The V E T

Yesterday the puppies encountered the vet for the first time -- shots and microchipping, plus weighing and a general health check. Tess was car sick, the poor thing -- there and back. Luckily she travelled in a cat carrier as I had thought it might a possibility. Next time though, she can go in the back with the dog grill down.


Both were very good with the vet. Hardy even sat on command so he could be weighed. Tess decided to lie down. But some border collies will prefer to lie down and Tess seems to be one of them. Our vet is excellent and because the surgery just deals in small animals very dog oriented. The other surgery where we used to go was far more rural based and so pets were an add on as opposed to the sheep and cows.


Hardy squealed when he had the microchip put in the scruff of his neck. Tess, proving that women are made of stern stuff, simply stood stoically.
Microchipping is important. If either gets lost and is taken to a vet/rescue centre all they do is wave a wand over the animal and get the barcode. This unique number is in an international database, and they would then phone us so we could be reunited. Without a microchip, it can be nary near impossible to reunite. It cost £20 per animal. Cats as well as dogs can be done. It does not hurt them. And the peace of mind is priceless.


I have opted for the two rounds of injections at 8 and12 weeks. Rather than going for the 8, 10 and then 18 weeks one. It is more about if you want to start taking the puppies out. Given that we have a large garden etc, the whole socialisation thing is not as big an issue. The puppies can still visit friends' gardens where the dogs have been inoculated.

The puppies were glad to be back home after their journey and Tess rapidly recovered.

My youngest decided to play with them on the floor. He has been warned that they will think of him as a littermate. To which he replied -- good.

Children, in particular boys. I suspect there will be scraps under the table as well...

Jumping at poppies

Yesterday afternoon I found out that my latest -- the Governess one -- has been accepted. This makes a dozen for HMB. Or half towards my 25 book pin. Harlequin Enterprises marks certain milestones. One of the great things at the AMBA meetings is seeing the other authors get their pins or indeed wearing them. No title yet or release date.
Just after I found out, there was a knock at the door, a man was trying to sell Woodland Trust membership. Because we do like nature, we took a leaflet. One of the main areas that they are attempting to restore and protect is the Irthing Gorge which is where my book begins. Apparently when you join, they plant a tree. I shall ask if it can be planted there. In any case, it became no contest as it is such a pretty place.

Tess was jumping at welsh poppies this morning, endlessly amused as the flowers sprang back. Taking joy in simple things is something to remember. Life is endlessly interesting when encountering it for the first time. I need to remember to take the time to jump at poppies. (And yes, I should keep my camera by me)

BUT the sin bin has had to come in use. Basically the best punishment for a dog who nips is to say no and then if the behaviour persists to quietly but firmly put the dog in a small room for about 30 seconds. Dogs want to be with you. It certainly had the desired affect on Tess who when she gets overexcited tends to forget that hands are not for biting. It also means that if they get over tired and quarrelsome as puppies can do, they can be separated for a few seconds and given space to calm down. The important thing is not to hit or strike -- a firm tone and a short deprivation. Both Tess and Hardy calm down immediatly.

The flour monsters

The children know, I know but did my husband pay attention? When you close the cupboard doors and you have puppies, you latch the doors. Otherwise you get...flour monsters!

Tess and Hardy decided to investigate the cupboard while we had supper. An unopened bag of flour proved the biggest draw. Flour covered everything and in the midst sat those two looking innocent as you can do covered in flour. They were dusted off.

And as my sister asked about how Chile was coping. He remains a bit grumpy but as the photo shows -- he does permit them to snuggle up. Tess more than Hardy. I always figure if animals are voluntarily sleeping in the same room, they have accepted each other.

Chile is very stiff these days and he takes the New Alston 3.5 miles much more slowly now. But he is the grand old man of the family.

Training -- end of week 1

Tess and Hardy have been here a week and my deadline is beginning to loom. This means I need to write.

I have also basically finished reading my dog training books. I have also investigated why cesar Milan is not very well loved in certain circles -- namely at times he advocates certain techniques that in the wrong hands can make dogs more aggressive. I am not into choke chains or electronic prods.

There again, I hope Tess & Hardy are going to be well balanced dogs. I have spent loads of time with them, handling them and trying to socialise them properly.

The things I like about Milan's methods are: 1. his emphasis on a dog is a dog. 2. dogs need exercise, particularly in the morning -- get up, get your trainers on and go out with the dog and then they eat. 3. no dog is too old to learn. 4. The problems can be more problems with the owners than the dogs.

WIth Jan Fannell, there are also bits I like: 1. dogs are dogs. 2. dogs respond well to positive re-enforcement. 3. use dogs' natural behaviour to get them trained.

WIth Barbara Sykes 1. border collies are border collies and highly energetic -- ie they need exercise. 2. border collies are highly intelligent and have a sense of humour but also need time alone to think. 3. training is all about teaching manners and positive re-enforcement works, particularly as border collies have such good memories.

The puppies now know their names, and will come IF you have their attention. They know how to sit and are working on down. They like to be clean puppies but sometimes I need better training. They are fed regularly and now know where they eat, and that they have to sit and wait quietly for their bowls to be put down. They also know that the bowls are picked up after they walk away from the meal.

WIth my wip, I need to get J &L out of the carriage. They have been there for the past week.

puppy mayhem

Dew on the grass + freshly dug mole hill + one author who has a good idea for a scene = two very happy puppies, one filthy kitchen floor and an acquaintance with a towel.

It is amazing how cute and innocent puppies can look when totally covered in dirt.

They are growing fast. And already I can see a big difference. But a solid foundation is what is about and they do appear to be learning. With writing, my cp is threatening her whip. I do suspect somehow though I will get the puppies in. Border collies as a breed were not recognised until the late 19th century -- before that they were simply sheep dogs, but they did come from the English/Scottish border region so it is feasible for a pair of tri colour pups to be there.

Collies have a sense of humour

Yesterday, I was treated to collie humour. For example, Tess & Hardy knew I was deliberately ignoring them. They also knew that going on Chile's bed is an automatic no. So having failed to get a reaction, they raced over to the bed and lay down. When I called them, Hardy lent over and gave Tess's neck a lick as if to say -- see, I knew we could do it.

Then last night, as Chile was with us (when you are old and a Labrador sometimes puppy pester power is a bit much) I had closed the door to the back entrance hall and Chile's bed. I went to put Chile away and suddenly there was a scurry of feet and two headlong dives as the puppies rushed to lie at my feet, instead of on Chile's bed. They both wore very innocent butter would not melt expressions as if to say they had no idea why that door was open.

Sometimes, you just have to appreciate it.
And Chile is really more than capable of growling and keeping the puppies in line when he wants to.

