Heidi Rice

The Good, the Bad and the Wild... Goodreads Giveaway

2012-01-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

There's still a few days left to enter my competition to win a copy of The Good, the Bad and the Wild...

But failing that you can also apply for my Goodreads Giveaway of the book on your right.

So don't say I never give you nothing!

The Good, the Bad and the Wild comp has landed!

2012-01-25T01:05:00.000-08:00

So, I finally sent off my latest manuscript on Monday night, after much last minute research on Facebook.... Still need to find an events planner I can have an email or phone chat with, so if anyone reading this blog knows one, especially one based in the US, let me know.

Now, on to my BOOK COMPETITION!!

The Good, the Bad and the Wild is out as my next Riva in March. It's a linked book to Cupcakes and Killer Heels as the hero is my cupcake baker Ruby's long-lost brother Nick Delisantro... A delicious bad boy screenwriter who lives in San Francisco. I'll be posting a sneak peek on my website shortly. But first:

I have two copies to give away to two lucky readers. All you have to do is answer the following question and I'll put you in the draw to win. (hint: You will have to read the back blurb which I have already posted on my website for the answer)

Question: In The Good, the Bad and the Wild, who's good, who's bad and who's going wild?

Send the answer to heidi@heidi-rice.com and I'll be announcing the winner on 1st Feb!

Good luck

PS: There's still five days left on my Goodreads giveaway of the US edition of Cupcakes and Killer Heels, you can click to enter on your right....

Attack the Block and news of a new book comp!

2012-01-20T00:35:00.000-08:00

I'm talking about the cracking aliens vs hoodies movie Attack the Block at the Pink Heart Society today, so come on over and make a comment!

In other news my author copies of my March Riva, The Good, the Bad and the Wild, have just arrived and I'll be holding a competition to win a copy here on the blog early next week (and posting a sneak peek on my website) - as soon as I get my current ms off to my editor!!

So watch this space. But until then, here's the back cover blurb to whet your appetite:

One of the Good Guys?

Nick Delisantro is famous - for scripts, for his looks, and above all for his ruthless bad-boy charm. Eva, on the other hand, has spent her life being an overlooked wallflower! Now she's got to meet with Mr Tall, Dark and Brooding or her only chance of promotion is over...

Nick can't stop staring at the mysterious blushing girl who's dressed like a vixen but frozen under his gaze like a rabbit in the headlights... He can't wait to see what's behind the innocent front! But Nick's about to get far more than he'd bargained for - not only does Eva have the key to his secret past, but there's nothing more dangerously addictive than a good girl going wild...

Nick and Eva's Story has a Cover!

2012-01-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

Check it out! Nick and Eva's story, my brand new Riva release 'The Good, the Bad and the Wild', has a cover... And it's gorgeous. Hunky hero and seductive heroine... Yummy.

It'll be out in March in the UK and I can't wait to see it on the shelves now (funny how that never gets old). In case you don't already know this is the story of my Cupcakes heroine Ruby Delisantro's long-lost brother Nick and shy and inexperienced genealogical researcher Eva Redmond. Eva's been dispatched to San Francisco to locate the illegitimate heir of an Italian Duc... Who just happens to be none-other than bad boy screenwriter Nick. One wild ride on a motobike across the Golden Gate Bridge and an even wilder night of pleasure later, and it's not just her job that's under threat.

Will be posting a sneak peek on my website soon. And doing a giveaway here and on Goodreads.

And also out in March, Cupcakes gets its long-awaited (well, by me anyway) Harlequin Presents Extra debut - also with a very hot cover and love that tagline 'Men Who Won't Be Tamed'.

Will be doing a Goodreads giveaway for this one too... So stay posted.

Penny Jordan: An Inspiring Writer, An Inspirational Woman

2012-01-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

Very sad to hear this morning of the death of Penny Jordan on New Year's Eve. I only met her a few times but she was always gracious, friendly and remarkably humble given her amazing achievements.

Abby Green has left a moving and heartfelt tribute on her website which I think says it all.

Her death will leave a huge gaping hole in the romance writing community.

Heidi's Top 10 Tips for a Happy Writing Xmas and New Year!

2011-12-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hey all

Just wanted to say have a fantastic Christmas... I've illustrated this post with some Christmassy pics I took on my cycle ride home last night, so hope you enjoy them. Wish that amazing house was mine!

And as a special Christmas treat it occurred to me that On the First Night of Christmas is my tenth published book. As readers to this blog will know, I'm currently being tortured by my latest manuscript which was all a bit of a dog's breakfast until I had a long chat with my editor on Friday afternoon. I'm now clear about what needs to be cut (namely about 20K of the 30K I've written!), what needs to be changed (thou hero shall not be a complete git!) and what needs to be finessed (more fun, more flirt, much less fraught)...

So I've put some top tips together for happier writing in the New Year compiled from what I've learned while struggling with this book and others before it...

1). Every Book Is Different: Sounds obvious, but remember unless you're constantly writing the same story, every book will vary according to how easy or how hard it is to write, the important thing is to do whatever is necessary and not stress too much when you hit a roadblock (or several hundred).

2) Beware of the Convenient Plot Twist: Yes, your story will have turning points, but be very wary of a plot twist which conveniently brings your couple together (like a flash fire that burns down your heroine's house and means she has to move in with the hero) or keeps them apart (like a misunderstanding that could be sorted out with a proper conversation) because it may be a substitute for a decent conflict.

3). Make Your Characters Work for Their HEA: This is really an extension of 3, but make sure your characters are both having to grow and change during the course of their story so they deserve to be happy at the end, otherwise your reader will get bored, or worse want to murder them both! Or even worse, you will...

4). A Good Editor's Not Just for Christmas: Published authors have the huge luxury of an editor. Some of my books have had very little editorial input, but others would simply never have reached publishable quality without that essential feedback and advice... So if you're unpubbed, seek out constructive feedback wherever you can, and use it.

5). You're the Only One Who Knows What's Right for Your Story: Sort of sounds like a contradiction of 4 I know, but bear with me here, folks... Basically, you are the creator of your story and those characters and if you lose sight of that, your story will lose it's integrity not to mention it's unique you-ness, so while constructive criticism is important, don't be scared to ignore it, when necessary.

6). Be True to Your Process, No Matter How Naff It Is: It's a constant pain in my backside that my process is very hit and miss, and will often involve re-writing scenes until I get it right. This is because I'm a pantser and I tend to try out reactions for my characters to a particular situation until I know it's the right one. And it's only when the characters are fully formed and understood (usually once the book is written, how useless is that!) that I will know instinctively how they react. But that's just me, I've tried to change it and my writing loses it's spontaneity and integrity as a result... So basically I'm stuck with this naff process... And I'm one with it (she says through gritted teeth)!

7). Don't be Afraid to Take Risks: Or, it's remarkable what you can get away with in a plot... Like a heroine who doesn't realise she's three-months-pregnant... If you do it with conviction and make it believable. Now in the interests of full disclosure, I have had more than a few crits of that particular book (Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition) because some readers were either unconvinced (or just plain outraged) by that plot hook, but it's also my biggest seller (by a long way) so yes, some readers weren't convinced, but for those that I persuaded to suspend their disbelief it was a risk worth taking.

8). You Can't Please Everyone, So Don't Try: Sort of follows on from 7, but you really can't please everyone, and the last thing you want is to stop taking risks because you're worried about what people will think... Everyone's got an opinion and rightly so, they've paid money to read your book, but in the end when you're sitting down to write, the opinion that counts the most is yours. You know, in your heart of hearts when something works and when it doesn't, because you've read loads of romances yourself (I hope) and you know when they don't work for you.

9). Don't Believe the Little Voice in Your Head: No, I'm not talking about schizophrenia here, but about that little voice that whispers in every writer's ear at the most difficult, demoralising moment in the process of writing their latest story that their writing totally sucks. That it's a complete fluke you ever got published... Or finished a manuscript... It lies!! You can do it. And to prove it, noone who ever believed that Little Voice and stopped writing got published (or kept getting published). So there, take that Little Voice! (And if you need an extra boost, go read Dr Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

10). After the Agony, Comes the Ecstasy: Whether that's just the sense of achievement you feel when you finish a particularly thorny scene to your satisfaction, or the whoop of joy in your stomach when you see your published book on the shelf for the first time, or get a decent review from Dear Author (I got a B this week for On the First Night of Christmas, and boy am I basking here, folks!!). This is bloody hard work, don't ever be fooled by anyone who says it isn't (they're lying!!), but it will eventually be worth it. And just like childbirth, it's agony for a reason, because then the ecstasy is that much more ecstatic. Honest.

So from one writer in North London currently going through the agony...

HAVE A HAPPY WRITING NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Another First Night Giveaway!!

2011-12-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

I'm on Lucy Monroe's blog today with an excerpt of On the First Night of Christmas.. Would love to know what reader's think and am doing a giveaway to one lucky commentator, so come on over and join me there.

In other news am under the cosh trying to meet December deadline for latest book.... Still in hand-to-hand combat with my sagging middle. Always the hardest part of the book I find. Especially if your hero and heroine refuse to cooperate! Grrr.

Heidi talks Turkey.... Or rather Christmas Stories!

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm over at the Pink Heart Society talking about why I love writing Christmas Stories as a romance writer... And it may not be the reason you think. So pop on over and leave a comment and you could be in with a chance to win a copy of my current Christmas extravaganza On the First Night of Christmas.

Also found this lovely review of it on The Long and Short Reviews blog. Here's a snippet of what they said:

'This is a fast paced romance and things heat up quickly between Cassie and Jace....The typical holiday activities take on a delightful turn as Cassie takes Jace shopping and to a get-together of friends for Christmas. There were some very tearful moments as well, where I worried for the happy ever after of these two, but I was delighted to see finally happen between them. I recommend this one to be read with a box of tissues at hand.'

So there you have it, a true Christmas tear-jerker!

Party Time!

2011-11-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

So I got my posh frock on last night and jumped on the bus to the West End en route to the RNA Winter Party.

Despite getting slightly lost (got off the bus on Piccadilly and somehow ended up at Buckingham Palace!) I finally located Birdcage Walk and the stately Library of the Imeche where all the fun was happening... Good thing I didn't put my hooker boots on til I got there as I had to yomp all the way round St James's Park in the dark. Am thinking I may have to turn this experience into a scene for a book, though, as the phenomenal Georgian architecture on display during my impromptu tour of the area was really quite sensational.

As usual I didn't do a lot of networking, mostly just had a good gossip with Fiona Harper, Natalie Rivers, Sharon Kendrick and the lovely M&B eds who were present. Also had a great fangirl moment when I was introduced to Kate Lace, whose books I highly recommend. Haven't got her latest yet, Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, so will be downloading it asap.

Then Katie Fforde did the big announcement of the night... The unveiling of the new RNA logo, which, as luck would have it, matched my dress beautifully so I got asked to pose for some photos.

Much wine and wittering later and I slipped my hooker boots back in the bag and headed home... On the tube this time, as I'd decided I'd admired more than enough phenomenally Georgian architecture for one night.

Last chance to enter my website comp!

2011-11-13T03:35:00.000-08:00

Only a few hours left to enter my website competition to win a copy of On the First Night of Christmas...

All details are on the home page of the new website so check it out! Closing date is today at 12midnight GMT.

A little movie with a big heart

2011-11-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

I'm over at the Pink Heart Society today doing my monthly Must Watch Friday slot and talking about the wonderful little movie Cedar Rapids... If you want to know why I love this movie so much do pop on over there..

Me and Lucy Monroe

2011-11-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

I'm on Modern author Lucy Monroe's blog today doing her Guest Author Interview. Love her books - so sexy and sensual and intensely dramatic - so it's a real treat for me to be talking to her about the inspiration etc behind On the First Night of Christmas. And just in case you want any added incentive, there's a Humpday Hottie to enjoy right under my post... I'm just saying!

I'm off to Paris later today on the Eurostar where my mum is celebrating her 75th birthday on Saturday with all her kids and grandkids... That means 17 of us (ranging in age from 4 to 75) chowing down on coq au vin and profiteroles (and probably far too much wine) at a Brasserie near the Gare du Nord. So if anyone else here is likely to be in Paris this weekend and hears a massive commotion, that'll just be the Rice clan misbehaving as usual.

Am thinking I definitely need to set another book in the City of Light, and I love it best at this time of year. I always think cities come into their own in the autumn months.

The Romance Minxes and Moi!

2011-11-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

Am over at the ab fab Romance Minxes blog today doing an Author Spotlight and waffling away about everything from procrastination to being a pantser, not to mention my new book On the First Night of Christmas (any shameless plugs are purely coincidental, honest!)

So come and join me and leave a comment.

Have illustrated this post with a picture of me and Abby Green pretending to look very authorly after the AMBA lunch. Thanks for the great camera skills go to wonderful new Medical author Scarlet Wilson.

Heidi's got a brand new website!!

2011-11-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's fireworks night in the UK this evening... Which seems somehow fitting for the launch of my AMAZING new website.

It's got a brand new look (with some very nice photos of moi!), info on all my books, a backlist page (with details of all my heroes, the heroines, how they are linked to other books, etc), a links page with info for readers and aspiring writers alike and even a Coming Soon page which details my next release and even the books I am currently writing (although these are subject to change because my muse works in all sorts of unpredictable - and seriously annoying - ways).

To celebrate I'm giving away two copies of On the First Night of Christmas... but you have to visit the site and poke around a bit to enter... Closing date is the 14th November. So what are you waiting for?

Special thanks goes to the wonderful Heather Reed at HR Web Concepts who did such a great job with the site and Anne Mortensen for making me look gorgeous in the photos (it's all an optical illusion folks, but do I care!)

New Voices... The Final Reckoning Approaches

2011-11-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Had a super busy time last weekend which involved tea at the Ritz, the AMBA lunch at Charing Cross and drinks with the editors by the Embankment... Not to mention my annual family Halloween party on Saturday night which I shall blog about soon once I've got my photos downloaded.

But am just jumping in now to tell everyone not to forget to vote for their favourite New Voice before 5pm today. I read them all, was blown away by the fabulousness of the writing and after much deliberation opted for Honeymoon with a Stranger... There's just something about Charlotte Phillips's gorgeous ex-rugby player hero, her feisty heroine, and that sassy funny voice that swung it for me. Plus her pivotal moment's a doozy!

But what about you? Who did you vote for? And why? Would love to know.

Also watch this space.. Am currently fiddling about with my new website before it goes live... And there will be a chance to win two more copies of On the First Night of Christmas... Which is now on shelves in the UK and will be hitting shelves in the US at the end of the month! Woohoo!!

The Lady from RT calls On the First Night of Christmas 'The Perfect Holiday Read'

2011-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!! Had a lovely four-star review from Sabrina Madan at RT Book Reviews waiting for me when I got to work this morning... So here it is in it's entirity:

ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS … (4) by Heidi Rice:

Through with being a doormat, Cassie Fitzgerald confronts the driver of a vehicle that rudely splashed her, only to discover former bad boy Jace Ryan, the object of her teenage crush, behind the wheel. Chemistry between them is explosive and Cassie can’t resist indulging in a holiday affair. But she soon discovers she wants more than a wild Christmas fling; she wants Jace’s love. But can they have a future when Jace is determined never to fall in love? The sassy heroine, redeemable bad boy hero and just the right amount of humor make this the perfect holiday read.

Pretty darn cool, huh?

You may also have noticed I've been mucking about with my blog design... Still a work in progress, but it's a little sneak peek for my new website which will be with you soon. Honest!! Just a few bits and bobs to iron out and then I'll finally be launching my new website with my On the First Night of Christmas book comp. Hopefully before Christmas!! So you can all have a chance to enjoy 'the perfect holiday read' over the holidays... Sorry, did I mention that already.

