I did a book signing yesterday in Reading with my friend Tania Crosse - who writes fabulous historical novels. I really enjoyed the day - and loved meeting the people who came along.

         In between signing books, I started thinking...

         As authors, we do bookshop signings to promote our work. To put our books in front of people who might buy them. But it's not just about the money. I don't believe a story has really come to life until it's been read by someone. The more people who read it - the more life that story has.

         But what about the readers... why do readers collect signed books?

         This morning I went digging through my own bookshelves, where I have many, many signed books. I think the first signed book I owned was The Lost Continent by Terry Pratchett. I bought that in 1998, which seems just a short time ago when I consider that I have books in my collection that I've owned since I was a small child.

         I didn't go to Terry Pratchett's signing. In fact, I don't think I even knew he was in town. I found the signed copy on my next visit to the book shop. That started a bit of a 'thing'... and I've been accumulating signed books ever since.

         Many are signed by writers who are also friends... and those personal messages are very special. But many others are signed by authors whom I have never met, and am unlikely ever to meet. Writers far above me in the authorial firmament. Writers from other countries. Writers who are no longer with us.

         As a reader I value those books because they give me some kind of extra connection to someone whose work I love. It is almost as if the authors were thinking of me when they wrote the book. Which, of course they were. Not me, specifically, but I believe all authors do think about their readers as they write.

         Yesterday I realized that I like signing books for the very same reason. I get to meet someone who is going to read my book, and by signing the book I feel some extra connection to the reader. I hope they like the book, because I'd like them to buy more of my work - but mostly I just hope they like the book.

         So thanks to everyone who came along... I hope you enjoy Girl Racers - it really was written just for you!

         I know I promised a shoe blog - but you're not going to get one.

         This is better...

         It's time to come clean. After a whirlwind courtship of just 17 years, Webmaster John and I were married on Friday.

         He proposed over a kebab just before a Suzanne Vega concert a month ago. I kid you not! It was very romantic in an off-beat kind of way.

         The wedding was the greatest fun. My friend Suzanna decided to spread the good cheer - she volunteered to take photos for the couple who were married before us.

         It's a long, long way from the 40th floor of a half-built television station in Hong Kong - where John and I first met.

         The bar-b-q we held on Saturday to celebrate the release of Girl Racers thus morphed into a surprise wedding party - the surprise was for our guests, none of whom knew anything about the wedding. It was such a hard secret to keep.

         The looks on their faces when we told them was priceless. What Fun! Just like a scene from a romantic novel (vbg).

         It was such a fabulous two days - filled with family and friends. I loved every minute.

         And yes - there were shoes involved. Did you really think for one moment that I wouldn't get a pair of fabulous shoes for my wedding?

         Last weekend was the fabulous RNA conference - where, in between chatting to friends old and new and acquiring a vast number of new books - I conducted a workshop.

         The topic - write what you don't know was in response to a blog question from a US writer- who said she didn't know how to go about writing about places outside her own small town - places she had never visited. Someone else made a similar comment about jobs - how do you make a character convincing in a job you know nothing about.

         The answer - research!!!

         When I start a new book - I do a lot of research - places, jobs, language, weather, history events - the list is endless, because - above all else - the world I create in my books has to seem real.

         It's often said the devil is in the detail - to my mind, so are the angels. I research the big picture - then look for that one small detail that gives my books that extra aura of reality.

         Let's think about characters. Almost every character in your book will have a job or a hobby that impacts on your story. It could simply be they spend many hours a week at work - or maybe it's a work romance you're writing about. There are a few things you can do to make your descriptions of the characters working life real...

         1. Observation - go watch someone doing the job - but do try to avoid the appearance of stalking!

         2. Interview - find someone who has that job and talk to them. (For U.K. residents - the WI handbook has great lists of people who will happy to talk about their unusual hobbies and interests). Ask questions that are personal - about motivation and feeling or about the senses... what does it really smell like when you are bottling home-made wine?

         3. Read job descriptions and career advice on internet job sites - This will tell you what skills, and age and educational background your character would be to have this job. Also how much money they would make - and therefore how many pairs of shoes they can buy before maxing out a credit card.

