Celebrations

‘Erm, I was wondering if you’ve done anything for our anniversary?’
‘No,’ says Tom, looking anxious. ‘Have you?’
‘No,’ I reply, thinking phew!
It’s not that we’re unromantic and, of course, it would be lovely to splash out on something frivolous like an iPad each – except that’s the best part of year’s heating oil - but money’s not really what it’s about. Which is just as well.

Luckily for us, Lily and Rose and their other halves have very kindly made sure that our anniversary will be memorable. Our Christmas present from them is a night in a swanky boutique hotel (‘Well, we knew you wouldn’t do it for yourselves.’). Yippee! So we are heading north on our jaunt soon and greatly looking forwards to it. We’ve even decided to see a bit more of the area courtesy of a Premier Inn special offer… should be an interesting ‘compare and contrast’, shouldn’t it?

In other news ...
Monday 5 March sees the announcement of the category winners of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards 2012. Each category winner will then go on to form the shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, which will be announced on 17th May. My Choc Lit friends with eligible books have done rather well in the shortlists and, conveniently, have spread themselves across three categories. Kate Johnson’s The Untied Kingdom has been shortlisted in the Contemporary Romantic Novel category. Christina Courtenay’s Highland Storms features in the Historical Romantic Novel shortlist and Jane Lovering’s Please Don’t Stop the Music has been shortlisted for the Romantic Comedy Novel category.

All of which is great news for everyone at Choc Lit, especially Kate, Christina and Jane. Alas, I can’t make Monday but here’s wishing you a brilliant evening! Good luck to you all!

It’s also great to see fellow Novel Racer, Tamsyn Murray, whose novel, My So-called Phantom Lovelife has been short-listed for the Young Adult Romantic Novel Category and fellow RNA Carmarthen Chapter member, Liz Fielding whose novel Flirting with Italian (Mills & Boon) has been shortlisted for the RoNa Rose Award. At the RNA Carmarthen Chapter we’re also celebrating the publication of Toni Sands' debut novel, Orchid Pink (Xcite). I’m hoping that Toni will find time in her busy schedule to visit Home Thoughts so she can tell you about more about her novel then. Although I may have to hide MiL’s eyes.

And after all that good news, it’s time for me to pack… hurray! Thank you so much Rose, Si, Lily and Russ!

ePainting is 'Bedroom Window View, Morning' by Tom Tomos

Happy Endings, New Beginnings

Blended families come with conflicting loyalties and at Christmas time nearly everyone has somewhere else they feel they ought to be. Throw partners into the equation and it gets even more complicated. Since Tom and I aren’t especially hung up about Christmas we’re happy to let our children go with the strongest flow, but I have to say it was a great delight to have the girls and their partners staying with us this year. When such moments are few and far between they become very precious. My stepsons weren’t far from our thoughts either, not least because we had the very happy news on Christmas Day that my elder stepson and his girlfriend had become engaged. Congratulations Dan and Gill, here’s wishing you every happiness together. Tom and I end a year that has seen the fruition of many years work, both of us crossing important thresholds within weeks of each other. I’m really looking forwards to seeing Turning the Tide published next year and it’s been so satisfying, after al...

My First Book Signing!

It’s a fine, dry day and there’s an Italian market in the square outside Waterstone’s. Good for a book signing? ‘Bad,’ says Tim. The stalls are blocking the view of the shop and the fine weather’s keeping everyone outdoors. Hmm, that must be why they’ve only put one small poster up for my event, I mean why waste the Blu Tack? Tim demonstrates handing off the marauding hordes After much refolding of a black tablecloth and a rummage around for some books, I’m invited to take up my position at the author table somewhere between ‘fantasy and horror’, children’s books and a poster of the next author, Bobby ‘Iron Duke’ Windsor who’s signing on Monday. Once Tom, Lily, my lovely daughter, and her partner, Russ, are all sure I’m not going to run away, they leave me to it, taking it in turns to make sure I’m all right and bring me tea. Very soon, I notice a small boy watching me. When he returns with his family I learn that he would like to be a writer. His method, he tells me, is to rewr...

Since You've Been Gone

Well, Ma Mère, There have been so many times when I’ve gathered up all the little shiny moments I’ve collected during the day, ready to present to you in our evening phone call and then I remember all over again that you’re not there. But, Mum, so much has happened since you’ve gone - maybe you know, maybe you don’t - that I’ve decided to write to you instead. A few days after you died, we sold our house! After all those months! We even joked about you rattling cages somewhere. At first, nothing happened and then suddenly everything happened at a breathless pace and the next thing I knew I found myself driving (yes, me, driving!) along the M4 to Bridgend and the Time Capsule House, the one you said you and Dad would have bought. I remarked, when we first viewed it that if it was meant for us, it would come to us. Over a year later, when it had been under offer twice, we moved in. Oh, Mum, you and Dad would have loved this house; it’s peak Seventies and the decor - the pampas ensu...

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