Pocahontas, New Voices and My Goodreads Giveaway!

2011-10-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

So first off, I'm over at the Pink Heart Society today banging on about why Pocahontas is by far the best of Disney's princess heroines.. Bravery, courage, great boobs and impressive cliff-diving skills being just a few of her qualifications. I mean, come on, what is the point of a princess who can't dive off a cliff at a moment's notice?? So come leave a comment on my post so I don't feel lonely!

The big news yesterday afternoon, though, was of course the announcement of the New Voices Top 21!! I'm thrilled to bits to be working with Helen Lucas on her entry Return to Heartbreak Hotel, which I finally got a chance to read this morning. If you haven't had the pleasure yet give it a go. I can totally see why it grabbed the eds attention. She's taken a well-used and much-loved trope - that of reunited lovers - and given it a fresh and fiesty 21st century spin. I mean, how many heroines get the chance to kick their hero in the nuts in the first chapter! Not only that, but her writing is polished and evocative and her characters reactions wonderfully subtle while at the same time being emotionally compelling. Also the sexual tension is Hot! Hot! Hot! So I think Helen and I are gonna have some fun over the next week as she prepares her second chapter. I feel quite priveleged actually, getting to be the first to read it.

Now, having said that... And sending out my congratulations to all the other finalists too...

I know for a fact that there are going to be a lot of disappointed writers out there. Almost a thousand of you to be precise. And to you I say this. Firstly, I'm fairly sure that given the quality of the entries this year, there will be quite a few additional peeps getting contacted by the eds, because while the competition is great for making a big media splash, giving those talented 21 that extra boost and showing everyone how hard it is to write an M&B, the search for new talent is an ongoing one and the eds will have seen a lot of other talent here which deserves a follow-up.

And for those who don't get that extra contact, do not despair either. Yes, you're absolutely entitled to feel disappointed. You've put effort into your entries and it's taken a considerable amount of courage to put it out there and it's always tough when it seems that you've got nothing to show for it...

But actually, you have got something to show for it. You've made that first step. You've hopefully got some useful feedback. And most importantly of all you've taken the knock and kept on going (because you are going to keep writing, right!). And that's something every writer needs to do, both published and unpublished. Because this is a hard business, particularly for creative sensitive types like us writers! And believe me, they'll be lots more knocks that you have to negotiate along the way, so learning to laugh in the face of disappointment, and rejection (Ha, take that adversity!) and never lose faith in your ability to learn and grow as a writer is a very valueable thing.

And if you want some more heartfelt advice, check out these great blog posts from Jessica Hart and Donna Alward.

Last but not least, I wanted to flag up my Goodreads giveaway of On the First Night of Christmas (see huge great badge in sidebar). There's only one more day to enter and I've got four copies to give away. So do give it a go if you haven't already. That said, my new website is almost finished (honestly) and will hopefully be up in the next week or two, at which point I'll be doing another comp to win a copy here.

New Voices Workshops and New Book Comp!

2011-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, I had a really fab time on Monday night doing the second of my New Voices workshops, this time in Fulham Library.

Once again the turn out was amazing (I think there was 30 people there!!) and it was really great to see so many aspiring authors who not only knew about New Voices but had either entered already or were about to. While I like to spread the work about M&B, it's always nice to be able to bypass all the obvious stuff (such as 'yes, you can have more than just kissing in M&B books now' and 'no, Barbara Cartland isn't writing for them anymore, in fact she never did!') and get down to the hard graft of talking about internal vs external conflict, characterisation and motivation, how to make your alpha hero an archetype not a stereotype, why not to let an Elvis impersonator into your manuscript, etc, etc, etc.. You know, all the important stuff.

Now I had planned to go into a more in-depth discussion of what we talked about. But then the fabulous Rebecca Thornton (aka wonderful book blogger and New Voices entrant) did a really great blog, which not only did a better job than I could ever do of explaining the workshop but makes me sound really informative (cool!). So I'm going to give you a link here to her blog to check it out.

Honestly, it's just like being there. So ta Rebecca. You might also want to check out her review of Cupcakes and Killer Heels (I'm just saying!!).

Now on to the other fab news. I got a lovely big box of shiny new copies of my latest Riva/Harlequin Presents Extra release, On the First Night of Christmas, yesterday morning in the post. As always I'm planning to do a competition to give some of them away... But I'm afraid you are gonna all have to wait a little bit longer, cos I want to launch my brand new website with the competition and a sneak peek of the book is necessary to answer the question. Sheesh, am I a tease or what?

Anyway, until that time (which will hopefully be in the next week or so, fingers crossed). Here's the tantalising back cover blurb.

Cassie’s tips for the Perfect Christmas Fling!

1. ’Tis the season to be daring: Find the perfect Mr Right Now (extra points for a bad-boy-turned-billionaire) and be brave about getting him – even if that means jumping straight into sexy Jace Ryan’s car!

2. Enjoy the ride: Once you’ve chosen your flingee, get swept away by the moment! For once, Cassie’s determined to stop worrying about the future. But she must remember one thing…

3. This fling is just for Christmas: Jace Ryan’s a seasonal special. Do not start falling for him, Cassie. No matter how perfect the package or how much you’ve enjoyed unwrapping it…

New Voices... And How to Adopt the Pollyanna Approach

2011-09-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you're all very well aware by now, the fabulous New Voices — aka The Mills and Boon X-Factor — has launched over on www.romanceisnotdead.com. I spent a very nice afternoon on Sunday browsing through some of the 144 entries already loaded and left fairly detailed comments on a couple which I particularly enjoyed reading. Once again I'm an author mentor for the second round — along with 19 other fab authors such as Abby Green, Natalie Anderson, Liz Fielding, Donna Alward and Fiona Harper — but at this stage I think it's really invaluable for people to get commenting and if you're a new writer, to take the time to read some of the entries (and the comments) as well as your own.

But I do have a little bit of advice... So here are:

Heidi's Top Tips on the Pollyanna Approach to Commentary:

For Commentators: Be Nice. Be Constructive. And Say It Gently!

A constructive comment is an invaluable thing but a comment that just says: 'Your hero's a complete tosser!' or 'Your premise is ridiculous' doesn't actually help anyone. It may be your opinion and that's always valid, but think about why you didn't like the hero, what was it about him that turned you off. And can you think of anything that may have helped to turn you on to him again. If you're a writer yourself, it can be helpful in your own writing to think about how you would revise or edit another's story. And last but not least, be gentle, because us creative types have fragile egos... It's a huge step putting your work out there and many people will be doing it for the first time. We've all been there, so we all know how it feels if someone is unnecessarily harsh or abrupt. And if there's absolutely nothing you liked about an entry, I'm not sure I'd comment at all.

For Commentees (is that a word??): Value Criticism. But Don't Take It Personally.

As writers whether we're published or unpublished we all have to learn to take criticism of our work and use it constructively, because we're writing these stories for readers as well as ourselves. And great writing is about writing and then rewriting and then rewriting some more and.... Well, you get the picture. The opportunity to get constructive feedback from people who read romance is the real reward of this competition so make the most of it. That said, feel free to ignore comments that aren't helpful or suggestions that you know won't work for your story (this is after all your story and your characters and you know them best) but remember, if a lot of commentators are basically saying the same thing it is probably something you want to look at. And last but not least, whatever anyone says don't take it personally!! Some very nice person who had taken the trouble to read my book and write about it on Goodreads told me she thought it was 'morally repugnant' (and several other not entirely complementary things besides) but I pasted my best Pollyanna grin on my face and figured.. Ok, she didn't like it but at least she told me why in exhaustive detail (and I certainly hope she doesn't take the trouble to read any more of my books!). So if I can do it, so can you!

As part of my Mentoring Duties I'm going to be doing a New Voices Workshop at Mayfair Library tonight at 6.30pm... And I'll be reporting back on it here tomorrow for all those who can't attend.

But until then to all the entrants and commentators.. Keep writing, keep commentating and let's make this competition a positive experience for everyone!

PS: I have rather arbitrarily illustrated this post with a photo from my recent photoshoot with the wonderful photographer Anne Mortensen.. What d'you think??? I'm so chuffed, I think she's made me look like a proper romance novelist - and captured my best Pollyanna smile!

Cowboys, Aliens and a variety of Hotties!

2011-09-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

Am over at the Pink Heart Society today doing my regular Must-Watch Friday movie spot on Cowboys & Aliens, the all action genre mash-up which has the added benefit of Vintage Tottie and Hottie Tottie in the shape of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig...

Actually I could have watched anything with those two in it, but all the alien and western action did not go amiss with the men in my family!

Also, have just got a US release date for Cupcakes and Killer Heels:

It's March 2012 when it will be coming out as a Harlequin Presents Extra (will be interesting to see if they keep that title). For those not in the know this is the sequel to Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger... Featuring my lushous cupcake entrepeneur heroine Ruby Delisantro and her brooding barrister hero Callum Westmore. Sexy, sassy and with chocolate frosting on top!

Summer in Sicily... Hot, in more ways than one!

2011-09-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

Just back from my relaxing holiday on the lovely Italian isle of Sicily. It really is a gorgeous place, rustic unspoilt and the locals were super friendly. The tiny town where we were staying was having a fiesta the night we arrived, which turned out to be very fortuitous as we couldn't find our villa. Ended up with a car load of local guys leading us to the place after a faltering exchange with us talking in English, them talking in Italian, and lots of gesitculating over the rather crap map from the holiday company. Am thinking this may be the start for a book!!

The weather was blazing sunshine everyday which unfortunately meant I couldn't do a thing except laze about the pool or at the local beach - where I did a lot of very valueable research watching the buff young local guys show off their tanned abs... Gotta love Italian men, they don't half know how to flaunt it! Sadly I could not get any pictorial evidence of this inspiring pastime for my blog as I had my slightly older but no less sexy husband sitting next to me! So have added in a few others pics to make you salivate.

The other rather liberating thing was that there was no internet connection to speak of... Amazing how productive you can be when you have no access to Twitter, Facebook, email or my latest internet time-suck obsession Goodreads (am now a Goodreads author if anyone wants to go Friend me as I'm feeling a little lonely). So have now written the first three chapters of my next book...

Which involves an events planner called Tess Tremaine who ends up ever so slightly pregnant after she gets dumped by her boyfriend and ends up having super hot rebound sex in a closet with a New York billionaire called Nate Graystone. Tess is a former wild child turned demure career woman who's cover has just been blown in spectacular fashion... Can she pick up the pieces of her shattered image? Go back to being a good girl again? And how is arrogant, super sexy and totally aloof Nate, who she only knows in a biblical sense, going to deal with the prospect of fatherhood? Not well as it turns out!

Very excited about this one, scenes literally pinging into my head while lounging by the pool in the sun. That said, I know I am in the first flush of love and will probably want a divorce by chapter ten.

In other news, also returned to discover a super classic cover for On the First Night of Christmas in it's US/Harlequin Presents Extra incarnation. What d'you think? So different from my Riva cover... More Christmassy, very classy but a little less sexy maybe?

Which one do you prefer?

I'll be doing a giveaway on Goodreads and a comp here on my blog as soon as I have my author copies...

Come on Mr Postman, get a move on!

On the First Night of Christmas....

2011-08-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

My true love gave to me... A smokin' hawt cover for my next book!

Adore my bad boy hero with the lipstick-marked stubble, and my sassy heroine... Although had a little wobble over her fuscia eyeliner! That said, Son One tells me the eighties is back in, so maybe it's trendier than I think.... And of course he has no memory of ABBA's many fashion faux pas!

Can't wait now to see what my Harlequin Presents Extra cover will look like. Should be interesting to compare the two and have a little straw poll here of essential items such as Hero Hotness Factor, Unwrappability, etc.

I had hoped to post a sneak peek of this book on my website at this point, but as you may have noticed am having some problems with my website. Namely, it's vanished into thin air and I can't find it anywhere on my computer. Oops. Still am in the process of having a brand new website professionally designed for me, so it shouldn't be long before you get a little taster of my delicious, devil-may-care web design millionaire Jace Ryan, my lovelorn but game-for-a-fling book illustrator Cassie Fitzgerald and their fortuitous meeting one stormy Christmas night on Oxford Street.

My New Voices Workshops in London!

2011-08-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, here are the details of my New Voices workshops in London in September:

Tuesday 20th September 6.30pm-8.00pm
Mayfair Library
25 Audley Street
LONDON W1K 2PB
Tickets for this one are £3 and you need to book your place by calling: 020-7641-4905 or email the library on mayfairlibrary@westminster.gov.uk

Monday 26th September 6.00-7.30pm
Fulham Library
598 Fulham Road
LONDON SW6 5NX
This is a FREE workshop. To book your place call 020-7753-3877 or email clare.edgson@lbhf.gov.uk or rob.symmons@lbhf.gov.uk

In the past I've always just done a talk with questions (and talked an awful lot about myself, funnily enough), but this time around, I'd love to try and limit the talk to an hour and then spend half-an-hour doing a workshop on attendees specific mss. So if you've already done some work on your New Voices entry all the better and we can brainstorm starting sentences, hero and heroine, internal vs external conflicts, etc. Obviously we're going to have to play it by ear according to who attends and how much they already know about M&B, New Voices and what they want to write, but hopefully it'll be a possibility.

Whatever happens, we should be able to have a good old chinwag about writing for M&B and the New Voices comp.

And if you can't attend my workshop, do check out the other workshops which are being given by some fabulous authors all over the country as far afield as Glasgow, Swansea and Norfolk, etc kicking off on next Thursday 25th with Sarah Mallory in Ilkley West Yorkshire. So you should be able to find one, if you live in the UK.

For those of you who don't live in the UK: Do join M&B's New Voices Facebook Group where lots of published authors are lurking to answer questions by aspiring authors about writing for M&B. Plus there's all the info (and as of Sept 13th the entries) on www.romanceisnotdead.com to take a shuftie at. The New Voices team are also looking into doing an online workshop for overseas entrants, nothing's been finalised yet as far as I know, but if I hear anything I'll pass it on.

Best of luck everyone!! And as I just went to see Cowboys & Aliens here's a little visual stimulation for y'all! (I mean, come on ladies, Mr Craig and Mr Ford fighting aliens and looking sexy on horseback - what's not to be inspired by, right?)

And the winner is...?

2011-08-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

So I dragged my actorly oldest son out of bed this morning to pick a winner from the entries for my One Amazing Night Baby competition...

And the winner is...

Jane Linfoot

So congrats to Jane, if you want to email me your addy at heidi@heidi-rice.com I'll pop a signed copy in the post. BTW, the other two stories by Anne Oliver and Robyn Grady are YUMMY! Have already devoured them myself, so you're in for a treat.

And for all those who didn't win this time, thanks for entering... And I'll be running a comp in the near future as soon as I get my hands on author copies of my November release On the First Night of Christmas... Sheesh, am I talking about Christmas already?

Right, back to work and the hard task of trying to come up with a new story idea with a house full of snotty teenage boys! Groan.

Wanna see Guy Pearce's bum??

2011-08-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

Then check out my post on The Pink Heart Society about the new HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce. Which has Kate Winslet brilliantly cast as the successful 1940s restaurateur but not so successful mother, Guy as her feckless but handsome lover Monty, lashings of beautifully observed period detail and some very sexy scenes involving.... Well, need I say more. Check out the darn post!

Also don't forget I'm still running my comp to win a copy of One Amazing Night Baby. To enter the prize draw answer these two questions by the close of play today (that's Friday 12th August) about my book Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition.

1) The name of the Hero and Heroine from PPP
2) Why the Hero all but kidnaps the Heroine at the start of the story...

