Double RITA® Finalist

Well, it's been exactly a year since I blogged.  How terrible!

On Friday I was at the pictures with my kids.  We were watching London Has Fallen when my phone started ringing. Well, not ringing exactly.  It was on silent.  I didn't recognise the number so didn't move.  Gerard Butler had my full attention.
Then it kept ringing.  Persistence makes me nervous so I decided to go outside and answer - and I'm so glad that I did.
The lovely Julie Kenner who is a Board member of Romance Writers of America^® introduced herself.  I'd forgotten it was  RITA^® day - what was wrong with me???
She then proceeded to tell me I'd finaled not once but twice as a RITA^® Finalist for the awards this year.
I didn't believe her.  I asked her to tell me again.
Then I asked her who she was again.
Then I asked her to tell what books had finaled again - because even though she'd told me seconds earlier, I couldn't remember.
At this point she asked me where I was.
I told her I was on a date with Gerard Butler!

No, I told her I was at the pictures watching London Has Fallen with my kids.
She asked if I was going to San Diego, I said no, not this year.

I went to my first conference last year in New York.  It was fabulous, I loved it but was absolutely exhausted when I came home.  This year, I planned on heading to the RNA conference in Lancaster.  And I still am.........

But now I'm going to San Diego too!  We'll not talk about how I've had to move our family holiday, or the fact it is an 18hr journey, or on the return home how I have less than 24 hrs home before we leave for that family holiday.  I'm just too excited to think straight quite frankly.

I'm also delighted that I know some of the other finalists - my friend Heidi Rice (who I might have phoned while still kneeling on the ground outside the cinema!), Maisey Yates and Romy Sommer.  It also means I get to see my two Australian partners in crime Rachael Johns and Emily Madden!

Beyond excited!

The pictures are of the two books that are finalists.  They honestly couldn't be more different.

I also found out later that the Board member that phoned me was also a finalist.  Congratulations to Julie Kenner too!

Now all I have to do is find a red dress!

Cover reveal - Montana Born Brides Series

I am delighted to take part in a cover reveal for a new series for Tule Publishing that I'm part of called the Montana Born Bride Series.

Aren't they absolutely gorgeous!!

My book is the first in the series

The Fairy Tale Bride and is out on 4 May.

Here's the blurb

It seems that wedding fever has hit the little town of Marietta...
Lisa Renee loves weddings. As owner of Marietta’s bridal salon, Lisa takes charge when a celebrity wedding rolls into town and does what she does best: hosting the fairy tale wedding her clients dream of. But the celebrity’s badly behaving bridesmaids shatter Lisa’s poise, excitement, and hopes of putting Marietta and her boutique on the map. The only place she can find peace is on the pediatric ward of the local hospital where she volunteers, a place that holds more meaning to her than anyone knows. Leave it to the handsome and charming new doctor to change all of that...
Dr. Adam Brady is enjoying his new job and anonymity at Marietta’s hospital, but he hasn’t been able to focus entirely since the gorgeous business owner and hard-working volunteer piqued his interest. As he spends more time with her, sparks fly, and he realizes that he’s not the only one in Marietta with secrets…

And here's a close up of the cover!

This has to be one of my favourite covers ever!

Here's the rest of the series and the release dates.

Scarlet Wilson The Fairy Tale Bride               4 May

Dani Collins    His Blushing Bride                11 May

Nicole Helm    Bride by Mistake                   18 May

Maisey Yates   Finally his Bride                    25 May

Rachael Johns  Kiss the Bride                         1 June

Kat Latham      Two nights with his Bride      8 June

And if I've sparked your interest here are the buy links for

    Amazon UK and Amazon US

Hope you love this series as much as I do!

Cover Reveals!

There is nothing I like better than gorgeous cover reveals and I have three for you!

The first is for my first release with Tule Publishing out on October 30, Christmas with the Laird.  Isn't the cover just gorgeous??  This is the ebook cover.

And this is the anthology cover for the paperback that is out with three other Christmas stories from around the world.  I love it too!

And for after Christmas here is my new January release with Harlequin Romance, The Prince She Never Forgot.  They have their first kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower so I love this cover!

I have definitely been blessed by the cover fairies!!

$500 Visa Card Giveaway

Are you ready to Fall Into Romance? Check out the amazing giveaway myself and 11 other Tule authors are hosting. It's your chance to discover new authors and have a chance at winning a $500 gift card. Imagine the books you could buy!  Click the link below to enter the competition to win a $500 visa gift card!

http://tinyurl.com/keoj4zn

The Fiercest Easter Egg Competition in the World Part 3

So, you're all used to me by now.

This years effort was.....

Minions!!!!!   What else??

When the film is better than the book....

It's been a long, LONG time since I've blogged. But never mind, let's move on.

I want to share a little something I've discovered - that sometimes, just sometimes, the film is better than the book.

Last night I watched a film in bed. One Day with Anne Hathaway. I didn't gave much hope for the film as although the book hit best seller lists everywhere I just found it kind of meurgh.

Emma frustrated me when I read the book - I just wanted her to grow a spine. As for Dexter? He annoyed me beyond words. What a self-centred character.
What I did buy into was the one day a year element of the book, I thought it was good and moved the story forward well.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


But Anne Hathaway really nailed the geeky Emma, and Jim Sturges, who is he?  Because he almost made me feel for Dexter.  I loved the interpretation of a book I found quite bland and even had a tear in my eye at one point!











So let's move on to the next on the hit list - The Notebook.  This was
a book that was passed around at my work.  People loved it, people hated it.  Again, I found it kind of meurgh.
I was bored, I didn't connect with the characters.  The final scene in the book was poignant, but that was about it for me.

Then, came the greatness that was the film.  Now, not that I especially like Ryan Gosling.  He's fine.  It was Rachel McAdam and James Garner that blew me away.  I thought they were spectacular.  Rachel was bubbly, vivacious and captivating as Allie.  James Garner played the role with his heart and soul on full display.  I'm going to leave the whole interpretation of the older Allie (Gena Rowlands) out of this completely.  Lots of things about that didn't sit right with me.  But this film was great.  I could watch it again and again and again.

So that's it for me.  There have been hundreds of films that are poor in comparison to the book.  I often watch a film and growl because it doesn't live up to the expectations of the book.

But for me, these two were the opposite.  What do you think?

 

 

 

Cover reveal!

Well, here they are my covers for my two linked books coming out in August.  They are set in the equivalent of the CDC in the US and feature some very gorgeous doctors - male and female.

The first is The Maverick Doctor and Miss Prim. 
Not too sure about the cover since my hero is supposed to look like Sawyer from Lost.  There seems to be a distinct lack of hair going on here.  My heroine spends her whole time in scrubs too, but hey!  Who says no to a pretty dress!

And the second is About that Night...   I'm liking the little African silhouette since that's where the book is set, and the hero and heroine look just about right.

So what's your favourite????