         4. Look for images - Google will help. A picture of a man driving a tractor will remind you to mention the noise, and the dust, and the heat. Even better - find a video on YouTube.

         The same sort of research will help you with settings... both real and fictional.

         Real places MUST be real! People reading your book will know you've got it wrong if you make London's Tower Bridge visible from Waterloo Station. So - for real places...

         1. Get a good guidebook. My personal favourite if the Lonely Planet - it has useful things like how to find a ladies loo that might be clean enough to use. Get an equally good map.

         2. Check travel schedules and times and time zones - don't have your character travel from London to NY in an hour, unless of course you're writing a new superman comic.

         3. The internet is your friend!!! Go to Google maps and use their street view - it's an amazing tool. You can effectively walk down the street - looking around you as you go. They haven't got the entire world done yet - so you might not find a track in the Sahara Desert yet - but you will get pretty close.

         If your place is fictional - a town you have created just for your book, or a large house with four wings and a complex system of underground lock-ups. Draw your own map. That will help you remember that the second floor of the East wing is the children's nursery, and that you're likely to find the Nanny there.

         You can see the map I did for my town Farwell Creek. Without that map, I may well have burned down the wrong building!

         So - I guess my main points are...

         Don't ever guess - check the facts are correct - because correct facts are the basis for realistic fiction.

         Be real - It might suit your plot for you character to disembark a plane, get her bags and be through customs in 10 minutes... but if she's flying economy, that will never happen.

         The devil is in the detail - a little detail can be exciting and heart stopping... too much detail is a killer.

         And be consistent - the heroine can change her mind a dozen times a day - but the laws of physics never change. Nor does geography - at least, not outside a disaster movie.

         Good advice, I hear you say. But it was an RNA conference. Where is the shoe blog?

         It's coming - just give me time to catch up on lost sleep and I'll give you shoes to die for...

         But in the meantime - here's just a taste - thanks to the ever glamorous Norma Curtis.

         I spent last weekend at Glastonbury Festival... and it didn't rain!!!! Yea!!

         The music was just great - but the Glasto fun doesn't stop there... particularly not for an imaginative romance writer...

         I spent a day in the circus fields... what fun that was. Thanks to all the performers who took the time to talk to me.

         It was all book research of course... why else would a girl want to spend her time watching incredibly fit and muscular performers do the most amazing things...

         Webmaster John suffers from vertigo - the casual way in which the trapeze artists just climbed around their rig had his face turning a whiter shade of pale (if you'll pardon the musical pun).

         The circus tent was, of course, full of laughing kids - but there were some things I think we adults appreciated even more.

         (OK - enough of the bare chests!)

         The other surprise of the weekend came as we were walking through the crowds. A couple of large black 4-wheel-drive vehicles were trying to move through the crowded roadway - and not doing too well. A funny grey-haired chap on a bicycle cycled towards us crying... Make Way for his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales... Then he cycled off laughing madly. We all assumed he was just joking - until we looked more closely at the black 4-W-D's.

         Prince Charles was touring the site with organiser Michael Eavis. He got out of the car and was immediately surrounded by people - all keen to shake his hand...

         The Green Fields area of the festival is full of people interested in conservation and the environment and organic farming - so the prince was right at home. I can't say the same for his security guards... the only suits I saw on site all weekend.

         I don't think they understand what Glasto is all about.

         Look what arrived this morning.

         Isn't it pretty! I'm just thrilled.

         And just 19 days until it's on the book shelves.

         I write contemporary novels - but I love history. A couple of weeks ago, I got a wonderful dose of all things historical in France.

         The weekend began in a 15th century chateau...

         ... where we had the most FAB-U-LOUS bedroom.

         There were tunnels under the hill, where rock for the building had been quarried. I decided to interpret the graffiti as evidence partisans had hidden there during the war.

         I also had a little 'Phantom of the Opera' moment.

         Then it was on to the walled city of Carcasonne...

         It was amazing to wander the streets and know that people have lived here since the Romans first fortified the hilltop about 100 BC.

         Since then, the city has been conquered and destroyed, rebuilt and restored many times - leaving it with an amazing mix of architecture.

         And the most fun of all - wandering the streets that inspired my favourite board game...

         Now that I've been there in person - I wonder if my playing will improve - perhaps I'll win more often.