And email the answers to heidi@heidi-rice.com and I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

One Amazing Night, Baby! Competition

2011-08-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

And one amazing day for me when I got a little package in the post today containing two copies of my first every By Request title: One Amazing Night Baby!

Which not only features my fourth Modern Heat story Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition (that's the book that topped the Waldies for two weeks in a row - sorry have I mentioned that already??) but also two super cool stories by my fellow Riva gals Robyn Grady and Anne Oliver.

So to celebrate this glorious event I'm gonna give away one copy to anyone who can answer the following two questions correctly:

1) The name of the Hero and Heroine from PPP
2) Why the Hero all but kidnaps the Heroine at the start of the story...

For some clues, check out the sneak peek Here

To enter just email the answers to heidi@heidi-rice.com by Friday 12th August and I'll announce the winner on Saturday.

And just in case you were wondering I'm only giving away one copy cos I'm keeping the other one for myself so I can read Robbie and Anne's Amazing Baby stories!

In other news, I have just enlisted the help of a proper website designer to give me a brand spanking new website.... Not least because my current one seems to have disappeared off my desktop and is consequently going to be stuck in a Spring 2011 time warp forever more. So watch that space!

Also, just wanted to remind all you aspiring writers out there that New Voices is back this September.

It was a phenomenal success last year and they're making some interesting changes which I think will make it an even more positive experience for everyone who enters.

For starters I'm going to be doing two London workshops in Fulham and Mayfair. Will give you more deets about those when I have them. But there will be lots of other authors doing workshops round the country (I know the fabulous Fiona Harper will also be doing one in London), so hopefully they'll be one near you (if you live in the UK). but even if you don't live in the UK you can enter the comp. For details of how just check out the website and don't forget to join M&B's New Voices Facebook page.

Nick and Eva's Story has a title!

2011-07-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Nick and Eva's story is now called.... Wait for it:

The Good, The Bad and the Wild

I let you guess who's the good and who's the bad. It's gonna be out in the UK as a Riva in March 2012 (I hope!). Will be posting a sneak peek on my website once I have some cover art... But to get you in the mood, here's a lovely istock photo of The Golden Gate Bridge where Nick and Eva take their first wild ride to be followed by one heck of a wild night!

Heidi's Adventures in Romancelandia... NYC 2011

2011-07-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

So okay, I'm posting this two weeks after I got back from NYC... Which is pretty pathetic I know, but quite apart from the recovery time needed after spending six days with Ms Abby Green in the city that (as it turns out literally) never sleeps, I also had a little book project to finish...

So with Nick and Eva's story finally SOLD on Friday!!! After frantic typing of epilogue on Hampstead Heath while watching Son Two play football. (As soon as I have a title I shall bore you all rigid with details of how wonderful this story is so you shall all want to rush out and buy it in March next year! Hint -hint) I am now free to tell you all about the phenomenal par-tay in the Big Apple!

Here are a few of the high spots, with pictorial accompaniment (unfortunately crap pictorial accompaniment for the most part, as I still haven't quite figured out how my camera's auto-focus works...)

The gorgeous Ms Abby Green, my amazing roomie (she made me to say that, btw), did a fabo job getting us a room with a great view of Times Square, so when I got in jet-lagged and exhausted after a 10-hour flight (which should have been six - thank you so much Virgin Atlantic and the nice peeps at JFK airport! Grrr) the par-tay was on. That said, sharing the flight agony with Sharon Kendrick, Sue Stephens and Carole Mortimer made it a lot less of a trial.

Here's an arty shot of my spot at the mega-literacy signing the next day (Tuesday I think, but don't quote me on that, I'd already had too much prosecco and not enough sleep)...

A total romance-arama with about a billion eager readers buying books (unfortunately not all of them mine!). But, hey, I got to sit within two seats of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who is one of my auto-buy authors! So it was quite a thrill.... To watch everyone charge past me to get to her...!

Now, to the great regret of my thighs, there happened to be a wonderful retro Noo Yawk diner across the road from the Marriott Marquis hotel called Juniors... This is fellow Riva Divas Fiona Harper and Lucy King who I enjoyed the first of many slap-up breakfasts with on Tuesday morning.

Unfortunately, I ended up eating my way thru most of Juniors breakfast menu by the end of the week (well, apart from the fruit plate)... So the less said about that the better.

Here is a picture that I will be putting in 'Heidi's Hall of Fame' because... Yes!! That's me sitting next to LINDA HOWARD... I may have mentioned this a few times already, but thanks to our Alabama heroine Kimberly Lang, the Mod Hot posse got to have lunch (at Juniors of course) with this great lady. Not surprisingly she turned out to be gracious, gorgeous, classy and a whole lot of fun... And I'd just like to add that those other women in the photo didn't actually sit with us, they insisted on muscling in on the photo, it was actually just me and Linda.... Honest!

Have to admit that during the four days of the Conference proper, which as always was organised with military precision by the RWA, I was so busy sightseeing and socialising (and generally trying to pretend what a proper author I am!) that I didn't attend nearly as many workshops as I would have liked (although Jennie Cruisie's Wonder Woman talk was an inspirational exception)... So here's Abby and me (with the lovely Lucy King on camera duty - hence the focussing) going AWOL on the High Line.. Which if you ever go to NYC I would highly recommend (no pun intended!)

And here are some more AWOL moments....

Which include me and Fi Harper in Central Park and Riva Divas Sue Stephens, Fi Harper, Lucy King and Amy Carson supping margaritas at a down-town bar...

Among other events I attended there was the Presents lunch in a bijoux restaurant off Fifth Avenue, Sandra Marton's legendary Pizza Party (where I had a good old chinwag with Maisey Yates, Jennie Lucas, Lynne Raye Harris, Jane Porter, Sue Stephens, Sharon Kendrick and ... well, all the usual suspects) and then there was the Harlequin Black and White Ball at the Waldorf Astoria, where we all got glammed up and danced till dawn and I met lovely New Voices winner Leah Ashton (and her hunky new hubby).

I did take the camera to those events but was concentrating way to hard on being gorgeous and erudite (and that takes a lot of concentration these days btw) to take any picures....

Anyone jealous, yet?? Good, my work is done.

On the last night of conference, I had the great honour of being Rita-nominee Ms Abby Green's date for the super-plush RITA and Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Now sadly, Abby didn't nab the prize for her spectacular book Breaking the Sheik's Rules, or the lovely Kelly Hunter or Sarah Morgan, but Karen Templeton who did win gave a wonderfully empowering speech and then Hall of Fame honouree Sharon Sala had us all blubbing like, well, a room full of romance writers, with her speech... And the emcee Meg Cabot was a dead ringer for Tina Fey. Plus we all looked absolutely fabulous, of course. So it was really all right on the night....

Have borrowed this photo of me and Abby from Fiona Harper (because I thought you might want more than one in focus) as proof to sign off with.

Roll on RWA 2012!

Hottie alert!!

2011-07-08T01:31:00.000-07:00

Am over at the Pink Heart Society today doing my monthly Must-Watch Friday slot talking about the uber sexy Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in the funny, smart and also surprisingly deep Love and Other Drugs... So come on down!

Are you kidding me???

2011-07-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, am now back from the glorious RWA conference in NYC and will be doing a long and anecdotal post shortly all about my marvellous adventures once I've finished the revs on my current book and figured out how to download the pictures from my new camera...

But until then, I just had to post my response to this article in The Telegraph today which (surprise, surprise) quotes a recent article in the British Medical Journal blaming romantic fiction for relationship breakdowns, unplanned pregnancies, the rise in abortions, the spread of STDS, the black death and... Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but come on... Seriously? Are you kidding me?

Read the article, read the comments (some of them great, some of them assinine) and here's my response, which I posted in the comments thread too.

It never ceases to amaze me when reading articles such as this that criticise romantic fiction and the subsequent comments attached to it, the number of people who feel justified in saying 'I've never read one of these books myself, but...' And then go on to give a detailed analysis of something they know nothing about.

Condescending? Much?

And I'd hazard a guess that Ms Quilliam may well be one of those people, because anyone who has ever read Pride & Prejudice (or any Regency romance) would know that if Elizabeth Bennett had spent her time gazing lovingly across the ballroom at Mr Darcy there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell...

So as an avid reader of romantic fiction, and someone who is currently in the process of writing her 11th book for M&B I'd like to give you all a little head's up about this genre and why women (and - shock, horror - some men) find it so compelling to read.

First and foremost these are books about relationships, in all their variety and complexity and emotional intensity. And yes, they have a happy ending, but that's the pay-off for the reader, just as the detective discovering 'whodunnit' is the pay-off for a lover of crime fiction. But it's the journey, the way in which the couple grow and change as people and resolve the conflicts between them that's really at the heart of their story. So the suggestion that these books are somehow bad for relationships defeats me.

As to their impact on Sexual Health & Family Planning, I can safely say that my couples almost always use condoms and on the rare occassions they don't they will have discussed 'safe sex' issues, because funnily enough there's nothing very heroic or romantic about a hero (or heroine) who spreads STDs at will.. A number of my couples have had unplanned pregnancies but in the context of a romance novel (just as in real life) an unplanned pregnancy will increase the conflict between the couple, not diminish it, so I would hazard a guess that any woman thinking the opposite is the case certainly doesn't read the novels I'm reading (or writing!).

And yes, some elements of these books are hyper-real, and depending on the level of fantasy in the books there are some which don't address the condom issue. But are we seriously suggesting that escapism and fantasy doesn't have a place in modern life? Or that women can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality? After all if a plumber in Peckham can read a James Bond novel without becoming convinced that he's actually licensed to kill in Monte Carlo, why can't a housewife in Hounslow read a M&B without wanting to have unprotected sex with a Greek Shipping billionaire? I'm just saying!

And for all those people who would suggest that romantic fiction is the equivalent of female porn, can you really not tell the difference between real sex performed on camera between two (or more) people who quite possibly don't know each other and are most likely doing it to pay the rent and a fictional sexual encounter described within the context of a developing relationship? I mean, seriously?

And last but not least. I'm a tad surprised that a family planning professional would evaluate the choices their clients make about their sexual health and their relationships based on the genre of fiction they choose to read, but maybe that's just me!

Feel free to join the debate! After all that's just my humble opinion. Right, back to work on another story that's going to destroy civilisation as we know it.

The King of Cool.. And Drool

2011-06-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered why Steve McQueen is called the King of Cool? You may want to check out my Must-Watch Friday post today on Pink Heart Society, where I am considering this important question in quite considerable depth as regards The Thomas Crown Affair circa 1968. NB: let's face it what other macho man could wear a day-glo orange shirt and blue hotpants and still look straight? (check out pictorial proof above)

In other news am still trying to work out the kinks on my latest ms... Had a light bulb moment on a flight to Dublin this weekend when I was visiting Abby Green (and avoiding my problem child ms). My heroine and my hero may have a tad too much emotional baggage... Think it might have come about as a result of being on a Ryanair flight. Nuf said.

Would put up pics of my trip but was having far too much fun helping Abby put together her outfit for the RITAs to take photos!

Domestic Goddesses Unite!

2011-05-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

Am on the Pink Heart Society today talking about my fabulous Lemon Chicken recipe that makes me look like a Domestic Goddess without me having to actually be one...

And in other news, I'm sure some of you have heard of the cringe-making article the Daily Mail decided to publish about our lovely RNA Summer Party under the headline: "The Blue Rinse and Bodice Rippers: In Twin-Set and Pearls Meet the Ladies Behind Britain's Steamiest Novels"

Just like to state for the record I never saw any blue rinses, pearls or twin sets, but even if there had been I do wonder why the Mail seems obsessed with recycling all the boring old clichés about romance writers and romantic fiction (I mean Bodice-Rippers, seriously? Haven't we moved past that yet?) instead of reporting the reality - what we write and read isn't a guilty pleasure, it's not some grubby little secret we're all scribbling away at to top up our pensions (actually I haven't got a pension yet!!). Romantic fiction is instead one of the biggest sectors of the fiction market precisely because women love reading and writing these stories. Now you've got to wonder why the Mail and its reporter seem so determined to try and belittle and degrade what we do? Could it be that they're actually the boring old cliché and not us?

I'm not sticking in a link to the original article because, believe me, life's too short and for some reason they seem to have deleted all the fab comments! But here are a few great blog responses from the fabulous Julie Cohen and Talli Roland. You rock, ladies... As do we all.

Now, must go dig out my twin-set and pearls for the next party!

Parties and Pirates

2011-05-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

Have had a fun-packed week here in London Town.

First off was the RNA Summer Party in Birdcage Walk on Wednesday night. As always it was a glittery affair with lots of hot gossip (actually probably not that hot as I always seem to be the last to hear anything!), delicious canapes (was particularly partial to the risotto balls, yum) and sparkling fizz (which I managed to down before the toasts, as always).

But best of all of course is the chance to chat up a storm with old mates (waving to Riva gals Fiona Harper & Lucy King, Romance Minx Lorraine Wilson, NWS author Carol Christie, Oxford journo Mary Zacaroli and Modern star Sharon Kendrick here among others) and meet some new peeps. It was particularly lovely to meet Minx Sally Clements for the first time (am just tucking into her book Bound to Love btw and loving it!) who was up for the Joan Hessayon award (and has somehow managed to get four books published in the interim... another author who's much more prolific than me then!).

She didn't win (even though I was cheering up a storm for her with my empty champagne flute) and got pipped at the post by Charlotte Betts, but as I told her on the night she's in great company when it comes to former nominees who didn't win (ie, moi!). Also bumped into my ed which was actually great (even though I had been contemplating hiding behind a pillar if I saw her due to state of my current ms and fast approaching deadline), she talked me down from the ledge of panic and gave me an extra week on my deadline (always nice to have a little extra breathing room) and between us we decided that my stoic-to-the-point-of-speechless hero might just be the strong, very silent type! Phew! And Amazingly, now he seems to have finally started talking (better late than never buddy) and to the heroine no less. Double phew!

I've pinched some lovely photos from the evening of myself from Lorraine and the lovely Philippa Ashley because as usual I didn't bring a camera (I know, call myself a blogger!).

Finished off the week with a fun outing to the IMAX cinema in Waterloo to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides... Something I've been looking forward to for a while and not just because of my mad passion for Cap'n Jack! During last summer the production was shooting in Greenwich (in the fabulous Royal Naval College where we had the RNA conference last year) and Son Two worked as an extra for two weeks on it. He was bound by a confidentiality agreement until release, so I haven't been able to talk about it online till now. Needless to say, he had a high old time missing school and dressing up as a Georgian boy (complete with topcoat, tri-corn hat, stockings and breeches) and even got to exchange a high-five with Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow regalia (who he said was 'totally cool')... I on the other hand had to wake up at 5am every morning to drive him to the set and did not get to meet Johnny Depp or Jack Sparrow (cue mournful violin solo please)! I did see one of the stunts being filmed from a distance, thought I had spotted Jack and then Son Two informed me it was probably one of JD's three stunt doubles (but I shall insist to my dying day it was the real Jack Sparrow!).

The film itself turned out to be a blast, maybe not as hilarious as the first, but at least a lot more intelligible than the other two (ie, I actually had a clue what was going on) plus there was a brilliant mermaid attack scene and a very sweet romance subplot.... More about that on the Pink Heart Society soon. And we spotted Son Two in the crowd shots... For about a nanosecond, so all those early mornings were worth it!

Right, back to my latest ms. My hero better still be talking!

