New Voices... The Final Reckoning Approaches

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!!

Pocahontas, New Voices and My Goodreads Giveaway!

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... And How to Adopt the Pollyanna Approach

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!

My New Voices Workshops in London!

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?)

One Amazing Night, Baby! Competition

 

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.

And the Winner is...!!

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!!

Book Comp, First Kisses and Robert Redford in Navy Whites

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.

New Voices.... Top Ten Announced!!

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!

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...!

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!

Toy Story 3, Daniel Craig and the Brent Library Workshop

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!

In Italy... And more on the comp!

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!

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).