a while now.
It’s not fair.

That thought registered even as her vision began to dim.

After all, she had been changing her ways -- discreetly, which perhaps explained why the tabloids’ most recent headlines had still labeled her a gold digger.

Audra didn’t like the moniker, although she supposed she had been called far worse. Still, she had married for love and, after that, for emotional security. Wealth hadn’t been the quality that had attracted her to any of her husbands, including the late Henry Dayton Winfield III. He’d been kind, undemanding. He’d been ... safe. And she had been determined that this marriage would work despite the gap in their ages. She had been determined that this time she would not fail. Marriage number three would not end in divorce like the previous two had, leaving her disillusioned and her heart a gouged out husk.
“Lying, manipulative witch,” spat the man squeezing her throat.

Audra was incapable of disputing his words. How ironic that when she had been capable of speaking out in her own defense, she hadn’t bothered.

In general, she hadn’t cared what other people thought about her or what adjectives they used to describe her, as long as they'd spelled her name right. She’d known her soul wasn’t completely black even if the rag-reading public thought differently. Since her most recent marriage in particular, she’d taken steps to restructure her lifestyle and realign the egocentric pattern into which she had fallen since coming to Hollywood. She was no Mother Teresa, but she had found great satisfaction and personal fulfillment becoming involved with children’s charities in recent years, working quietly behind the scenes lest someone accuse her of exploiting the already exploited in an attempt to salvage her flagging acting career.

While the tabloids might call her a gold digger -- and the man trying to kill her clearly saw her that way -- she had in fact made an appointment with her lawyer that very afternoon to rework her late husband’s will so that his rightful heirs would inherit the vast estate.

She didn’t need the money, nor did she feel entitled to it. She had amassed a fair bit of wealth on her own thanks to a few smart investments. Still, she could understand why some people who didn’t know her, and who only read tabloid stories about her, would see her as a candidate for stoning.

As she floated near the edge of consciousness the past thirty years played through her mind like some poorly acted made-for-television movie. That was galling, but apropos. She’d never made much of a name for herself in Hollywood, at least not the kind that could be repeated in polite company.

She’d caused her share of trouble and heartache, bitterness and outright rage, which, she thought with the brutal honesty of the dying, was exactly how she found herself in her current predicament. She’d pushed the envelope too far, thumbed her nose at convention one time too many.

At one point she’d felt she’d had good reasons for being a wild child, a rebellious teenager and then an adult who’d lived scandalously enough to become weekly tabloid fodder. Those reasons had ceased to matter, perhaps because Audra had finally realized they didn’t absolve her from responsibility or translate into happy endings.

You reap what you sow. How often had she heard that advice while growing up? Yet it had taken her all this time to understand and accept the truth of those simple words.
And now it was too late to complete her metamorphosis.
As the saying went, the chickens had come home to roost, and the head cock now had his big hands encircling her neck. With each passing second his grip grew tighter.

And tighter.

And tighter.

I’m not ready to die.

Even as that panicky thought registered anew she prepared for the inevitable, praying for forgiveness from the God she’d only recently become re-acquainted with and wishing she could seek the same from the many people she had wronged over the years. Her sister topped the list.

I’m so sorry.

The words whispered through her mind, unable to make it past her gasping lips. Surrendering to the blackness rimming her vision, Audra accepted that her apology was too little and, like her bid for self-respect, had come too late.

For a chance to win a signed book from Jackie's backlist, tell her what special qualities make a heroine memorable for you.

And come back tomorrow for a glimpse at Barbara Hannay's shortlisted book.

PS Draws for the books won't be done until after the weekend, when the travellers have returned from conference!

REUNITED: MARRIAGE IN A MILLION

Those of you with sharp eyes will have noticed a new “slider”; Reunited: Marriage in a Million is now for sale online at Mills & Boon and eHarlequin (there are links under the slider). There’s a link to an excerpt, too. But here’s a taster, the prologue...

‘The car is here. Your paparazzi army are forming their usual guard of honour.’

Ivo was waiting, his face expressionless. Waiting for her to back down, tell him that she wouldn’t go and Belle had to fight back the treacherous sting of tears.

She didn’t cry, ever.

Why couldn’t he understand? Why couldn’t he see that she hadn’t chosen to spend ten days cycling over the Himalayas on some whim!

This was important to her. Something she needed to do.

By demanding she drop out at a moment’s notice to play hostess at one of his power-broking weekends at his country house in Norfolk, he was making it plain that nothing, not her career, certainly not some charity stunt, was as important as being his wife.

That he had first call on her.

If only she could have told him, explained. But if she’d done that, he wouldn’t want her to stay...

‘I have to go,’ she said.

For a moment she thought he was going to say something, but instead he nodded, picked up the heavy rucksack that contained everything she would need for the next three weeks and reached for the door handle.

By the time it was open, Belle was wearing a smile for the cameras. She paused briefly on the step with Ivo at her side, then they made their way to the car.

The chauffeur took the rucksack and while he was stowing it, Ivo took her hand, looked down at her with grave eyes that never betrayed what he was thinking.

‘Look after yourself.’