The troublesome twosome

It finally dawned on me yesterday on why two puppies at the same time is not reccomended -- twins. I know all about twins as my aunt and uncle are twins and growing up, I was treated to lots oftales about The Twins. Basically if one did not think of it, the other did. I should say what wonderful people my aunt and uncle are and how much they each enjoy being a twin.

I suspect Hardy and Tess really enjoy having a twin as well. They have a partner in crime. And if I am extricating one, then the other has time to get into more mischief.

I have learnt:

1. Puppies can squeeze through the narrowest of gaps and if the second puppy follows, they will invariably take off in opposite directions.

2. Do not be fool by seemingly shy and retiring puppies who sit and watch. Once given a bit of confidence, such puppies are often considering Will the oven glove fall of its own accord or can I make it happen type thoughts.

3. Children forget to close doors. Puppies are eager to investigate. Potatoes on the floor can make a great game until the unwary owner trips. Then it is time to play clamber over owner and lick face games.

4. Two puppies snuggling up to you is wonderful. Puppies who learnt to sit or to come when called are magical.

At the moment, they are asleep -- exhausted from this morning's play. Rain equals wet and dirty puppies who have to be towelled.

puppy puddles

The puppies in general are being very good about their toilet training, far easier in many ways than children. Thus far they have been very obliging. The only real puddles have been in the morning.
They did wake me up at 5:15 am again and demand attention. I did try the trick of putting the top I was wearing in as a comfort. Luckily was not very fond of it as the top is now full of puppy sized holes.
But puppies grow and soon, they will be too big to be bothered.

I have had to spray the bottom of the butchers block, the legs of the cabinet and the cookbooks on the floor with a dog training spray. It smells like citronella. It is just if they get a taste for wood, they can do a lot of damage, and at this stage, it is not their fault. I have also got a few more chew sticks etc for them. Puppies need to chew but they need to learn what to chew. Puppies have a hard time distinguishing between an old shoe and a new pair of heels for example, so it is best that they never learn that shoes are great to chew. Equally if puppies don't sit on the furniture, they don't want to sit later when they have muddy paws. I am spending a lot of time sitting on the floor.

With my writing, I spent a few minutes registering my books for PLR or Public Lending Right. Every published UK edition has to be registered by 30 June so it can count in the yearly total. PLR is a great invention and I am very grateful to the authors who campaign so long and hard for it. PLR is 30 this year. Long may it last!!!!
RIght off to grab a few moments of writing time before puppy mayhem descends again.

Apple trees and puppies

Yesterday was emotionally draining. Joss's ashes came back. We bought an apple tree -- greensleeves, dessert and planted that in his beloved garden. Seeing the collar and lead again was hard. But it is good to know my friend is where he needs to be. And I can see the tree from the kitchen window.

The puppies are very quick but then they are border collies. Tess appears to have grown in confidence and is determined to boss her brother about. Hardy learnt his name and like a man is most motivated by food. They both appear to have figured out the whole concept of going outside to use the toilet but then I did spend most of yesterday with them, making sure we went outside after meals, naps etc. Chile is maintaining a dignified aloofness despite the puppies desire to play. He was willing to eat his breakfast with the door half closed. The door had to be fully closed yesterday. It just takes time.

This morning was an early start as the puppies were crying. I suppose this is good as yesterday morning, they were far too frightened of the new surroundings. Chile was busy pacing the floor when I came down. The puppies tumbled about themselves. It is a hard thing to ignore them when you first come back and let them calm down before greeting them, but it should make everything easier in the long run.
But the main point of this post is puppy pictures as people wanted to see them. At this stage they are incredibly cute but that is the whole point of puppies. And they grow. I only managed a quarter of the words but puppies are puppies.

Meet Tess & Hardy

The lady who had the puppies phoned last night. Apparently they were ready any time but there was a slight snag. The puppy my daughter loved was a bitch, rather than a dog. Did we still want her? As it was love at first sight for my daughter -- the answer was yes. We drove out and picked the puppies up yesterday evening.





My daughter decided on Tess as she is currently v keen on Hardy. So the other dog's name had to be Hardy.





They are being puppy like. Tess has the mostly white face and is standing up in the above picture. Hardy has the tan patches on his face and wears a mask.




They both have their distinctive personalities. Tess is a bit more of a thinker and is cautious whereas Hardy just wants to investigate. Both seem quick.

Chile the Labrador is maintaining a dignified silence and is not very sure about his space being invaded by puppies. SO puppy training time has arrived.

More books on dog training

I visited with a friend who has lent a few more books on dog training -- namely the Jan Fennell Dog Listener ones and a Cesar Milan who has the Dog Whisperer television show on Sky and the National Geographic. Interestingly Milan references a number of the body language books that I read for writing purposes.

The one thing that is great about these approaches is that they are very much pack leader and thinking like a dog oriented. I am under no illusion of the task that I have taken on. Currently, I am working with Chile, my 12 year old Labrador to make sure he understands my commands. Actually, after a confrontation about 10 years ago, he knows who is the pack leader is and walks very well on the leash.

These two are going to require lots of hard work and training before they can learn manners and take their place as well behaved dogs. They have big paws to fill.

Border Collie training

After reading Understanding Border Collies by Barbara Sykes, I now know where I went wrong with Joss. Not that he wasn't lovely but more that I could have done more. The two big problems were -- barking at certain times, mainly when people arrived and pulling on the lead when he felt like it. The thing about border collies is that they do have a mind of their own and a mischievous sense of humour. And Joss was highly intelligent in a one track mind sort of way. If we ever went a different way on the walk, the next time, he'd stop and wait to see which way we'd go.

I was surprised to read about the so-called faults of border collies. Joss never rounded up the children up, never nipped, and did not dig holes. He also did not chew furniture or shoes. He rounded the ducks up. He was very good on recall and would obey my commands to sit or go down even from about 50 yards. After reading the book though, I realise that the minor irritations could have been easily solved. The fault was mine for not thinking like a dog.

I also now know about floppy ears v prick ears, dark brown eyes v light amber ones and even medium coat v rough coats. With Joss, we did manage to make some choices that make for a more easy going border collie. Apparently floppy ears, and dark brown eyes make for a softer more family oriented dog. But as with anything, it is about the training and teaching the manners. I succeeded on some things and with others...perhaps they did not matter as much to me.

I also know that getting 2 puppies from the same litter is going to make training much more difficult in some ways. When they are being trained, the puppies will have to be trained separately. There will already be a pack hierarchy within the group of two, but there again, there is Chile the Labrador to consider.

And the books say -- don't get a border collie when you have children under 10. When we got Joss, the children were 8, 5, and 3. There was never any problems. Perhaps it is why I am willing to have 2. After there are basically 5 adults who will take part in the training.

And of course, the pups will have a job. The ducks are getting restless and although Chile does a good job, it is better if there is two dogs...

I do think owners of border collies and people who are interested in the breed should read Barbara Sykes. She definitely knows her collies.

