Girl Power by Clare Connelly

Mills & Boon Dare series is due to release in a week and while it promises the same high standard of fantastic, escapist romance that Mills & Boon is renowned for, it also brings a heap of heat, and features women who are super strong, sensual and confident. I've written four Mills & Boon Dares, and I can say that I absolutely love the series. 

High school besties

There's been a lot of interest in the powerful female characters, and so I've been thinking about 

women lately, and particularly, empowering women, strong women, how women can be confident and resilient, how owning our sensuality is a mark of triumph over old-fashioned ideals held by a patriarchal society... and what really resonates with me is the idea of strong friendships. The thought that part of being a strong woman is to be a woman who lifts other people up, who helps, motivates, inspires, says kind things, practices kind acts. 

I'm fortunate to still be really great mates with my high school besties. We all live in different states now but we are as close as ever. I have two sisters whom I adore, and a strong, awesome mum I really admire.

I have a lot of kind women in my life, and since I came into the RWA fold, and I've experienced some incredible acts of kindness too. Notably, after meeting Amy Andrews at the 2016 conference

At the Harlequin party 2017 RWA conference

 and giving her some of my books, unbeknownst to me, she contacted her editor at Mills & Boon to rave about me. How nice is that? It was unqualified, selfless support and championing, and I will never forget her willingness to speak up for me when we barely knew one another. 

Then, there are the LoveCats who invited me to be a part of this awesome blog, and who I have so enjoyed getting to know!

Jillian Jones & me

I joined our state romance writing group in January of last year and began to attend the monthly meetings. What a pleasure it's been to get to know these writers, women who sometimes share my passions and other times don't; to enjoy the lively conversations that centre around books we've read and loved, books we've hated, where our writing journey is at - and to share wisdom. We're all at different stages in our journey and the exchange of information is always lively and informative. We have our annual lunch tomorrow and I can't wait to see the gang! 

With my SARA sister Bronwyn

I could go on and on, listing all the beautiful souls I've connected with through my writing (readers who are just the loveliest and most supportive group) , but the common theme is the giving of time and thought. Whether it's a small message to touch base on a problematic manuscript, a tweet shared, a review of a book - and beyond that, sharing recipes and laughing about children, all the small little irrelevancies that form the background of our lives.

What about you? Got any kind acts you can share? Something a friend has done for you or that you go out of your way to do for a friend?