#TemptedToWrite, RWA2014, New Projects & Shirtless Cowboys!

As Mills and Boon's #TemptedtoWrite competition draws to a close on Twitter and FB (check out that hashtag to get involved in the conversation) this is a reminder to get your 10K word entry polished and entered by Monday 10th February... Just in time for Valentine's Day!

For more details have a look at Mills and Boon's Facebook Page, which is full of tips, hot tottie and tempting tasters of some of the entries, or to upload your entry go straight to the app here.

I'm one of the judges along with Charlotte Phillips and Joss Wood and I can't wait to read your stories! As a little tease I've written a special blog for all the Tempted to Write peeps at Books with Benefits on 10 Ways to Handle Being a Professional Writer (for when you get that all-important publishing contract)... Written in the spirit of my Cosmo Red Hot Read 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man (but without a gorgeous nekkid man in it, sorry!!)

In other news, I have signed up for the RWA Conference in San Antonio Texas in July, so if you're going to be there let me know. Love the conference, it's such a great gathering of career-orientated writers - and a great way to find out what's happening in the big ole world of romance publishing. Plus there's glamorous parties, book signings and, as we're in Texas, lots of shirtless cowboys... hopefully! maybe! pretty please!

And talking about writing, I am currently having a ball working on lots of proposals for possible new projects. Don't know yet which one I'm going to be writing next, but I'm really excited about all of them.

First off, I've got a possible new KISS continuity - with three other amazing authors - in the works, which, if it gets picked up, will be AWESOME.

Secondly I've submitted a new proposal for Cosmo Red Hot Reads, which is even hotter than my last one and is a tale of sex, lies, blind dates and Twitter etiquette!

And lastly, but I'm hoping not leastly, I'm developing an idea for a longer book set in London, Paris and the Smokey Mountains (at the moment)... But my lips are totally sealed on that one. So I don't jinx it! Having soooo much fun though writing outside the box.

Happy writing folks and have a great V-Day....

Cosmo-Coolio and a Live Twitter Q&A

Just in case you don't already know, my first (and hopefully not last) Cosmo Red Hot Read, 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man, is OUT NOW on ebook. So go grab yourself a copy if you're in the mood for a short, funny, super-sexy read with added naughty bits.

Here are a few of the things readers are saying about it on Goodreads/Amazon:

"Really cheeky and Connor was such an alpha."
4-star Goodreads, Cassandra

"If the other Cosmo Red Hot Reads are as good as this one,
I'm definitely going to have to check them out."
4-star Goodreads, Danielle

"I just adored this one. A total must read."
5-star Goodreads, Erica  

"This novella is sexy, fun, and worth reading if you enjoy romance stories. Consider yourselves forewarned: These Cosmo Red-Hot Reads are addictive!"
4-star Amazon, Nicole 

In other news  I'm taking part in the #TemptedtoWrite Twitter comp being run from 20-24 January by Mills and Boon for aspiring authors wanting to write for Modern Tempted (aka Harlequin KISS in the US). I'm one of the judges - along with the fabulous Charlotte Phillips and Joss Wood — and I'll also be doing a live Q&A on Twitter on Friday 24th January at 3pm. So be there, or be a donut! For more details check out M&B's Facebook page.

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

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).

RNA Conference... And a new Writing Comp.

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.

Mills and Boon Writing Comp and Workshops

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!