Tag Archives: Romantic Novelists’ Association

SHEILA CRIGHTON ON ‘THE PRO’S AND CON’FERENCE’ OF 2020

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Conference planning time reminds me of Christmas. Perhaps it’s because the planning begins around October when, life becomes a bit more twinkly. Or perhaps it’s because I get to open up a new spreadsheet and start putting together another buzzy, creative, inspiration-filled roster of sessions with which to lure people along to our next venue (Leeds Trinity in 2021, if you’re asking).

When I first started attending in 2015, the extraordinary Jan Jones was the doyenne of all things conference. And when I say all things, I literally mean all the things. She booked the speakers, the delegates, the venues (booking venues happens years in advance to make sure we get our early-July slot). She put up the signs pointing us up stairs and down corridors and around the corner to the loos. She knows where to get wine. Who can help make the microphones work (thank you, Janet Gover!). She knows who likes to sleep on a quiet floor and who needs a kitchen that parties into the wee hours. She did it all. Yes, there are helpers. People who greet lovely newbies (cheers, Kate Thomson) and people who schedule the industry appointment allocations (thank you, Elaine Everest). People who chair the RNA (kisses to Alison May and all past leaders), and of course the scads of folk who help stuff those lovely goodie bags, but still. Organising a conference for well over two hundred delegates and some thirty-plus speakers as well as the venue, the catering, the glitter on the tables for Saturday night etc etc is a big task.

So, a couple of years ago before I’d even had a sip of wine, I volunteered to help. I’d book the speakers and one-to-one industry experts and Jan would oversee the venue logistics (of which there is a mind-boggling amount to consider) and book the delegates (another epic job including, but not limited to, getting those lovely glittery first-time Conference attendee flowers on name tags).

Booking speakers is akin to picking thirty-six shiny candies from a huge jar filled with thousands of impossibly wonderful candies. The previous year’s speakers have to be considered. Delegate’s feedback is pored over (yes, we really do consider it). All this and more to create that all important balance for the myriad of novelists who make up our membership. We put a lot of thought into creating sessions that meet everyone’s needs and perspectives, headlining the RNA’s passion for inclusivity. As such, the speakers should showcase the variety in modern romantic fiction including: romcom, historical, SCIFI, saga with BAME, LGBTQ and all of the other protagonists in between seeking their Happily Ever Afters. After all, love matters to everyone. And then, of course, there are the one-to-one industry feedback sessions. The feedback – no matter the outcome – is unbelievably useful. It’s definitely taught me to take some constructive criticism on the chin!

This year, just as everything was getting exciting and I thought we’d nailed it, Covid-19 happened and we couldn’t hold the shiny conference I’d just organised and Jan had already taken over a hundred bookings for. Then our chairwoman Zoomed me (because that’s now a verb) and said “virtual conference.” I said no, no, no because I was mourning the conference we couldn’t have. When booking opened for the virtual conference Alison persuaded me to book speakers and industry professionals for despite my reservations, scores of you signed up. Which is just the juice we need, come autumn, to open up a shiny new spreadsheet and do it all again. Happy virtual conference everyone!!

 

Sheila Crighton’s first job was selling popcorn at an arthouse cinema. She later became a cameraman and news producer for Associated Press TV, made a few TV programmes, then gave it up to raise stripy cows and write books as Annie O’Neil and Daisy Tate. One of her gazillion dreams is to write a Hallmark Christmas movie.

 

JANET GOVER INTRODUCES THE RNA’S ONLINE WRITING COURSES

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Writers might be solitary creatures much of the time, but that doesn’t mean we are finding the current restrictions any easier to deal with. Our nature leads us to keeping our minds active, and like everyone else, we are missing being with friends and colleagues at social gatherings, conferences and events.

Purely by chance, a project I’ve been working on for a while now is coming to fruition at just the right time. I’m talking about the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s new online learning programme #RNALearning.