Anyway, once I get these puppies next Saturday, I will keep an update and will see if my theories work or if we were just really lucky with Joss...

Who wrote the melody for Auld Lang Syne

Do you want to know who is creditted with writing the melody for Auld Lang Syne? Robert Burns wrote the words, but a former boat builder from South Shields who became the Master of the King's Musick is credited with writing the melody. Learn more about the controversy at my blog on Risky Regencies today.

The Sugar Queen and rants

First of all a few weeks ago, the publicist at Hodder contacted me and asked if I wanted to read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. She read my blog and thought it might be a book I would like.

This sort of thing rarely happens.

It is Ms Allen's second book and I will be looking to get her first book -- Garden Spells. Ms Allen creates a lovely atmosphere that leads you on into the book. It is definitely a single title women's fiction with romantic elements rather than a romance but I enjoy all sorts of different genres.

Anyway, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read with characters who linger in your mind.

The blurb says Twenty-seven year old Josey is sure of three things:

winter in her North Caroline hometown is her favourite season;

she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle;

and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet

For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romance she escapes to each night...

Until she finds her closet harbouring none other than local waitress Delia Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tender-hearted woman who is one part nemesis and two parts fairy godmother.

It is a coming of age tale and as is usual with a tale set in the American South, long hidden secrets lurk under the surface, add a dash of magic to mix and you are away. But Josey is a good character and I wish Ms Allen well with her next book. I suspect that this will be a word of mouth book...and so I am doing my bit.

And now my rant. I opened my alumni magazine, The Carleton Voice to find an article denigrating romance and by extension the women who read such fiction as well as those who write it. Some MALE English senior has done a project where he pretended to a woman writing a romance. It is a meta fiction. BUT his research seems to have consisted of reading literary theory from the late 80s and early 90s, with no reference to recent scholarship (for example A Natural History of Romance by Pamela Regis or indeed any of the work of the recently formed International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. He also stated that romance writers tend to write in italicised capitals. And that he felt like he was trying to put make up on a dead horse. Huh? According to him, the accepted definition of a romance is the social identity of the heroine comes into question, she goes away for awhile and finally her identity is restored. This is news to me! A more accepted definition of romance is one where the growth of the emotional relationship between the two main protagonists forms the central arc or spine of the story and the ending is emotionally satisfying.

The editor of the Voice felt including this piece was justified as the man was writing fiction and it was the first time something like this had been done as a comps paper. She also felt the tone of the article was justified and predictable as they were talking about a twenty-something male. Umm, I thought the battle of the sexes was fought long before I set foot on the campus in the early 80s. Why should women have their reading matter mocked? Why should men get away with sloppy scholarship since they were dealing with a fluffy piece?

Anyway, I wrote a letter to the editor and then another one after I received the female editor's reply.

I am well aware of the pretensions of some males BUT this smacks of sexism on serious scale and I really expected better of Carleton, a college which is very proud of its liberal traditions. They would never have published the article if the white male student had been mocking say Afro-American fiction. He choose romance rather than say a Walter Mitty male attempting to write a guys with gear who go novel. It was just a serious error of judgement on behalf of the editors. The act of publication implies the college condones and supports those views. Amazing.

Simple things

I went to the meeting of the Hexham Beekeepers yesterday. There will be bees in my future. The man who hosted the meeting has twenty hives and queen rearing is in full swing. I was so impressed with his bees -- very well behaved and non agressive, plus his own beekeeping skills. He was able to quickly demonstrate how to create an artificial swarm.
But it was the hum of bees, the smell of the honey and just the general being around the hives. Sheer bliss. I would urge anyone interested in beekeeping to attend the meetings of their local beekeeping association. With the apiary meetings, they do have extra suits for people to wear.
He is going to make up a nucleus -- this year's queen and several frames of brood for me. It should be ready in a few weeks.

I have put more puppy pictures on the blog as my sister informs that the pictures I sent her took far too long to download and my nieces enjoyed looking at the puppies. My youngest neice takes a keen interest in my family's pets even though she has never been to the UK.

Border collie puppies in my future

While Joss was alive, my husband and I would often say -- he's lovely but no more border collies, they are manic. Ummm. We are picking up our two new border collie puppies on the 23rd. A neighbour of a friend has a litter and we have chosen the two who would not make good sheep dogs. They are lovely. But will need lots and lots of training. However, I do know that once properly trained and being exercised, border collies do make lovely (if slightly manic) pets.

The neighbour also explained where I was going wrong with the mole! I have not been setting the trap properly. As the lawn is once again looking like the Somme, I am hopeful.

There is a beekeeping meeting this afternoon and my fingers are crossed about getting more bees.

Thoughts on operations and dogs

Many thanks to everyone who sent messages of condolences. My family and I are truly touched.

We are still in a state of shock. It is the suddenness in the way he went. I now understand that cancer of the spleen is relatively common amongst older male dogs. If they can stop the bleeding and remove the spleen, there is often a good outcome. BUT because any operation is fraught with danger (including blood clots), vets prefer to wait until the tumour has burst. In Joss's case, they did stop the bleeding and successfully remove the spleen, it was the blood clot which was the problem.

One tends to think once the operation is over, all will be well. However, this is why he was in the hospital. These things happen -- to humans as well as dogs. It is why for example humans wear surgical stockings...

So we are slowly adjusting to our loss. He was a big part of the family -- always wanting to play fetch with anyone -- capable of raiding bins in search of paper to fetch, trying to communicate through any squeaky toy and adapt to sing. He also loved to run, had incredible stamina and loved being on the go. He was highly intelligent in a manic border collie way and would attempt to anticipate your next move, particularly when out on a walk. He just was.

Death

Joss died. He survived the surgery but at about 9:15 am, a blood clot went to his brain or his heart and he died.
This was not supposed to happen.
He was such a wonderful dog. And we all loved him so very much.

Worrying times

My plans for yesterday were put on hold. My plans for today which included a lunch with the members of the RNA Northumberland have been cancelled. Our border collie Joss had to undergo emergency surgery yesterday. He had a burst tumour on his spleen and began to bleed internally. As of 9 pm yesterday evening, he was breathing regularly and coming around slowly. However, the vets caution that he is an old dog (10 years old) and has lost a lot of blood. But we are hopeful. I will know more later today.

There was no real warning. On Tuesday, he seemed a bit slow on his run with my husband. And we thought that he might be gaining weight again. He was off his food on Wednesday night and yesterday morning, he was not right. Then, he really went downhill -- vomiting, being lethargic and by the time it came his appointment, not being able to get into the car.

Of our two dogs, I would have thought Chile would be the first one...anyway fingers crossed.

Luckily my deadline is not until the end of July.

Slices of pie

The US Mother's Day happens on Sunday. It is a day of peace and has a totally different foundation than the UK Mothering Sunday. Anyway, my aunt sent me a load of sayings about mothers.


