Book 2 is sold! and The One That Got Away

So I've had a lovely email to say Book 2 is sold and it's title will be......
The Boy Who Made Them Love Again and is scheduled for December 2011.
Now, it's definitely not a Christmas book, so what do you think about that?  Do you only buy books around that time that have a Christmas theme?
Or by that time are sick of Christmas overload and are looking for something different?
And I was delighted because my editor told me it brought a tear to her eye - you don't get better than that!  Now Book 2 has a different theme.  And the theme is The One That Got Away.
Do you have one of those?  Is there somebody from long ago that you occasionally remember and think mmmm........what if?
I remember reading somewhere that everyone has one of those, whether they admit it or not.
Book 2 also has a different kind of medical theme - it's about the staff from the White House Medical Unit.  It can be difficult to find something that hasn't been used in medicals before but I haven't ever seen this used and was delighted to give it a go.  And I also have a First Baby.

And yes, that is what I meant.  I was inspired one day looking at Michelle Obama and thinking to myself that there, in the White House, for the first time in a number of years we had the potential for a White House birth. 
But my First Lady doesn't want to give birth in Washington, she wants privacy and needs rest, so she heads to Mendocino Valley and Pelican Cove, a quiet little hospital and goes into labour early.  And that's where all the fun starts!
So Book 3 will be a follow-on from this and I'm pleased to say I've agreed a new contract with Mills and Boon and will be writing a few more medicals.  WHOOPEE!

Inspiration for Book 3

So, who is your inspiration for your writing?  Do you actually have someone in mind to play your characters when your book becomes a Silver Screen Film?  Or is it all just in your head?
I've started writing what I hope will become my Book three.  And even though I didn't think I'd ever do it, I'm doing a sequel to Book Two.  There was a really interesting leftover character from that story that really needed a story of his own. And in my head, this is him...

Yes, yes I know.  It's a medical and I've picked Patrick Dempsey.  But I have to, because
a) I love him and
b) this was the picture that came into my head as I sketched out the story.  But Patrick has a new identity, he's now Lincoln Adams, Neonatologist Extraordinaire!
Now this is where you might get mad with me.  Either that or you'll know what I've been watching to death, because here is my heroine

Yes, it's Amy Adams.  and yes I've been watching Enchanted.  A LOT.  However, this is not the princess Amy Adams - this is the hardass Amy Adams.  Who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it.  And her name in the story is........Amy.  But to be honest, I'd already picked my names before I picked my inspirational pictures.  So, it's stuck.
I plan in the near future to use an equally gorgeous picture of Sawyer aka Josh Holloway, who will play a distinct bad boy in a story all of his own.
And for some reason in Books 1 and 2, I find I've been writing LOTS from the male POV.  I wonder why this is?
So who are your current Hero and Heroine?  Share, please.
And finally, for those who were wondering - I went with the Mr Men for the Easter Egg Competition and yes, we did win!

Let's be Frivalous!

So I could post about doing revisions etc but that would just be boring.

I'm starting to get excited.  I've booked my place at the RNA conference in July this year.  The conference is in Wales this year and it's going to prove a little tricky to get to from sunny Scotland.  I think I'm going to arrive just as the opening address is taking place, however I'm happy to go in dragging my case behind me!

So when planning the conference there is a dinner on the Friday night and a barbeque on the Saturday night.  Mmmm, so what will I wear.......
Well my new writing name is Scarlet therefore

Isn't it gorgeous!  And look at the ruffles - they will hide a MULTITUDE of sins!
So that's Friday taken care of.  What about Saturday??
I'm swithering here.  I have two outfits.  One probably a bit too formal for a barbeque and the other?  Well, I'm not quite sure if I'm brave enough!

Wow, that came out bigger than expected!

I've bought the "jumpsuit" but I just don't know if I'm brave enough to wear it!  What do you think?
And finally the RNA conference is all about the shoes.

So what do think of the shoes?  And is there votes for the dress or the jumpsuit for the Saturday night?

The fiercest Easter Egg competition in the World!

I've been a very bad blogger lately and I know that, but never mind, now I need some help.  Because it's coming up to Easter time again, and let me introduce you to the fiercest competition in the world!
Let me explain, every year at our church we have a boiled egg decorating competition for the Sunday School.  This sounds simple enough - but believe me, it's not.  It takes weeks to decide what your egg is going to be this year.  Weeks to design your "costume" and "set".  This is NOT a competition for kids!
Let me introduce you to Nemo.

This was a winning egg, but it took nearly a week to create.  Let me let you into a little secret of boiled egg decoration.  Car spray paint.  Yes, car spray paint.  It's the only thing that sticks to a blinking egg!
Here's another winner.

Happy Feet.  And yes, that penguin did fall over.  It was propped into place for the picture!
Then there was.....

Ratatouille.  Is anyone seeing a pattern emerging here??????
Yes, I like children's films.  And I always seem to find a character in them.
Then there was last years effort.  And I mean that, an effort.  It was the worst ever!

Daleks.  From Doctor Who - just in case you couldn't possibly recognise them.  Yes, I know they look awful.
Which is why this year I need some help.  Some suggestions.  Some prize winning suggestions.  But remember it has to be a decorated egg - so try and imagine how it should look.
Last year my son wanted to make WWE wrestlers.  Any idea how to make them out of boiled eggs?  No, neither did I.
So, help PLEASE!!!!!!!
All suggestions gratefully received.

