Losing My Podcast Virginity

Me, Abby & Chantelle Shaw

So two fortuitous things happened recently:

Firstly, I was asked by the lovely peeps at the Professional Writing Academy if I would be interested in doing a podcast to help promo my new online writing course with them An Introduction to Writing Hot Romance - the course launches on October 4th so if you want to sign up and treat yourself to 7 weeks of intensive but I hope completely fabulous sessions on romance writing you still have time.

The other thing that happened was I went to an author lunch in Central London (an annual event which is always a top date in my writing calendar) with some of my favorite romance authors – which of course made me think, if I'm gonna lose my podcast virginity, I'm going to rope them in too!!

First thing to figure out was how to work my iPhone's Voice Memo app. Yup, this took a while, because it turns out my smart phone is a lot smarter than I am... But once Abby Green and I had done numerous tests, and then actually managed to find the recordings on the phone without accidentally deleting them (not as easy as it sounds), I was ready to roll.

Showing off my latest cover at the party

Next up was cornering some of my mates. First up was of course Abby, who had foolishly helped me with the app and was therefore a sitting duck for my first soundbite.

The question was a simple one, though, for someone who writes searingly sexy romances: Why do you love writing hot romance?

Then I turned to Fiona Harper - I asked her why she loved writing romance, as her books are less hot but still wonderfully fresh, funny, heartwarming romance novels for HQ.

My fellow Fairy Tales of New York author Lucy King, who had made the mistake of camping out with us after the lunch and who writes wonderfully sexy, sassy feel-good romances got hooked in next...

After the author lunch each year Mills and Boon invite all their current authors to a glamorous drinks party in the News Building - right next to the Shard with wonderful views over London – and there I managed to waylay the legendary Sharon Kendrick – author of a staggering 102 books for M&B all of them scorchingly hot and deeply emotional reads – for a quick chat.

The fabulous Ms Kendrick

The next day I made a trip to Sheffield to talk on a panel with Sue Stephens (darn it, I should have whipped out my phone out and interviewed her too!) and M&B editor Flo Nicholl about why Mills and Boon books are so cool hosted by academic Val Derbyshire during the University's Festival of the Mind event.

So it wasn't until Sunday that I had the delight of figuring out how to use Garageband to edit the sound recordings and add my own thoughts (and yes, there was sarcasm in that statement!). After a long day spent fumbling my way through the highly intuitive (but not that intuitive to me) application, I had my podcast. And I have to say, I am mighty pleased with the eventual result. The people at PWA prettied it up with some photos and stuck it on YouTube, so I need to say a big thanks to them, and to my mates, who each had insightful and interesting reasons as to why they love writing romance (hot or not).

I'd love to know what you think? So here it is...

Now I am no longer a podcast virgin, I may be doing more podcasts - I love to talk about romance, so why not share the joy, right? In fact, the PWA may have created a monster...

Sneak Peek of One Night So Pregnant!

I finally have a sneak peek of my next Riva/Harlequin Presents Extra, One Night So Pregnant on my website... Have to say I love both the UK and US covers.

In case you don't know this is Tess and Nate's story. Tess appeared as Eva's meddling friend in The Good the Bad and the Wild and quite a lot of readers have asked me if I was going to write her story. Short answer: Hell Yes! And here it is.

It'll be out in December in the US and in November to Riva subscribers in the UK (and apparently on Amazon!). I will be giving away a few copies here and on Goodreads once I get my author copies.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the peek!

In other news I'm off to the AMBA lunch tomorrow and am looking forward to catching up with Abby Green, India Grey, Fiona Harper, Sharon Kendrick, Scarlet Wilson and a host of other great authors.... And I have Alabama friend Kimberly Lang staying with me at the moment. How cool is that? (plus I managed to extract a copy of Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet out of her - which is the last of her fab Marshall brothers trilogy and which I can't wait to read).

Bring me Sunshine!

So I've been given a Sunshine Award by the absolutely fabulous Sharon Kendrick... What does it all mean, I hear you asking. Well, it's my chance to spread a little sunshine by talking about some of my favourite things... (Oooh, I feel a Julie Andrews song coming on!)


So here goes, in no particular order.

Navajo Frybread in Monument Valley, Silver Dollar pancakes by the Shenandoah River, the morning dew in Wiltshire, a cold frosty day in North London, the open road, my youngest son when I wake him on a school day (not just for payback purposes, but because he looks just like my baby boy again when he's fast asleep), Breaking Bad, being naughty with Ms Abby Green at the RWA conference (I take no responsibility for the kilt incident btw!), bad boys, Mad Men, old soul music, new story ideas, dancing the night away with my favourite peeps, giving both my boys a cuddle, reading books that make me say "Damn, I wish I could write like that", the Marfa ghost lights, home-made margaritas with my best mate in her orchard in Kildare, writing epilogues (always the best part of writing for me, all gain, no pain!), feeling fabulous in my posh frock, Christmas morning and evening and everything in between (even the potato peeling) with my huge extended family and last but by no means least my gorgeous husband (who always makes me smile!)

