As a Yorkshire lass visiting Lancaster, I entered the city with trepidation. Would I be safe? Would I be welcome? With my white rose hidden in my handbag, I approached Lancaster University and entered the magical world of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
I exchanged my white rose for a pink lanyard, grabbed a black bag of bookish goodies and planned my battle for the day. A wave of nerves washed over me when I saw my name listed on the one-to-one timetables.
Romantic Novelists’ Association is a shield protecting writers
With the ‘Sound the drums and trumpets’, the day commenced with a meeting of authors on the New Writers’ Scheme led by the wonderful Immi Howson. Listening to the success stories of the NWS authors made me realise the Romantic Novelists’ Association is a shield protecting writers and giving us to tell our stories. Writing can be a battleground and as many said, ‘we all have downs’, but with the support of the RNA one can survive ‘the slings and arrows’ of the process.
Encouraging smiles and greetings from fellow authors lifted my heart throughout the day. Lynda Stacey, my fairy godmother, prepared me for the first meeting. Members of the South and West Wales Chapter offered constant support. Surrounded by the warmth of the writers, I calmed down and looked around for familiar faces.
When Jessie met Angela
But the ‘sound of drums and trumpets’ heralded again and a knight from the House of York pushed me towards a writing heroine, Angela Petch. Her presence glowed in the room and I knew I would be safe from the ‘slings and arrows’ of my writing doubts. She handed me a notebook with ‘Dream big because dreams do happen’ written on the cover; these words started to ring in my ears for the rest of the day. It was overwhelming to meet this lovely lady in person and snatch chat time between meetings. Her kind words armed me with confidence, and I mused on how I felt as if I have always known Angela.
She handed me a notebook with ‘Dream big because dreams do happen’ written on the cover; these words started to ring in my ears for the rest of the day.
The one-to-one meeting with the industry professionals were enjoyable but too short. My writing was praised, and I began to smile again. It was a pleasure to introduce Pearl and Jim to new people, and I was delighted everyone loved naughty Doreen.
Being involved in the RNA is ‘a kinda magic’ that enables authors to slay the self-doubts and carve out a pathway towards achieving one’s dream. All I can do now is wish on a star, edit, write and ‘dream big’.
Presenting (clockwise): John Jackson, Rhoda Baxter, Lynda Stacey and Anne Marie Brear
A tiny oak door opened into the warmth of the Romantic Novelists’ Association event, and a hearty welcome glowed from Lynda Stacey and John Jackson. The guests of the RNA York charmed me, and I fell in love with a family of romance writers.
I found a home and a place to rest my bag for a while. Word wizards distracted me from the beauty of the medieval setting. I wondered how many years of writing experience the authors had amassed between them. Would I be able to cram all the authors novels into the nooks and crannies of the ancient Merchant Taylors’ Hall? It was obvious there would need to be bags and bags of books. Inspired by the moment, I invited authors to be photographed with their books in their handbags.
The ancient Merchant Taylors’ Hall
Readers
are now invited to take a seat beside the fire and meet the heroes and heroines
of my narrative. Look at their books and the range of genres available. I must
admit I did suffer from book cover envy when presented with the glorious front
covers. Besides admiring books, I discovered gems of advice from the writers. Authors
told me about the magic of Canva, Photoshop and Word Cloud. Magic words that
certainly did not echo around the room six centuries ago.
What a palaver! I attempted to take a selfie with Milly Johnson and Rhoda Baxter.
Chat with the word wizards encouraged me to step outside of my Books in my Handbag Blog and talk about writing my book. I found myself spellbound by Milly Johnson who had the power to conjure my Yorkshire accent from the depths of my handbag. I was back home, in Yorkshire, with friendly writerly folk. Milly reassured me the writing process is still agony for her after sixteen books. Rhoda Baxter joined the conversation, and I could have listened to the comedy duo all afternoon. If only I had recorded the conversation. I am in awe of how Milly and Rhoda manage to write comedy with such flair. They explained that comedy is channelled through the characters and flows naturally – words of comedy experts. In a classic comedy moment, I fumbled with my phone to take a selfie with Rhoda and Milly but had the lens pointing at the table in front of me. Flummoxed by technology, I felt ‘as daft as a brush’, but the grand lasses just laughed.
