It's going to be a very busy year......

So now that Christmas and New Year are distant memories, my house has started to resume of semblance of normality, the kids are back at school and have activities every night of the week, I've decided to take stock.  And plan ahead.

YIKES!  Do I really think I can do all this????

Lots of things I'm doing this year are fun.  I'm going to the RNA Summer Party on 17 May in London.  And I'm organised, I've booked my flights and hotel so I will definitely be there.  I'm up for the Joan Hessayon Award as my first published novel went through the New Writers Scheme.  I don't think I'll win - I've seen the other nominees, but I'm looking forward to going.  Hoping to see Natalie Rivers and India Grey and lead them astray...  I'm also hoping I'll get the opportunity to go and see Mills and Boon headquarters in Richmond, now that would be cool!

July is the conference at Penrith, which I'm hoping to drive to - I may never be seen again as I don't have the best sense of direction in the world.  But my other half and I drove down to Blencowe Hall in Cumbria in November and that didn't seem too far away. My place is reserved, I'll be in a room near to Natalie and India again, and I will hopefully meet the minxes!

Finally September is the Mills and Boon Author lunch in London again and as I had such a good time last year I will definitely be going again. (In between all this I have a "football" weekend in a dodgy caravan with my 7 yr old in May, a family holiday on a cruise ship in July and a girls weeked in Edinburgh in November which I haven't told my other half about yet!)

I also have three lovely books to write for Mills and Boon this year.  The first is submitted and awaiting revisions, the second is almost planned and the third?  Ask me about that in October!

I've also agreed to be an editor at the Pink Heart Society this year and write a monthly column for them.  I will also be blogging at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs a few times this year.

All this a day job, 2 lively kids and a beloved other half.  Time?  Who needs it!!!!

Mills and Boon Author Lunch

So Friday dawned and I got up at 5am and made my way to Glasgow Airport.  And - I got lost twice.  My other half usually drives when we go to Glasgow Airport and when I'm in my car I literally have no sense of direction.  Hence, getting lost twice.
Eventually I made it and flew down to London City Airport and got the train into central London.  First stop was Oxford Street, House of Fraser to see the wonderful Mary Portas store.  I met all the lovely folks who were on her TV show and tried on every dress in the shop.  Then, I sped across to Harrods in search of a Christmas teddy for my new great niece. 


 By 1230 I was suitably attired, if a little red-faced, hot and bothered - and ready for the AMBA lunch at the Charing Cross Hotel.  It was fab.  The speakers were Donna Hayes and Loriana Sacilatto from Harlequin in Canada who spoke before the lunch and answered authors questions.  Followed by Dianne Moggy and Tessa Shapcott after lunch.

Fiona Harper and Lucy Gilmour



Me with my new editor the lovely Carly Corcoran.

Then I went to meet my new editor Carly Corcoran for coffee so we could discuss my latest set of revisions and plans for next books. 

And by 530 we were in the extremely posh Royal Horseguards Hotel for drinks and canapes at the Mills and Boon Author toast, where I met lots of lovely people!



Fiona Harper, Kate Hardy and myself





Heidi Rice and Abby Green

Then I went for dinner with some of my fellow authors India Grey, Heidi Rice, Abby Green, Lynn Raye Harris and her lovely husband Mike.  It was a fabulous night!



Myself and the lovely India Grey who is far too pretty by far!



Lynn Raye Harris and her husband Mike.

And blogger hates me again and won't let me write in the comments section!

Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

So, while we're all singing along with The Sound of Music tune up above, let us think about where we start our stories.
There have been over 1000 New Voices entries.  Some of the starting points have been good, some have been unusual, some have been mediocre.  Lots of the comments have been around telling people they haven't started their story in the right place.

Do you find it very easy to start?  Do the words just flow easily along?
Or do you have a few hit and misses before you can really get started?

I've done both of these things.

In my first book It Started With a Pregnancy, I wrote the beginning three times.  First attempt had Missy in the shower thinking about what she'd done the night before.  But it was too much tell and not enough show.  Second attempt had her walking into the ward and meeting her one night stand.  But again, too much thinking back to the events beforehand.

But neither of these versions 'felt' right.

Attempt three started in the bar, where they met, left together and did some horizontal dancing.  And the words just flowed from there.

Book number two, The Boy Who Made Them Love Again, started with Abby Tyler having a lazy day in the ER, seconds later her ex Luke Storm shows up with the First Lady in labour in the back of the secret service limousine!  This time the starting point felt right.  There was panic, shock and a very important patient to treat.  Not to mention, Luke finding out Abby has a young son.

Book number three, West Wing to Maternity Wing, starts with Lincoln Adams looking after the President's premature baby.  Seconds later he gets a call to say his heavily pregnant wife has collapsed at the police cordon outside the hospital.  Only problem is - Lincoln Adams doesn't have a wife.  

And Book four starts with John Carter receiving a letter.  He is expecting it to tell him the embryos that him and his wife created for their now defunct marriage have been destroyed.  Instead the letter tells him that one of those embryos has been wrongly implanted, and someone else is now carrying his child.

And Book five?  Right now, I have no idea where it will start.  All I do know is - I always need to start in the right place.  Otherwise things don't flow and the story doesn't progress.

So what about you?  Do you have problems starting in the right place?  Or, does it all just flow easily?  Or, have you ever read a book that you felt didn't start in the right place?

PS  I'm going to the Mills and Boon Author Lunch in London on Friday and can't wait!  Will tell you all about it next week.  Also hoping a friend of mine will share some good news!