A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.--Tenneva Jordan

Does anyone know who Tenneva Jordan is? I can find the quote and it is attributed to her, but can I find out anything about this woman? All I can find is the quote. So I would be interested to know more about her. Was she only a mother? Why did she say it? When did she say it? If you know, I would like to find out.

I have been in this situation before and have foregone the pie. Sometimes, and perhaps this means I am not a good mother, I have divided the four pieces between five. Because the number of pieces does depend on how you slice it. And it can better for everyone to have a taste, than for one person to gobble it up.
Equally I suspect that my husband would say that the first stance does lead towards martyred mother syndrome. Particularly if you have been looking forward to a taste of pie...

Firebringers

Last night I finally finished Max Adams' biography of the Martin brothers and the world they inhabited The Firebringers. To call it a biography is wrong. It is provides illumination on the early 19th century, through a variety of anecdotes and facts.

Because John Martin was born in Haydon Bridge, I was initially interested in learning more about him. What I had not realised was how bound up he was in London Society and invention as well his famous paintings. It was great to learn more about Prince Leopold, the unlucky consort of the Princess of Wales or Marc Brunel's troubles with the Thames tunnel or JMW Turner's double life.

I also learnt that in 1832, 32,000 people in England died from cholera. It rather puts the current swine flu panic in perspective. It is an enjoyable read and illuminates the time period nicely.

I now have Richard Holmes' The Age of Wonder to read. It covers the same period and deals with the growth of science before Darwin.

Donna Alward is doing something on conflict (her book The Soldier's Homecoming has just finalled in the Golden Quill -- go Donna!) and Kate Walker is finishing up her alpha posts.

The mole has once again been working overtime in my garden. SIGH. Why me?

Venice redux

I am blogging about the allure of Venice today at the Pink Heart Society. Even after being back in the UK for nearly two months, I only have to close my eyes and I can be transported again. It is such a wonderful city to visit.

As part of its spotlight on Harlequin Historical, Eharlequin is doing a Carnival of Venice cyber masquerade ball. It should be outrageous and fun.

As Natasha Oakley asked when she was here, the mole is still digging in the back lawn. It has taken to filling in my traps. To add insult to injury, my youngest thought he was being helpful, refilling a hole but he managed to bury a trap. I note there is a new hill this morning...away from the traps and back where I put the original traps. Are moles intelligent?

Things to help bees

Yesterday, a neighbour phoned, concerned that he had not seen any honey bees in his garden. I had to explain about my earlier bee murdering disaster and my hopes of getting a new colony. Somehow I don't think he was mollified. Apparently he is worried about his damson crop...

So what can people do to help the honey bee? The British Bee Keeping Association has a list of 10 things the general public can do.

1. Write to your MP or MEP to lobby for more funds for bee research. We really do not understand enough about bees and what makes them ill.

2. Plant bee friendly plants. This is important. Grass and evergreens are not bee friendly. Certain repeat flowering plants are not bee friendly. The BBKA does have a list on its website but flowers like foxgloves, herbs including mint and thyme, fuchsia, asters, sunflowers, daisies, hollyhocks and delphiniums are all loved by bees. In many ways with the problems of agricultural pesticides, gardens area haven for bees.

3. Join your local beekeeping association. They do run courses for beginners. They are friendly and welcome new people.

4. Find space for beehives. Even if you do not want to look after bees yourself, you might be able to have space for a hive. Some beekeepers need sites. The benefit for you is well pollinated crops and perhaps several jars of honey. Sited right, a beehive does not bother its neighbours. Contact your local beekeeping association.

5. Buy local honey. Local honey has lots of good properties including not being ultra heat treated so it is helpful for colds and allergies. If you are not sure where you can buy local honey, contact your local beekeeping association. Local honey tastes far richer than the mass produced stuff you buy at the supermarket.

6. Do not keep unwashed honey jars outside the backdoor. First of all it attracts wasps but more importantly, foreign honey can contain bacteria and spores that may be harmful to your local bees. The bees as well as the wasps will try to eat the remaining honey.

7. When encountering bees, be bee friendly. Do not flap your hands or run. Stay calm. Walk slowly away and go into the shade of a tree or shed. They sting because they are frightened for the hive.

8. Protect swarms. Call your local council to get the number of someone to deal with them. swarms are important. Generally they are not aggressive as they have fed on lots of honey. But if you disturb -- say spray them with water they get irritated. So leave them alone and call an expert.

9. Encourage your local authority to plant bee friendly plants. Parks, verges and other public areas can be a real haven for bees. Wildflowers such as rosebay willowherb can provide lots of honey. Evergreen plants and grass can't.

10. Learn more about bees. Contact your local beekeeping association. There are beekeepers ready and willing to talk to all ages and manner of groups. Generally they have an observation hive for schoolchildren.

The loss of bees is a very real problem but little things can help to make a difference.

Hexham Book Festival

The Hexham Book Festival went well. There was a definite buzz about the town. The panel was informative and hopefully everyone who attended could see how passionate we all were about writing and reading romance.

Natasha Oakley pointed out a very importnat fact. Mills & Boon outsells all the other publishers of women's fiction. It is the largest publisher of women's fiction in the world. But for some reason, this fact often escapes people.

Sheila Hodgson who is truly awesome did say at the end that they are looking for new authors across ALL the series. The editors really want to find new stars and unlike many other publishers, they do really all submissions. All three authors came from the slush pile orginally. None had submitted through the RNA or an agent.

BTW I did my level best to ruin the photo. Natasha, Sharon and Sheila Hodgson -- all look lovely. I did my forced smile. My daughter took the photo.

Here, there and everywhere

Today, the fantastic Kate Walker continues her masterclass on what makes a M&B alpha male hero with my thoughts. Kate and I are at one with this. Alpha male heroes rock.

There is also a post about Following your dream and what makes people decide to follow that dream on the Pink Heart Society. So please leave your thoughts. I love discovering why people decide to follow their dreams.

And finally, I get to play at being a glamorous author today as I am going to the launch of the Hexham Book Festival this evening. I believe tickets are still available for most events, including the M&B panel discussion on Saturday afternoon. Sheila Hodgson, a senior editor from M&B is chairing the event and she has sent a number of interesting topics through which we will be discussing. Things like the ALPHA MALE HERO and he changes! As well as the universal emotional truths in romance, particularly in a post feminist environment.

I am planning on taking pictures so hopefully people can live vicariously!