Chair of Romance Novelists Association, Nicola Cornick. This is the kind lady who poured me some tea.
Suspended
in the glow of the RNA heaven, I became lost in the moment until the afternoon
tea arrived at our table. Chair of Romance Novelists Association, Nicola
Cornick, poured me tea from an enormous teapot that was the size of a small
house. We ate buttery scones, zingy lemon
drizzle cake, and indulgent chocolate brownies with chips. Well, you must have chips at a northern
afternoon tea. I almost forgot the delicate array of posh sarnies. The happy nattering of the RNA family filled
the room until the guest speaker was introduced. It was time to ‘shut me cake
‘ole’.
Jean Fullerton, guest speaker, showcasing her popular historical fiction.
Guest
speaker, Jean Fullerton, spoke passionately about her writing journey. She also
celebrated popularity or the romance genre and challenged prejudice. Congratulations
to Jean on her successful historical fiction novels set in the East End of London.
According to Jean, ‘to write about life is to write about love.’ She handed over her gift of hope that,
‘sometimes, just sometimes, love does win and dreams come true.’
That day, I fell in love with the RNA and it is my dream to be adopted by this family one day. I forgot to take photos of the cakes because I was busy eating them and chatting. Overwhelmed by the RNA world, I departed into a rainy Saturday afternoon. I regret I did not see, blogging legend, Anne Williams and the authors I have met in the Handbag Gallery. Despite the realisation I need glasses, I had a ‘reight good time’ and found ‘me’ old Yorkshire accent hiding in the medieval hall. I hope to move back to Yorkshire. I would also love to meet Sue Moorcroft in the future. The tiny oak door was left ajar, so I can return next year. I look forward to finding out if the magical medieval setting may inspire some more romance stories.
Meet (clockwise): Lesley Field, Ellie Gray, Ros Rendle, Chrissie Bradshaw, Sylvia Broady and Rosemary Smith
Congratulations to Lynda Stacey on a wonderful event. Best of luck with the release of her new book, ‘The Fake Date’. I am looking forward to interviewing her, with the book due to be released on 18th September.
Earlier this year, I chatted with Rhoda Baxter about my blogging adventure and was delighted to feature on the RNA website.
Kitty Wilson is author of the bestselling Cornish Village Series. How can anyone resist a visit to Cornwall at the most magical time of year? Her novels are celebrated as the ‘perfect escapist read’ by her dedicated readers. I have invited Kitty to tell you more about her Christmas novel.
Hello everyone,
I am delighted to present the fourth in The Cornish Village School series, Christmas Wishes. This series of romantic comedies centre around a primary school in the fictional village of Penmenna with each story featuring a member of staff and involving the whole community. This is the first Christmas-themed one and tells the tale of Alice, a teaching assistant in class four, and Dan who moved to Penmenna to be its vicar a couple of years ago. Alice and Dan are firm friends with a penchant for getting into mischief but when Dan’s grandmother, Annie, moves into The Vicarage with him she is determined to push the two of them together.
I wanted to choose an extract for you that both summed up the Christmassy nature of this book, the sense of community and the romance between Alice and Dan so I hope this short piece does that.
I have really enjoyed writing Christmas Wishes, the antics of Annie and her new best friend Ethel, make me giggle every time I read them and I hope they raise a smile for other readers too. I am so fond of Alice and Dan, both have had very different upbringings yet carry the same values and hopes for their future, I think the two of them are perfectly matched.