         Webmaster John came home from the US last night - bearing gifts.

         For Nic Nak, there was a brown cloth mouse...

         Before I had time to grab my camera the pink nose and whiskers were gone...

         It is the best mouse...

         ... ever.

         But like the very bestest of toys - it also came in a paper bag...

         ... which was also the bestest paper bag ever.

         For me - there were chocolates and books.

         The Romantic Novelists' Association held its summer party this week and you know what that means...

         Yes - it's shoe blog time!

         Any gathering of Romantic writers is going to set of a positive frenzy of shoe envy...

         Not EVERY shoe was to die for... but we love our men anyway.

         A neat ensemble like this can also set a girl of on a side-bar of handbag envy.

         Fellow LBD author Allie Spencer had a bag to die for!!!

         Christina Courtenay and Kate Johnson have been previously recognised on the shoe blog...

         But this time, honours go to Jan Jones and those amazing red heels...

         Well done Jan - who kept them on for the whole event...

         Unlike others...

         I was one of the 'others' too - but as it is my camera, the evidence has been deleted.

         I spent last week at Pinewood Studios, where they are apparently about to start work on the new Pirates of the Caribbean film. So - in eager anticipation, I kept my eyes peeled for you-know-who. Not a sign of him. Damn!

         But that got me thinking about why, out of all the roles Johnny Depp has played, we so love Captain Jack Sparrow.

         I mean -  he's a thief and a pirate, a terrible womaniser, sneaky, untrustworthy and a bit of a clutz at times and - well - just look at him. Scruffy. Bad teeth.  Probably doesn't shower very often.

         Oh - all right. He's drop down dead gorgeous.

         Back to main point. Johnny Depp is a great actor, and has played many fine roles -  some of his characters should be far more appealing than Captain Jack Sparrow.

         Why do we love Jack best of all?

         He looks pretty good in a dramatic pose - but at the same time he makes us laugh, qualities he shares with that other adventurer we all love, Indiana Jones.

         He's a bit of a bad boy - that makes him slightly dangerous. Not as dangerous as Edward Cullen, of course, there's less of a chance he'll drink our blood.

         Captain Jack's a loner too. Just like Aragorn.

         I wonder if deep down inside we also want to tame these heroes, even though we know they won't be quite so appealing if we do.

         Whatever the reason, we love the adventurers, the swashbucklers and the bad boys. We just want to run away with them. Forget going to the office and doing laundry - we want an adventure with a gorgeous hero at our side. We forget that in the morning we are also going to want a hot shower and a mug of coffee.

         I guess that's what movies are for - and blogs that have lots and lots of pictures of the fictional heros we love from the safety and comfort of our warm dry homes.

         I had a fabulous time yesterday taking a writers workshop at Staines library. A whole day talking about books and writing. What fun!

         As a reader, I thought writers were special, almost magical people who somehow conjured up all these wonderful books out of thin air. The book would just appear - complete and perfect.

         Oh - how I wish!

         Writers are people who work very, very hard.

         It takes me about nine months to write a book. That's nine months of research, writing and re-writing, polish, blood (paper cuts) sweat and tears. I have to allow time for the occasional panic attack. While the support of my writer friends helps me along the road, it's mostly just sitting down and getting on with it.

         For me - it goes like this...
         Television - off.
         Phone - off (both of them).
         Door - closed.
         Power up the PC and sit down.
         Stay there until there are at least 1,000 new words on that page. Tea and toilet breaks are allowed - but that's all. Sometimes it takes a couple of hours. Sometimes it takes all day

         On a good day - I might write 2,000 words. 3,000 words is a very good day. Sometimes I struggle to reach 1,000, and I may delete 999 of them the next day. It doesn't matter. That's just what I have to do be a writer.

         As I said yesterday (raising a few confused eyebrows) - it's what we, in Australia, would call hard yakka *.

         But worth every bit of it. So good luck to those new writers  - I hope I helped. Now it's up to you.

         * yakka (noun) coll. work (from the aboriginal word yaga)

         Anyone who says jet lag won't kill you has never flown from London to Australia and back in a week. (We got back just as the volcano started spewing ash into the air).