Stories and codes

Julie Cohen put a comment in my post about Narnia and codes. Actually I knew Julie would feel this way as she was at one point a highly dedicated and passionate teacher of English literature. We differ on the subject in some respects.
While I have no objection to individuals getting more out of a story than the writer intended, I do object to the searching for codes and hidden symbolism as the primary purpose for literary theory. The first purpose of literary theory should be to look at the structure and how the story develops. Without a solid understanding of story theory, it is impossible to say if certain symbolism or meanings are possible or if the reader is merely projecting. In other words, people need to understand and to appreciate the construction as much as they like to love for the puzzles and hidden meanings.
Without STORY, the whole point of reading fiction vanishes.
In some ways, the concepts of plot, pacing, proactive characters and the reasons why they work in one story and not in another are hard to grasp. Why do particular stories resonate with readers at particular times?
So for me as a die hard -- the Story must come first person -- the first test for anything hidden is it possible within the bounds of storytelling craft? Is it possible within world building? Or is it stretching the bounds of credulity? When does literary theory with an emphasis on hidden text and meaning start becoming a discussion of how many angels can dance on a pin head?
Also do stories have to laden with obvious hidden meaning for them to be worthy of study? And can that meaning change depending on the socio-economic context of the reader? Or is it fixed within the social understanding of the author? And if you get a different meaning from the story than the accepted one or the one the author intended, is it necessarily wrong?
Equally, to a certain extent, you need to know when and why certain things were written. For example, in A Question of Impropriety, Diana wears a rose pink gown to the ball. It is highly doubtful that in a historical context, she would have done. I knew that when I put it in there. Why did I do it? To symbolise her movement from the virginal pure state? Actually, it is there because my then editor said in a call about the revisions that she had found a lovely cover with a rose pink gown and the model looked a bit like her, could I make the colour of the gown rose pink. It wasn't important to the story what the colour of the gown was, so I readily agreed.
Anyway, for me, it is always Story, story, story and really it is what commercial ficiton is all about -- in whatever age it is written. Story is what helps literature stand the test of time. That new generations find elements that speak to them is great but it is Story that underpins, not the codes or hidden meaning.

The Return of the Mole

The mole is back and digging tunnels around the traps.
It really adds insult to injury to see this happening. We have just reseeded the lawn...

No bees yet. Several beekeepers in the area have promised if they get swarms/have to divide colonies, they will let me know. All the beekeepers that I have spoken to are anxious not to bring in bees from the South. We have fewer problems up here with viruses etc. But losses are still great. Having seen the BBC programme on Who is Killing the Honey Bee, I think the theory about pesticides weakening the bee has some merit as does the whole transportation of bees and mono agriculture theories. It is probably a combination rather than one cause. But what is really needed is more research. The little honey bee is so very important to sustaining life on this planet. It is not a machine but a living creature. I am hoping to get some more bees soon. The hives are out in case any wandering swarm happens by, but I am not optimistic.
On 10 May, I am going to another Hexham beekeeping meeting which is at an apiary so at least I can my fix that way... But I want more bees in my garden, buzzing about and visiting the flowers that we planted.

No new kittens. I saw a advert for kittens, wrote down the number and then thought -- no I am not ready. I can however look at cats and kittens without a pang in my heart so this is good. It will be when the time is right. In the meantime, the dogs are enjoying the extra treats...

The Age of Unbelieving

As Jane H left a comment on the more about Narnia codes post, I thought I'd write about the Susan problem as I see it.
One of the Big Betrayals in many female eyes is the transformation of Susan. In The Lion,The Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, many female readers (including my daughter) identify with Susan, but by the time The Last Battle rolls around, Susan has forgotten about her time in Narnia and wants to be a grown up. She prefers discussing nylons and lipstick to talking about past adventures. She is also not involved in the train crash. And the whole episode leaves a bad taste. So much so that many of the Susanites refuse to re-read the books.

Some people go through this stage where they openly mock childhood pleasures. I can remember my brother doing the same thing as a teenager. We used to play various long and complicated imaginary games but then one day he grew up and then mocked. It hurt at the time. When he was suffering from his final illness in his late twenties, my brother had the grace to say that those long ago childhood days were some of his happiest and he took great pleasure from the memories of those games.
It is the Age of Unbelieiving where it is cool to pretend that you were never interested in xyz. You actually open mock and deride the thing. You want to be a grown up and to be thought to be grown. Therefore, childhood pleasures are not what is required. How long it lasts depends on the individual. It can be argued that it is a necessary part of growing up. But it also is terribly sad. To be so desperate to be thought of as big that you have to deny the pleasures of your childhood self. With maturity comes the realisation that you can take pleasure, even if you can't revisit.

To be fair to Lewis, he never says that Susan will not reach Narnia again. Aslan simply refuses to tell her story. In The Horse and His Boy, Aslan says he only speaks of an individual's story to that individual. And what ever happens, happens out the scope of the book.

So does Susan get out of her own age of unbelieving? How does she cope with losing her two brothers and her sister? Does she have children of her own and then tell them stories about Narnia? Lewis never reveals this. Given her age at the start of the books, it is possible that Susan could still be alive and telling her grandchildren or great grandchildren the stories. There again, she could have become bitter and twisted. But I like to think the former. And after a long fulfilling life, Susan is reunited with her past. once a queen in Narnia, always queen. It is just the pathway back was somewhat longer. (Or at least this is what I tried to explain to my daughter)
There again I write romance and like happy endings.

The Regency dress

Today is my children's high school's Charity Day. The money raised goes to a worthy charity -- this year is going to support a charity chosen by the family of a sixth former from the school who died of cancer eariler this year.

The theme is historical figures. My eldest is going as a raisin (an easy costume and as he says something that has been around since time immemorial). He would not let me take a photo as he said that I was laughing too hard. The costume consists of two bins bags.

My youngest wore the Confederal General's jacket that I made for a long ago Halloween for my husband and his school trousers. He refused to do up the jacket and also refused to have his picture taken.

My daughter wore the Regency dress. I am proud of it. I dragged my sewing machine out yesterday and completed it -- including ribbon placements on the sleeves and hem line in one day. A lot of cursing did accompany it though when I discovered that I had no choice but to rip a few seams. Still it is the finished product that counts... She had no choice but to pose. This is her Haloween etc costume for many years to come. She is NOT getting the mid Victorian day dress that she has her eyes on....

She is also wearing a scent box necklace (I should find out the correct name). They were poular in the 19th century. You put a dab of scent on some cotton and put it in the box/medallion and then as the warmth of your skin heats the metal, the scent is released. My aunt gave it to me years ago. The reticule belonged to my great great grandmother.