Some heartfelt thanks

2011-05-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to fabulous-o blogger Rebecca at the Every Day Is The Same Blog, I have pictorial evidence of my latest Harlequin Presents Extra release, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger on the shelves in New York City.... As I consider NYC one of the coolest cities on the planet, this photo brought a special little glow to my day yesterday. Gotta say, it never gets old seeing your book on the shelf. So muchas gracias for that, Rebecca!

And I also discovered this lovely review of my latest Riva book Cupcakes and Killer Heels on romance novelist Louise Rose-Innes's blog... She's turning into a bit of a Riva fan. Go Louise!

Here are a few snippets while I bask...

"I was surprised to discover that the main characters, the hero in particular, apart from being drop-dead gorgeous, are also fairly flawed, which adds a depth that is seldom found in category romance these days."

"The first chapter starts with a bang, quite literally, as the hero and heroine connect in a funny encounter that had me laughing out loud."

"Ultimately, the hero and the heroine reach a point in their emotional development where the crazy, all-consuming passion they feel for each other can evolve into a mature and rewarding relationship."

Wow! How cool is that? So thanks Louise for the review! It's always so great to hear that the effort we're all putting in to make Riva fresh and fun and flirty and something a little bit different for category romance readers is appreciated!

My Little Tribute to London's Big Day

2011-04-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

Have to admit I'm not big on flag-waving or patriotism or most of the things that go with celebrating royalty in this neck of the woods, but the romance-arama of yesterday's Royal Wedding was kind of hard to avoid if you're a Londoner — and a hopeless romantic like moi. And I did get a free day off, which is never a bad thing IMHO, especially if you have a book to finish by the end of May and you've still struggling through chapter six (eek!!).

That said my oldest son did manage to prise me away from my ms (not nearly as hard as it should have been) insisting that I watch some of the ceremony because it was 'history'... And have to admit I ended up enjoying it more than he did... Teenagers after all have remarkably short attention spans when it comes to pomp and circumstance.

Things I particularly liked:

My home town looking pretty magnificent with the green trees and regency splendour nicely offset with views of the Millennium Wheel and the city's modern heart.

Historian Simon Schama on the BBC valiantly trying to give all the hoopla a bit of historical context.

The jets flying over my house in formation... Very impressive!

William's eyeroll to Kate in the Abbey, nicely documented here.

And last but not least the cool bit of graffiti I discovered yesterday while cycling to the gym which I have used to illustrate my post. Marmite indeed!!

Brenda Novak's Auction... 4 Days and counting.

2011-04-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Hope you had a great Easter Weekend. Weather was phenomenal here in the UK, spent four lovely days at my Mum's place in the heart of Thomas Hardy country in Wiltshire and the sun shined all weekend. Even went on an off-road bike ride down the Ox Drove (always makes me think of Hardy that journey, through the bluebell woods and across ancient chalk roads).

Anyway, just giving you'all a quick head's up to say I'm taking part in Brenda Novak's Auction again this year. Bidding starts on 1st May and runs through til the 31st.

I've donated an author critique of a first chapter and synopsis aimed at Harlequin Presents and a 'follow-up' meeting over breakfast at the RWA conference in NYC. Of course, if you're not going to be at the conference, I'm sure we can arrange an email chat.

I'm also donating a couple of signed copies of my books... Can't actually remember which ones, will have to go check.

Anyway, hope to see some good bids not just on my stuff but there's lots of stuff for aspiring authors from critiques to agent interviews, etc, so definitely worth a look.

Vote for Me This Weekend, Cos I Wanna Win!!

2011-04-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my book Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is up for the coveted title of Book of the Week on the Long and Short Reviews Blog and I want you to go vote for it. And I think you have to do it this weekend... Because I really want to win. Why? Well there are two main reasons.

The First Reason is that they gave the book a magnificent 'Five Book' review last week... So surely it deserves a vote or two.

Here's some of the highlights from that review to prove my point:

'This story defines what I look for in a romance book and Ms. Rice delivers.'

'Maddy is the heroine and she’s such a warm and wonderful person it was a pleasure watching her deal with the cranky dude she saved from drowning.'

'Rye is a deliciously complicated man with a few defensive layers just begging to be unraveled. He’s rich, he’s commanding and boy, does he ever know his way around a woman’s body. There were quite a few times I really wished I was Maddy when he does what he does to her, more than once.'

'This story is chock full of clever writing and great descriptions. I don’t know how to express the extreme satisfaction that I got while reading this story.'

'Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is a very emotional book despite the very cheery title. This book hit all my happy buttons and is the kind of book I would have no problem telling all my friends to read. There is so much to like and enjoy throughout the entire story, it’s actually hard to pick just one scene or moment that was better than another. They all contributed to my maximum enjoyment and I look forward to reading other books from Ms. Rice. If her sense of humor and interpretation of life’s quirky moments are typical for her style of writing then the author has found herself a new fan.'

Okay, enough with the quotes, you can read the whole wonderful review here, but you get the drift. They loved my book and my head is now so enormous I need a crane to keep it from lolling onto my computer.

But now here's the Second Reason:

I've been nominated for some pretty terrific prizes in my time (ooh goody, another opportunity to mention my RITA nomination in 2008!!) but the only thing I've ever won was a treasure hunt at a Wiltshire Country Fair in the 1970s and all I got was 50p. And folks, even in the inflation-proof 70s, 50p was a pretty crap prize. Somehow I had convinced myself I was going to win a new Chopper bike after they announced my name over the tannoy and as I raced across the fairground, dodging coconut shies and swinging boats with my brother. But when I got to the organisers tent and breathlessly announced who I was, the gruff carny counting up the days' takings tossed me a 50p coin and told me to get lost. Is anyone sobbing yet??

So you see, you have to vote for me, so I can finally prove to myself (and my brother) that that damn 50p isn't going to be the only thing I ever win!

Here's where to vote, if you loved the review (or even if you've just taken pity on my sad little sob story!)

Thanks Heidi x

PS: And I never did get that coveted chopper bike... I'm just saying!!

Thanks to the Folks at Uxbridge Library

2011-04-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

So last night I packed up my workshop crib sheets - which includes this very inspirational montage of Alpha Males (PS: I didn't put it together, so take no responsibility for Simon Cowell & Gordon Ramsey, I'm just saying...) - and headed off down the M40 in my Fiat Panda to Uxbridge Library.

Once there I was pleased to find not just an amazing turn out for 7.30pm on a Tuesday evening (at least 35 people) but a great cross-section of the population, from a couple of elderly gents (who said they were looking forward to reading their first M&B) to a young girl (who looked a little confused at times but sat very politely). There were avid romance readers, aspiring authors who have already submitted a couple of manuscripts, quite a few people who were just interested in hearing what it's like to be a published novelist and even a young male actor who was intrigued enough to 'give my book a go' even though he admitted to not reading much romance as a rule!!

I waffled for a good hour then took questions, and hopefully imparted a small amount of useful information in amongst all the anecdotes on topics such as 'how to get rid of an Elvis impersonator who wants to take over your manuscript' and 'how to keep a straight face while explaining to your Mum that your first published book is going to be called Bedded by a Bad Boy'.

I had a great time, and hope the participants enjoyed it as much as I did (even if most of them are not likely to be submitting to M&B any time soon).

Best question of the night? The woman who asked if she could submit her story in Bulgarian. Bless!

Was really tempted to say yes, as she seemed keen and as she rightly pointed out, women in Bulgaria love romance. But I think my editor would probably have killed me. So I settled for suggesting that she either get a good translator before submitting, wait until she was more confident in written English, or think about investigating Bulgarian romance publishers. I really hope I didn't discourage her.

Next stop Stokey on Thursday night!

How to Be Young Forever!

2011-04-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

I'm over at the Pink Heart Society today doing a coverted Male on Monday slot and talking about teenage dreams, how your teenage crushes can keep you young forever and THAT guy from the Katy Perry video.

Actually, he's the inspiration for my latest hero, Nick Delisantro, a former North London bad boy, who now lives in San Francisco, has a very successful career as a Hollywood scriptwriter, but still has a wild streak, as my heroine is currently finding out after climbing onto the back of his motorbike.

Anyway to find out where I got my inspiration from, check out the PHS today.

Jake Gyllenhaal is HAWT!

2011-04-08T00:40:00.000-07:00

Am over at the Pink Heart Society today talking about the fiendishly clever new Jake Gyllenhaal movie Source Code and it's very dishy star, so come join me.

Am currently writing Chapter Five of Nick's story and have just discovered that he doesn't like to talk. At all! Never encountered this strong-but-silent routine with a hero before and it's driving me mad... And turning my heroine into a chatterbox. The poor woman can't shut up.

Sexy Lifeguard Alert at I Heart Presents

2011-04-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

Am blogging over at I Heart Presents today about the inspiration for my April Presents Extra release Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger during a not-so-glam camping holiday in Cornwall two summers ago. And yes, as this blog title suggests some very tasty lifeguards were involved.

Amazing how a good-looking chap (or two) can make you forget about torrential rain, wasps and leaking airbeds isn't it. Or maybe that's just me!

Happy Super Mum Day!!

2011-04-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Am feeling all blissful and pleased with myself today... First off, it's Mum's Day and I got a great card from my supremely talented oldest progeny! Not sure if he really thinks of me as Super-Mum or he just knows how to suck up really well (probably a bit of both is my guess), but the design he did hit all my happy buttons: particularly liked that he thinks he and his brother are Powerpuff Boys. And check out my cleavage and my knee-high boots! Wonder Woman eat your heart out. So I'm sharing it with you all, and wishing mums everywhere a Happy Mother's Day.

Not only that, but I got some lovely blogger reviews for Cupcakes and Killers Heels — which I'm also going to share, cos I'm very proud of them, and because I'm hoping to persuade a few more punters to buy my book (now we know where my son gets his sucking-up genes!!).

First up is the fab Doris O'Conor who reviewed Cupcakes on her Tardis Scribbles blog

"I laughed, I gasped, I wanted to bang their heads together...and the ending left me with a nice warm fuzzy feeling like any good romance should.

This is Heidi Rice at her best, funny, sassy, sensual and a jolly good read. If you have read any of her other books, you will love this one too and if you haven't? Why ever not? Where have you been?"

See, I'm blushing here.

Then a couple of days later I got this from RLA at the Every Day is the Same blog, where she's busy embarking on her challenge to read 365 books in a year. That's a book a day, folks (for those you who are as statistically challenged as I am). And mine came in at number 11!

"I have been a big fan of Heidi's books for a while, I find her writing is always full of quick wit, sparky characters, as well as having a very modern feel. To me her books are like the love-child of 'Sex and the City' and 'Bridget Jones', which can only be a good thing!"

Now I should fess up and say I sent copies of my book to both these bloggers because I know they like my stuff. But it's still lovely to find out that they enjoyed the book enough to write really great reviews of it. Not only that but RLA got her hubby to read it, and he loved it too. As I can't get my own hubby to read my books, that is pretty darn cool!

So here I am on Mother's Day happily basking in my own brilliance. Now if I could just get past Chapter Four on my current WIP, which is unfortunately due at the end of May, I'd be even more brilliant!

Lots of Cool News to Report!!

2011-03-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

So the excitement of RITA announcements has finally worn off and while I didn't get a nomination myself this year (boohoo!!) I'm thrilled to bits that my mates Abby Green, Sarah Morgan and Kelly Hunter are all up for an award in the Series Contemporary Category. You go, girls!! And as Abby's my roomie at the conference in NYC I shall be basking in her reflected glory big time! I've read her nominated story Breaking the Sheikh's Rules and thought it was fabulous. Plus my little sis Nemone has a dedication as she has an uber-glam job in horse-racing and helped with the horsey details. So I feel super-connected to this book! Can't wait for the awards ceremony (where I have invited myself as Abby's Date) and now have a perfect excuse to buy a new posh frock. (I have included pictorial evidence that I do know Abby and am not just your ordinary stalker!)

In other news, I've also agreed some M&B workshop dates which I'll be doing in three London libraries in April to coincide with M&B's Big Fat Royal Wedding Hoopla: So if you want to come join me for some pearls of wisdom about writing for M&B and lots of chat about hunky guys (not necessarily princes, as I shall probably go a bit off-piste there, having never written a royal romance!!) then here are the times and places:

April 12th, 7.30pm-9.30pm, Uxbridge Central Library

April 14th, 6pm-7.30pm, Stoke Newington Library

April 26th, 6pm-7.30pm, Shoreditch Library

You'll need to contact the libraries themselves to sign up for the event, and I'll post contact details nearer the time, but it is free of charge.

And last but not least, I have a title for my Selfridges/Christmas book... Drum roll please..

"On the First Night of Christmas"

Love it! Classy and evocative and maybe a little less cheeky than my suggestion which was 'Tis the Season to Be Naughty'. Think the book's out in the UK in December this year (but don't quote me on that as it hasn't been confirmed yet!!). Can't wait to see the cover, but am thinking a sexy guy and some tinsel would do the business.

Cupcake Winners Announced

2011-03-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all

So the Cupcakes comp is now closed. I nabbed my youngest son to pick the winners out of his favourite hat... And as usual he got a bit carried away and picked out FOUR!! So no cupcakes for him then!

Anyway, here are the four names picked out of the hat in the order they came out (here's hoping none of you live in Outer Mongolia or the postage is gonna kill me!):

Biraj Trivedi

Ann Murphy

Desere Steenberg

Wendy S Marcus

Just email me your snail mail addresses and I'll post off your signed copy of Cupcakes and Killer Heels this morning. Comisserations to everyone else. But don't worry, you can always buy a copy!! Hint, hint. It'll be available on the M&B website in the UK on April 1st and is hitting Amazon (and UK and Irish book shop shelves) in May... So not long to wait now at all.

Am busy getting stuck into my next book, which is a linked book to Cupcakes, and involves a maverick North London bad boy turned Hollywood scriptwriter called Nick Delisantro (Ruby's brother, who is mentioned in Cupcakes but doesn't appear) and a bookish ancestral geneologist from West London called Eva Redmond. Studious and conscientious Eva is about to discover her wild side when she is sent to San Francisco (where Nick lives) to tell Nick he's the illegitimate heir to a fortune in Italian real estate but can't quite get the words out when she engineers a meeting with him at an upscale SF art gallery opening and he immediately starts flirting with her, inviting her for a ride on his motorbike. She's never been on a motorbike before in her life and has never flirted with a guy before, either, and especially not a guy as hot as Nick. Uh-oh!

Having a great deal of fun so far, which is probably famous last words but I live in hope this one is not nearly as much of a pineapple as the last one (but I always say that don't I).

Another chance to win a copy of Cupcakes and some Barcelona boasting!

2011-03-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to all those who have already entered yesterday's competition to win a copy of my new book Cupcakes and Killer Heels (and cheers for the comments about the sneak peek.. that was the idea, to get you all hooked... Brawahahaha!)

Anyway, there's another chance to win a copy on The Pink Heart Society today if you leave a comment on my extremely interesting and informative post about where my ideas come from, why inspiration is everywhere but why it isn't as important as you think... Or something like that! I've also included some great pictures of my recent weekend trip to Barcelona to make you all jealous... Sorry, I meant to say, which are extremely relevant to the post. And that smug smile on my face in the photo of me in Barcelona last weekend illustrating this post is entirely coincidental, by the way.

Anyhow, nip on over to the PHS and stick a comment up, so far the only one is from Abby Green and I've already sent her a copy! So she ain't getting another.

Win a Copy of Cupcakes and Killer Heels!

2011-03-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

Okey, dokey, so the nice postman delivered a huge box of brand new books yesterday. Yippee! Cupcakes and Killer Heels has finally arrived. As you know I love the cover and the title, so am mighty proud of this book.