         I guess I'm not technically dead in a medical sense - I am still breathing, but it seems to take more effort that it used to. I have the attention span of a gnat. I'm hungry all the time, and when it comes to forming coherent sentences... well, don't expect too much of me just yet.

         According to Wikipedia (and we believe everything Wiki tells us, don't we..? ), it takes one day to recover for every hour of time shift - if you were travelling east to west. It's tougher going west to east.

         So let's work this out... Australia is 9 hours time difference. Do I have to allow for daylight saving? So that's nine days to recover from the flight out - or is it more because that was west to east?  I was only there for 5 days - so what happens to the other four days? Then there's another nine hours back again - another nine days.

         Do I get an extra allowance for the four screaming children and two drunk men in the seats around me on the flight home?

         I must get something for the fact that the in-flight movies were on the fritz... Webmaster John ran out of book to keep him quiet... can I add a day for that?

         When I put it all together (with the added mathematical uncertainty brought on by jet lag) I can probably get out of doing anything constructive for another week at least.

         I went to a folk club last night to see an American singer-songwriter - and came away with my fifth book in my head.

         The artist was Krista Detor, who was just fabulous. She writes wonderful, poignant, funny, meaningful songs. But good as they were, it wasn't the songs that did it.

         Krista has a guitarist who plays with her - she introduced him to the audience as her husband Dave. Dave used to be a catcher in a trapeze act in a circus, and Krista joked that he made his living hanging upside down wearing sparkly pink tights - but she married him anyway.

         While the rest of the room laughed, I had a light bulb moment.

         I chatted to Krista after the show - and she kindly said she didn't mind me borrowing the line for a book. She also loaned me Dave - just for a quick chat.

         By the time I got home, a bit before midnight, there was a whole book in my head. Well - almost a whole book. I've got to do some research about circuses first - oh yes, and finish the book I'm currently writing.

         Webmaster John comes with me when I'm researching my books. He's driven a camper van through Australia's Snowy Mountains, explored wineries and come on a cruise most of the way to the North Pole. I wonder how he's going to react to the thought of trapeze school as this summer's holiday...

         It's time for an embarrassing confession.

         If you're a regular visitor to this blog, or have read my bio, you know that in my day job, I work with computers. I teach people how to set up, use and protect complex systems used in television production. Protect…. that's the important word… protect.

         The week before last, I fried the hard drive on my computer. Well... by fried I mean the power supply blew.

         Easy, said I, just get a new power supply. I pulled the PC apart, bought a new power supply and installed it. (When I say 'I', of course, I mean webmaster John).

         The PC powered up. Hoorah! said I. Wrong. The PC could not read the hard drive or anything on it – my new book, my old books, my e-mails and pictures and... you get the idea.

         Nothing to worry about, I thought. I've backed everything up. And I had. Last November! Eeek!

         Two weeks and too much money later, some very nice men in Wales have recovered it all and it's winging its way back to me as I write this on my backup PC - the backup PC that did not have any of my key files backed up on it.

         Sigh!

         Very important note to self… back up my work. Back up my backups. And then do a spare back-up just in case.

         Just as soon as I get all those backups done and my desk put back on some sort of order – I'll be writing again. I left my poor heroine being very seasick in front of the man of her dreams. I think it's time I rescued her.

         On Tuesday, a fabulous party at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington saw the presentation of the RNA's fiftieth anniversary awards – the Pure Passion Awards.

         Wow and double wow!

         I was part of the organising committee, and for the past couple of weeks, I have been tearing my hair out what last minute details. Was it worth it? Was it… indeed!

         The lunch was wonderful. The room was a symphony of purple and gold – the table settings liberally sprinkled with golden chocolate hearts. There was champagne for all and the food… yumm.

         Barry Norman was our host – what a delightful man he is.

         The event was all about honouring books and people who write them. The RNA gave lifetime achievement awards to Maeve Binchey – who sadly couldn't come, and to Joanna Trollope. There were a few damp eyes in the room as Joanna was presented with her award by her long time friend and former editor, RNA President Di Pearson. Joanna is a charming person – who allowed me to drag her away from her friends and admirers for official photographs without the slightest complaint.

         My friend and fellow Little Black Dress author Nell Dixon won the Love Story of the Year award – way to go Nell!