Teaching and writing are two things I’ve done all my life, and I’m also a bit of a geek. When online training was first suggested to me in my day job as an IT trainer, I wasn’t too thrilled. I like face to face contact with people I’m teaching. They are more likely to laugh at my jokes that way. But once I started training online, I soon became a convert.

It’s so easy to attend an online course. There’s no special technology needed – just the internet. If you can watch a cute cat video online and send an email, you can do an online course. And in the current world, it’s a great way to keep our minds active in a lockdown.

Online courses can include watching videos (and not feeling guilty about it), joining online chat (see previous comment re guilt), downloading notes and doing exercises. It’s a great way to maintain contact with other writers, and because it’s online you can make it fit into whatever your time commitments are.

The RNA’s courses are open to anyone to join, whatever genre they are writing. Tutors will cover topics of interest for writers at all stages of their career, using the RNA’s online learning portal, via Moodle, a standard teaching tool used in many colleges and universities.

It’s my great joy to be the tutor for the scheme’s pilot course: Taking the Plunge – Your Submission Pack – which runs for the entire month of May. This is aimed at anyone who wants to follow a traditional publishing route and submit their work to an agent or traditional publisher. I’ll be talking about giving a book the best possible chance with agents and editors: preparing the MS, writing a synopsis and cover letter and what to do when the answer is no – or what to expect if it’s yes. Most importantly, there’ll be exercises and feedback for everyone. At the end of the course, participants should have their submission pack ready to go.

We started planning this last year – and never expected to be launching it in a world turned upside down by crisis. I hope it will be more than just a learning experience full of useful information for writers – I also hope it will help us all feel more positive in this difficult time.

Bookings are now being taken for the first course. Details can be found at:

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna-learning-intro-page/ or email janetgover@romanticnovelistsassociation.org

 

About the author:  Janet Gover is a former journalist and IT specialist turned award-winning novelist. She is also a qualified trainer and a well regarded writing tutor. She runs the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and is part of the Association’s education team.

SAMANTHA TONGE ON WINNING THE VERY FIRST JACKIE COLLINS ROMANTIC THRILLER AWARD

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Excuse the pun, but what a thrill it was to win the first ever Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2020 awards ceremony. First and foremost because it is a huge honour to be connected, even in a tenuous way, to such an amazing person. I loved her Lucky Santangelo character when I was a young woman.

Jackie Collins wrote real page-turners that whilst glamorous and escapist, somehow seemed real. And what an inspiration she was, writing 32 novels and achieving over half a billion sales. She was a funny, feisty woman who created kick-ass heroines and it was an extra honour to have the award handed to me by her granddaughter. I was also thrilled to win as the competition was so stiff, the other contenders being the wonderful Dorothy Koomson, Lucinda Riley, Virginia Heath and Lauren Westwood.

Knowing You is my second dark women’s fiction novel – previously I’d had nine romantic comedies published. It was challenging changing my direction, but with my brilliant agent’s help, Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson Literary Agency, I learned so much and it felt like a real validation, at the ceremony, to hear my name read out. I still remember that moment. A real whoosh went through me and I think I managed to mumble a few words at the podium, in a daze!

I was also so pleased because I’d poured my heart into writing Knowing You. It is a story about being brave enough not to conform, not to fit in. It’s about taking control of your life in the face of adversity. The main character is kind-hearted children’s editor, Violet. When her partner leaves she seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella, whom her old friends disapprove of. However when Violet was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. Therefore Violet is determined that the same thing won’t happen to her new best friend now…

Samantha Tonge (centre) with her husband and her agent

The awards ceremony which took place on March 2nd, in the RNA’s diamond anniversary year, was a glittering occasion, attended by legendary romance authors Sophie Kinsella and Carole Matthews – and Strictly Dancing star Anton du Beke. Yes, I managed to speak to all three! Everyone’s outfits were fantastic and after the ceremony we enjoyed a buffet.

