Firmly In My Fifties

It was my birthday at the weekend, and I went for a National Trust adventure at Stourhead. 

I had been toying with getting a bus into Bristol for some day drinking, and being home by 8pm and in bed ha ha! 

However, we opted for some exercise and fresh air, as only the middle-aged will appreciate. 

Therefore, my birthday involved plenty of walking with a cream tea for lunch. Perfect. 

I went with one of my friends who I've been visiting a lot of National Trust places with this year.

For the middle of October we were very lucky with the weather, it only got a little chilly when the sun went in. But we were starting to see the changes in the trees, and what I love about National Trust is they'll always have a good display on. Everywhere we went there were pumpkins and the reminder of Autumn. 

Then, in the evening we went out with the 'kids' - who are not so small now at 17 & 19 - for dinner, and a well deserved bottle of pink prosecco - or two! 

Thanks to everyone who sent cards, gifts, and messages. All very appreciated 😍

I know I've been quiet on the blogging front, but I've been working on my next novel, editing and polishing to resubmit to a publisher, and submit to some agents... Wish me luck! 

My Kittiwake Cove

I'm back from my holiday and the out of office is off! 

I've been visiting Polzeath, North Cornwall for twenty years - I was pregnant with my first son the first summer we visited this idyllic place. 

Polzeath hosts a great surfing beach, and where we stay, we don't even have to move the car. We just walk there.

We've seen some changes as it's certainly got a little more commercialised over the years. 

But what doesn't change is the landscape!

I'm so lucky that Cornwall is only a couple of hours away - if the M5 isn't rammed! 

Polzeath became my inspiration for Tinners Bay, when I took Sophie and Adam there in Plus One is a Lucky Number. And I liked writing it so much, and my editor wanted me to go back to Cornwall, that I set Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage there, too. 

Then, in writing a new series, my agent recommended I changed the name, and Polzeath aka Tinners Bay became Kittiwake Cove for what I like to call my Kittiwake Cove series. - which in hindsight is a much more romantic name! 

I chose Kittiwake in my love for birds and with a google of Cornish seabirds, Kittiwake came up! Oystercatcher had already been used by another romantic novelist, and is the name of a pub in Polzeath, which I've renamed The Cormorant.

I hope to return to my Kittiwake Cove next year, but with the boys older, it might be a holiday I take on my own.  

Why Do We Feel Guilty?

Yesterday, I took the day off to spend some quality time with one of my friends to celebrate her birthday (which is actually today!)

I let my friend decide what we would do - it was her birthday after all! 

Our day was spent walking around Clifton and the Downs, with garden centre visits and charity shop mooches along the way. It was thoroughly relaxing and a great day out - despite the weather. 

(The weather is another subject - hot one minute, cold the next!)  

However, in the morning, getting ready for my day out, and deciding what to wear as no idea what the weather was going to bring, the guilt I felt for not writing, or working my business fell heavy on my chest. 

That feeling that I should be doing "something" weighed me down.

Is this a writer thing? Or a business owner thing? Or is it a mum thing? Or even a woman thing?

Or is it just me? 

We are allowed the day off, right? Why do we put this guilt on ourselves?

And in the end, walking around Clifton was hugely inspirational for my books, so I could chalk it up to doing some research! It was where I based One Fine Day, and will feature the sequel (when I finish writing it.) 

And my favourite part of the day, other than the carrot cake, was spotting Gromit on the balcony of a house. 

A Doubt In My Storytelling

I went to Telford the other weekend for a company event with UW. 

UW is a FTSE250 company and as a partner I help people save money on their bills, and it helps me earn an additional income, so I have the time freedom to write. 

I was with my friend and mentor, Sue, who introduced me to the business just under four years ago. She is also an avid and prolific reader - in that she prefers a physical book, not an eBook. Her favourite books are the Outlander series. (She was reading them before the series.) She also likes prosecco so this could be why we get on so well. 

If we're not discussing UW, we are talking books whilst sharing a bottle of prosecco! 

Anyway, she'd read Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage, then Plus One is a Lucky Number - I had gifted her a copy of my paperback in the old cover. 

She said that she found Plus One easier to get into than Maeve Binchey's Circle of Friends! After finishing Plus One she asked me which one should she read next, so I said One Fine Day. 

On Sunday, before the event truly started, while we perused the stalls and grabbed a coffee, she told me she'd finished One Fine Day in four days on her trip to/from Brussels. She loved it and couldn't put it down. Incidentally, she loved the other two books too, and she admitted that the romance genre wouldn't be her usual go to, but she had thoroughly enjoyed my books. 

The reason I'm sharing this is because I have been doubting my storytelling. With rejections for my latest manuscript, where I was hoping it would find a home with a bigger publisher, I've been wondering if I need to rethink my stories, even the genre I write in. 

However, on Sunday, as we were empowered and inspired by brilliant stories from ordinary people, I made the decision that I will continue with romance. I write a damn good story! I just need to find the right publisher. 

I do worry I don't write a strong enough conflict, but if truth be told, when I'm reading a story and it just feels so unbelievable, I can find myself rolling my eyes. So, I write stories that my reader can get invested in, believe, and most importantly, the hero is someone they could meet and fall in love with.

If you've read any of my books, and enjoyed them, please ensure you leave a review where you purchased the book from. This really does help the author. 

Obviously, if you hated it - and you're within your rights to feel that way, I'm not everyone's cup of tea - I'd rather not know... 

Paperbacks Available in Local Waterstones

It really is a dream come true to see your paperbacks on a Waterstones table in the middle of the shop! 

And it happened today. 

Waterstones in Weston-super-Mare have been incredibly supportive to my writing career over the past 10 years. They've allowed me to hold a few book signings for Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage and One Fine Day. 

The other week, armed with the new book cover for Plus One is a Lucky Number, the manager at Weston-super-Mare Waterstones kindly agreed to order some copies in. 

I went in this afternoon and signed them, so lucky readers will be purchasing a signed copy! It'll make the perfect gift for a female friend or relative, or for yourself. 

Pop along to Waterstones in Weston-super-Mare as the copies will run out fast. (Or put an order in, I'll happily pop along and sign it for you!) 

And if you can't afford the book, don't panic too much. I've donated a copy to the library in Weston-super-Mare. (But I didn't sign that one.) 

I hope you enjoy this book! It was so much fun to write and I can't believe it's 10 years old. 

Blurb for Plus One is a Lucky Number 

A swoon-worthy, fake dating romance perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and The Proposal!

Sophie Trewyn is going to a wedding where the invite is strictly Plus One.

But with her single-girl status not quite complying with the dress code, and the best man being none other than the shady ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a wedding favour and she needs it fast…

Enter dreamy co-worker, Adam Reid. But after the wedding weekend, on the sunny Cornish coast, Sophie must decide… is their relationship real or is it all for show?