Survived Lincoln, tomorrow the RNA prize

Survived Lincoln. After biting my nails all the way there, convinced I'd be late or some other great disaster, it ended up all quite relaxed and cosy in the end. Everyone in the group was interested in the book, and in particular the historical subject matter, and the fact that it is written by two authors.

I read out various highlights of the first two chapters of The Lady Soldier, and then the 'theatre scene' from near the end of the book which was a scene I first drafted and really enjoyed researching and writing. It was great looking up the London theatre handbills from the spring of 1812 and seeing what was playing where at the time, and being able to use a real actress/playwright - Miss Jane Scott - for a cameo role. As well as researching what the theatres looked like, how the lighting would have worked, and the manners and customs of theatre going, etc

Tomorrow is the RNA Summer Party in London where I'm there as a guest as I'm shortlisted for the RNA New Writers Award. I won't win because while A Notorious Deception, my first novel, is a fair example of its genre - historical adventurous romance - it can't really compete with the longer, mainstream books which are on this year's shortlist. But I'm really happy to be shortlisted and intend to have a great time tomorrow with old and new faces and the other shortlisted authors. Authorblogger Julie Cohen is also on the shortlist, and I'm looking forward to meeting Linda Gillard whom I've chatted to over e-mail and who is flying down from Scotland specially to be there.

Now, the only problem with all this out-and-abouting is that I haven't written a word for over ten days... (not counting a few notes I jotted down for a scene that came to me for THE ASSASIN when I was in the US).