All love, Kitty
Meet the lovely Kitty Wilson
Here is the extract:
One minute Alice had been sipping Ethel’s mulled wine, giggling at the memories of last year as she cast her eyes over the church they were all in. A church that smelt strongly of Christmas with mulled wine spices mixing with the scent of pine from all the greenery. Ethel’s brew packed such a serious punch that it had had Bill Meacher attempting to Elvis dance down the aisle last year – very definitely ‘All Shook Up’ – as he chased Mrs Talbot and promised her the moon if she would consider his hand in marriage. Luckily Mrs Talbot was a Very Sensible Woman who cordially informed him that it would take a bit more than a gyrating pelvis to persuade her to give up her hard-won independence. Although if he was available for the evening and promised to be silent then a one-off arrangement may be possible.
The next minute everyone had left, she was alone with Dan and needed to take a gulp as she realised what he had just said to her. At least what she thought she had heard him say. She asked him to repeat it, just so she could be sure.
Jessie: Your Christmas novel sounds as if it is full of Christmas sparkle and delicious humour. I can’t wait to step inside your world. What did the reviewers think of your Christmas Wishes?
Kitty: The reviews warm my heart and it’s great to connect with the readers. It is lovely when readers connect with the characters. Here are a couple of reviews that capture the essence of the feedback.
‘Full of romance, letting go of the past to move forward and plenty to do with Christmas and children. It’s a heartwarming read and has great characters and just a brilliant read and we’ll worth more than five stars.’ (Nicola – Amazon reviewer)
‘Kitty Wilson continues to please with warm tales of the people that make up the little village school in Penmenna. I will be sad when I come to the end of the series as I have become so attached to the characters in these books. Easy to get absorbed in they are easy cosy reading.’(Lorna Vickers – Amazon reviewer).
It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Penmenna…
‘The magic of Christmas shines through the pages, and I loved everything about this one – it’s an amazing addition to a superb series and Kitty Wilson has done a first-class job. A joy to read and fully deserving of every one of the five shiny stars I’m more than happy to give it. Highly recommended!’ Grace J Reviewer Lady
‘Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming… the perfect escapist read.’ Beanie L.
Jessie: You must be so proud of the positive responses to your novel. It is wonderful the way the readers connect with the characters. How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?
I loved writing this book but part of the joy of writing a series is that the characters remain the same throughout, it’s only the level of focus upon them that changes. This makes it so much easier as I don’t have to say goodbye to them yet. I am writing the fifth book now and both Dan and Alice will certainly pop back up. The downside is that when the series does finish I am going to be slightly heartbroken. I have spent almost every day over the last few years in Penmenna with these characters so I suspect there may be a big Cornish Village School shaped hole in my future. I shall just have to come up with characters that I love even more in my next books.
Kitty Wilson lived in Cornwall for twenty-five years having been dragged there, against her will, as a stroppy teen. She is now remarkably grateful to her parents for their foresight and wisdom – and these days spends her time writing romantic comedies with heroines who speak their mind.
I’ve heard very positive comments about Kitty’s Cornish Village series. Indeed, a blogger explains: ‘I have read a few books by this author now and one thing I will say is that she never disappoints. She produces well planned out stories that leave you feeling warm and cosy inside and that was exactly how this heart-warming book made me feel – and I loved it!’ Donna’s Book Blog.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Penmenna…
Teaching assistant Alice has sworn off men, which is fine because with Christmas coming she’s super busy organising the school Nativity. This should be a blast with the help of close friend and village vicar, Dan – if she can ignore those more-than-just-a-friend feelings she’s developed for him…
Dan is happy to help Alice – his secret crush – but not only is his beloved Granny Annie about to be made homeless, the church choir has disintegrated and he’s battling some dark demons from his past.
With meddling grannies and PTA wars thrown in the mix, can Alice and Dan overcome their past hurts to move forward? Will they be spending Christmas together as friends… or something more?
A festive feel-good romance perfect for fans of Tilly Tennant and Holly Martin.
Discovering an author’s writing journey always intrigues me. I met inspirational Lesley Field at the Romance Novelists Association Tea. Lesley gave me the courage to pursue another adventure for my own characters. It is an honour to present Lesley’s story.