I feel incredibly lucky to belong to such an association that promotes such a popular and wide genre. For some reason it’s been much maligned and romance books rarely get shortlisted for the big industry awards, despite its millions of readers. As Milly Johnson said, at the podium, when she collected the Outstanding Achievement Award: ‘We are the glorious counterbalance to this climate of hate.’ More than ever we need happy ever afters and gripping reads that whisk us away and it’s great to see such stories recognised by the RNA. ​​​​​​

Samantha Tonge

 

Ian Chapman, COO of Simon & Schuster and close friend of Jackie Collins announced the new Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award in 2019 which S&S will sponsor for a minimum of 5 years. Jackie Collins was a creative force, a trailblazer for women in fiction and in her own words “A kick-ass writer!’. Since her debut The World is Full of Married Men in 1968, her books have sold in their millions in more than 40 countries and she is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. She passed away in September 2015 after years privately battling breast cancer.

 

Click below for all category winners https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/news_article/romantic-novel-award-winners-2020/

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JESSIE CAHALIN ON LIVING THE DREAM

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I first became aware of Jessie when this amazing blog appeared, featuring books in handbags, but it was some time before we met, introduced by the lovely Angela Petch at an RNA conference. There is a certain symmetry between us; she is a Yorkshire author living in Cardiff, and I am a Cardiff author living in Cornwall. That, and the fact she is a wonderfully giving and collaborative person, makes me consider her a Sister Scribe.

 

When I reached my mid forties, I realised my career ambition had overshadowed my creativity.  Stuck on a treadmill of administration, I signed off educational action points for teachers but had not achieved any of my own goals.  Days started at 6am and ended at midnight.  Fuelled with coffee, I survived on very little sleep, but my life-long dream to write a novel haunted me.  A health scare prompted me to grab time for myself and take control of my destiny.

Characters hassled me for years and it was time to set them free in my novel, ‘You Can’t Go It Alone’.  I tapped away on my laptop keyboard for six months; it was fun to finally meet the characters. At times, their behaviour shocked me, but they showed me there is more to life than action planning and policy making. Sophie, a character in the novel, showed me the importance of the simple things in life.  She also made me smile again.

Writing improved my wellbeing, and I wanted to learn more about the craft.  I sought the advice of a professional editor and engaged in cutting, cutting and shaping. Novel completed, I closed my laptop, ticked off one point on my bucket list, and hopped back on to my life. I mused that I would re-read my words again one day.

Unbeknown to me, my husband read the manuscript of ‘You Can’t go It Alone’.  He published the novel, without my knowledge, as he knew I would dilly dally. He threw me into the world of indie publishing.  It shocked me, but I decided to grab the opportunity and make connections with the writing and reading community via a blog and social media.  Initially, the aim of my blog was to share book reviews of all the books that had resonated with me over the years. I named the blog Books in my Handbag as all my books are on the kindle, in my handbag.

Playing on the theme of handbags, I tweeted photos of my novel in my handbag. Overwhelmed with the positive comments about the photo, I realised it would be fun to ask authors to send their photos. I developed the Handbag Gallery to showcase the authors’ books and provide a unique boost to the marketing of hundreds of authors. I now have almost fourteen thousand followers on Twitter, and the photos of book in handbags are always a hit.

The Handbag Gallery connected me to lots of authors, and they have supported me with the writing process and promotion.  With pearls of wisdom from indie and traditionally published authors and hard work, I achieved bestseller rankings across UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  I was third in contemporary women’s fiction in Canada. The day my book was placed beside Margaret Atwood, I felt as if the stars had aligned.

Last year, I moved beyond virtual connections with authors reached out to the Romance Novelists’ Association. It is wonderful to meet with authors in the local RNA chapter and became a member of the New Writers’ Scheme.  I don’t know what the future holds for ‘Loving You’ because I am exploring benefits of the traditional and indie publishing routes.  I have started my third novel and have been offered opportunities to write articles in magazines My experience shows you do have to speculate to accumulate.  I am celebrating three years of my blog and living the dream in writerly heaven. Moreover, I have taken control of my health and wellbeing.