Actually, those are just a few of my favourite things.... But it's time to shut up now, Julie! And pass the buck... I mean, the Sunshine Award, to my dear mate (and partner in naughtiness) Ms Abby Green.

Take it away, Abby...!

Party Time!

So I got my posh frock on last night and jumped on the bus to the West End en route to the RNA Winter Party.

Despite getting slightly lost (got off the bus on Piccadilly and somehow ended up at Buckingham Palace!) I finally located Birdcage Walk and the stately Library of the Imeche where all the fun was happening... Good thing I didn't put my hooker boots on til I got there as I had to yomp all the way round St James's Park in the dark. Am thinking I may have to turn this experience into a scene for a book, though, as the phenomenal Georgian architecture on display during my impromptu tour of the area was really quite sensational.

As usual I didn't do a lot of networking, mostly just had a good gossip with Fiona Harper, Natalie Rivers, Sharon Kendrick and the lovely M&B eds who were present. Also had a great fangirl moment when I was introduced to Kate Lace, whose books I highly recommend. Haven't got her latest yet, Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, so will be downloading it asap.

Then Katie Fforde did the big announcement of the night... The unveiling of the new RNA logo, which, as luck would have it, matched my dress beautifully so I got asked to pose for some photos.

Much wine and wittering later and I slipped my hooker boots back in the bag and headed home... On the tube this time, as I'd decided I'd admired more than enough phenomenally Georgian architecture for one night.

Schmoozing at AMBA

Had a fab time at the AMBA lunch on Thursday at a bijou location in London's Covent Garden. As usual I forgot to bring my camera (actually I don't even have a camera!!) so the wonderful Kate Hardy was sweet enough to take a few snaps for me. From left to right there's me with Fiona Harper, the Modern Heat posse of Kate and new author Lucy King and the inimitable Sharon Kendrick. What a laugh, a great time was had by all. The great women who write for Mills and Boon is one of the big benefits of writing for them IMHO.
Okay, enough schmoozing... Also yesterday, the article about my book club experience came out in The Telegraph and it was really good. Casilda Grigg, the journalist who wrote the piece had some excellent things to say about the event and made some interesting observations about how it's not actually possible to just knock off a Mills and Boon in your lunchbreak. Anyone who reads this blog of course will know what a flipping struggle it is to write these books (or anyone who's ever tried to write one) but it's nice to have that little myth popped in a major British newspaper.

Casilda also managed to mention that Pierce Brosnan is my muse (probably because I mentioned it about 100 times) so I'll be expecting a call from him shortly. And even better in the article's main photo of me I only have one chin! I'm so proud...

Confessions of a Conference Virgin. Part Two

Part Two: Or How I Was Having Far Too Good a Time to Bother Blogging

Sorry, have been terribly remiss again. I've been back from Frisco for almost a week and spurred on by my experiences to get stuck into my latest story (a workshop with Susan Elizabeth Phillips will do that to you, you know) haven't even bothered to download the few photos I actually managed to take.

First up, here's me looking totally petrified before the literacy autographing. Please note my RITA finalists flag which I took home with me and it now has pride of place on my desktop (well, a girl can dream right, you never know I might get nominated again one day).


And here are a few more of my personal highlights: Sightseeing at Haight Ashbury with Abby Green and Sharon Kendricks, going to the Top of the Mark before dancing the night away at the Harlequin party at the Four Seasons (apparently right next to Nora Roberts, but noone bothered to point that out to me, thanks again Biddy Coady, grrrrr), Sandra Marton's lovely pizza party with a lot of the Presents authors and our own Trish Wylie, the RITA awards in my posh frock (which I forgot to take a picture of, I know, what was I thinking), high tea with the Presents editors and authors (and a chance to meet my new ed for the first time face to face) and a really wonderful dinner with Sharon and Sandra and Abby at the lovely Annabelle's restaurant.

And just in case you think I spent my whole time partying and didn't actually bother to do any workshops I did manage SEP's fab talk on how to write a Bestseller ('Follow your instincts, but don't get stupid!'), SEP and Jayne Ann Krentz's one about the Secrets of the Bestselling Sisterhood (are you beginning to see a theme here?), Linda Howard's showcase at the PAN retreat (I'm never keeping Llamas that's for sure) and a chat with Nora Roberts (who I'm glad to say had bickering sons, too!)

Now all I've got to do is keep my fingers crossed that I can go to next year's bash in Washington DC, which I guess means getting back to writing this darn book.