Anyway I've got a couple of autographed copies to give away. All you have to do is take a gander at the fiendishly clever question below (you'll probably have to check out the sneak peek on my website here for the answer, unless of course you're clairvoyant) and then send your answer to heidi@heidi-rice.com by Monday 21st March (that's next Monday for anyone without a calendar) to be included in the prize draw.

Question: What is the name of Ruby Delisantro's cupcake-making business in Cupcakes and Killer Heels which she has printed on the side of her VW Beetle in glittering pink lettering?

PHS... Teen Movie Madness

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hopefully still soaking up the rays in Barca, but due to the wonders of technology can post a quick note that I'm at the Pink Heart Society today (virtually speaking!) blogging about the wonderfully witty and self-aware teen movie Easy A... A high-school pastiche of The Scarlet Letter! Without Demi Moore in it, you'll be glad to know.

So come check it out.

Party Time! Barcelona-stylee!

2011-03-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

So bought myself a new frock and some killer heels (rather appropriately) and had a high old time in the exceedingly posh surroundings of One Whitehall Place on Monday for the RNA's Pure Passion Awards. Great to see the legendary Penny Jordan picking up a special award (she's written 180 books, how is that even possible when she looks so young!!) and while I will confess to rooting ever so slightly for my Presents pal Abby Green in the Love Story of the Year stakes (absolutely adored Bride in a Gilded Cage), I was chuffed to see Louise Allen pick up the award. I have it on very good authority that her book The Piratical Miss Ravenshurst is terrific so will be adding it to my TBR list. Also much enjoyed Jojo Moyes pointed speech when she picked up The Romantic Novel of the Year trophy for her book The Last Letter from Your Lover. She noted the way commercial fiction was patronised by the BBC's World Book Night panel (and yeah Jojo, I was screaming at the telly too) and pointed out that 'just because a book is commercial doesn't mean it isn't good'. Too right!

Anyway, after much yaking with fellow authors Fiona Harper (who very kindly let me pinch the photos from her blog), Ms Abby, Natalie Rivers, Julie Cohen and Philipa Ashley (I think we defo had the best table!), some fine canapes and rather too much champagne (not even going to mention the Flaming Meringues, folks, but needless to say they deserved their upper case status), Tuesday was a little bit of an anti-climax. Always tough to return to a manuscript you think you've finished, even if the revisions this time were surprisingly minor. Still, my editor, who I had a chat with at the Pure Passion do had spotted a few problems and as always once I got stuck in (and had a couple of paracetamol), I found it surprisingly satisfying to come up with solutions...

Have now sent the ms off again, with that fiendishly clever lose-end-typing-up epilogue attached (I love writing epilogues -especially if my couple have finally co-operated and actually deserve their happy ever after). So am off to Barcelona for a couple of days to celebrate tomorrow with my very best mate where we plan to do lots of drinking, partying, swimming in our hotel's roof-top pool (assuming it's not snowing) and doing some late-night tapas while admiring the local talent (from checking out the Barcelona football team, I'm expecting the men to be very easy on the eye).

I will of course also be researching the city for a future book... because I'm a consummate professional, me.

Merry Christmas in March!

2011-03-05T04:32:00.000-08:00

Yippee, heard from my editor about Jace and Cassie's story... AKA my Christmas/Selfridges book.. And she loved it. With only one page of revisions (which is actually a record for me!) I'm feeling all warm and glowy and Christmassy inside, and even a little smug. Good to know that re-writing that first chapter 20 times was worth all the blood, sweat, tears and torn out hair I put into it.

Of course, on reflection I have also realised that the reason these books seem to get harder and harder to write - but on the upside the revisions get slightly less humungous - might be because my crap-o-meter is now so well developed I suffer the torments of hell before handing the book to my editor, instead of afterwards. Which is great for her, but maybe not so great for me - when I consider how many sleepless nights, how much shouting-at-kids and how many panic attacks I had over this story. But hey, that's a writer's life, right? It's exactly like being a teenager again, the extreme highs are all the more euphoric when compared to those extreme lows - those nights when you lay awake and think 'I hate these bloody characters', 'how did I ever do this before?', 'this book is total shite and it's never going to get any better'.

Or then again, maybe I'm just slightly nuts and it has nothing to do with being a writer...

Okay, enough with the reflection (and the discovery that I may have mental health issues!)... Now all I've got to do is write a one-thousand word epilogue that manages to tie up the many lose ends I left dangling during the story that I stupidly figured I'd handle in the epilogue. Way to go, Sherlock!

Why do I suddenly see several more sleepless night in my future?

First Class Twit of the Year!

2011-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

On Friday, my DH informed me that I had to join Twitter because it was easy to figure out and I'd be able to 'connect' better with readers... Now, I have to admit I've been avoiding it like the plague up to this point because it has 'enormous time-suck' written all over it, and what with two catering-challenged teenage boys who never stop eating, a major email addiction and a slight problem with prevarication to deal with already it's not like I need another one of those in my orbit. But I have to admit the words 'easy' and 'connect' seduced me big time. And I should add that while doing the Selfridges workshop I was asked by several of the attendees why I wasn't on Twitter, which made me feel a bit like the moment when my oldest son informed me I was the last person in the universe who didn't know how to use predictive texting.

So I decided to dive in.

Here are a few of the valueable lessons I have learned from the process:

1) If a man ever tells you something is easy DO NOT believe him (really I should have learnt that one after he suggested we have kids, but I'm a slow learner).

2) Twitter is not easy, especially if you're like me and tend to lapse into a coma if anything even remotely resembling instructions have to be read beforehand (which probably explains why I have so many pieces of IKEA furniture which don't stand up properly).

3). Despite appearances to the contrary, if you simply hit reply when a tweet appears on your mobile, you are not replying to that person, but all your followers (thanks for the tip Trish Wylie!). So if anyone was wondering why a series of disconnected Tweets appeared on my account saying things like 'Huh?' that's why.

4). I am now following 47 people, and I'm not sure I even know 47 people... It's exciting, exhilarating and totally terrifying...

5). I have 30 something followers who are going to get extremely bored following me if I don't think up something interesting to say. Which is exciting, exhilarating, totally terrifying and just as suspected, a complete time-suck.

6). Be careful about what picture you put on your profile. As your DH may tell you a perfectly innocent shot of your knees looks like something else entirely and you'll have to change it in a hurry so as not to unintentionally flash your followers.

7). If you find it hard to edit your blog posts to less than 5,000 words, writing something smart and witty and informative in 48 characters (or whatever the heck it is) is like trying to squeeze yourself into a size 8 dress again after two kids, several thousand bars of Green and Blacks and without the benefit of armour plated magic knickers. ie: Not gonna happen.

So there you have it.. Why I'm on Twitter. And why I'm crap to follow but I hope you'll follow me anyway on @HeidiRomRice

PS: If anyone knows how to link their Facebook status and their blog posts to their Twitter account, please let me know before I have to throttle my husband.

Heidi breaks the Four Star barrier at RT!

2011-02-23T02:46:00.000-08:00

Amazed to discover that my April release in the US of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger has got a Four and a Half star review from the venerable Sandra Madan at RT Book Reviews! Cheers Sandra, never thought I'd manage it.

Here's the review:

SURF, SEA AND A SEXY STRANGER (4.5) by Heidi Rice: Lifeguard Maddy Westmore has had enough with fixing everyone else’s problems, though she can’t help but check on the “bad surfer” she rescued earlier in the day. For said surfer, entrepreneur Ryan King, his injured leg is the least of his concerns, as a previous accident has left him psychologically impotent. So when a solution to his most worrisome problem turns up in the form of storm-ravaged Maddy, he can’t resist. But when Maddy finds out Rye is actually her boss, he’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants their affair to continue. A steamy romance and interesting characters will leave readers smiling.

In other news, I'll be taking part in Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction again this year and offering a critique of a first chapter and synopsis aimed at Harlequin Presents (or M&B Riva) with the promise of a follow-up breakfast meeting at the RWA Conference in NYC. Obviously, if you win it, and you're not going to RWA we can always have an email chat! Anyway, bidding is from 1st-31st May and there's tons of great lots on offer for readers and aspiring authors alike (Presents author Kate Hewitt is offering a critique of an entire manuscript), so definitely worth checking it out.

Just wanted to also add a quick word for the people of Christchurch, New Zealand. One of our lovely Riva authors Natalie Anderson lives in the city and as I'm sure you all know the earthquake there has been absolutely devastating. My thoughts are with them.

The manuscript has left the building... And a special thanks to Ms Katy Perry!

2011-02-21T04:35:00.000-08:00

Muchas celebrations here in North London after I pinged off my latest manuscript to my wonderful editor (notice the sucking up, for added good karma) on Saturday... Only a day late! Yippee! Of course it may soon come winging back to me with a 20 page revision letter attached, but I'm not letting the prospect dampen my spirit, or my wine intake tonight!

As the ms is out the way (for now) I have spent some quality time updating my website with a brand new Books page, which lists all my books in order of publication (for all those readers who are as anal as me and like to know this sort of thing!). I've also added a sneak peek of Cupcakes and Killer Heels which is due out in the UK and Ireland in May. Check it out and let me know what you think? Wanna read more? I certainly hope so.

Unfortunately I've been told the release of Cupcakes in the US (which is a linked book to Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger - as it's Maddy's brother Cal's story) will be delayed until 2012 as my next book in the US will have to be the one I've just sent in. See, the new ms is all about a scorchingly hot winter fling in London at the height of the festive season (complete with shopping at Selfridges, where else!) so needs to go out in the Christmas period in both the US and the UK... Now why didn't I think of this before I started writing it!! Doh!

Amazingly, I already have a new idea cued up and raring to go as it's a linked story to Cupcakes (and Sexy Stranger)... While writing Cupcakes I discovered that my heroine Ruby Delisantro had a very interesting brother. Nick Delisantro is a North London bad boy turned Hollywood scriptwriter living in San Francisco. He and his sister Ruby have been estranged since he ran away from home at age 16. As it turns out he's had a very dark and tortuous journey to Hollywood success which means he's of particular interest to a bookish ancestral geneologist called Eva Cooper - a woman who knows everything there is to know about long-dead people but very little about living men. Eva specialises in tracing the long-lost heirs to European estates and is about to uncover the secrets of Nick's past... What she doesn't know is that she has some pretty hot revelations of a more personal kind in her own future when she makes the mistake of tangling with Nick - who's sexy, surly, has a killer instinct for seduction and doesn't take too kindly to women who want to know more about him than he's willing to reveal.

Nick btw has been inspired by the rather tempting guy from Katy Perry's Teenage Dreams video. Don't have a clue who he is, but he's got just the right quality of sex, smoulder, surliness and shock value! And Katy certainly looked like she was enjoying herself!

Can't wait to get writing this one, and after the tortures I had with kick-starting my last story I'm hopeful it won't be as hard... ie no re-writing the first three chapters twenty times. But don't quote me on that!

Tired, Tangled and Bewildered!

2011-02-11T00:57:00.000-08:00

So had a fabulous day talking up a storm with some very interesting women interested in writing for M&B... And as writing and my books are my two favourite subjects I waffled non-stop for three solid hours altogether and hopefully at some point did actually impart a few pieces of useful information. Even managed to get a write-up on the Grazia website (muchos gracias Minx Lorraine for the link) as one of the attendees was a reporter.. Her M&B send-up is actually very funny and has some serious potential (LOL!) particularly like the setting in Dalston market (tres glamourous that) although was a bit bewildered by her take on internal and external conflict (crikey, did I say that??). Should also say a special thanks to my fellow Riva author Fiona Harper who popped in half-way through and managed to answer some questions that I couldn't!

Wanted to add that I'm talking about the fabulous new Disney cartoon Tangled on the Pink Heart Society for Must Watch Friday, so pop over there if you want to discuss it. Loved that movie.

Also (drum roll please) wanted to say a huge congrats to my mate, Modern author Abby Green whose fabulous book Bride in a Gilded Cage (that's her sultry sexy Argentine tango book!) has been short-listed for the Love Story of the Year prize....! Go Abby!

Cupcakes cover! Woohoo!

2011-02-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

Off to Selfridges today to impart much wisdom about how to write a Mills and Boon (or at least try to fake it convincingly)! As you can probably tell current pineapple is still causing a few problems. Have several gem moments in there but as I finish the rough draft I know I'm going to be having a lost weekend trying to winkle them out of all the dross..

But to perk me up I got a sneak peak of my first bona fide Riva cover from my good mate Kelly Hunter (thanks Kelly!). As you know (if you read this blog) Cupcakes and Killer Heels is a linked book to Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger and features Maddy's charismatic, wildly gorgeous and completely closed off brother, barrister Callum Westmore, and his flashfire one night stand with lush, sexy and fabulously reckless cupcake entrepeneur Ruby Delisantro... A one night stand that turns into a lost weekend of epic porportions (complete with cupcakes!). Loved the title and now love the cover. Will be posting a sneak peak on my website very shortly... Once pineapple has been birthed!

This for me is one of the best bits of writing... The chance to enjoy the fruits of your labour when all the hard work has been done. It's also a good way to persuade yourself that the bald patch you created while tearing your hair out over your characters and their conflict was worth it (and then you can go out and buy a nice hat with the proceeds!).

More Free Book News!

2011-02-06T02:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is getting a bit silly now... Apparently a little bird has told me that if you are a UK resident and you pop on over to www.datemillsandboon.com M&B will post you a Riva copy of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger for free! All you have to do is give them your name and address and it'll be on your doorstep. And you can also download a free ebook copy of The Walk of Fame....

And if you then go back to the site and rate your date with Riva you could win £500! And there's also £500 cash and a luxury spa day at Champneys up for grabs if you introduce a friend... Pretty cool.

Let's Get This Party Started!

2011-02-04T03:40:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give you a heads up about the workshop deets now posted on Selfridges website here... All very exciting, looking forward to seeing lots of you guys there.

The PR lady at M&B has told me that we've already filled up the morning slots (wanted to keep it to six so we can all have a proper chat) so I've agreed to do another workshop each day at 1pm...

In other exciting news my December book Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger has been repackaged as a Riva and will be a giveaway in The Sun (here in the UK) on 18th Feb, so if you haven't got a copy already and you want a free one get The Sun that day. I think you have to take the token to your local WH Smith... The Sun will also be offering The Walk of Fame (aka Public Affair, Secretly Expecting) as a free ebook to download.

Selfridges Workshops: More Deets!

2011-01-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

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!

Valentine's Day Workshops in Selfridges

2011-01-26T00:52:00.000-08:00

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.

RWA a go-go!

2011-01-19T00:37:00.000-08:00

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.

Exciting news.. And shopping!

2011-01-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Have you seen The King's Speech yet?

2011-01-14T01:02:00.000-08:00

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?

Belated Merry Christmas...

2010-12-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas to all my favourite peeps!! Oh all right then, I'm several days late, I blame too much feasting and making merry, but that's always a very good excuse in my book.

Anyway, I come bearing tidings of great joy. Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is sold out on the M&B site in the UK and has a brand new cover on the Oz site for it's release there as a Sexy in January.

Now as you all know I'm mighty partial to my stubbled hunk of a guy on the UK cover (as are a few other people I'm sure), but the old-style clinch cover in Oz is also mighty pretty. Of course the book is set in October and Christmas in North Cornwall, so if Rye and Maddy had really stripped off to have a clinch in the surf they probably would have died of hypothermia, but who cares for literary accuracy in a cover when the result is so pleasing on the eye? I certainly ain't complaining.