Wishing everyone the strength to follow their dreams.

 

Visit Jessie’s website at http://www.JessieCahalin.com    or follow her on Twitter @BooksInHandbag

MILLY JOHNSON ON WINNING THE RNA’S OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

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Sunday Times Bestselling Author Milly Johnson on winning this prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award and what the Romantic Novelists’ Association means to her. 

I cannot tell you how delighted I was to receive an email telling me that I was being given the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award this year – this very special 60th anniversary year too.  It was one of those ‘pinch-yourself’ moments: how was it that me, a northern bird with no industry connections, who always wanted to be an author but never really thought it would be possible, was getting this accolade? It made me quite reflective of all the years between those moments and I realised

Credit: Chris Sedgewick

how much hard work I’d done to be published and stay published. I was never under any illusion that getting a book out there would bring me instant fame and fortune but still, there was never anything I wanted to do as much as hold a book, written by me with my name on the cover. And here I am published, and actually selling a few copies as well.  I never get blasé about it, it’s a thrill every time to see my name on a new book, to see it out there in the wild.

I have grafted, gone above and beyond the call of duty as you do for something you want with all the fibre of your being. I remember reading an early Carole Matthews book, loving her work, looking up to her, wanting to be published like she was, promoting her to status of goddess in my head and then a few years later she was my pal and we had the same agent. I remember well that longing to be ‘one of the chosen’ and so I can easily put myself in the shoes of those who are looking at me and imagining themselves published one day.  If they want it hard enough, and put the work in, and if one agent rejects them, and they move on to the next never taking a no as the final answer, then one day that call will come to say they’ve got a deal. Then the hard work begins. I used to equate that first publishing deal with the pinnacle of Everest, but it’s not even Base Camp. And often in this job, writing the book is the easiest part!

I am so looking forward to the evening. I have many friends there shortlisted for an award that it is sure to be a jolly one, and my plus one for the evening is my best novelist pal Debbie Johnson, because you need someone who understands the intricacies of this crazy job, to trust with all your niggles and to act as a sounding board when you feel like screaming because you’ve had the worst review ever written by anyone. And you are there for them when the reverse happens. A bit of kindness in this game goes a long, long way. And it’s always the best Karma to pay it forward.

I joined the RNA when I was published, not before. I was quite adamant that’s the way I’d do it and what a misguided fool I was! Had I joined before I would have benefitted from so much inspiration and guidance, I would have had so many more writer friends to mix with rather than do it all alone. I missed out on help and fun and a lot of Prosecco. But join I did eventually and it was one of the best investments I made becoming part of the association. I encourage any other writer not to follow in my footsteps as far as my stubbornness goes, but to join as soon as you can and take advantage of the wealth of wisdom its ‘fabulousness of authors’ has to share.

 

My One True North by Milly Johnson is published on 5th March by Simon and Schuster and is available to pre-order now. 

 

DIAMOND DEAL AT THE HEART OF ROMANCE

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Like to win sixty romance novels to celebrate RNA60? Jane Cable on how – and why – you can.

Those who follow Sister Scribes will know the Romantic Novelists’ Association is very close to my heart. After all, I’ve made so many friends through it and it’s a wonderfully supportive organisation. But how to give something back? I’m not a committee person… I invariably end up wanting to run screaming from the room… so what to do?

Over a year ago I had an idea. It stemmed from a conversation on the RNA’s private Facebook group and it dawned on me that the RNA had nowhere on the platform to communicate with readers. Surely lovers of romantic fiction would flock to a page to chat about – and with – their favourite authors, especially with the strength of the organisation’s brand behind it.

Several other like-minded people commented on the thread so we got in touch and wrote a proposal for the RNA committee to consider, the result of which was a pilot of the Romantic Fiction Book Club with invited volunteer authors, bloggers and readers. All went well and it made sense for the launch to be part of the celebrations for the RNA’s diamond anniversary. We were given a date at the heart of Romance Reading Month – 14th February – but how to make a splash?

