Susan Stephens' Writing Diary

Daydreaming about Daytona when should be finishing checking latest ms... Well, the weather is grim here and likely to get worse and Daytona is... well, sunny.

Don't forget to come and find me at the 'signing', I'm hoping to meet up with as many of you as possible and have 10 special 'giveaways' for the 1st ten readers who read this blog.
So, all you blogtastic people, don't miss out!!!

Am late this morning, so shall dash now... am loving this latest book-
will let you know when it has a title- at the moment it's called FLOM
For love or money
I think we all know which of those wins my heroine's heart, but it's the journey that counts... and when that journey is conducted in Italy's stunning capital city Rome with a hard-hearted alpha called Santino you can expect some fireworks along the way!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan

Morning everyone!

It's 5.30am monday here in the UK and my pet is already hard at work in the writing cave.

Can you please tell her that I need at least my breakfast and a walk before she starts writing- And what's with coming downstairs in PJ's and a robe? Sloppy, or what!
Deadline, or no deadline I do have my standards to maintain! I will have to have a woof with her first chance I get.

Meanwhile woof to all, and happy reading everyone!
Finlay

Congratulations to Karen Gray of Bensenville USA for winning our blog exclusive competition!

A signed copy of The Greek's Bridal Purchase will be in the mail to you tomorrow, Karen.







And thank you all for your patience.
I've been quiet over the last couple of days for reasons...
Not least of which is that I'm up against the deadline wall again- and with only half my book read and checked and with the whole family staying over this weekend to celebrate 'The Ring' (diamond solitaire/extremely twinkly and in very good taste- what else should I expect from my son!!) it doesn't look like I'm going to get out of the kitchen anytime soon.

Oh, well... I have a good supply of midnight oil to hand and it isn't every day my son gets engaged and buys his lovely fiancee a ring for all of us to swoon over! And after all I love romance (that's right, keep the excuses coming Susan- but you still have to get that book in by tomorrow)
No, of course I'm not panicking.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Back to peeling spuds for me.
Speak tomorrow.
Love to all, and enjoy what remains of your weekend everyone!
Susan

One of the things I am most grateful for in my life is friendship... and I am so lucky to have kept my friends from my days at music college.

I think I've mentioned before that some of us were allowed into the conservatoire aged 17 Well four best friends came together on that very first week and umpty umpty umph years later we're still the best of friends.

What has become of us? Well, you know about me...

Sue (another Sue) has just received an invitation to Buckingham Palace (yes, our own dear queen's house) to receive acknowledgement for her services to music. Sue teaches piano at one of our leading music schools launching the careers of countless young people and has one fabulously handsome son who after his skating career was cut short by an accident now takes his top flight magic act around the world.

Jan, who is godmother to my children, has an incredible singing voice and has been crucial to the development of some of this countries leading operatic voices. She is still one of the funniest people I know.

And beautiful Kate has three stunning sons. Having been a very popular principal with the D'Oyly Carte Opera company, Kate is still much sought after for concert work and is now a fully qualified nurse...

We're getting together this lunchtime to have a lot of fun and shed some tears as one of us has just received some less than great health news. But we're going to stayed glued to her side and love her better.

The four muskateers instead of three! We'll always be there for each other- no more perching on the stage at college gossiping about what we're going to do when we go out into the big, wide world... we're here, and it's tough, but we're together and that's what counts.

Wishing you all the blessing of good friends

Love to all and happy reading everyone!

Susan

Mud on my face...



Well, there was no one to take a photo of me, so I used this one instead.

Muddy fields do not put off your author when she has to take her beloved dogs for a walk. Oh, no...
But she should remember to put on her specs before she leaves the house. Then she might have a chance of spotting the brambles lying in wait across the path.

One welly boot and then the other became entangled in the brambles and like a tree crashing to the ground ( a well padded tree, fortunately) I keeled over in the mud.

That's okay... except that when I leave the fields I have to walk home through this rather posh village where all the mums are bustling about and all the neatly dressed children are lined up waiting for the school bus.

Red face, moi?
Well, at least they couldn't see the colour of my face beneath all the mud.

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan

We've discussed waking up in the morning with that big black cloud hanging overhead...

We've talked about waking up and shouting at the top of our voices 'White Rabbits!' Along with giving each other pinches and punches on the first of the month...

(Yes, by now those of you who are not regular visitors here are making a circular motion with one finger against your temple, but bear with me)

Today is a POW! day. How do I know this?

I woke up today feeling the world and everyone in it buzzing with energy all around me...

Happy POW! day everyone

OK, so now you can all go off and do that circular thingy with your finger... Me? I'm off to the writing cave and I feel goooooooooooooooood.