BTW, had a lovely drink with my Modern Heat mate Kim Lang, who battled her way over to the UK from Alabama and despite snow, freezing temperatures and many, many travel nightmares managed to raise a glass with me in Piccadilly. We had a good old gossip and both agreed that we're very excited about the launch of RIVA in January in the UK. Kim's book The Girls Guide to Flirting with Danger (which sounds like another cracker from the phenomenal Ms Lang) is one of the launch books, so will be buying that as a New Year pressie for myself. Here's the pictorial evidence to prove that this time I not only took my camera, I even got it out of the bag and used it... How cool is that!!

Anyway, in case I'm too busy feasting and making merry again and I don't pop back beforehand... Hope you all have a very happy - and for any aspiring authors out there - very publishable 2011!

And I'm including a lovely Christmassy picture of my road (avec beaucoup de neige!!) to get us all in the mood for January!! During which I have to write virtually a whole book in four weeks... Arghhh!

PHS... Christmas Movies

2010-12-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Over at the Pink Heart Society today musing on my favourite Christmas movies.... Here are a few tips as to films that may be appearing on the blog... And a chance to add a little Christmas bling to my own blog!

Join the Party at the Harlequin Open House

2010-12-15T01:19:00.000-08:00

Hey all

I'll be popping into the Presents Post Party today at the eHarlequin Open House, so come and have a chat, share some mulled wine and mince pies (and of course your favourite hunky hero!!). And we'll be rockin round the clock so it don't matter what time zone you're in!

And here's who I'm bringing to the party!! After I've knobbled Dawn French!

Christmas is coming.... And Heidi's ready to Party!

2010-12-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

So after much rewriting and editing, I finally pinged off the first chapter of my Christmas (for next year) book to my ed. I know, I've been working on that damn first chapter forever, but am hoping that if I start this thing in the right place it should save work further down the line. At least, that's the plan. Anyway, to try and invigorate myself for the long haul, I decided to do a little location scouting round London's West End for locales and such for the rest of the book.

After checking out the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park with its fairground rides, ice rink and all round Christmas bling (can definitely see some fun to be had there), I needed a luxury hotel for my couples romantic tryst (well, several romantic trysts) so I popped into the Dorchester on Park Lane to be inspired... And boy, is that one beautiful hotel, all Art Deco glamour and vintage class. And the Christmas decorations add that festive shimmer of fairy dust (see, I'm waxing all lyrical already!!).

Then I trooped up to Oxford Street and snapped some pics of Selfridges fabulously funky window displays. Check out that handsome fella sitting next to the Barbie Christmas tree and all those lovely sparkles inside the store. To finish the afternoon I hopped on a bus to have lunch with my true love in this wonderful little cafe tucked away on a back street in Clerkenwell near where he's working at the moment.

Love Clerkenwell, it's all cosy and Dickensian but with the arty crowd of designers and architects and journalists to make it uber trendy too. Have decided to make my hero a web designer instead of a Broadway producer... Cos I saw these three very handsome chaps on the table opposite us looking all intense and brooding and artistic while tucking into their homemade Chicken and Sweet Potato soup. Perfect.

Should also let you know I'll be crashing the Harlequin Post Party on 15th December talking hunky heroes with some of my favourite Presents authors, such as the wonderful Kate Hardy, Maisey Yates and Kate Walker as well as a host of other Harlequin names.

So be there, or be a Christmas turkey!

A Passion for Puzzles...

2010-11-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all, am over at the Pink Heart Society today talking about my puzzle affliction... Sorry, I meant, puzzle addiction. And how appropriate it is to my career as a romance novellist... No really, I somehow managed to make that analogy sound almost convincing.

In other news, I have had to sideline my heir-hunter and her screenwriting hero to concentrate on a very special Christmas story which my ed has asked me to write for next year... And due to scheduling issues will have to be my next completed book. As I'm a one-idea-at-a-time gal, I'm currently wracking my brains to come up with a super sexy seasonal story idea, its gonna be set in London over Christmas and New Year.. But so far that's all I've got. Although it is kinda cool to be writing a Christmas story when it's actually Christmas for a change.

Am currently getting in the mood by doing all my Christmas shopping really early... NOT! I wish.

But I am thinking about it. Or at least writing about it on my blog.

Come talk about The Hunk of the Century! on The Pink Heart

2010-11-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

Had a great time at the RNA Winter Party on Wednesday night, meeting new faces and old mates... Well, not old, actually very young and glamorous but you know what I mean right...

And I'm over at the Pink Heart Society today talking about a golden oldie with the Hunk of the Century in (as he was named by one lovely lady on YouTube). None other than Clark Gable.... If you don't know who he is, you're in for a treat... Cos there's clips too of It Happened One Night on my PHS post. So don't say I never give you nothing. This film is 75 years old this year, and remains as fresh and sexy as it was in 1935. In a word, unmissable.. And unforgettable. Okay, that's two words!

Let's Talk About Conflict, Baby!!

2010-10-27T01:35:00.000-07:00

Pop on over to the Pink Heart Society today where I am doing a little chat about that perenial favourite "conflict"!!

Don't know about the rest of you, but this is the thing I struggle with most in all my books... So I wanted to take the opportunity to analyse the conflict in a couple of iconic books and see if anyone wanted to join me...

So don't leave me hanging guys! And there's a hint in the picture as to what one of those books might be!

Anyone in Gant's Hill Tonight?

2010-10-26T02:32:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Just a quick head's up to say I'm going to be at Gant's Hill Library tonight in the lovely borough of Redbridge as part of a panel event being chaired by the wonderful Jean Fullerton! I'll be joined by fellow authors Sue Moorcroft, Juliet Archer and Sheila Norton and we'll all be answering questions on writing women's fiction and romance. So if you're in the area and fancy a good ole chinwag come on down.

I'll also be bringing along some copies of my brand new Modern Heat, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger.

Should be a hoot. We kick off at 7.30pm... And it would be seriously cool to see some familiar faces there!

And the Winner is...!!

2010-10-22T02:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so forced my sleepy 12-year-old to pick a winner for my book contest this morning while he was eating his cereal and, being as he was half asleep, he picked two names out!! We had a little debate and decided that it would be bad karma this close to Halloween to re-draw them so have decided to keep the good-luck gremlins happy and offer two books! And the names picked out were:

RACHAEL BLAIR and JAYNE HALL

So Rach and Jayne, congratulations... Email me your details and I'll post off your brand spanking new copy of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger asap.

Thanks everyone else for entering, it's always nice to know there's a lot of people out there wanna win my books. Rye and Maddy's story is actually on sale from November 19th in the UK and Ireland, as it's in the first cycle of December releases.. And details will be up on the M&B site on 1st November. I've also got word that it will be going into Presents Extra in the North America in April 2011!! Yippee...

I'm gonna post a sneak peek on my site today, so watch this space.

In other news, Cal and Ruby's story has just got the green light from my editor, after some frantic last-minute revisions... This is my delicious barrister and my flirty cupcake entrepreneur. It's currently slated for release in May 2011 in the UK as a brand spanking new RIVA. The title they're toying with made me grin from ear to ear. No blackmail, no billionaires, no mistresses... Just Cupcakes and Killer Heels. How cool is that? It's not definite yet mind you, but I like it. Am really excited about the way this line is going... And am thinking there's a lot they can do with cupcakes and dishy guys on the cover!!

Anyway, was a bit gutted to hear that neither of my mentees got through to the Final Four on New Voices, but just wanted to say it was a pleasure working with both Kat and Kara and hope they enjoyed the experience as much as I did. They're both talented writers and I'm sure we haven't heard the last from either one of them.

So onwards with a new story idea, am currently thinking about making my next heroine a freelance heirhunter and my hero the illegitimate heir to an Italian Dukedom.. With locations in San Francisco and Lake Como... Which gives me a great excuse to spend the rest of the day googling piccies of George Clooney in his Italian home! Jeeze this is such a hard job sometimes.

See what I mean!!

Come Join the Party!

2010-10-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I took part in a mega exciting project when I was interviewed by journalist Solange Berchemin and photographed by photographer Anne Mortensen for a coffee-table book about writers on writing called Writers in Black and White.

Well, to be honest I almost forgot about it, until a heavy package landed on my doorstep last week... And I opened it to discover an absolutely gorgeous book full of exceptionally talented writers (all beautifully photographed by Anne) talking about their writing life. Everyone from crime-writing phenomenon Lee Child to literary giants such as Hanif Kureshi and Joanne Harris are in there, and alongside all that talent is little ole me!! I'm both honoured and exceptionally proud to be in this book, and I think it shows a real commitment on the part of the book's creators that they have produced such an inclusive view of the publishing industry today. Aimed at giving a unique insight into the lives of profession authors, I feel this book really is an invaluable resource for aspiring writers, not least to help dispel some of the myths about making your living as a writer — in any genre.

Anyway, now to the best bit. There's going to be a pre-launch party to celebrate the release of the book in November at the 5th floor champagne bar at Waterstone's in Picadilly on 27th October, which I will be attending and Solange is giving away a complementary ticket on her blog. So if you happen to live in or near London and want to come and raise a glass of bubbly with me, go check it out.

Book Comp, First Kisses and Robert Redford in Navy Whites

2010-10-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

I'm over at the PHS today, getting all goose-pimplely about the classic weepie The Way We Were... Does anyone look better in Navy Whites than Robert Redford in that movie? I guess Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentlemen gives him some serious competition... You decide.

Now, you can pop over and comment there to win a copy of my new Modern Heat novel, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger, which isn't actually due out until November 17th in the UK... But as I've just received a whole box of them, and I'm super proud of this book, and the gorgeous new cover design for Modern Heat - plus as this is going to be my last Modern Heat book (little sniff of sadness here), with the line morphing into Riva in January - I've decided to give away a copy here too. Simultaneously. How cool and astrologically aligned of me is that!!

All you have to do is email the answer to this simple question to heidi@heidi-rice.com! You may have to scroll back through this blog to get the answer as the details of this book won't be on the M&B website till November 1st. I'll also be posting a sneak peek on my website this weekend so watch out for that. I'll pick the lucky winner next Friday.

Q: In which British coastal county does Maddy rescue Rye from the waves.

Now in other news, I send thru the revisions on Cal and Ruby's story on Tuesday night.... Late on Tuesday night, and am currently keeping my fingers crossed that my ed likes them. I've also been super-busy mentoring my two fab entries in the New Voices competition. So if you want to check out any of the top ten second chapters which are now up, you can here.

And I'm over on I Heart Presents today talking about First Kisses, Second Chances and Unfinished Business with the Duke... Accompanied by this photo of me as a scruffy tomboy (I take no responsibility for that mess of a hairdo, my mother didn't believe in hairbrushes and came from the just-lop-off-the-fringe school of haircuts).

So if you have a great first kiss story - either good, bad or ugly - then come share.

Unfinished Bloodsucking with the Dark Lord!!

2010-10-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

Just heard of a howlingly funny competition for all you aspiring authors out there. Diesel Ebooks are running a contest to celebrate Halloween and the launch of Harlequin's Jane Austen/paranormal mash-up anthology Bespelling Jane Austen. Basically what you have to do is re-write the blurb to one of five Harlequin October releases as if it were a zombie, vampire or shape-shifter novel... And one of the chosen books is my own Unfinished Business with the Duke!!

Prizes include a Kobo or Nook ebook reader and 50 dollars of Diesel vounchers and the chance to have your blurb read by professional actors during a live podcast at Diesel's Mash-Up Meet-Up in NYC on Oct 28th....

And I want a mash-up of Unfinished Business to win, folks. So as I can't enter myself (rats!!), I'm handing the baton over to all the talented authors who read this blog. Go forth and turn Issy and Gio into creatures of the night! Brawhahahaha!!

Details of how to enter are here....

And here's the original blurb to get those creative juices (and freshly harvested blood) flowing:

Long ago Issy Helligan lost her virginity to gorgeous aristocratic rebel Giovanni Hamilton. Then he left without a backward glance and Issy was heartbroken.…

Now, years later, she's doing just fine. Well, perhaps performing singagrams is not her first-choice career, but needs must. But now who should be there to bear witness to her humiliation? Gio Hamilton, now a duke and more gorgeous than ever. He steps into the fray, rescues her, ravishes her senseless and offers to solve all her money worries. There'll be no "forever" with this guy, so is he too good to be true…or simply too delicious to refuse?

New Voices.... Top Ten Announced!!

2010-09-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

So, I've been keeping my eye on the New Voices site this morning to see the top ten announcement... And what a treasure of riches those top ten are.

But before I start waxing lyrical about the two fantastic chapters that Sally Williamson and I will be mentoring... And that I have to say I am excited out of my mind about!!

I'd like to say commiserations to those who entered and didn't place. It's always gutting investing all your hopes and dreams (not to mention your time and effort) in putting your stuff out there and not getting a mention - and given the stunning quality of some of the chapters that I read which didn't place I know just how high the standards were for this competition. Please don't feel discouraged, speaking as someone who has a fairly chequered history with competitions (ie, I never managed to win any either, folks!) in this case it really is the taking part that counts. You've got your stuff out there, you got some valueable feedback and hopefully some all-important pats on the back to help you keep going, and an editor has read it (and I suspect more than ten entries will have caught their eye). Maybe you didn't make the grade this time (and there will be all sorts of reasons for that quite apart from quality) but remember there's always a next time... And never loose sight of the fact that the end game here is to get published and keep getting published and simply entering a competition like this one is going to help you do that, no matter where you placed.

All right... So on to my entries, which once I saw them listed under Team Heidi I immediately ran off to read because I'd somehow managed to miss them both.

The Royal Marriage Rescue by Kara Jacobe is a heartbreakingly compelling tale of a couple in crisis. A couple who are deeply in love but are being emotionally torn apart by their inability to communicate their pain to one another. The hero Rafiq, a desert prince, is bound by duty, determined to remain strong through anything, leaving his wife Joselyn to cope alone when she needs him the most. Written in a richly evocative style with a stunningly original premise, this story takes a mega-glamorous fairytale setting and makes it rivettingly real. I can absolutely see why this entry caught the editors attention - and held it.

Thigh Noon by Kat Cantrell is a dazzlingly funny but also brilliantly conflict-driven tale of romance and revenge and thigh-shapers... Not necessarily in that order! Honestly this entry made me laugh out loud but at the same time managed to move me. No easy feat. And again the premise is fabulously fresh and original. Ambitious fledgling entrepeneur Alexia is the jilted ex-wife of suave, sexy and super sneaky CEO Jesse Hennessey. Jesse's put his name with hers on the patent of the Thigh Thing that she invented and now she wants it back - and absolutely nothing more to do with the ex who discarded her - but Jesse's going to make her jump through some serious emotional hoops to get what she wants! The dialogue in particular in this story is so smart, sassy, sexy and quick fire it's liable to give you whiplash... The hero oozes sex appeal and the heroine's someone I want to be!

I haven't had a chance to read the other mentor teams entries, but I'm sure I've got the cream of the crop. Woohoo!! Surely there cannot be any entries better than these two.

Cannot wait to read the second chapters!!

Guardian Glory!

2010-09-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

So the New Voices comp has now finished, and a little bird from Romance HQ has told me the finalists have been chosen... But don't ask me who they are cos I won't know till they're posted on the site at 9am Monday morning in the UK like everyone else... One last good luck to all who entered. Can't wait to find out who I will be mentoring.

In other news, I had a visit from a very nice man from The Guardian a couple of weeks ago to be interviewed for their Working Life piece. Which was a major thrill for me as I've been a Guardian reader my whole life (well hey, I live in Islington, it goes with the territory folks).