We toyed with Facebook live events and launch parties and various other concepts at the limits of our technical ability and then I came up with a crazy idea. What about a competition to win so many books it would make a massive splash? Sixty books, in fact. And sixty more for individual runner up prizes.

At the RNA last year conference I’d met Charlotte Ledger, editorial director of Harper Collins’ digital first arm, 0ne More Chapter. Heart in mouth I emailed her to ask if there was any chance at all they could provide sixty books. She came back within hours with a resounding yes, telling me her marketing manager would be in touch because she had some ideas.

Not just ideas, as it turned out, but expertise and enthusiasm. The competition could be hosted on their platform, they would administer it and provide promotional material as well as the prizes. I was practically dancing around the table with joy. Now all I had to do was find sixty RNA members willing to give a signed book as runner up prizes.

A post in the RNA’s private Facebook group and within twenty-four hours they were all pledged, which just goes to show what a fabulous organisation it is. As I write this the hard work is continuing behind the scenes to co-ordinate this aspect and the whole admin team is getting involved. The group is already open for new members but on launch day we can really start promoting it and the bookish chat should really take off.

“But how do I win sixty books?” I hear you cry. Simple… the link to the competition is here, and there are a number of ways you can enter. Just make sure one of them is to join the Romantic Fiction Book Club. https://gleam.io/EIObQ/one-more-chapter-and-rna-diamond-anniversary-book-giveaway

My heartfelt thanks go to the team at 0ne More Chapter and fellow admins of the Romantic Fiction Book Club, Lizzie Chantree, Julie Morris, Michele Josie and Ellie Henshaw who have worked so hard to make this competition happen.

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JANE WENHAM-JONES ON THE BIG FIVE O

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Following on from the RNA article in Frost last week I’m delighted to welcome Jane Wenham-Jones – novelist, columnist and presenter  – to Sister Scribes today. Thank you, Jane, for answering our many and varied questions.

 

First off the blocks. Plotter or pantser? Or does it vary by what you are writing (short story, novel, ‘how to’ book etc)?  

I started off as a Pantser, but I am now – through bitter experience ha! – a plotter. I plotted my last novel – The Big Five O – fairly forensically as it follows the stories of four different women and I needed to make sure it was balanced and the timeline worked. When I wrote a weekly column, however,  I would often just begin writing and see what came out… And I tend to write articles with just a vague idea of the content. I am on my tenth book as we speak and I have a one-sentence description for each chapter on a sheet beside me, but whether the novel will end up like that is another matter…

What, for you, is the very hardest part of writing?

Getting started. I am such a procrastinator. My son used to say he could always tell when the novel wasn’t flowing because even HIS shelf of the airing cupboard had been tidied…

And what is the most rewarding?

Writing “The End” (There’s nothing like it!!)

Photo credit Bill Harris

What do you see as the greatest success of your writing career? And what was the deepest disappointment?

One came from the other. When the publishing house that took my first two novels didn’t want the third (“too many serious issues”) it felt like the end of the world. I really thought it was all over. But this led indirectly to my writing Wannabe a Writer?, which in turn has led to many opportunities and has apparently, and gratifyingly, helped lots of writers (many of them now more successful than I am!) get published. I now have a patchwork ‘career’ which I love, and all the interviewing I do – I’ve done events with hundreds of top authors and celebs – which brings me great joy, started from one event for that small publisher who took me on for my third novel. As one door closes etc …

As you know, Sister Scribes is all about women writers supporting each other through their writing journeys. Do you have a ‘go to’ bunch of fellow female writers you value and rely on? If so, how did you meet them and how do you support each other?  

The RNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) is a wonderful institution and I have made many terrific friends through it, who have been wonderfully supportive. I email often with Katie Fforde, Judy Astley, Janie Millman, and others and it is good to have someone at the end of a screen who knows what it’s like when one is only capable of pairing the socks…

What are your wishes and ambitions for this year and this decade?