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Oh, and PS... don't forget to enter our blog exclusive competition- you have until the weekend. Go 3 mails or so down to find the question and instructions on how to enter . The prize is a signed copy of The Greek's Bridal Purchase along with some hot goodies. Or maybe they're cold ones. Anyway, goodies.

PPS First I had what I am reliably informed was a ninja fighter as my image for today, but then the same sprog pointed out that not only was my ninja going 'POW!' But he had just cut off someones head...
Hope you like my Salvador Dali instead!

Sx

I received an interesting question in the mail today...

Who is my favourite fictional character?

Darcy? Heathcilff?

Er, no, actually, it's a very special lady called Mrs Do-as-you-would-be-done-by from Charles Kingsley's book The Water Babies.

In this Victorian fairy-tale Charles Kingsley tells the story of a young chimney sweep who finds himself in a land underwater ruled by two women: Mrs. Be-done-by-as-you-did and Mrs. Do-as-you-would-be-done-by. Under their tutelage the little lost boy Tom evolves into a compassionate and upstanding youth who learns to think about others and to be selfless.
Like Dickens, Charles Kingsley hoped to expose some terrible social injustices, in this case the plight of young children used to clean chimneys for no better reason than they were sprightly and slender enough to fit down the black hell of sooty pipes; slender enough because they were half starved.

I guess I liked both women equally, but I remember Mrs DAYWBDB's name most clearly. As a child I found TWB utterly compelling, though decidedly gritty by today's standards...
A very clever film was made some years ago where film turns to cartoon at the moment Tom plunges into the water.
Time for a re-make?
Yep, I think so.

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

It's such a beautiful sunny day here in the UK today I am late posting my blog....

But here's a lovely sunny picture for you from the cover of my latest UK/Australia release,
The Greek's Bridal Purchase

This is a very special book to me as if follows the story of a musician who can no longer make music- and to me that ranks as one of life's greatest tragedies.

The Greek's Bridal Purchase is the follow up book to The Italian Prince's Proposal, but my question to you doesn't concern the identical twin heroines this time around.

To win a signed copy of the book tell me the names of the hero in each story...
1) The hero in The Italian Prince's Proposal is...
2) The hero in The Greek's Bridal Purchase is...

And please don't forget to add your full name and snail mail address.
Head your entry, Blog Exclusive Contest or BEC for short!
The winner will be drawn by the one and only Finlay dog next Saturday!

Good luck everyone!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

Ever conscious of the sexual discrimination act I wanted to show a photograph of a young man enjoying the soothing joys of knitting.

It is we're told, the latest craze. More appropriate to say it has come back into fashion- my grandma taught me how to knit and I was at my most productive in the theatre while I was waiting to go on stage. One year each member of my family received an Aran cardigan for Christmas... The worst part was knitting the blasted plackets onto which you sewed buttons or made buttonholes- they went snaking on forever. Oh, happy days!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone
Susan
PS I think we'll have another Blog-exclusive competition this weekend, what do you think?
Sx
I smile when I think about it now- they probably had to root them out from the back of the wardrobe each time I came round and wear them pretending glee with their 'high fashion' item!

Yep, tempting though it may be to arrive in a caravan of camels, or in a horse drawn carriage with my belongings perched perilously on the back it's looking like I'm going to have to forget my romantic notions in favour of hiring a couple of these rather large lorries... Well, I do have a full sized grand piano to transport before I even start thinking about my books and music. And then there are practical considerations like beds and chairs...

Pressure of work means I am going to pack up my office myself- working on the principal that if I pack it I'll know where everything is...

And I think we all know how that is going to work out.

But please don't disillusion me... for the moment allow me to bask in the idea that I shall simply leave here and arrive in my new office where I will have everything sorted within the hour...

And then prepare for me having the screaming ab-dabs the following day!

Tin hats everybody!

And no, I don't have a date yet, but you'll be the first to know!

Love to all and happy reading everyone!

Susan

Well, it makes a change from H and h getting down and dirty!
Here you can see Rico Cortes and Zoe Chapman being absolutely clean with one another...

My only complaint is that I feel the H's hair should be tousled- so much sexier, don't you agree, ladies? But perhaps that's cos he is a billionaire.

I do find the super-rich have an aura about them- not that I know many... but I was almost run over by the Duke of Kent at the 'Trooping of the Colour' ceremony in London some years ago and he was most definitely groomed to the max.
(Yes, I had time to notice.)
(What do you mean I should have been looking where I was going? Don't you know how many gorgeous troopers are about?)
(And I was seventeen and therefore somewhat impressionable at the time...)
(All right, all right, I 'fess up- it was a little more than 'some years ago')

The Spanish Billionaire's Mistress won the Cataromance reviewers' choice award for 2005 and will be on general release in the US in May- right in time for RT Daytona. (so bring yours along and I'll sign it for you . The first ten readers will also receive a special goodie bag into the bargain!)
You can preorder now through www.amazon.com and all other bookstores.