Every journey starts somewhere and mine started with a cup of tea, a magazine and a short story I’d just read. I thought, I could do that.
I had the pleasure of meeting Lesley Field at the RNA Tea.
A short while later I came up with a story-line, sat down at the laptop and started to write. It was supposed to be a short story but it soon became more. In May I was in our local Smith’s and there was a lady doing a book signing. I hovered, as one does, and eventually plucked up the courage to approach. She asked if I wrote so I told her about the book I had finished and submitted to Mills and Boon. I asked if this was her first book, she kindly told me no, it was her 18th. That was my foot in mouth moment. It turned out the lady was Val Wood, Hull’s answer to Catherine Cookson. She gave me a lot of lovely tips and said to let her know how matters progressed. A rejection came from Mills and Boon, I had no idea of what publishers required back then. I e-mailed Val Wood to let her know. She told me not to give up and to keep submitting.
Val Wood gave me a lot of lovely tips and said to let her know how matters progressed.
About 6 weeks later I received an e-mail from Val inviting me to attend the next meeting of her Romantic Novelists Association Chapter, The Flying Ducks. I learned about the New Writers Scheme (NWS) and managed to get on this in January 2013. By this time I had written a further contemporary novel, so submitted this for critique. When the critique arrived I thought, well this is it. If they say its rubbish I know I can’t write. But they didn’t. I had a very good critique, and the reader commented I had the tenacity to succeed.
So, I could write contemporary, but could I write historical? I sat down and had a go. I submitted that book to MuseItUp publishing and in 2014 received a contract from them. That novel, “Dangerous Entrapment,” was shortlisted for Historical Novel of the year 2016 by the RNA.
Saunders-Lies and Deception is set in Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
You may wonder what happened to the first novel I wrote in 2012. Well, in 2013, while on a coach tour in America, the plotline for a sequel to that book came to me. In fact it wouldn’t leave me alone. So I wrote that. Then a third plot line came along. I now had three books in a series, which is my Saunders series. The first book, “Saunders Lies and Deception,” was published in May 2018.
With 4 books published and 4 more contracted, my journey continues…
Biography
Lesley Field is an award nominated author of Romantic Novels and should not be confused with any other writer of the same name.
Lesley lives in North Yorkshire, often described as “God’s own county.” Before retiring she spent her working life pursuing personal injury claims. Now at a time when she should be thinking of early nights and cocoa, she finds herself writing somewhat “hot” novels. Her first published novel “Dangerous Entrapment” was her first historical novel. She also writes contemporary novels which are usually based in Canada, which she calls her “heart home.” Having achieved publication so soon after starting to write she hopes that, “Dangerous Entrapment,”(1st book in the Duchess in Danger series) is just the beginning.
About Lies and Deception
This is the background for “Saunders-Lies and Deception” and the adventure that inspired the writing journey
Set in Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A magical place in the winter and a hub for tourists in the summer. Come and meet the Saunders family. With prestige and money you would think they had everything, but a dark secret lies hidden, a secret that is about to be uncovered, and the lies and deception will change the family forever. Follow Sarah and Jeff’s journey in Book 1. Sarah had everything, a handsome loving husband, a young son, then suddenly it was all snatched away. Defeated by outside forces, she made a new life for herself. But never forgot the life she once had. Risking everything if she was discovered, she returned to Canada, and crept back into Banff like a thief in the night. The last person Jeff thought to see was Sarah, but walking down the aisle at his son’s wedding, he saw the one person he had never expected to see again. When his eyes met hers shock quickly turned to anger. Tracking her down was easy, then he had one question. Why? The answer was not what he expected, nor one that he could believe. Or could he? He was everything she once wanted, and he gave her everything she needed. Except one thing, trust. Could she believe what he said now? Could she risk being hurt again? Can the lies and deception be overcome? Book 1 in the Saunders Series, “Saunders-Lies and Deception.”