More on Narian codes

The author of the Planet Narnia book left a message in the comments of my earlier blog. He felt that perhaps the BBC programme did not show his theory off to its best advantage.
Having dealt with television and knowing that 3 minutes tv time came mean three hours real time, I had a look at his website. I also only watched until the discussion about the planets ruling the days -- which is something I had come across before in my research for the Romans.
The website did confirm what I thought -- namely Mr Ward has never written fiction for publication and that he has never had to construct a world which exists over a series of books. Equally he has not had to deal with the editor/author relationship when you are speaking about commercial fiction. Sometimes, it can be difficult to say when various themes are decided. The entire revision process throws new connections up and thus it would be improbable that he could do a code to that extent over 7 books and not have his editor know that he was up to something. Also Ward does not mention (it could be in the book) Lewis fighting to keep some imagery in that has no relationship to the story and that he would have only fought for IF he was doing this code. It would be in the editor/author relationship that you would see this happening rather than in his relationship with his reading group. Editors are very powerful beings in the commercial world, particularly in the 1950s.
In the FAQ, I learnt that Lewis held critics who searched for hidden meanings in contempt. Thus, I would doubt that if he had put a puzzle or riddle into each of his books, that he would have done so to the degree that Ward suggests. Also he would have been targeting a single person/specific group of people particularly with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It could be that the correspondance has not survived.
In addition to Father Christmas, this book is the book where the world most reflects English values -- umbrellas, books in a library, sewing machines are all mentioned in this book but not again. It was also geared towards the Christmas book market and someone may have felt that including Father Christmas would help increase either the chances of publication or sales.
You can tell there was some discussion with his editors about order etc and that Lewis lost the argument. This is because he turned in books in a different order to the publication (Horse and His Boy was sent in fourth and published fifth), and indeed apparently began the books in a different order. Although knowing what I know about world building etc and discussions with editors, the later point is not necessarily significant but the sending in of the manuscripts is.
Editors have a habit of saying -- well we would like you to... or can you possibly think about writing this one first. Then they may change their mind.
I know there is a question about the order in which to read the books. I started with Prince Caspian as that was the book my mother bought for my brother. I then borrowed the rest from a neighbour. So because they are stand alone, in one sense the order does not matter. In another, they were edited (and therefore revised by Lewis) in a specific order. Going by order of publication, this puts Voyage of the Dawn Treader third which if you believe Ward's theory is dedicated to the Sun. Sunday is also the Lord's day and this is the first book where Aslan specifically goes on at the end about being Christ. The Christian allegory is a bit clunky at times imho. and as a child, I skipped over it in my rereadings. But because of the trinity and the importance of three, plus the use of sun imagery, you could say that it helps prove the publication with The Lon, The Witch and The Wardrobe being first.

But Mr Ward and I do agree one important point -- Lewis created a magical world that stands the test of time. And he had the right to create the world however he wanted, and not to the dictates of Tolkien.

I am a writer and not a literary critic. I create worlds for my books. But ultimately the most important thing is the story and the story dictates all.

Revisions in

I have turned in my latest set of revisions. They weren't hard and once upon a time, I would have done them in 48 hours. I took 2 weeks. Why? Because I wanted to take the time to go through the manuscript and increase the intensity. I wanted to examine what I'd written and to see if I could make it tighter. I finished putting the revisions on the manuscript yesterday and today, I read it out loud. Again hoping to find mistakes and hoping to make it better. For it is not about what you did on the last book but what you do on this one.

I learnt a few things. Save conversation. Keep the tension. Save the Cat! Some of which go to make the next book even better.

But now I have to sew my daughter's dress as that deadline approaches...tomorrow and it is all in pieces!
Oh and the mole is back. I put the traps down and the mole dug around one -- covering it with a molehill as he created a diversion in his tunnel. New traps have been laid. We just reseeded the lawn as well!

codes and Narnia

First of all, Ashes to Ashes was really fun last night. They have given Alex Drake hope that she might be saved. And they have made things more complicated. It looks good.



On Sunday night, I finally started to watch The Narnia Code. I adored the Narnia books when I was growing up and was interested. About half way through, I turned it off. The theological Phd student Micheal Ward who *discovered* this code obviously has never written a fictional novel, particularly not one for children. Neither did he bother to read CS Lewis's letter to his stepson -- the one which says that he never set out to write seven books. He started with one and they grew. It is difficult to have an overarching code where each book is devoted to a planet if you didn't intend to write Narnia as a set of seven. It would meaning starting out, then writing a sequel (Prince Caspian) and then the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And then seeing that ah, I have done this, so I will continue. That is very difficult on a subconscious level. If it is on an overtly conscience level, why was the Planet code not discovered in his notes and papers?

Also, because in these books, the story is paramount, it would be very difficult to weave in that amount of symbolism where each book is devoted to a different planet (planet as defined by medieval cosmology). The stories, particularly the later stories would have felt forced, particularly the imagery. The Horse and His Boy which is one of the last ones that was published is at its core an adventure story. You get more overtly Christian symbolism with the final two books.

Equally, if he had done that, Lewis would have had a precise ordering to the books. There are two different orderings. Lewis himself is on record as saying that it does not matter in which order the books are read. Given Lewis's deeply held Christian beliefs, if he did have a code, then he would have made sure that the one devoted to the Sun was the first book in one of the orderings. This is because the seven planets are also related to the seven days in medieval cosmology. In the Christian calendar, Sunday is the first day of the week. It is also called Dimanche (or the Lord's day) in French. It is easier to see the correlation between the days and the planets if you use a Latin based language rather than English.
And why choose to start this code with Jupiter and Mars? Because if you believe Lewis, he had only started off to write two books.

As an aside, apparently one of the clues that Ward to his conclusions was in the picture of Mr Tumnus carrying Christmas parcels when he first meets Lucy. This shows a deplorable lack of knowledge about British shopping habits in the early 20th century. As a visit to the Co-op at Beamish Museum shows, ordinary shopping was wrapped up in brown paper and tied with string. They did not use paper bags...Equally I am not certain how much control Lewis had over the pictures. Authors often have far less control over such things than readers imagine.

And then Ward mentioned the trees moving and the fact that the moving trees only appear in Prince Caspian. Actually, they also appear in The Lion,The Witch and the Wardrobe. Going from memory, Mr Tumnus says to Lucy that some of the trees are on the Witch's side. The Magician Nephew also has something about the trees, and the tree that Digory planted moving along with some of the trees in Narnia. It is out of this tree that the wardrobe is created. Personally I always figured that Tolkien and Lewis both were drinking from the same well with the trees.



Anyway, interesting theory but I doubt it. it is looking at stories from the outside in rather than inside out As McKee makes clear in his book, Story, this sort of analysis does not really start until the early 1970s/late 1960s. Lewis worked on the books in the late 1940s/1950s when the literary theory about structure was paramount. So he would have been thinking about plot, structure, conflict rather than the language.

And people should just enjoy the books rather than searching for third meanings.

Literary theory should look at how storytellers write stories before pronouncing on codes. Attempting to give order to randomness can lead to false assumptions.
Browning's statement about once Browning and God knew the meaning of the poem but now only God knows always has struck me as an accurate representation on how writers work.

Ashes to Ashes the second series starts

Ashes to Ashes the second series starts tonight at 9 pm. In honour of this, I have done a post about Philip Glenister for the Pink Heart Society's Male on Monday. Why does he appeal to women?