**Don't forget to pop along to www.accessromance.com all-a-blog for my Brit-blog today (US time)... royalty makes an appearance in that one too!!! **

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

For all of us who aren't receiving a diamond today here is a cyber selection for you to choose from- no guessing which is my favourite, since it somehow managed to be published more than all the others- or was that me, drooling and distracted?!

Actually Susan, an image of you drooling is not what the readers want...

Sorry girls, I just can't help it- diamonds or chocolate and I'm drooling!








Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

And PS Don't forget to check in tomorrow for my Brit-blog on www.accessromance.com (all-a-blog)

Okay, so tell me... what do they get out of it?

Oh, yeh, I remember, they get to con little old ladies and those not shrewd enough to work out that spammers are the computer equivalent of heavy breathers.

Go get a proper job saddoes.

Aaah, yes. Feeling better now having flexed my inner engine and cracked my knuckles.

Wishing a vibrant feisty Monday to everyone!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

Jewellers have just been enjoying their most profitable weekend of the year according to statistics. More couples decide that Valentine's Day is the day for exchanging rings than any other day of the year.

Let's all enjoy a blissed-out moment as we contemplate all those fab' glittery surprises lurking in dark pockets until they are presented on Wednesday.

All together now... 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...'

Love and happy reading everyone!
Susan

For some reason, it's a black cloud day... So I tried to find the prettiest black cloud I could so we can all pull long faces together and then think... 'Oh, isn't that a pretty picture-' and start smiling again!

And then............

Proving the power of positive thought beyond all doubt!!!

The lovely postlady came and I discovered that my book,

The Sheikh's Captive Bride is about to be released in Germany... Hello, everyone reading this in Germany!!!

To celebrate I'm inviting the first German speaking reader who would like an autographed copy of The Sheikh's Captive Bride, to mail me on susanstephenshmb@yahoo.com giving their snail mail address and full name in the body of the mail. Put the heading German copy/TSCB and a signed copy will be in the post to you on Monday.

Hugs around the world and happy reading everyone!

Love to all

Susan

Here as promised is an image of the stocks. As you can see it was possible to punish two miscreants at once! Quite cosy really, except for when the eggs and rotten tomatoes were coming your companion's way and hit you
instead!



The winner of our Blog-exclusive competition has just been picked out by the one, the only... Finlay Dog (wild cheering, if you please)
Hooooooooooooooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!






AND THE WINNER IS (DRUM ROLL) Marylou Spencer from
New York USA
Congratulations Marylou!!!
And woof! woof! from Finlay Dog


And here's something you absolutely cannot miss...
http://www.accessromance.com/blog/
A new fantabby-dozey blog on Access Romance... I'm blogging there next week so here's hoping I don't bring the whole thing crashing down!!!


Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

First my son and now your author have become victims of card fraud. And unfortunately it's unlikely that the perpetrators will end up cracking rocks like this little fella!

My advice to you is to check your accounts on a daily basis and get those fraud squads busy right away. They must be recruiting like frantic.
If things carry on like this it will be back to wads of cash beneath the mattress, but then we'll all need armed guards in and out of the house... Ack!

Be on your guard everyone!

And here's an addition to my earlier post- have just realised I have the perfect photo opportunity for punishment right here in the village where I live, and if you tune in tomorrow I'm going to see if I can load a picture of our very own 'stocks' where fellons used to be left to be pelted by rotten tomatoes and eggs by the upstanding villagers!

Talk about the good old days- right now, I'm liking the sound of that cliche more and more!

And I'm going to be announcing the name of our Blog-exclusive competition winner tomorrow... and don't forget, there's still time to enter before Finlay-dog picks a lucky winner!!!!!!!!!!

You'll find the question somewhere in this week's blog!

Yep, that's me, tired and about to sign out for the day...

Love to all and happy reading!

Susan

Now, those of you who have experienced the conditions under which I work will know that 'tropical' is my preferred temperature...

On one inspection visit the very nice gentleman who is buying my cottage with his wife eased his shirt collar as he gasped for breath and asked me, 'Is it always this hot?'

Why then do I go skiing every year?

I hope the glorious photo I'm posting today goes some way to explaining how much I love the mountains... Once I'm above the cloud line the sun shines brightly and I've got a big fat smile on my face every minute of the day!!!

Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan

Have just realised this new book I'm writing, which is set in Rome around the film studios at Cinecitta, is RED hot.

Less graphic, more suggestion... Oh, boy!