Here's the link if you'd like to find out what a mess my desk is... Sorry, I mean, what it's like to be a genuine romantic novelist. Actually, it's a lovely piece, I think Mr Benedictus has got a real feel for who I am and how much my work means to me (although I never knew I toyed with my hair that much!!). I should add I never said I 'churn out' my books (if only I could write them that fast) a phrase which makes most romance novelists shudder in horror (me included), but the reporter didn't say that, the sub did... And as I've written a few horror headlines myself in the past in my previous career as a journalist, I guess they are now coming back to haunt me (plus I know what it's like trying to write something to fit, to deadline... so I can't hold it against him, or her).

Anyway, enjoy the piece and do let me know what you think.

My one regret? That I didn't wear my posh frock for the darn photograph. Rats.

New Voices is about to close...!

2010-09-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder to anyone planning to enter the New Voices comp it's about to close, baby, so drop whatever you're doing and go enter... With 737 entries last time I looked it's gonna be one heck of a competition.

I've been dipping in and out of the site and a few of the entries in the Contemporary Romance category really caught my eye, unfortunately I'm in the middle of trying to come up with an idea for my next book (why is it my mind always decides to go totally blank at this point!!) so haven't read nearly as many as I would have liked - or dip into the other categories yet. But if you're in the mood to read something new, go check out the entries, the standard is exceptionally high:

Here's a few of my faves:

Talking Dirty with the Ceo by Jackie Coates... Fresh, funny, witty and with a really catchy clever premise! And it'll give you Ugg Boot envy.

In Too Deep by Lorraine Wilson... Another wonderfully witty entry, and any book which opens with the hero stark naked in a shower always gets my attention. LOL

Sequins and Secrets by Joanne Pibworth... Wow, the opening to this one is Hot, Hot, Hot and had me fanning myself, big time. Edgy, erotic and super-sexy.

One Rogue, One Damsel by Rachael Johns...A couple with conflict to spare here and a very glamorous premise, plus the hero is a total hunk!

Passion in Paradise by Gabrielle Wright... The hero in this one is to die for. Smouldering bad boys get me every time!

Why not drop in here and tell me any that have caught your eye.

Best of luck to everyone who entered. Getting your work out there is a huge step. Well done!

PHS.... Inception

2010-09-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

Having handed over Cal and Ruby's story to my ed (yes!!), I'm off to central London today, to a very swanky hotel, to schmooze with my fellow M&B authors at the AMBA lunch. Can't wait...

But while I'm gone, why don't y'all check out what I had to say about Inception - the Leo DiCaprio sci-fi thrill fest - on the Pink Heart Society today? And let me know what you thought of it too.

Will report back on any interesting developments or gossip soon.

New book, new cover... Hot HERO!!

2010-09-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

So am just back from Ireland where I did a day's work on the new Sean Penn movie as an extra... Yes, really. How glamorous am I?? Actually it wasn't that glamorous at all, it was exceptionally hard work, getting up at the crack of dawn, filming in a crowded shopping centre and spending large amounts of time sitting around waiting to be used. But still, I can't wait to see the movie now which looks like another Sean corker....

but now to the real reason I have slipped out of the cave, was just flicking thru Amazon and spotted the cover for my new book... The one about the surfer and the beach lifeguard, you remember. All very exciting this and long awaited as it's one of the brand new, no more embarassment reading it on the tube covers from M&B.... So, drum roll please. Here it is.

Love the dramatic, windswept Cornish coastline and Rye, my windswept hero, fits the description perfectly. Moody and magnificent. Love it. Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is listed as a December release, but for any eager beavers it's actually hitting shelves on November 17th as part of cycle one (whatever the heck that means, still haven't got my head around this new way of doing things. Anyway, will be giving away copies left, right and centre on my blog, at the PHS, etc and doing a sneak peak on my website very shortly.

Right, back to the cave to bash Cal and Ruby's story into shape. Deadline is looming and my hero and heroine are not cooperating (with me that is, they're cooperating rather too much with each other).

Toy Story 3, Daniel Craig and the Brent Library Workshop

2010-08-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

First off just a quick heads up to say I'm over at The Pink Heart Society to talk about the wonderfulness that is Toy Story 3, so do come over and have a natter about it... And if you haven't seen it yet, get ye to a cinema pronto, it's the best Toy Story yet IMHO.

I also recall that I said I would pop back here and report on the Brent Library Workshop I did last Friday (can't believe it's been a week already). An astonishing 25 (or so) people attended and we had a good old chin-wag about the ins and outs of writing a Mills and Boon.

As with many people I see at these workshops not everyone had read a recent M&B and not all of them were romance readers (amazingly there were four blokes there!), but they were all enthusiastic writers and had some very intelligent questions to ask about everything from character-building, to conflict, to story arcs, to how to make a living as a writer right through to what my work day is like...

I had intended to use a very glamorous Powerpoint lecture with Daniel Craig prominently featured in the 'alpha male' section but unfortunately the facilities weren't available on the night (probably a good thing as I'm a Powerpoint virgin), so I stuck to the body of the lecture and embellished (rather a lot) with stories about my own writing experiences. These included some (I hope) entertaining anecdotes about how to tell your mum your first book is going to be called "Bedded by a Bad Boy" with a completely straight face; how to get inspiration out of a wet camping holiday in Cornwall; and what to do when your 14 year old son gives out copies of your book to two of his teenage girl friends without your knowledge and you then have to ring their mums to explain that your books aren't strictly speaking written for children! Should add that the wonderful romance minx (and extremely talented aspiring MH author) Lorraine Wilson showed up to give me moral support. So thanks for that Lorraine!

All in all I think a very informative evening was had by all (including me!) and a lot of myths were dispelled about what M&B is all about in the 21st century. I got some wonderful feedback and I'm hopeful that a few of the attendees are planning to enter the New Voices comp, so my work is done!

Best question of the night? What do your sons think of your books? Answer: Not a lot actually as they'd rather have their toenails pulled out than read romantic fiction... But maybe if I had a hero who played for Spurs, a zombie or two, or a few Pokemon in them... Now there's a thought!

Brent Library... Here I come!

2010-08-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick head's up that I'm in Brent tonight doing my first ever solo workshop about 'How to Write a Mills and Boon'. Have a very nice powerpoint lecture full of top tips organised which I'm hoping will be informative and fun for the participants (well, there is a picture of Daniel Craig in there so I should be on to a winner right?).

Have been told by the library that it's fully booked so am feeling a little nervous (oh all right, a lot nervous). So if you are coming please be kind and ask lots of questions so I don't bore every one rigid doing all the talking.

Will report back tomorrow on how it went.

Sorry, had to just slip in a couple more piccies from my Italian holiday because I'm a bit of a show-off like that. What do you think of that amazing bed??? Fit for a romance novellist or what? Still can't believe I've actually slept in a four-poster bed now. Mind you by the time we got to the villa resort near Florence I needed a fairly sizeable bed.... Let's just say that after all the vino rosso and three course pasta lunches and gelatis on the Ponte Vecchio I'm not quite as svelte as when I left!

Still every single ounce was gratefully earned.

In Italy... And more on the comp!

2010-08-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

Hey all, just sitting in a Villa hotel outside Florence having great fun trying to write a blog with blogger tools all in Italiano!! Have a few happy snaps to decorate this post of the gorgeous ten-bedroom house we did a big family get-together in La Marche last week. Very remote and non-touristy... And cooking for 20 people, what a blast, hence the pick of my DH grilling about a billion aubergine slices on the barbie and me with two tons of shopping at the local market!

Also wanted to take this opportunity to out myself as one of the author mentors for the New Voices comp. Am very excited about doing this and hope that lots of you who read this blog find the time to load up a first chapter so we get a really high standard of entries and totally Wow the judges.

My top tips are:

1). Remember it's only a first chapter at this stage. No synopsis necessary (yippee). While it might be tempting to shove up something that you've been working on a while, it might be better to let those creative juices flow and dash something new and fresh and exciting off instead.

2). From everything I heard at the RNA conference M&B are looking for that 'fresh spin' on their tried and tested story ideas. So fresh and new is definitely in and something to keep in mind when subbing your chapter. If you feel yourself falling into old habits, familiar conflicts, try thinking of a way to shake it up a bit.... IMHO the Modern Heat format works particularly well with that because there's nothing like a strong, feisty heroine to do something outrageous!

3). While it would be fantastic to win... Don't stress about your entry too much. There's nothing like overwriting and overthinking an entry to sap out all of those creative sparks (believe me I know).

4). Look at this first and foremost as a way to get great feedback and as a great chance for exposure. And this isn't just a chance to show the editors either. The hope is lots of M&B readers will be checking out the entries so here's a rare chance to showcase your voice in front of M&Bs most treasured audience (and hope they ask for more). No pressure then!!

Best of luck to everyone... Right back to sunning myself by the pool and dreaming up handsome Italian heroes. wish me luck, am planning to brave Florence in the height of August tomorrow and try ordering a meal in Italian at the Mercato Centrale!

Romance Is Not Dead... It's official!

2010-07-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hey all, had to pop back to announce that the New Voices competition that I told you about after the RNA conference is finally up and running. The website's live at romanceisnotdead.com so all you aspiring writers have to check it out.

Now the prizes are spectacular and easily the best yet for any Harlequin/M&B comp:

A promise of publication for the winning story, plus an ipad and an editor for a year.

Editorial consultations and a Sony ereader for the top three runners up.

And letters of editorial advice for the remaining six runners up.

Needless to say those prizes make it worth entering anyway for a chance to win.

But if you're serious about writing for M&B and I know a lot of you guys who read this blog are, I think the best bit is that the entered chapters get posted up on the site and can be commented on by readers and other entrants.

That's the really exciting bit for me. Scary too, yes. But definitely exciting.

Not everyone's gonna win right. Like most authors I had to write a fair few opening chapters before I'd written one worthy of publication. But the chance to get this kind of feedback doesn't come every day. And feedback - informed feedback from M&B readers and other aspiring authors — is the jewel in the crown here. Yes it's a risk, you'll be putting yourself out there for everyone to see, and that's a massive leap of faith. Heart in throat time several billion times over. And let's be honest, not everyone will like your stuff (not everyone likes my stuff even now... much to my amazement LOL). But if you're serious about publication this is the chance to take that huge first step on the road - and learn something valuable in the process. No one ever got published without taking that step. And whatever happens you'll get a lot more than the standard two-line rejection I got on my first submission... and you won't have to wait eight months for the privilege.

So I say go for it, ladies. Make this contest your contest. A chance to share ideas, get the debate about romance going and show why it is we love this genre.

Oh and if you want to pop by my workshop in Brent I'd love ta see you.

Also, there's gonna be another announcement about the comp next week which I'm particularly excited to be a part of.... So watch that space (and this one).

Thank You Roanne and the other M&B reviewers!

2010-07-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

With the fun and inspirational good times of the RNA conference in Greenwich passing into memory, I was sitting at my desk yesterday staring at my current WIP for the first time in over a week and feeling a little despondent about it... As is often the case when I catch up with my characters again after an enforced absense, I discovered that much of what I've written so far (all 30K words of it!!) is good but not nearly good enough. The story is at a crucial crossroads and I know I need to push on with it, forget about the bumps that I've left behind and get to the end before I go back to smooth the path... Or I'll end up going over the same ground forever and Ruby and Cal will be mighty peeved with me because it'll take them forever to get to their happy ever after... But the temptation to stop and fiddle was overwhelming, so to distract me from it and give myself a little incentive for continuing on I decided on a short jolt of internet surfing.

Now, this is of course an excellent time suck, so - taking a leaf out of Kate Hardy's Planner's Guide to Creativity, I decided to time myself. I had exactly ten minutes to browse while I took a coffee break and, after doing a quick round of my favourite blogs, ended up on the M&B site where to my great joy I discovered some very nice reviews of my books! What a pleasant surprise, and what a nice treat... But then on closer inspection I discovered that one particular reviewer has done some really sterling work - posting up a host of wonderfully expressive reviews of my books which not only lifted my spirits considerably and gave me the incentive I was looking for but, completely by chance, brought a really big smile to my face.

So first off I just wanted to say a great big thank you to Roanne Gomez - and all the other reviewers who have taken the time to post such lovely reviews of my books... I'm really chuffed that you enjoyed them and that I've now got a guaranteed pick me up the next time I get a bad review.

But also a special thanks to Roanne for this particular review of Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal:

"I have just finished reading this piece of romance engineering, because that indeed is what it is. It was sensual, seductive and wow. Rice really knows how to make a romance novel realistic and without cliche. I did not want this book to end. Definitely a must read."

Unbeknownst to Roanne, the term 'romance engineering' struck a particularly lovely chord with me because my dad just happened to be a world renowned structural engineer - engineering such buildings as Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Sydney Opera House and the Lloyds Building in London. A softly spoken Irish man with a huge love of literature and the arts, sadly he died in the prime of his life over 17 years ago and I and the rest of my family still miss him. But I know he would have been tickled to bits by that reference too - and the fact that I have become a romantic novelist.

So thanks Roanne, for helping to kick-start my creativity and for really making my day! I'd love to send you an advance copy of my next book which I should get copies of in October or thereabouts, so feel free to email me your contact details on heidi@heidi-rice.com

PHS... It's Complicated

2010-07-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

I'm over on The Pink Heart Society today continuing my Meryl Is Magnificent campaign with my take on It's Complicated for their Must Watch Friday slot..

The movie features Meryl Streep as a fiftysomething divorcee who has a wild fling with her cheating love rat ex-husband Alec Baldwin. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers who's become a bit of a specialist in romantic comedies for and about 'women of a certain age' it's not just complicated, it's also irresistible.

Check it out here.

RNA Conference... And a new Writing Comp.

2010-07-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

Had a high old time at the Romantic Novelists Association Conference this weekend in the fabulously posh surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Have pinched a photo of myself and Abby Green at the Gala Dinner on Friday night in the historic and gorgeously Georgian Trafalgar Tavern from Kate Hardy's blog because as usual I took my camera and then left it in my bag all weekend.

So who did I see?

All the usual suspects such as Abby Green, Kate Hardy, Natalie Rivers, Joan Hessayon award winner Lucy King, Julie Cohen, Biddy Coady, Kate Walker and a host of other great writers... Plus it was a thrill to speak to Romance Minxes Lorraine Wilson, Joanne Cleary and Romy Summer in the flesh for the first time...

What was my most embarrassing moment?

Was a complete plonker when a young woman came up and asked me to sign a copy of Unfinished Business with the Duke for her. I was so shocked I said "What me? Are you sure??" I was so chuffed I then proceeded to gush all over her. Poor thing, she probably thought I was nuts and wanted to whip the book back. Mind you when it happened two more times that day I was almost getting blase about it!! What a thrill!

And what did I learn?

That Mira Books are launching a brand new teen paranormal line... Much excitement about that.

That the big selling genres in the US Market include erotica, inspirationals (bit of a contradiction there, don't ya think?), paranormals (still??) and steampunk.

That steampunk is Victorian sci-fi (think Jules Verne basically)

That Kate Hardy has tons of good tips on how to plan your career, from time-management skills to brainstorming ideas!

That Joanne Trollope knows how to inspire romance writers everywhere to be their best (phenomenal closing speech, folks)

And last but by no means least, that Mills and Boon are doing their biggest writing competition yet. Here's what I jotted down about it....

Called New Voices it's open to unpubbed authors only (there will be a proper definition of this on the website in due course). There's gonna be a website where you enter your first chapter, and get it critiqued and where the public can vote on them. It's all happening in September. The ten finalists get assigned a mentoring team (of an author and editor) there are a couple more rounds which involve writing a second chapter and a 'pivotal moment' and the entries are judged X-Factor style by a judging panel that includes Penny Jordan no less and a public vote. The winner receives an ipad, and gets the services of an editor for a year, while the runners up get an editorial consultation.... All very exciting and a great new opportunity for aspiring authors everywhere (not just in the UK). You can find out more on www.romanceisnotdead.com when the website goes live soon... And I'll be doing a lot more about it on my blog shortly.

How do you say "yum" in Italian!!

2010-07-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

After a tip off from fellow Modern Heat author Nicola Marsh I discovered this gorgeous Italian cover for my book Public Affair, Secretly Expecting... It's in a two-in-one this July with Lucy King but I'm claiming dibs on that hunk on the cover, Lucy!!

Story is apparently called "Guide to Passion" or something like that according to my terrible Italian. You can check out the whole story here. But wow, that cover is seriously Yummy!

They think it's all over... It is now!!

2010-06-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, after England's glorious defeat against Germany yesterday afternoon... I mean 4-1!! All right it should have been 4-2 but for the blind linesman, but honestly let's not let it be said that the Lions don't know how to crash out in style!! The worst ever defeat in England's World Cup history. Fabulous... Fabio-lous even..

But the good news is there shall be no World Cup nonsense on this blog from now on... With or without the benefit of visual aids. I am now back on the straight and narrow writing Cal and Ruby's story.

And, with that in mind, wanted to flag up a very interesting discussion on Jackie Ashenden's blog about not forgetting to put those essential little moments of romance into your WIP... Got me to thinking that after two chapters of a flaming argument between my hero and heroine - she's done something rash and impulsive and interfered in his personal life (which he finds unforgiveable) and he's making her pay for it - I've suddenly realised that yes, I do need to lighten the mood. The thing about arguing is, it can ramp up the tension but while it can bring out the worst in your hero and heroine (illustrating some of the issues they are going to have to work out to make their relationship work) it can also bring out the best in them... When you figure out how they are going to find their way out of said argument.

So thanks Jackie for getting me thinking about that!

Some Very Nice Male Torsos... 300 To Be Precise

2010-06-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

My Must-Watch Friday topic this month at the Pink Heart Society is the delirious sight of lots of extremely buff naked male torso... Sorry, I meant to say the brutal, bloody Ancient Greek battle epic 300.

Yes, it's a bit of a departure for the Pink Hearts, but worth the effort if you can stomach all the bloodshed (and there is a lot of it). Check out what I had to say about it here and, yes, I'll admit there may be the odd reference to men, and chests, and six-packs and the like, but all in the best possible taste. I promise. Oh and Gerard Butler's in it too... without his shirt on, or much else frankly. All right I'll shut up now.

Heidi hits Romance Minxes this Wednesday

2010-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm spreading the love this Wednesday as the spotlighted author on the Minxes of Romance blog. And giving away a copy of Unfinished Business with the Duke while I'm at it.

So go check it out here as I reveal all about the most romantic moment of my life so far. And whether I find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy... Among other things.

In other news I have been enjoying the World Cup in South Africa over the last week... Well, apart form the England game (sigh)... For a variety of reasons, and not all of them to do with all the extremely fit male bodies on display.

Who's your favourite Bad Boy?

2010-06-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

Enquiring minds want to know... Is your favourite bad boy Josh Holloway's sexy Sawyer in Lost? Or Jon Hamm's deliciously bad Don Draper in Mad Men? Or are you drawn to the classic bad boys of old such as Marlon Brando, or Steve McQueen or Jimmy Dean?

I'm over on The Pink Heart Society in a coveted Male on Monday slot talking at considerable length about some pretty life-altering stuff... So pop over and join me and tell me if I've missed out a great movie - or TV - bad boy... Am always keen to induct a new name into The Heidi Rice Bad Boy Hall of Fame!

In other news my ed has given the go-ahead for Ruby and Cal's story. Remember, that's the one about the free-spirited and flirty Camden Town cupcake entrepeneur (formally known as Suky!) and the deliciously brooding and sexy barrister, who wasn't a bad boy... Until his swanky Italian sports car rear-ended Ruby's fire-engine red VW bug one hot August afternoon...

I'm getting stuck into the story and have already quizzed a very chatty barrister about what they do (the word advocacy was used a lot, until I plucked up the courage to ask what that is, exactly: answer: arguing in court!). And I've located a cupcake entrepeneur who has kindly invited me to one of her cupcake decorating classes.... Oh dear, can see myself slipping off the diet wagon. Again! Still one must sacrifice one's hips for the sake of one's art. Right?

Mills and Boon Writing Comp and Workshops

2010-06-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just got wind of a great new M&B event being planned in conjunction with the National Trust here in the UK this month.

The NT have some stunning stately homes where they'll be running M&B writing workshops in June with some of my favourite authors including Kate Hardy at Blickling Hall in Norfolk (pictured on the right, pretty inspiring eh!) and India Grey in Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire.

And the National Trust is also running a short story competition, and the winning entry will be published in the very up-market The Lady magazine. Definitely worth a look if you're in the UK this June and fancy being an M&B author.

Check out the details here.

In other news I got some German copies of my third book The Tycoon's Very Personal Assistant... Was a bit surprised to see my hero Zack's name had been changed to Nicolas.... Until my friend Kate Hardy pointed out that Zack means Ball in German...

Hmmm, can see why they changed it now. am thinking Ball Boudreaux's not the greatest name for a hero!

Heidi hogs the limelight! Again!

2010-06-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm becoming a bit of a limelight junkie! Yesterday I had a wonderful time getting my picture taken by the lovely Anne Mortensen, a talented photographer who's working on a book about writers and writing. It's going to be a great coffee-table read with some stunning photographs and interviews with authors such as Minette Walters and Lee Child and.... Moi!

I know, not really sure what I'm doing in that company either, but I enjoyed every minute of it anyway. Anne very kindly sent me through a couple of the pictures she took and, given that I am about the most unphotogenic person on the planet and she made me look incredibly good, I think we can all tell how considerably talented she is!

Check these out... Gwyneth Paltrow eat your heart out!
copyright: Anne Mortensen

Starbucks Discoveries... An Evening of Escapism!!

2010-05-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Had a high old time on Tuesday evening this week hob-nobbing with some influential female bloggers in the garden of at a very glamorous Kensington hotel, where we indulged in wine and canapes and Starbucks Discoveries Chilled Coffees to talk about women, their uber-busy lives and how to take a moment of escapism... And had a few fairly hilarious moments of escapism ourselves while doing it!!
Here are some pics from the evening to show how fabulous we all looked...

Moments of Escapism... Are you getting yours?

2010-05-24T01:03:00.000-07:00

The sun has been shining in London Town this week (and about time too) and I've been busy helping those nice people at Starbucks Discoveries publicise a recent survey they did with 2000 British women. Spent the morning on Friday doing a series of local radio interviews answering questions about the survey (and trying to do a few shameless plugs for Unfinished Business with the Duke) which I enjoyed immensely, because as you all know I'm a bit of a media tart!!

Shocking news is that one in six of us don't even have time for a brief moment of escapism during the day. I'm thinking that doesn't include many romance readers, though, as one thing we've all got in abundance is an ability to have a brief moment of escapism when necessary.... Preferably backed up with lots of hero research.... In fact I've managed to make a career out of my brief moments of escapism!!

Also had a whale of a time meeting up with fellow Presents authors Natalie Rivers and Abby Green in a swanky West End hotel bar for champagne cocktails. Any similarity between us and the Sex and the City ladies was purely intentional!!

All of which has helped immensely taking my mind off what my ed thinks of my latest partial (yes, that would be the one with the ten-page synopsis which had everything in it bar the kitchen sink!!). No news yet about Ruby and Callum's story (have renamed my heroine because son number one told me "Suky" was too ridiculous, even for me... the cheeky little...!). So fingers crossed and double crossed on that one.

In other news my offer to critique a first chapter and synopsis aimed at Harlequin Presents only has a few days left on Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction. Currently the bidding stands at $60 which is still fairly cheap. If anyone wants to put in a bid, click here. But frankly I'd go have a look around anyway cos there's lots of other great stuff on offer, especially for aspiring writers.

'Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger' and Brenda Novak's Auction

2010-05-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Book Eight has a title and it's a winner... Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger! And it will be out in December in the UK.

Copyright: Nick Reader

To celebrate the fact I surfed the internet (geddit) to find a picture to illustrate this post and found this fabulously atmospheric photograph of Watergate Bay in Cornwall. Now, not only was Watergate Bay the inspiration for my original story (I was boogie-boarding on that beach last summer), but the photo here has a lone surfer on the beach below the cliffs (where Rye's fictional mansion sits) and it was taken in October, which is when my opening scene is set. So how cool is that? I got in touch with the photographer Nick Reader, who has very kindly allowed me to use his beautiful photograph here.

Nick does landscape and wedding photography in Cornwall and, surprise, surprise, is a keen surfer... The coincidences just keep piling up don't they. I've included a link to his wedding photography site, his blog and his landscape site (which is going live shortly) so check it out. There's some really gorgeous photos on them which give a real ambience for the story.

I also wanted to alert any aspiring authors here (and I know there's a few of you!!) to the fact that I'm taking part in Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction again this year. I'm offering an author critique of a first chapter and synopsis of a manuscript aimed at Harlequin Presents (ie Modern or Modern Heat). At the moment it's going for $17 so it could be a mighty good deal. You can bid here. There's also lots of great offerings from the Pink Heart Society and a load of authors, editors, agents etc.

Book Eight.... She say yes!!! And some fender bending inspiration.

2010-05-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Just had my eighth Modern Heat book accepted.

This is Rye and Maddy's story.

Rye King's a bad boy ex-surfer turned billionaire Xtreme sports entrepeneur who's living as a recluse in his grandfather's old gothic mansion on a Cornish clifftop, and still licking his wounds after surviving a serious motorbike accident six months before. Maddy Westmore is a waitress in the local beach cafe who also does shifts as a beach lifeguard, and has a bad habit of trying to save the wrong guy which she has decided to break.

The book opens at the end of October, Maddy's doing her last shift on the beach in the cold sleeting rain, when she spots a guy trying to surf - and doing a terrible job of it - then he goes down and she dives into the surf to save him... Little does she know that this is going to be the start of a wild romantic ride for both her and Rye which will take them from their incendiary no-strings affair in her cozy cottage on the cliffpath to his penthouse apartment on Kensington High Street and the heart of London high society as Christmas approaches...

Think it's scheduled for release in November, but will let you know nearer the time... And will post a sneak peek on my website as soon as I have a title and a cover to go with it! But to keep you happy in the meantime I've stuck in a nice photo of Josh Holloway on a beach!

Meanwhile my head is down as I work on Book Number Nine. Am already very excited about this story which is coming to life in my mind. Didn't have an opening hook until I narrowly avoided being crashed into by a gorgeous Meditterenean-looking guy in an Italian sports on Holloway Road last week! See that's what's wonderful about being a writer, you can turn even the most hair-raising of life's little annoyances into inspiration for a book???

While mulling the story over I have been surfing the M&B sites round the world (as you do) and have illustrated this post with some of the book covers I found.

And just in case you didn't know. My June release Unfinished Business with the Duke is now up for grabs at the M&B site in the UK. And some sweetie pie's already given it a 5-star rating. Yippee!!

And the winner is....

2010-04-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

Bright and early this morning, I strongarmed my youngest son into picking out a winner from the competition entries... I had a lot more entries than I was expecting. I thought that question was pretty hard, but obviously not! So my son and I made an executive decision and because of the number of entries (and the fact that he was getting pretty high on picking out winners) we decided to give away two copies!!

Anyway, enough waffling... The winners are:

Caroline Storer

And

Lili from San Francisco

Come on down, Caroline and Lili. You have won a signed copy of Unfinished Business with the Duke. If you want to zap your snail mail addresses to my email at heidi@heidi-rice.com I'll stick them in the post.

My son insisted on having his picture taken while doing the draw 'to prove we did it properly' and because he had his favourite Italian football shirt on! So there he is on the left.

Win a copy of Unfinished Business with the Duke

2010-04-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

Hey all, well I'm taking a break from waiting for news from my ed on my latest ms to do a quick competition for a brand new, signed copy of Unfinished Business with the Duke.

Anyone wanting to enter should send the answer to the following question to my email addy: heidi@heidi-rice.com. I'll be announcing the winner on Monday 25th April (if I remember!!).

Question: In which Italian city does the hero of Unfinished Business with the Duke live?
[hint: scrolling through my previous blog posts will help find the answer!!]

Currently brewing ideas for my next story which I think is going to involve a London barrister called Callum Westmore, who just happens to be the devastatingly handsome brother of the heroine in my latest ms. He popped up while I was writing the epilogue to this book. As he dances with his sister on her wedding day he asks her if she's really happy. And here are the two sentences in Maddy's internal thought that snagged my attention and suddenly made me think, hang on a mo, I've got to write this guy's story:

‘Yes, I really am happy, Cal,' Maddy replied.

I wish you could be too, she thought wistfully, but didn’t say it, knowing Cal would be amused by her sympathy, and appalled by the sentiment. She would give anything for her handsome, commanding and deeply cynical brother to be able to find love — or at least open himself to the possibility. But Cal had built a fortress around himself that she suspected no-one would ever be able to penetrate.

Intriguing isn't he? But now the problem is finding that one woman who can storm the fortress. At first I was thinking. Maybe a hopeless romantic, the antithesis of Cal. But then I thought, nah too obvious.

So then I took a closer look at Cal. Okay, he's a rampant womaniser, but he's also rigidly controlled and doesn't trust anyone. So then I couldn't help thinking what would be really fun would be to stick him with a heroine who's smart and sassy and unashamedly sexy but also a total free spirit. Reckless, unpredictable and defiantly independent. Open to the possibilty of love, but definitely not looking to settle down yet. And then I'm thinking at the beginning he's planning to seduce her (for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet), but she ends up seducing him!!

So who is my heroine. Well, I know Suki Delisantro refuses to be controlled or tied down in any way (and there's got to be a reason for that too, but I haven't figured that out either yet) and she's not the least bit impressed by Cal's attempts to do just that. Which is going to frustrate the heck out of him. He's used to having the upper hand in relationships... He thinks he knows women, knows what they want and how to manipulate them. But Suki defies all the stereotypes he's relied on in the past. And what frustrates him even more is that the more she resists being controlled, the more she fascinates him and the more he wants her... And Suki of course finds herself drawn to Cal too, his closed off, intense personality a challenge that she can't resist, even though he's the absolute antithesis of the sort of guy she's dated in the past — who are as open and relaxed as she is — and frankly getting to know him is bloody hard work. But every time they give in to the irresistible attraction between them, the harder it is for them to keep their emotions out of the mix.

Oh I can see a battle royal here with lots of sparks. And several devastating secrets too.

Now all I've got to do is come up with a coherent plot, an opening hook, a more in-depth characterisation of these two...Oh and a proper conflict. Wish me luck!!

Pink Hearts, RPatz and a chance to win a copy of my latest book

2010-04-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

I'm over at the PHS today, talking smouldering bad boys with Robert Pattinson in the new Nicholas Sparks romance Remember Me....

And as an added incentive to post a comment I'll be giving away a copy of my newest Modern Heat Unfinished Business with the Duke which isn't due out in the UK until June, and the US until October!!

The Media Floozy Strikes Again!!

2010-04-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

Just ducking my head out of the revisions cave (hmm, yes, they turned out to be a bit more taxing than I had anticipated!!) to give y'all a head's up on my Media moment at Richmond this week.

Was invited down to M&B's publishing house to talk to the very nice lady from the BBC about the huge popularity of M&B ebooks.... For some odd reason the Beeb were surprised about that!!

Anyway here's the link, you'll be glad to know my bit is the first up... I wasn't too thrilled with the up-the-nose camera angle, but my 17-year-old son was hugely impressed that I managed to get into the same news story with Miley Cyrus. Actually, come to think of it, so was I.