RNA Conference Greenwich

The venue for the Romantic Novelists' Association 50th Anniversary Conference could not have been better - the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. What a privilege to be able to spend three days in such a fabulous location, especially in almost unbelievably sunny weather. Just look at that blue sky!

The gala dinner was held on the Friday night in the Trafalgar Tavern, next door to Queen Anne Court. This is the sight which greeted latecomers as they approached along the path by the Thames - a host of romantic novelists perched precariously on the 'deck'!

Saturday night's meal was a barbecue in the courtyard. It was more informal and there were opportunities not just for people to circulate, but air! It had been steamily hot in the Trafalgar Tavern, and there had been talk of breaking into the nearby Fan Museum and borrowing their collection for the evening.

At the conference itself there was something for everybody. Lucy Inglis' talk about working women in 18th century London, and Steve Wade's on the best sources to use if you are researching crime, appealed to the historian in me. And after listening to Rosemary Laurey's entertaining description of the finned, fanged and furry things she writes about, that's me off to hunt down some paranormal romances to read.

Here's one last photo - of the old Naval College, taken on Saturday morning before the sun got into its scorching stride.

Pure Silk

I have been on the New Writers' Scheme of the Romantic Novelists' Association since January 2007, and have attended and enjoyed every one of their Conferences. In July last year it was held in Penrith in Cumbria, and having completed a novella called 'Pure Silk', a contemporary romance with strong sensual (oh all right, yes, erotic) elements, I decided to try for one of the editor-author appointments being held by Claire Siemaszkiewicz of Total-e-Bound, a major e-publisher. To my delight Claire loved my story and offered me a contract there and then. 'Pure Silk' will be published as an e-book on 29th March. However, I have had an early peek at the artwork and I absolutely love it. What impresses me is not just that my views on the cover were canvassed and respected, but improved upon. I want to share it with you here, and to offer a big thank you to TEB and their illustrator.