Saturday 29 January 2011

Selfridges Workshops: More Deets!

So I've been  in touch with the PR peeps at M&B and the workshops in Selfridges, London will be kicking off at 11am on 10th February and 11th February.

If you want to sign up for one, it's free, just contact Tory at Midas PR on this email addy:

tory.lyne-pirkis@midaspr.co.uk


And she'll stick your name on the list on a first come, first served basis. I have agree to do another each day at 12.30pm if we get a lot of takers (I wish!!) so we can keep the numbers small for each workshop!


Anyway, really hope to see some of you lot there. Should be a hoot, especially in the gorgeous wonder room with all those inspiring M&B covers of old. Romance is definitely in the air, there!

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Valentine's Day Workshops in Selfridges

Popping in to let you all know that I'll be doing those M&B workshops at Selfridges on the mornings of Thursday February 10th and Friday February 11th... I'll get back to you on times and who to contact at Selfridges to sign up for one, but we're only expecting six or seven people per workshop so it should be a great way to get some ideas and inspiration flowing. It's going to be at The Together Shop (next to the store's Marble Arch entrance) where they've got that fab display of vintage M&B covers and all the shining new Rivas. (cue picture of Heidi looking heavily pregnant, but not!!)


Also the lovely Marilyn Shoemaker gave me a great tip-off about something that's happening on the eHarlequin forums. Apparently best-selling Harlequin author Tessa Radley is offering her services as a mentor for a month to one aspiring Harlequin author. I think the challenge is to write the opening chapter of a secret-baby story. She's going to blind-judge the entries and pick a winner. The details are here, sounds like a great opportunity to me! I've never written a secret-baby story but I do love reading them.. My favourite is probably Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts (which has a secret baby element to it).


Anyway, back to my ms which is going a bit better now... Have finally managed to claw my way to 20K words. Slow going but persistence pays off, have decided not to worry about whether it's all crap and just get the darn rough draft written. This is always the painful process for me, just getting the words on the paper, revising and editing them is much easier. I think my problem is that, after ten books, my crap-o-meter is so well-developed now, I start thinking it's rubbish before I've even written it which can not only be a bit of a downer, it's not very productive.


BTW, saw a preview of Tangled the new Disney animation at the London IMAX on Sunday. Fantastic! I laughed, I gawped, I got all dewy-eyed.  Rapunzel's sweet and feisty and has seriously amazing hair (that can bring people back from the dead, Pantene eat your heart out)! The hero is a charming rogue with a great smoulder (who even gets away with being called Eugene!). All very Modern Heat really (except without the sexy bits obviously, this being Disney!) Will be doing it for my next PHS friday movie.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

RWA a go-go!

Very excited this morning as I have just signed up for the RWA conference in New York and booked my hotel room on Times Square. Had an absolute blast at my last conference in 2008 in Frisco when I was RITA nominated. Course I didn't get the prize, which was probably a good thing as I had purchased these ridiculous diamante-studded sling back high heels to go with my crimson Marilyn Monroe dress and I couldn't actually walk in them... Hobbling up onto the podium or worse doing a face plant on the stairs would not have been a good look! I shall be purchasing much more sensible RITA awards ceremony shoes this year, just in case I get another nomination (there, now I've comprehensively jinxed that possibility and will have an excellent excuse when I don't get one!!).

So my big question is, anyone else planning a trip to NYC in June this year? Gotta be the most accessible conference in years so am hoping they'll be lots of new faces to see. I will of course be at the book-signing (books willing) so I'm also hoping some more people than last time purchase a book. I only managed to flog about six in SF, which I have to admit was a little disheartening after sitting there for two hours with my little RITA nom flag  (sorry, have I mentioned that already!!). And just to add to the trauma, being a Rice I was depressing close to Queen Nora and her three-mile queue!

All right, back to my current pineapple... Need to get this darn book written so I actually have a career to plug when I get to NYC.

Saturday 15 January 2011

Exciting news.. And shopping!

So, I was being all authorly yesterday and popped off down to Selfridges (landmark Department Store in London's West End in case you don't know!) to give some workshops on How to Write a Mills and Boon (not that I'm an expert on that at the moment... Hello, chapter one for the five-thousanth time!) to a couple of very nice journalist ladies from two national newspapers. Selfridges are doing a pop-up shop in the store at the moment so we got to sip tea from china cups, eat amazing cupcakes (cue copious plugs for Cupcakes and Killer Heels out in May) and talk alpha heroes and sassy heroines against a backdrop of amazing vintage covers from M&B's one hundred plus year history and a bookshelf full of new Riva titles - which looked amazing BTW. Frankly my favourite pastime. (Oh and if you were wondering about that picture, no I'm not eight months pregnant, I just had rather too much joie de vive over Christmas!)

Anyway, so what's the exciting news? Well, I'll be doing workshops for customers as Selfridges' Writer in Residence over Valentine's week, so if you happen to be looking to do some retail therapy in London at that time, and want to pop in and talk hunky heroes with me (and get some hot tips on how to become a USA Today best-selling author for M&B), do join me. I'll put details of days and times nearer the time (when I know them).

BTW, I picked up a copy of Kim Lang's January Riva The Girls Guide to Flirting with Danger while I was there, so that has just popped to the top of my TBR pile... Am hoping it will inspire me! And if not at least I know it'll be a delicious distraction.


Friday 14 January 2011

Have you seen The King's Speech yet?

Well, if you haven't you should... And I'm telling you all the very good reasons why on the Pink Heart Society today. And yes, the gorgeousness that is Colin Firth is one of them! Give that man an Oscar, already. If nothing else I'm sure he'd give a great acceptance speech.

If you have seen the film feel free to come join the party... And this from someone who doesn't usually do Royal dramas.

See you there.

PS: Currently having major struggle with latest WIP, feel as if I'm swimming through treacle again, haven't had this much agony since Public Affair! Arghhhh... Why doesn't this ever get any easier?