RNA Conference

It's hard to believe that this time last week I was in Penrith for the Romantic Novelists' Association annual conference. The weather was kind to us and the sun shone for most of the weekend. This was the view from my room on the day I arrived and the sky looked as blue nearly all weekend.

On friday I had the all important meeting with editors from Mills and Boon and was pleased they liked my first chapter. On Saturday the day was started with a talk from Talli Roland about on-line marketing for writers which was extremely useful. Mills and Boon editors also did a talk, again really useful. The weekend passed so fast and so much was packed in. Not to mention the Gala dinner on Saturday evening where we all get dressed up and shoes to wow are a must. See the RNA blog for shoes.


Sadly Sunday arrived and I had a train to catch, for the long journey home. I did have to play the game of 'how many can fit in a carriage' on the way home and wondered briefly if I was on the London underground at rush hour instead of a rural line into Wales.

Last week has been total madness on the farm, due to the sun finally putting in an appearance. All my good intentions of writing, writing, writing had to be put aside, but as the silage harvest catches up I hope to hide away and write - lots!

Acorns to Oaks

I can't believe that it's been over a month since I last posted anything here, and that it has rained just about every day too. Sometimes excessively!

I have been writing during that time - honestly! It was pointed out at my local writing group, Cwrtnewydd Scribblers, that I need to amend my blog. So I have removed the word 'aspiring' from my blog title. It's true that I'm still aspiring to be published by Mills and Boon, but I have now completed six manuscripts and made three submissions, all with promising feedback. I've also had an article published in farmingscotland.com and with my writing group we have published several anthologies, all of which make me a writer.

'Mighty oaks from little acorns' is a proverb that springs to mind. Becoming a  published writer isn't something that happens overnight, but over the last few years I've been putting down my roots just like this little oak sapling.

This weekend I'll be making the long journey to Penrith for the RNA conference, where I'll be able to fill my whole weekend with writing and being with other writers. Can't wait!