         Romantic Novel of the year went to Lucy Dillon – for the fabulous Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts.

         I was 'working' all through the lunch being the RNA press officer – but still had a fabulous time. How could I not, in a room full of writers and editors and people who just love books.

         It's all about to start again – with nominations being called for next years awards…. I wonder if I have got even the tiniest chance of making the award shortlist. Probably not – but that no reason not to give it my best try…

         I'm one of the organisers – so I'm so busy I haven't written a word this week.

         I'll be back after the event – with photos, but in the meantime there are so many decisions to make... red shoes or black? I just can't make up my mind.

         I've had two short stories published in the last two weeks, which got me to thinking about the nature of short stories and why I like to read and write them.

         Regardless of the length, all story telling needs characters, plot, setting, conflict and resolution. In a novel, you have thousands of words to establish all this. My novels are about 90,000 words. Those huge, house-brick sized novels can be two or three times that. In a short story, you have hundreds - at best perhaps two or three thousand - words to accomplish the same goal.

         So... how to do it?

         Do you like to cook? I do. Think about all those recipes that say 'simmer over a low heat until reduced by one third'. What we are doing is removing the water and leaving behind the concentrated flavour. That's what a short story should do - take away anything that adds bulk but doesn't also add flavour.

         Which brings me to Cinderella.

         Fairy tales are short stories and should be considered among the most successful of their genre because we all know them. But think for a minute about what we know.

         We know that Cinders was badly treated by her stepmother and that she went to the ball wearing glass slippers, courtesy of her Fairy Godmother. We don't know if she preferred cats or dogs. We don't know her favourite food, or colour. We don't even know the colour of her eyes or her age. We do know she was kind and generous and in the end was rewarded with the Prince's love.

         Do we need to know if she liked cats? No we don't.

         I think the trick to writing a good short story is to know exactly what the story is about. Cinderella is about oppression and good people getting their just rewards. We need to know that Cinderella is good of heart, but we don't need to know the colour of her eyes.

         In the various films and picture books that tell the story, the artist or film-maker has filled in the details. Mostly Cinderella is blonde with blue eyes. But sometimes not. Sometime the prince is blond and sometimes dark. The dress may be blue or pink... or yellow. The point is that the film makers and artists have made the story fit their world.

         That's what the readers of a short story will do. I can say 'she sat by the fireplace peeling potatoes.' I don't have to describe the fireplace or say how many potatoes. The details of the image are filled in by the reader's own imagination and experience. I need to put just enough description to be certain the reader understands that she's cold and hungry and sad.

         There are other tricks to writing short stories -styles of phrasing and sentence structure that use fewer words. But I think the most important thing is to understand the heart of the story - and write that!

         So, to begin...

         Once upon a time...

         I spent yesterday chatting to fans of western romance at Wildflower Junction.   Thanks for having me, Ladies.

         I was surprised by how many of them were fans of The Man From Snowy River - the film of the Australian poem by Banjo Paterson.

         That got me thinking about what makes a memorable hero. The man from Snowy River is strong and competent. A man with a sense of justice, who is willing to go the extra mile to do what is right. He's a hard worker and steadfast in his love.

         Of course, putting him on a horse against the spectacular mountain backdrop didn't harm his hero potential.

         The other Aussie outback hero who came up in conversation was Hugh Jackman in Australia.

         Again, he's strong and tough, but at the same time gentle. He is willing to fight for those unable to defend themselves, and stand up against injustice - all good hero stuff.

         Of course - in Hugh Jackman's case... there might be other reasons as well...

         I am guest blogging today on www.petticoatsandpistols.com if anyone wants to stop by. It's an Amercian historical authors' site. That means westerns - and it's also the place to go if you've a penchant for heroes with broad brimmed hats and riding boots. With my Australian outback background - it works for me. There are always book giveaways as well.

         On Saturday, I was at Castelnau Library in Barnes - with the girls from Let's Talk About Love.

         One of the ladies told me there had been talk about closing the library some time ago - but it had been saved. Well done all the people who fought to keep it for themselves, their children - and for writers like us - who just love meeting readers.

