In Real Life

I told you I had an excuse. I had a tummy ache. It turned out to be an ulcer but the fun part was I got to go and have some tests. The ultrasound was fun. I met a premmy baby and several pregnant women in the waiting room and, shy little flower that I am, I chatted with all of them. I discovered I do have a gallstone but not a problem one…yet. I also saw all my insides and so I’m pretty confident there is nothing there that is likely to kill me soon. I’m sure you are all relieved about that. The attention seeker hypochondriac in me was a smidgen disappointed.

The next fun thing was the gastroscopy. By that time I was feeling pretty ordinary and I forgot to say hello to my charming surgeon with the Scottish accent. Instead I demanded to be put to sleep immediately. So he sent me a delicious anaesthetist who did so pretty promptly. He held my hand. It was so romantic and inspiring so you can understand why I love writing about medical heroes.

Arc Reading

I didn’t do any proper ARC reading. I did get to read the ARCs from the Beautiful Disaster Anthology coming out soon (see below) and they were lovely. While I was sick, I read and reread lots of vintage by Carole Mortimer, Penny Jordan, Susan Napier and the original Presents wounded hero megastar, Violet Winspear. Better than Prozac.

Movies I’ve Seen

I went with Mother Dearest to see Hail Caesar  by the Coen Brothers. Seriously, there is something for everyone. If you are a fan of fifties Hollywood movies you will be like a pig in mud. There is even a little noirish touch as a thread running through the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Mother Dearest probably felt like she’d fallen into a time vortex and was reliving her teen years.

While I was by myself in Brizvegas, I watched How to be Single starring Dakota Johnson. This was largely a research event but I did enjoy the movie. It was more chick lit than strictly romance with an ensemble cast led by Dakota. She was very good in a role that had certain similarities to her character in the 50SoG movie but with only a passing millionaire and no red room.

The final movie I watched this month was Triple 9. I hadn’t heard of this until I rolled up at the cinema with a couple of hours to kill and a free movie pass to use. The impressive ensemble cast persuaded me. Kate Winslet as a Russian Mafia wife? You had me right there. It was a fascinating story, reminiscent of Fargo but with a touch of Tarantino.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I’m Writing

The Sekrit Project, now called “Swept Away”, is finally finished and will be published on the 20th March as part of the Beautiful Disaster Anthology. This project started a couple of years ago with a group of aspiring writers who met on the Harlequin discussion boards. M.A. Grant is a published author with several books under her belt and Gina Rochelle’s debut book came out just before Christmas 2015. Kari Lemor has some other anthology work behind her and the rest of the team have some interesting things coming up in the future.

Most of you would know by now that I have two short stories coming out in the Romance Writers of Australia Little Gems Anthology in August. I was in the top 14 for both my entries so I was incredibly excited. This years Gem is Sunstone and I did a historical and a contemporary story based around the stone.

My Road Trip Baby story on Wattpad has been hanging fire while I finished Swept Away and I hope to get another chapter up in the next few days. I also entered the Love Inspired Historical Manuscript Match competition at the end of February.  I’ve always been interested in the Love Inspired line but it is largely US based apart from some English Regency stories. I was fortunate enough to have my concept and first page picked to go through to the second round. I’m really looking forward to putting this story together but there is a timeline so I will have to be on target to make the next round deadline in early April. Whatever the outcome, I’m thinking I will learn a lot in the process.

What I’m Reading

I’m not going to have a lot of time for leisure reading over the next two weeks. I have been putting aside books for the Easter holidays and hopefully will catch up on some of my TBR piles. Yes, there are multiple TBR piles.