Now the papers have been concentrating on Keeley Hawes, the woman who plays Alex Drake. Apparently she had some terrible criticism for the last series. Actually, I thought she was fine. It was more the writing and the problems with a Buddy Love (professional love) scenario and introducing a new half to an already working partnership.

Buddy love is the term Blake Snyder uses to decribe the genre -- it is the Buddy Cop. And no matter what the sexes, you do have to build that relationship. It is also the genre that emcompass romance so I know it well. Incomplete protagonist, a coutnerpart and a complication.

In Life on Mars, in some ways, it was a two hander -- both the John Simms and Philip Glenister characters grew and changed. Gene Hunt grew to respect John Simms within the first series. With Ashes to Ashes series one, you had less of that. So Alex Drake was not changing Gene Hunt's perception as explicitly as she could have. Hopefully, the writers will have worked on the relationship and will have ensured that underlying chemistry that is so necessary for a Buddy cop series is there. But I will point out that it was always going to be difficult, simply because of the success of Life on Mars.

So Keeley Hawes had her work cut out and the script writers were less comfortable with a woman as one half of the buddy cop scenario. Hopefully this time the series writers figured out the problem and have actually turned this more into a two hander. Alex Drake needs a reason to stay in the 1980s, but also the audience has to feel that she might be able to get back to her time.

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing the series. It is one of the best things on television at the moment.

Reviews and the Hexham Book Festival

I opened my email today to find a lovely note from Julie Bonello of Cataromance as well as the Pink Heart Society review. Now that the problems with her computer are fixed, Julie has been able to do a review of Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife. And it was well-worth the wait. Regular readers of this blog will know that Julie has reviewed every one of my M&B historicals and that I wait to see what she thinks.

With cataromance she gave Impoverished Miss 5 stars and said:

Michelle Styles is a must-read for readers who are bored to tears of reading hackneyed, clichéd and highly unoriginal wallpaper historical romances. In Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife, her writing is crisp and effortless, her evocation of Regency England superb, her characters believable and authentic, and her ability to tell an emotionally satisfying love story absolutely breathtaking.
Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife is not your typical run-off-the-mill Regency, but a beautifully rendered tale of hope, sacrifice, tragedy and the everlasting power of love.

You can read the full review here.

The Pink Heart Society review said -- Michelle Styles' latest is a beautifully-told, wonderfully written and utterly absorbing historical Regency that I defy anyone to put down once they've read the first page. Imbued with so much style, emotion, humour, charm and intense romance, Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife is outstanding historical romantic fiction at its best!

You can read the rest of the review here.

Both reviews will be printed out and used to combat Crow Attacks. Like most other authors I do suffer from Attacks of the Crows of Doubt. Keeping a scrapbook of good reviews and readers' letters does help.

I know how much time and effort Julie puts into her reviews and thre are reasons why her reviews are so well respected in the romance community.

A reader emailed to say that she could not find me listed on the Hexham Book Festival Programme. Part of the problem is the way the programme is listed and that you have to click on the different times, rather than it being by date. Anyway, here is the blurb and I understand that tickets do remain available. Contact the Queen's Hall box office for more details.

Saturday 2nd May
2.30 - 3.30pm – Mills and Boon panel
Theatre
What could be more universal to the human experience than the thrill of falling in love? There are reasons why the romance genre has consistently proven to be commercially successful. But timelessness does not mean unchanging. As Mills & Boon enters its second century of publishing, three authors, Michelle Styles, Sharon Kendrick, and Natasha Oakley discuss the challenges and pleasures of writing romance in the 21st century with editor Sheila Hodgson

Cost £5.

You can see the full programme on the Hexham Book Festival site.

Contest winners and more articles

My daughter has been drawing contest winners.
From my newsletter contest -- It was Penny W and Pat (Shreky Shrek) Emails have been sent.

With Totebags -- It was Lori Patterson and again an email has been sent.

My sister sent me an article from National Public Radio about Harlequin and romance. I was pleased to see my friend Sarah Mallory's book -- The Wicked Baron getting a mention. US News and World Report lists bodice rippers as its number 3 recession beater. Top was home gardening and Hollywood. I know for some the term Bodice ripper grates like finger nails on a chalk board, but at least it conveys fun escapist reading. And I suspect they wanted to make sure that people did not think it was romance in general but the romance genre in publishing.
Hopefully though people in the media will start taking the genre seriously rather than simply dismissing it.

Personally I never mind bodice ripping as it conveys something that is fun and light. Far too many people treat historical fiction as heavy weighty tomes and are frightened to pick one up. Bodice ripping means that it is accessible. The fact that the history in my books is reasonably accurate and that I hope my books will make non historians interested in history is beside the point. First and foremost, I write good page turning stories. And if the only way to get that across is for some to call them Bodice rippers, then so be it. I suppose Escapist Women's Fiction doesn't have the same ring.

The big question they ask is why, and the answer is obvious. Page turning reads which fulfill the Harlequin promise to its readers. People read these books again and again because they feel emotionally satisfied at the end. There is nothing wrong with escaping for a few hours and at the end feeling like the world is a brighter place.

Still doing my revisions and trying to increase the intensity of characterisation, plus refereeing between stressed out children who are revising for exams...

Nightline on Romance

My aunt emailed me about the piece and then the very lovely Margaret Moore had a link to the video. ABC's Nightline (the US equivalent of the BBC's Newsnight) did a piece on Harlequin.

The CEO, Donna Hayes, was brilliant but then having met her, I wouldn't expect anything less. If you want a role model for a highly successful woman, look no further.

Harlequin is doing very well out of the recession and the US media is just starting to realise (the deadpan readings of the various book not withstanding)

I think the presenter was surprised when Ms Hayes dismissed the need for men as a target audience. Harlequin Enterprise is focussed on women's fiction. It sees no need to change.

I was pleased to see historical mentioned.

Go Harlequin! Escapist Reading is great fun!

Bank holiday Monday

Why are Bank Holiday Mondays always overcast? You would think there would be a law, but no. Almost evey single Bank Holiday I can remember has grey skies and horrid weather. Or maybe, I am so busy enjoying myself on the other Bank Holidays.. Actually the weather was glorious on Saturday and Easter Sunday so I have nothing to complain about...

I am in the midst of revisions so it is physical emotional reactions at times of intensity. In other words, bleed on the page. I do know what is there. The other bit is more repetition. You would have thought that I could have picked up on some of this...I mean it needs to be on the page and not just in my head. SIGH.

And it is Julie Cohen's birthday today. She has a lovely pictore of David Tennant with a kitten. Julie still has a David Tennant fetish. Personally I noticed the kitten more, but that just means I need to get more cats...