My own chat show anyone?

And finally.  I LOVED the Big 50.  So funny and warm. How do you celebrate big birthdays yourself?

Ah thank you so much x It was fun to write. I love a party but I tend to cower when it comes  to  big birthdays. I spent 40 in a darkened room and ran away for my 50th. But now – having lost people far too young and had a life-threatening illness myself, I think how ridiculous that all was. If I haven’t been crushed by a passing bus by the time I’m sixty, I shall have a ball!

 

The Big Five-O by Jane Wenham-Jones is published by Harper Collins in paperback and in e-book formats. www.janewenham-jones.com @JaneWenhamJones

JANE WENHAM-JONES REFLECTS ON TEN YEARS OF PRESENTING THE ROMANTIC FICTION AWARDS

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One of the most anticipated highlights of Romance Reading Month is when the announcement of the shortlistees for the Romantic Novel Awards is made which this year will be on the 3rd Feb. The awards themselves will be held on 2nd March 2020 at The Leonardo Hotel, Tower Hill, with prizes in nine categories of Romantic Fiction as well as the award for Outstanding Achievement.

Jane Wenham-Jones has hosted the RNA awards since 2011. Here she reflects on ten years of sparkly gowns, celebrity guests and Awarding Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

“It is usually around this time of year that I start spending an inordinate amount of time looking at frocks. When I first presented the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards, it was with Tim Bentinck – David from The Archers – and I wore an over-the-top glittery affair in fuchsia, which set the pattern for the next ten years. In that time, I have got stuck in a dress, had to involve a veritable team to zip me up, and had the formidable Catherine Jones (ex-army) shove an authoritative arm down my front to tape up my cleavage so I didn’t do a Judy Finnegan. Who, as it happens, made the night when she gave out the awards with the lovely Richard Madeley a couple of years later.

Photo credit Marte L Rekaa

The award ceremony is one of the highlights of my year. It is glorious to celebrate the very best in romantic fiction – a massively-selling and important genre that warms hearts worldwide – and uplifting to see the very real joy on the faces of the winners. I usually mispronounce the name of at least one of these and quite often drop my notes, but thanks to our marvellous celebrity guests we laugh on.   I have choked with hilarity with the Reverend Richard Coles, developed a small crush on Barbara Taylor Bradford  and gazed in awe at the beauty and elegance that is Dame Darcey Bussell. Prue Leith, Fern Britton, Alison Weir and Peter James have done the honours too, and were all funny and as hugely supportive as you would expect.

The Romantic Novelists’ Association does much to dispel the image of the romantic author floating in a cloud of pink chiffon dreaming of tall, brooding, macho men sweeping small fluttery females off their delicate size threes and the annual awards are a celebration of the reality and diversity of writing about love, as well as a jolly good excuse to drink lots of champagne. The next one is going to be extra special as it falls in the year this brilliant organisation gets its bus pass. We have a famous guest to hand out the gongs, an exciting new award in memory of the late, great Jackie Collins and more on the various short lists than ever before. I’ve got the dress early. Bring it on and Happy Birthday RNA!”

www.janewenham-jones.com

To celebrate 60 years of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Romance Reading Month will run throughout February #RNA60 #RomanceReadingMonth

Throughout the month the focus will be on different ways that readers can access romantic fiction and will be highlighting different sub-genres and authors as well as supporting libraries during #LoveMyLibraryWeek On Valentine’s Day the RNA will be launching a new Facebook Group, the Romantic Fiction Book Club. The group has been created by a number of RNA members to provide a safe and cosy place for romance lovers to chat about their favourite books. The RNA will also be championing romantic fiction from underrepresented authors. RNA Chairwoman Alison May said, “We have bursaries available for new and mid-career authors from under-represented groups. We invite authors and readers to share their diverse romance novels using the hashtag #RNADiverseRomance.”

If you would like more details about Romance Reading Month or the Romantic Novelists Association then please visit www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org