‘Ivo...’ She stopped herself from begging him to come to the airport with her. ‘I’ll be passing through Hong Kong on my way home. If you happened to find you had some business there, maybe we could take a few days...’

He made no comment, he never made promises he could not keep, but simply kissed her cheek, helped her into the car, repeating his directive to “take care” before closing the door. She turned as the car pulled away, but he had already turned away, was striding up the steps to the house, wanting to get back to work.

The chauffeur stopped at the drop-off point, loaded her bag onto a trolley, wished her good luck and then she was alone. Not alone, as a woman with a loving husband waiting at home might feel.

Just ... alone.


The reviews are coming in and so far they’ve been good. Since both Barbara Hannayand Jackie Braun invested a lot of trust in me, as well as their starry talents, to make this trilogy a success, I’m relieved about that. Here are some quotes – with links if you want to read the whole thing.


"Liz Fielding begins Secrets We Keep with Reunited: Marriage in a Million a moving yet frequently amusing tale. Highlighted by truly great characterizations, it's one of the author's best." Romantic Times 4½ stars

“When you pick up any Liz Fielding novel, you’re guaranteed a well-written, altogether moving experience and Reunited: Marriage in a Million is no exception...” McCreativity, Romance Reviewed 5 roses.

Liz Fielding gives us a story in which we can experience someone else’s angst and in which we can relate to her experiences. Her vivid descriptions make us feel as though we are part of the story.
Contemporary Romance Writers Rating “9”

Liz Felding creates lovable characters that grow on the reader. They have faults, weaknesses, and at times, are even strong-willed, but throughout it all they stick together. This smooth flowing read is like a breath of fresh air and one I will not forget
Coffee Time Romance “4 cups”

The book will be on sale retail in August.

Oh, and for a chance to win a copy of the book, drop by Coffee Time Romance!

TITLES & COVERS


Covers can be heaven or hell for an author. Sometimes we scream blue murder and our friends and family clearly thing we’re nuts. To them it appears perfectly okay. Only another author can ever understand that this cover that had been appended to a book that is like a baby to us, is ALL WRONG. That it does not fit our “vision” of what the characters are like. Sometimes has nothing to do with the story we wrote.

Titles can be like that, too.

THE SECRET LIFE OF LADY GABRIELLA, for instance, was a “marketing experiment”. Harlequin, aware of the snickers of derision that titles such as “The Gazillionaire Boss’s Virgin Mistress” (I just made that up!) evoke from people who just don’t “get it”, have been trying to ease back on those “hooky” titles.

It was a nice try.

To be honest I think it sounds more like an historical romance (and I’ve had half dozen titles of my own shot down for that very reason). Obviously that’s not going to be problem for anyone who sees the book on the shelf. But I do wonder about people who just see the title online and think “Okay, Liz has written an historical, I’ll come back when she’s thinking straight...”

I’d have called it THE SECRET LIFE OF ELLIE MARCH, which does all of the above, but is truer to the book, since Lady Gabriella is the “fantasy” – the secret life. But marketing, bless them, unable to quite let go, tried to sneak in the “princess”, just in case. It’s that wanting it all, thing. Innovative, new, fresh – but let’s stick in an aristocrat, just in case in all goes pear-shaped.

It was a kind thought, but it doesn’t work. As any Mills & Boon heroine could tell them, you have to be fearless. You may take a tumble – and in this case it’s the author that pays; no one sacks the marketing guy if the book doesn’t sell – but you have to be brave.

The reviews were great, everyone who read the book and wrote to me, loved it. But the jury is still out on sales figures and I’m afraid that the readers might just have been plain confused. The one thing that the great Charlotte Lamb taught me, is that you have to keep it simple. Let the reader know what’s going on. And that goes for the title, too. At least with “The Gazllionaire Boss’s Virgin Mistress” you can have absolutely no doubts!

But while titles are a continuing problem for both authors and marketing, there’s really no excuse for getting the heroines mixed up. Coming up in August is the Secrets We Keep trilogy I wrote with Barbara Hannay and Jackie Braun. I’ve already mentioned my confusion over the fact that my heroine, Belle Davenport, appears on my cover with long brown hair when, in fact, she starts out as a “bombshell” blonde and then has her hair cut and re-coloured to something more along the lines of “tawny”. Cut. So that would be short tawny.

Well, Jackie’s just received her October book. She was delighted with the cover – all three are very pretty -- except she couldn’t understand why her heroine has short, um, tawny hair. Probably only us authors will notice that somehow – in the art department – our heroines have switched places.

BLOG PARTIES

And in case you’re not already tuned into the fact that both Kate Walker and Kate Hardy are throwing blog parties (with prizes!) to celebrate the publication of their 50th and 25th book, respectively, do check them out.

AND FINALLY...

ROME. Are you watching this? I’m loving it, but my enjoyment is being sadly undermined by the dh, who just sits there saying “No. This is wrong. It didn’t happen like this...” Honestly. As if. This is blood, sex and feuding females. Dallas (or do I mean Dynasty?) BC. On Wednesday he gets sent to bed early with Seneca.