         We enjoyed a good cup of tea as well - thanks to the staff for the refreshments - and the lovely gift. Two flowers in two weeks. It must be the Valentine's Day vibe still working!

         The other present I got this week was a copy of Your Cat magazine - which has one of my short stories in it. The story is a prequel to The Bachelor and Spinster Ball - and features - you guessed it - the black and white stray called Cat.

         I've got another story coming out in a couple of weeks - in My Weekly magazine. This one is my first venture into science fiction - but there's a bit of a love story as well, never fear.

         I've just had the most amazing review for The Bachelor and Spinster Ball on singletitles.com

         Reviewer Julie Bonello called it 'a wonderful treat for fans of romantic fiction everywhere!'

         Then she went on to say...

         Janet Gover expertly balances the light-hearted with the serious and the dramatic and will have you laughing out loud and reaching for the tissues in equal measures. Well-written, wonderfully rendered and simply terrific, The Bachelor and Spinster Ball boasts realistic characters who come instantly to life, touching romances, tear-jerking scenes, hilarious banter and exquisitely vivid descriptions of small-town Australian life which are guaranteed to enchant, delight and entertain readers looking for smart, believable and captivating contemporary romantic fiction!

         Wow!

         That's my book she's talking about.

         I guess I did good.

         I did a radio interview on Friday - with a chat show host asking the question - Is Valentine's Day Evil? Evil? Where did that come from - apart from the desire to start a row?

         He seemed disappointed that he couldn't get me to agree. What did he expect? I'm a romantic novelist - believing in happy ever after is part of the job description.

         I don't know if it is the Valentine's Day good vibrations spreading - but it's been a fun week.

         First - I received my large print edition of The Farmer Needs A Wife - it has such a pretty cover.

         Then, on Friday, with the gals from Let's Talk About Love, I was at Waterstone's in Windsor for an evening of books and chocolate.

         With convenience of online book sellers, it's too easy to forget how wonderful it is to be in a shop, surrounded by books, talking to people who are passionate about reading. Something magical happens on nights like those.

         Not only that, but the lovely David, who organised the event, gave us all a long stemmed red rose and yummy chocolate hearts.

         Next week, Let's Talk About Love is at Castlenau Library from 3 - 4.30 on Saturday afternoon.

         In the meantime - it's Valentine's Day - and there is absolutely nothing evil about it at all. Enjoy!

         This popped into my inbox today... it’s the gorgeous cover for my next LBD book - Girl Racers.

         Isn’t it just Fab-u-lous, darling!!!

         When I decided I wanted to write a book set around a car rally, people looked at me strangely. It's not the most girly of topics.

         But what's not to like about a sexy red sports car, with a girl at the wheel and a hero in hot pursuit!

         The bad news is - you're going to have to wait until it's released in July to read it.

         A huge thank-you to the team at LBD for giving me such a lovely cover.

         The word this week is bite - spelled two ways.

         I've been working with bits and bytes for the past few weeks - as part of the team building the Romantic Novelists' Association website, ready for the 50th Anniversary celebrations.

         It was a big job - but fun. Imagine trying to decide - gold hearts or red satin in the banner? Hey - let's have both!

         I discovered there's a font based on Jane Austen's handwriting - how cool is that! (No-one would ever make a font based in my handwriting - it would be impossible to read.)

         The site went 'live' this weekend. Do drop by and have a look.

         The other bites this week will be made of chocolate... and they are free!

         With my Let's Talk About Love friends - I'll be at Waterstone's at Windsor on Friday the 12th, talking about writing romance.

         What could be better, with Valentine's Day just around the corner? The answer to that question is chocolate. The lovely people from Hotel Chocolat will be dropping buy with fabulous free nibbles for everyone. How good is that!  The event starts at 7.00.

         You can pre-book tickets by calling 01753 856456. Tickets are £3.00 - but you get that discounted off the price of a book.

         I hope to see you there.

         I was at a folk club last night, listening to the wonderful Roy Bailey. He was talking about singers he's met during his long career... saying some had wonderful voices but he didn't call them good singers because they didn't get the storytelling part of the song right. Other people with average voices could be better singers - because they understood the stories.

         I think he's right - and not just about singers...