Horses for courses and this approach fits the particular book I'm writing, which is tearing me apart at the moment.

Never mind watching weepy films, you should see me at my desk! I get so involved that I have to take a 'tear' break!

It made me smile yesterday- while I was mopping my eyes I couldn't help remembering Kathleen Turner in Romancing The Stone when she finished her novel and burst into tears...

Tissues and chocolate required urgently at Chaos Cottage!!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Delighted to add Bulgaria to our list of contest entry countries this morning.

Bulgaria has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and a fascinating history.

Welcome to our friends in the Balkans!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan

We'd seen him laugh, we'd seen him cry, but until quite recently we had never seen him skate.

In the UK we have a programme on the box at the moment involving celebrities and skating... the idea being the celebrities are partnered with expert skaters and the couples then compete against each other.

It should be said that all the celebrities have reached an incredible level of skill in the short time they have been training, but inevitably some are much better than others.

And then there's David Seaman... lately our England football goalkeeper, the gentle giant of football, if you will. We viewers are told that David played ice hockey as a youth...

Last night David skated like... well, like a gentle giant of football who played ice hockey in his youth... and this was reflected by the score he received from the panel of expert judges .

What happened when the viewers votes poured in?

David came out on top, that's what. And at Chaos Cottage we all cheered because David comes across as the most modest man on television.Ever.
And if you think that's a triumph for David Seaman's PR company I'm allowed to share my friend's verdict when David and his wife came round to view her beautiful home when it was for sale...

' A lovely couple and he was a really lovely man... a perfect gentleman...'

Three cheers for the nice man!

And I'll leave the last word to my friend...
'David, you're a perfect gentleman.'

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

I have a new editor.

Ahem, I hear you go.... How does the picture you've given us today reflect this Susan?

I like the picture; that's good enough.

No?

Oh, well then... the child is me.
It is my belief that you never stop learning as long as you live- and whereas at one time the idea of disturbing the status quo would have alarmed me I now think, 'Fantastic!' An enthusiastic new pair of eyes to look at my work... Who could ask for more than that?

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Love to all and happy reading from
Susan

I received a query in my mailbag late last night- Can people enter my competitions from anywhere in the world?

The answer to that is a resounding YES I'm happy to send my winners their prize wherever they may be. The moon is proving a little more difficult for me at the moment, but I've got Mr Richard Branson (whose godson was at primary school with minimus) working on that one for me.

To give you some idea here is a small selection of countries I've had entries from already...

United States Germany Croatia Great Britain Switzerland Canada
European Union China Australia Malta Singapore Sweden Iceland
Norway Saudi Arabia South Africa Argentina United Arab Emirates
Italy Netherlands Spain India Hong Kong Brazil Israel Philippines...

What I love about this, being a musician as well as a romance author, is that just like music, romance is a universal language.

From me to all of you, hugs right across the world!
(Anticipating my first mail from the moon anytime now!)

And to check out our Blog-exclusive competition, just read the previous Blog in this diary.
And here's a clue for you... check out my newletter while you're at it.
OK
Good luck everyone!
Sx

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Whether your idea of a fictional heroine is this...




Or this...






I'd like you to turn your thoughts to the heroine in my book The Greek's Bridal Purchase... and tell me why has Miranda Weston's life been shattered?

A couple of words should do it... send your answer to
susanstephenshmb@yahoo.com heading your mail Blog Contest or something similar so Rosie doesn't *Spam* your entry by mistake!
And don't forget to add your snail mail address

If you don't and you're the lucky winner we can't send you your prize!!!

Finlay-dog will pick out our winner at the end of next week and a signed copy of The Greek's Bridal purchase will be in the post before you can say 'woof-woof'!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

White rabbits and mayhem? Has Susan finally gone mad?

Are the English eccentric?

Or should we examine the consequences of a big family raised on grandma's superstitions instead of answering any of those questions?

YES, LET'S DO THAT...

Its the first of the month... and as any salt-over-the-shoulder-tossing family knows, that's the day you wake up yelling 'White Rabbits!!!!!!!' at the top of your voice.

And every time you run into someone- which is pretty often for me, cos my eyes don't open until around 11am when I brew the coffee (fortunately I touch type, in case you're wondering how I start writing at 7am) you........ give 'em...a pinch and a punch. Ouch!

So, raise your voices in chorus with me right across the world...

'WHITE RABBITS!

AND A PINCH AND A PUNCH FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

There- now you can sit back and wait for the money/love/golden opportunities etc etc to come rolling in, because you are definitely guaranteed (according to grandma) good luck for the month ahead!

Perhaps I'd better come up with some exotic cure for bruises by tomorrow! Or maybe I'll ask a competition question instead. Hmm, now which shall it be...?

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan