My Recent Comments

I meant to come in here  all week - honest i did - but life ran away with me . I'm just pooping my head round the door to wave hi and say I'm off to the RNA Conference so I won't be able to chat till Monday.

 But in a quick summary - if I can remember
Lou thank you for loving Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife. I wish i had time to chat about choosing lines but maybe when I get back

Chris  - give your husband a hug from me for his determination to get you your copy  of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance 2 (did anyone see the amazing review that VincePlato gave it in the Book Challenge reviews)

Welcome Lynn. I'll be in San Francisco too  so please come and say hello

 Trish - not long before we meet again. Can't wait! I know I owe you an email - but . . .life!

Off to pack

see you all next week

Kate

Donna I'm so glad to hear that you're in your new house and turning it into your home. I hope you and your family are truly happy there,

Liz - having lived on the sides of your angst over the pineapple book and shared something of your feeelings on it I'm smiling and cheering to know it's finally acepted. I know I'll love it when it's published - and all that blood tears and sweat doesn't show  in the published version.  Enjoy your relaxation - you've earned it. But you will be so missed at conferences

 Biddy, I'll keep my fingers crossed for Bella. I know how it feels to have an elderly pet with health problems. I do hope all goes well.  Even Dylan is crossing his paws.

 Talking of conferences - How many of you will I get to see at RNA ? Can't believe it's just next week.

 Kate

Hi - and congratulations on getting the interest from an editor as a result of your entry to the contest.

About your current submission - I'm not surprised that you haven't heard back about  it yet, but  I would have thought that you should have had the SSA or some other acknowledgement. But then it is a hectic time in the offices, with everyone busy with the centenary events etc.  But if your ms has arrived at the offices, you should have a letter of acknowledgement.  You don't say when in May you submitted this one but if it's  around a month - and given that you have moved in the meantime - you could contact the editors on the email given earlier in this forum just to check whether it has arrived and the acknowledgement has got lost as a reult of your move.  The email is eEditors@hmb.co.uk 

But one point I would advise you on and that's  about submitting anything further. The best advice and the one that the editors recommend is not to  send in anything new while you are waiting to hear about your current submission. They much prefer to work on one submission before sending in anything more. The reasons for this are mainly because that way Editorial can address any problems they find in that ms  - which may well be problems you have repeated in your next work because you haven't had them pointed out to you yet.

Any second submission will not be looked at until the first one has been dealt with and any revisions/rewrites/reasons for rejection pointed out to you.

So please do as the editors have requested and hold on to that second submission until you have heard about the first. I know this must seem frustrating to you but it is professional courtesy  as this is what Editorial have asked for.  

This will then answer your final question  because when you do get a response to that submission, the letter with it will tell you whether to submit your next ms to a specific editor or not.

I'm afraid that waiting is so very  much part of the writing and publishing  experience - even for long established authors as much a new  writers.

Good luck with your submission

 Kate

You're starting from one of the best points  for a would-be writer - you read.  So often I get emails from, or talk to people who want to write romance (got one yesterday) and when  I ask what romance they read, they look blank as if I've asked the most impossible question.  It's scary the number of people who think that they can just write a romance because they're so easy to write and 'they're all the same'  How many times have we heard that, ladies (and Wayne! )

So reading romance, specially Presents, gives you such a great groudning in what the publishers are looking for, the type of story that works, the way to form a story of 55,000 words - and,   most of all how to create characters.

You've had some really great advice already -  I'm so in agreement with Annie's comments on conflict. That can be one of the hardest elements to get right in a romance.   And I sympathise with the way that the story in your head never quite matched the story that gets written down. Someone once said that the story you're  going to write is always better than the one you're writing now and I think that can be so true. Images in your head are so filmic, clear and dramatic and wonderful. Words can struggle to match those.

Trish thak you so much for recommending my  book. The 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is in its second edition because the first one sold out. I've been thrilled by the response to this book. We had hoped to have it on sale at RWA San Francisco but I haven't been able to find out just who is  running the book stall.

 Chris, your husband is a real hero, going to that trouble for you. the 12PGTWR2 should have been on the shelves in Waterstones, but when I looked in  Manchester the other week I couldn't find any copies. It turned out that they'd had them but sold them (in both branches) so that was good news.

In America, I saw that Borders have the book on their lists so it's easy to order that way - and Barnes & Noble can order it easily too. The more people who order it, the more likely  it is that they will eventually stock it in the shops.  That would be the best for everyone who wants a copy - and for me!  But if anyone wants the details and to order it, just check out my web site where all the info you need is on there.

 Wayne - good luck with those grades.

 KateH  - I so agree with that sense of frustration, but as they say you can edit a rough page of writing - you can't edit the blank ones! Good luck with your edits

 Kate

Dee, I'm so disappointed that you won;t make SF - we needed a hug!  Oh well, I'm just going to have to come back next year.

 The pajama party (see how good I am, spelling it the American way cos it's at RWA - normally, I'd say pyjamas!) is always one of the highlights of my conference.   No one can be snooty or distant when you have a bunch of grown women all in their pjs or nightdresses.  I just have to look for the right outfit - it's harder than buying something to wear for RITA night.

Amanda -   thank you - it doesn't matter which book of mine you have, I just hope you enjoy it.   The Married Mistress is quite an old book though - came out 2003, then again in 2006. I've written quite a few more since then

 And I must just say that really editors are very human ! Very nice people - it's just the power they have over your book that's scary.

 Kate

My  editor of some years ago received a partial  printed in italic font, on dark red paper.  If anyone had ever heard her talk about it afterwards, they would know that it was not  a good idea.

 But editors are also human and understanding of nerves rendering you speechless   and the sort of situations one can get into at RWA parties etc.

  I once travelled all the way down 44 floors in an elevator with a very very senior editor  when I was heading for the eHarlequin  Community party - so I was wearing pajamas, carrying a sceptre, with  a tiara  and a hat shaped like a giant bee  on my head - remember, Dee?

 The editor still talks about it - with a huge smile. I always blush

 Kate

How great to have a nice new - clean - room  - now just watch us all mess it up!

Thaks Wayne.

Hi Chris - do you still plan to go to SF so i can say 'see you soon'?
And Hi Janet. I'm so delighted that Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife made it on to your keeper shelf - that makes me

I just dropped by to say that I posted a short blog on eHarl about the launch of the M&B Centenary Exhibition that I went to last week. I couldn't post all my photos though so there are more pix (including the two  romance 'heroes' who showed everyone round)  on my personal blog if you want to see them.

 Hope everyone soon finds our nice new thread
Kate

 Hi Kate H. Hi Wayne 

Like Anne (Hi Anne! I'm still so jealous of that 'no revisions' book! ) I'm dashing in and out because I'm on the road too today.

Well - on the train. I'm heading for  Manchester (that's Manchester UK) where I'm attending the official opening of the Mills & Boon Centenary Exhibtion ('And then he Kissed her . . .') in the Central Library there.  That's this evening.

And then I may have to explore the big city and maybe indulge in a little retail therapy . It's all research of course!

 I'll give you a full report when I get back.

Oh yes -  I didn;t have time to get in here properly and announce some more of my good news - so .  .. 

Good news 1 My Alcolar Family Trilogy is now rereleased as a complete set in an ebook Bundle. This even includes Wife For Real, the on-line story that started the whole trilogy off. And I know a lot of readers were lookikng for that. (So I suppose it's The Alcolar Family Quartet now) This is the only place you can get all four Alcolar stories in one download.

Good news 2  My June title Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife is being used as a special introduction to the new form of 'ebooks' - books by email instalments. It's an exciting development in getting books to people and I'm trhilled that my title is being used for this. More details on the I(Heart) Presents site.

Or my blog

And I'll post photos and details of the exhibition on my blog too when I get back

Kate

Would it be a plus or a con to add my website addy?   Or neither?  Any thoughts?  I'd hate to have them see it and have the possibility of the story being rejected based on the fact I like to write suspense too.  Or maybe that's just getting too picky

I don't think for a moment that it would make  any diference at all to the way that your submission is read. None.

The editor who reads your submissin is reading just that - and reading it for the story, the writing ability and your personal voice. Nothing else.  To be blunt she's not interested in what else you're interested in or what you enjoy. She's just interested in whether she enjoys what you sent her.

I doubt if she'd even have the time or the energy to go and look at your web site.

And if you want any further evidence -  Lynn Raye Harris, the winner of the Presents Instant Seduction Contest has a website that has the heading 'Steamy Military Romance with a side order of danger'

Didn't hold her back - did it?

So basically the answer is yes you are being w-a-y too picky!

Good luck with the submission

Sending a wave to everyone else - I plan on trying to get back in here more often - when/if life settles down a bit

Kate

 . . .Sort of.

 Valerie - I can't wait to see you again in SF. is it really only . . ..eeek  . . .just weeks away?

 Nell, I'll be at RNA too - I'm supposed to be doing something on web sites, probably with Jullie. See you there - and anyone else who's going

 Michelle, hugs on the buiilders stress - been there, done that with the windows  just recently. Just think of how wonderful it will fel when it's all done

Biddy - you'll be a fabulous spokesperson for the intelligent M&B reader  - the one journalists never think we have! Is this for Julie Moggan or someone else? If it's Julie then she's lovely and you can just relax. 

 Kate trying desperately to think of something to say for when my editor rings this afternoon to 'discuss future plans'