RNA Conference 2013

I always love the Romantic Novelists' Association Conference, and this year was no exception.  The setting was Sheffield Uni's lovely halls of residence (yes, this picture really is the grounds of the University, although I think it could easily be taken for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park).  The company was, as always, wonderful, the seminars thought-provoking, the bookshop well-stocked and the goody bag generous.  My second picture is one of the books I bought - Jane Lovering's Hubble Bubble - together with the accompanying 'goody' - a pretty pink bath heart.  I was also lucky enough to receive in my goody bag a free book which was already on my wish list - Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper. 
 

Standout talks for me a few weeks after the event were Julie Cohen's on theme, Catherine Jones' on character, Fiona Harper's on romantic structure, and Janet Gover's very hands-on session on TV and radio interviews.  I was able to put my newly developed skills into practice just a few hours later when Miranda Dickinson interviewed me for her vlog, which was enormous fun, as well as another opportunity to show off just how lovely Sheffield University's grounds are!  All in all a wonderful few days, and as always, I'm already looking forward to next year's conference. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I love my publisher.

I've been away from my blog for a few weeks, for a few reasons, both technical and otherwise.  What better to return with than a celebration of my wonderful publishers?  The Wild Rose Press is about to turn five years old - a ripe old age in the still-fresh world of e-publishing. There are e-publishers and e-publishers, and The Wild Rose Press is definitely an e-publisher to be proud of. Not only do the folks at The Wild Rose Press publish great stories (and no, I'm not only saying that because they published my e-book, Desperate Bid and made it available on Amazon too - they publish loads of great romances, including some by the wonderful Rachel Brimble and Rae Summers ). They also make a point of giving lots of help and feedback to new writers.  Their blog Behind the Garden Gate is a must-read if you write romance, or are curious about what goes on behind the scenes at a publisher.  Oh, and they're really nice people too.  This post about Agonising Over Rej
Read more

Halloween Blog Hop

Image
Halloween is a great excuse to dig out Nightmare Before Christmas and all my favourite spooky stories, so my contribution to the Halloween blog hop is, in no particular order, my seven favourite magical books (or series - a sneaky way of not quite having to narrow down to seven books) of all time. How many have you read? Follow the hop for more fun, great books, and awesome prizes.  And make sure to read to the end for a chance to win a sneak preview of a magical collection, as well as a hop-wide prize draw for $50 or $100 in Amazon gift cards.   Tamora Pierce: Alanna (Song of the Lioness series) Along with 'Little Women', this is one of my most read books ever.  The story of a girl in a magical land which, sadly, reflects our own in having certain expectations of how boys and girls will behave.  Alanna doesn't want to be a lady and learn to dress prettily and walk nicely.  She wants to fight the bad guys, and both she and her twin Thom are gifted with po
Read more

Writer Wednesday Interview: Angela Wren

Image
It's a great pleasure to welcome to my blog today my multi-talented friend: author, actor and director Angela Wren.  Hi Angela! When and how did you first become interested in writing? I think it was story telling that first captured my attention as a very young child.  Apparently, from being only a few months old, I was mesmerised by voices, and I suppose I still am, as I have an uncanny ability to recognise voices in an instant.  When I was a little older I would listen to my Dad and my uncles telling me stories, for hours if I could, and all three of them were excellent narrators.  So bedtime stories were a must at home and later, when I was deemed too old to have them, I made up stories for myself.  Writing them down became the next logical step and I’ve been doing that since I was about 8 or 9. Where did the idea for Messandrierre come from?  The very first idea came whilst I was travelling in the Cévennes in September 2007.  Overnight the weather changed dram
Read more