         Sometimes when I read a book I find myself loving the writing, but not liking the book. The writing might have great use of words, good sentence structure and imagery, but if the story isn't there the book doesn't hold me.

         Then there are books where the writing isn't outstanding. I might find the occasional clumsy sentence, or a badly used word. As writers, we all have little habits of structure or word usage or even punctuation - I over-use dots and dashes. These habits can be annoying, but if the story is there and the characters touch my heart I'll enjoy the book.

         Then there are those magical moments when both things come together. Then the words dance on the pages and the story sings in my head and touches my heart. Those are the books I go back to again and again because each page is a joy. That is storytelling at its very best - the sort of storytelling that makes you smile or brings a tear to the eye.

         Just like listening to Roy Bailey sing.

         This week, I've been indulging on one of my favourite things... No, not chocolate (well - only a bit). I'm referring to time spent in the company of fellow writers. This week I've been to two Romantic Novelists' Association meetings in London, and I've met a few people who have just joined as new (unpublished) writers.

         I got to thinking...

         I joined the RNA in 2003, under the New Writers' Scheme. At that time, I'd had just one short story published. I was so nervous when I went to that first RNA event. What was I thinking? They were real writers - and I was just ... well, nothing really. I didn't belong there. That just goes to show how wrong you can be.

         I found support and friendship, professional advice, craft tips and look at me now.... I'm a 'real' writer.

         When I went to that first RNA event, one of the 'real' writers came up to me - standing alone in the doorway, feeling a little overwhelmed. She introduced herself and welcomed me. This week, I tried to do the same... to say to the new members, as she did to me, that published or unpublished we are all writers, and that's the best thing in the world.

         The RNA is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - here's a toast to 50 more!

         I built a ship last week. Really - I did.

         Her name is Cape Adare and she's about 13,000 tonnes. She has 112 cabins and is capable of carrying more than 200 people across an ocean in great luxury.

         The ship is, of course, for a book, and exists only in my head - and some drawings I did.

         One of my pet hates when I'm reading is inconsistency. You know the sort of thing: in chapter six, the heroine turns left from her front door to go the shop - when in chapter two she turned right. That sort of thing. To keep myself on the straight and narrow when I'm writing, I draw plans and maps of the places in my books, and I try to make them as real as possible.

         In December, I went on a cruise - and photos of that ship are my basis for designing the Cape Adare.

         Of course - I moved the sauna so I could put in a sexy scene between my heroine and the mysterious passenger in cabin 642. I've also enlarged his suite - gave him far more luxury than I had in my cabin (and made it tidier too). The bar is bigger, and the library smaller - far more cosy and intimate.

         One of the great things about writing fiction is that I can go anywhere, do and be anything I want - or rather, my characters can. But my books are set in the real world and while I might bend a few things for the sake of the book - if I bend my world too far, it will break. And so will the book.

         I was NOT going to blog about snow. Everyone has been blogging about snow... and the news is full of it.

         The problem is - snow is cool. No - not cold - cool as in COOL.

         In the part of Australia where I grew up - we sweat a lot and snow is what happens to other people and in movies.

         When I first came to the UK - I ran outside the when it snowed, trying to catch the flakes on my tongue. So what if I was a grown up - I never got to do it as a kid.

         I've seen snow a few times now - walked around in it, made snowballs and taken photographs of it to send back to my antipodean friends and relatives.

         I still like snow... but I don't wander around in it in just a wooly jumper any more.  I can watch it for hours from inside my nice warm office with the fire blazing away. And this time - there's an added bonus. The book I'm writing is set in a very, very cold part of the world. If I need inspiration, I can just step outside and listen to the snow crunching under foot.

         There's always hot chocolate when I come back inside.

         Stay warm everyone.

         1) Stop jumping up and down and making high pitched girlie noises whenever I see my books in a bookshop.

         2) Give the new Dr Who a chance - he might be as good as David Tennant. (Hmmm... not sure about that.)

         3) Stop falling in love with vampires, not matter how sexy they are.  (Hmmm - also not sure about that one.)

         4) Stop buying shoes...

         OK - let's get honest here...

         1) Read more books (as if there was even any doubt about that).

         2) Write more books (ditto).

         ... Those I CAN do.

         Happy 2010 to everyone.