South Shields Library

I'll be appearing at South Shields Library on Saturday February 13th from around 1pm until around 4pm. The RNA is running an afternoon session concerned with our 50th anniversary anthology Loves Me Loves Me Not. I have a short story about John Marshal's washer woman among the contributions! There's going to be a panel, and then the attending authors will split off to give their own talks. I'm going to be speaking about my research methods in the time alotted. Other authors include Tyne & Wear local author Benita Brown, Choc-lit author Sue Moorcroft and warm modern family-style writer Judy Astley.
Should be a good day!

THE LEOPARD UNLEASHED

A note to say that The Leopard Unleashed has arrived at my PC ready for me to re-edit. We've also started thinking about the cover, so it's a bigger speck on the horizon than it was!

Bits and pieces

I've just found the trial covers that didn't make it to the jacket of The Running Vixen - How interesting!
http://www.rostant.com/romance7.html

As we get ready for the publication of To Defy A King, Thea and I will be preparing a new look for the website. We're only discussing ideas at the moment, but look out for new colours and easier navigation.

As one door closes, another opens. Sadly, I lost my younger cat Dottie a couple of months ago. She was 13 and had been unwell for a few months. She hated dogs. Our older cat, Jasper doesn't mind them. Some of you may have seen on Twitter that I thought his time had come, but having seemed at death's door, he has rallied, scoffed a plateful of rabbit and is back to wobbly normal at the moment (he's 19). Anyway, with Dottie gone, we are going to have a new puppy for our old dog Taz to bring up and show the ropes. He's a Patterdale Jack Russell cross, therefore a 'patterjack' and he will probably be called Merlin, although we're still discussing names. Photographs to follow as and when.

German Version of A Place Beyond Courage

This just arrived this Morning. A Place Beyond Courage German-style. I think John Marshal would have approved re one of his 'hands on' jobs at court!

TO DEFY A KING trailer

Just to say I've put up a new trailer of TO DEFY A KING at youtube now that I have the book cover.

I have a short story called A Clean Start which features in the RNA's 50th anniversary short story anthology. It's about John Marshal's washerwoman. Anyway, I am delighted to say that the UK's Woman's Weekly magazine wants to publish the story in a fiction special in the spring. I'll let you know when I have a more positive date. In the meantime, it's available in the anthology.

I will also be appearing at South Shields Library on February 13th in cahoots with other RNA authors for the promotion of the Loves Me, Loves Me Not short story anthology.

THE RUNNING VIXEN is now available from Amazon.co.uk and in bookshops. I haven't had my author copies yet. I'll organise a belated giveaway once my publishers actually get organised on that score, so keep watch!

The Cover For To Defy a King!

Not quite complete but as near as to be ready. This is the first exposure online of the cover for TO DEFY A KING, due out May 2010. It's low resolution at the moment, but I hope to have a 'proper' one up soon.
I am so pleased with this cover. It says historical fiction, but with a twist. Hooray!