Some wonderfully heartening - and most unexpected - news announced this morning: The Lantern has been shortlisted in the Epic Romantic Novel category for the Romantic Novelists' Association's 2012 Awards. It's up against some very strong competition so I've not a crumb of expectation of this going any further, but just as it is, this is just the spur to the confidence I needed.
The RNA is much respected across the whole publishing industry here in the UK, and they are also renowned for the lovely parties they host! This time we'll all be hoisting a glass at One Whitehall Place in London for the annoucement of the category winners next month and I know it'll be a lot of fun.
Meanwhile, I'm back at my desk, cracking on. One laptop for writing, one for the internet. This is the way it works best for me, writing on the old one using Windows Vista. I get so furious with the Windows 7 on the new one as I can never find the edit icons I want! I've tried and failed to write on it - my temper won't hold long enough for any attempt at romantic lyricism. So the faithful old keyboard it is, some handwritten pages and a good old-fashioned thesaurus and I'm away.
You can read more about the Romantic Novelists' Association here in these links to The Bookseller and the RNA site:
The Bookseller
Romantic Novelists' Association
Oh, and if you thought for a moment that I was most uncreatively tidy, then here's a wider view of my study!