Revisions, positive articles and hot cross buns

My very lovely editor sent the latest revisions for the Governess yesterday. She was apologetic as it is Easter weekend. I was very happy. It was then it struck me -- writing for most authors is a vocation. We do it not only because it pays the bills but because we love it and we believe in our characters. If someone gives me the chance to make my story stronger and better, I look on this as a gift and not a chore. And with her thoughts, I am certain that the book is going have more intensity of characterisation etc plus I can trail the now agreed sequel. Hooray for revisions!

Courtesy of the lovely Carrie Lofty, I discovered a very positive article about Romance in the New York Times. As with an severe economic turmoil, the romance genre is proving resilient. It remains to be seen though if the other maxim holds true, and society morals start becoming more conservative... The Blake Snyder blog from a few weeks ago still intrigues me. How the full frontal nudity of the 1920s films went to separate twin beds for married couples in the 1930s films.

And because it is Good Friday, I have been making the Elizabeth David recipe for hot cross buns. It is all well and good to buy the loss leading hot cross buns at the super markets (Tesco has 6 for 30p) BUT there is a certain satisfaction about using fresh spice, yeast and making your own. This means I can put in nutmeg and freshly ground cloves, raisins and mixed peel instead of currents And I get to have fun rolling the dough into snakes to make the crosses. Both my daughter and my youngest have already asked to help with the making of the crosses.

Blogging today at Totebags

I am blogging today at Totebags and to celebrate Impoverished Miss being published in the UK and An Impulsive Debutante being published in Australia, I am giving away one of my books.

I am also talking about the problems of living in two worlds -- the every day world and the world of my imagination. And how sometimes, when I am trying to make the switch, unintended things happen.

Sometimes you just need to knit

Over the past week, the desire has been growing -- I want to knit. The last time, I knitted was when I finished my sister's cardigan back in 2005. But with the cats going, I wanted to do something with my hands as there was no longer a cat to stroke.



Yesterday, I gave in; purchased more wool and new needles; casted on and began a cardigan for my husband. It is amazing what the fingers remember. There is something satisfying about knitting. And right now it fills a need.







My eldest is back from Russia. He prefers St Petersburg to Moscow. Despite the lovely towers, St Basil's was stripped bare inside by the communists. He came back with among other things -- War & Peace in Russian. Interestingly, Tolstoy wrote bits in French. The Russians can read more than one language. I have pointed out to my son that perhaps he ought to learn French as well as Russian!

The clock in the picture was stopped when the October Revolution happened. It has never been restarted. My son found the Hermitage museum to be absolutely fascinating. He enjoyed seeing the various paintings etc. He also found the various memorials interesting. The memorial to the victory over Napoleon is modelled on Trafalgar Square. The guide in St Petersburg had been one of Putin's translator and was very good. The guide in Moscow was very Russian and things had to be done to a time table. While in Moscow, the group went to see the ballet of Sleeping Beauty at the Kremlin. My eldest decided that it was not one of his favourites as there was a lot of pointless dancing at the beginning when the various delegations arrive. He prefers his ballets to have more of a story.
Anyway, he is hoping to return to Russia someday.

Mills & Boon Community live

Over the past month and a half, it has been my pleasure to help be a beta tester for the new Mills & Boon community, a place for UK readers of M&B to come together and discuss all manner of topics. It is run pretty much along the lines of eharlequin. Everyone is welcome, so if you love M&B and want to interact with like minded readers and authors why don't you come along? You can find the Community here.

The Viking's Captive Princess

Ivar's story has finally been titled -- THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS. The title really works for the story so I am pleased. I can't wait to see the blurb my editor works up either. And eventually the cover... It will be published in the North American market in December 09. There is no word on when it will be published in the UK but I am sure my editors will let me know.

My editor has also said that the Governess needs a few more tweaks. As I really want the intensity of characterisation to be there and also because we agreed a linked book AFTER I turned in the revisions, I am pleased to have another go and will take the opportunity to make it really sing. They are supposed to arrive before Easter. So I am keeping myself busy with the paranormal which refused to go away. But my deadlines do whisper to me...

The last parent teacher conference

I attended my last parent teacher conference for my eldest son (despite his being in Russia). The deputy head had sent a note to all the parents saying how important the conference was. It was all about making sure he revises for his A levels and various different strategies, plus reminders about revision sessions. I heard lots of good things but bottom line he needs to study more as nothing is in the bag until you get the final results back.
It is a strange moment when you see all these parents who you can remember as young parents with toddlers doing the rounds for one last time, earnestly discussing their children who now tower above them. The chairs are uncomfortable as ever, the hall just as loud but there is a certain air of poignancy about it.
My youngest reminded me when I got home that I have four more years with him, so I can go back to complaining.
The house still fills quiet. I keep going to pet the cats and end up stroking the breadbin. My daughter and my youngest are resolved to get new kittens sooner rather than later.

Oh and Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife is officially published today so that means I should go and see it at Tescos. There is a certain something about seeing your book on the shelf. It is even better IF you know a couple of copies have been sold...

It's all Greek

Donna Alward let me know that Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife was in Greece last month. I was very pleased to see that the Greeks used the inside cover from the North American version of VWUW as the front cover. I happen to really like that picture.

Because there is now a functioning Greek Harlequin site, I can offer up the Greek version of the blurb.

Η Επιστροφή του Πολεμιστή
Νορβηγία, 794 μ.Χ.Ο ήχος από τα τύμπανα του πολέμου πλημμύριζε τον αέρα και το σκληρό βόρειο φως στραφτοκοπούσε πάνω στα ακονισμένα σπαθιά καθώς η Σίλα στεκόταν στην ακτή και κοίταζε με δέος τα πλοία που ανέβαιναν στο φιόρδ. Ήταν γεμάτα πολεμιστές, άγριους άντρες που αδημονούσαν να ριχτούν στη μάχη και να δοξαστούν.Όμως δεν ήταν η απειλή της κατάκτησης από τον εχθρό που την έκανε να τρέμει σύγκορμη. Ήταν ο τρόπος που σκιρτούσε η καρδιά της στη σκέψη ότι σύντομα θα αντίκριζε το περήφανο πρόσωπο και το καλοσμιλεμένο κορμί του γιάαρλ Βίκαρ Χρούτσον, του αρχηγού των εισβολέων. Του άντρα, που πριν από λίγα χρόνια ήταν σύζυγός της…

I can get a few words like *the*, *and* and *Norway* but the remanents of anceint Greek is woefully inadequate. It is still thrilling though!

Better today

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments and private emails. I do appreciate them. The one great thing about the ROmance community is how many people are pet lovers. And if you have had pets, you do understand about grieving when you lose them.

It is quieter. But things are settling. ANd eventually in time, I will save another few cats. Out there, some where there will a cat or two who needs me and my family.

Right now, I am getting back to writing etc. as that is what I do. Although yesterday for the first time in absolutely ages, I wanted to knit.