News and the Shred

I am in a happy place.  I heard back from my editor today with revisions for book 2.  I am delighted.  This is the book I wrote while waiting to hear back from Mills and Boon about It Started with a Pregnancy.  So, my editor had never heard anything about this story, hadn't seen a proposal and hadn't agreed it at all.  After I got The Call for book 1, I sent this in and held my breath.
So now I am breathing a huge sigh of relief.  I don't need to write something completely different.  I have to make changes, but that's fine.  The revisions seem reasonable so I'm going to bury my head in the sand for the next month and work away on them.
Next, I've joined the Craze.  The Craze for the Shred.  I've heard other people talking about it and finally decided to see what it was all about.  I'm currently only on Day 4 and I'm still at level one of the 30 day Shred.  Apparently if you follow this 20 min exercise routine every day for 30 days you can lose 7-10lbs, change shape and drop a dress size.  Now I hate exercise.  I'm practically allergic to it.  I danced up until I was 17.  Then did nothing for years.  I went swimming for a bit, only because I'm not a particularly good swimmer and wanted to get better.  But it annoyed me.  The grey-haired swimming brigade kept swimming in front of me (going breadth wise instead of length wise - why would people do that?) and as I can't tread water, every time they swam in front of me I sank like a stone.  Recently I've been going to a Zumba class once a week and have quite enjoyed it, but an hour a week is not going to sort out my flabby tum.
So, Shred it is!  I've decided not to weigh myself until the end of the 30 days - so I'll let you know how it goes.

And what do you think of this?  It's my banner for my new website which is being built by a work colleague.  Hopefully it will be ready soon.
Finally a huge congratulations to Leah Ashton, the winner of New Voices who just sold her book to Mills and Boon.  I look forward to reading it!

After the Call...

First of all, thanks to everyone who sent their good wishes following The Call.  You might have been able to tell I was on a high...
So what happens next?  Quite a lot actually.  I wasn't asked to do any final tweaks to my manuscript so have been able to sleep soundly.  My editor let me know that my book will be titled It Started with a Pregnancy and will be published in Sept 2011.  WHOOPEE!
I also had to agree a date to have my next manuscript ready.  I've agreed on the end of May but have just finished writing a medical romance that's a little different.  It's been off to my critique partner and had some changes and has now been sent on to my editor, who will get back to me in a few weeks.
I'm not delusional.  I know that revisions will be required.  And hopefully now I've had some practice I will be better at them.  My big worry is that my editor will tell me she doesn't like it and I'll have to start something new completely.  Because I love this story and I love that it features a profession I've never seen in a Medical Romance before.
In the meantime I've started revising something I wrote last year and has room for improvement - oh, and a POV!
I've just had my first set of Author Alterations sent to me and I plan to work on them tomorrow.  This is the last time I get to see my book before publication.  Yikes!
I also received my contract, which made my knees tremble as I printed it out.  So I just need to sign that and send it back.
I also purchased a domain name for my website and a friend at work is going to build my site for me.
Finally I found out that my first book will be eligible for the Joan Hessayon Prize with the RNA as it went through the New Writers Scheme.  So next year I get to go to the RNA Summer Party!  Yippee!
So how is everyone else getting on?  I know some people are still waiting for their SYTYCW entries and my fingers and toes are crossed for you all!

The Call!

At 1.34pm today my life changed. The phone rang. The Call. As I was driving. The number came on the dashboard and I thought 0208???? is this a marketing call? But I pressed the button on the steering wheel and it was the lovely Sally Williamson from Mills and Boon.
Now at first I was worried. When other people have got the "The Call" they've usually had an email to arrange a time to talk. I hadn't had an email. But the day before I'd emailed Sally asking if she'd had time to look at my revisions and if she liked them or not. So I was worried. The crows of doubt were definitely circling.
My first thought was - she's phoning to let me down gently. So when I heard the words "We want to buy your book" I screamed so loudly I probably deafened her. Then I had to pull the car over as I started crying. Happy tears. Lots and lots of happy tears.
Then I heard the words "forward" and "two book deal". It was all a bit of a blur after that. I phoned my beloved and shouted "I can pay off the Visa bill!"
Then I ran into work and started shouting "I write for Mills and Boon!" The people I work with are wonderful and have known that I was waiting to hear for a while, so flowers and cake seemed to appear out of thin air.
Then I took two minutes to go and email my critique partner Nancy, my other online colleagues, Rachael, Jackie, Joanne. Then I emailed the poor Mills and Boon medical authors I've been stalking for a while Kate Hardy, Wendy S Marcus and Anne Fraser.
Then I had to go and tell my mum, dad and sisters. None of whom knew about my exploits to write for Mills and Boon - so that was fun.
So tonight I've finally sat down. I've read the confirmation email that Sally sent me. This ISN'T a dream. It is true. I've got to pick a pseudonym as there is another Romance writer in America called Susan Wilson. So what will I pick? I have no idea. But I have a whole weekend to decide. Feel free to make suggestions... Friends have already told me to call myself Scarlet, as I spend my life wearing red, but I'm going to take a bit of time.
Finally to say, that this all came about because of a Pitch on the eharlequin website in March last year. Wendy S Marcus, myself and two others won the chance to pitch our stories to Lucy Gilmour from medical romance. A partial was requested and then I was passed to Sally who requested the full. The rest as they say is history!
Now, to find the wine...........