Last Friday, I spent the entire day in London with Harlequin Mills & Boon editors and authors. Looking back, I realize I talked pretty much non-stop from 9.30 a.m until 7.30 p.m!
The day kicked off with coffee and croissants with both my Mills & Boon editors in a charming café near Trafalgar Square. I’m privileged to work with the most delightful, talented editors and time passed only too quickly.
Next was the annual lunch of the Association of Mills & Boon Authors. How fortunate I was to be in London at that time and able to attend! A delicious meal—and, of course, more chatting! I loved catching up with both my fellow Harlequin Romance (Mills & Boon Cherish; Australian Forever Romance) and authors from other lines too.
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| From left: Kate Hardy, Christy McKellan, Liz Fielding, Nina Milne, Fiona Harper, Kandy Shepherd and Scarlet Wilson |
Then we moved on to the UK Author Party at the new Harlequin Mills & Boon offices in London Bridge. All the editors and staff were there and it was fabulous to meet people I knew only by email. What a view of London from the seventeenth floor!
“You’re living the dream,” said one non-writer friend. Of course I am!
London is a special place for me. My late father and stepmother lived there and my daughter was born there. I spent time remembering some very happy occasions.
I also remembered how encouraging my adored stepmother and father were in my dream to be a romance writer many years ago.
My stepmother was Swiss and loved literary fiction. But to help me she subscribed to Mills & Boon and had a box of “little books” delivered to their London flat each month. She manfully read through every one and gave me her opinions. (Her favourite author became Janet Dailey, BTW.)
My father even bravely read my early manuscripts. “Why don’t you put all the passion and drama and emotion of your love life into these stories?” he asked. (I was single then!) Of course he pinpointed exactly what was missing those early attempts!
Yesterday, walking around where they used to live (location for a new book!) I missed them so much and wished they could be sharing the thrill of me achieving my dream of being a romance writer.
Has anyone special encouraged you to achieve an ambition of some kind? I’d love to hear about it. I’ll be in the air heading back to Australia but will reply as soon as I can.
