Susan Stephens' Writing Diary

Lee, my personal assistant has reminded me that it's time to change my photograph on my web site... What, no change since 2003!!
Sorry, Lee!!!

Who said I couldn't go back to the golden days of my youth?

My youngest on leaning over my shoulder just now to see what I was doing commented, 'Why did you have such a naughty twinkle in your eye, mummy?'

'Maybe because I was the same age as you are now when this was taken, sweetness,' I replied promptly.

Thought I'd give you all a chortle over your morning coffee with a few amusing blasts from Yours Truly's past.

Back with some more 'True Confessions' tomorrow!

Love to all and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Congratulations to Alissa, our latest Access Romance All-A-Blog prize winner!

Alissa was picked out at random, but anyone who wants to leave that housework to indulge in their guilty secrets is a winner with me!! You should see my ironing pile- maybe we should have a competition to see whose is largest- except I know I'd win, so that wouldn't be fair!

Don't forget to check in to www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog on September 14th for our next chance to chat and win a prize.

Love to all,

Sxxx

Don't miss out on the chance to win a prize on www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog today and tomorrow- all you have to do is share your 'guilty secret' with the rest of the gals!
I'll pick a prizewinner at random around the middle of the week, so feel free to post your comment at any time.

It's a holiday weekend here in the UK, so this is in haste due to chicks arriving back beaks wide, croaking loudly as they wait for me to shovel hot food down their throats. Shovel?
You betcha!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan

I read somewhere that we're supposed to take 10,000 steps per day if we want to keep fit. Therefore have snaffled sprog's stepometer. Can report have done 5652 so far today- so I'm just over half fit.

Such fantastic walks around here, I'll have to post some more cyber walk pics so you can join in. Meanwhile here's a bouquet of flowers for you to share

All sprogs are at music festival today, and I have a request from Wiggy-
Please don't call me Wiggy,because a) it rhymes with Piggy, and b) I ain't bald.
Therefore I want to be known as Princess' or 'Beauty' etc etc.

Okay Princess Wiggy, keep your hair on... (ho ho)

And no, of course I haven't forgotten our pud for today...
Drum roll if you please for,

Vanilla and Banana waffle, Caramel syrup, Rum and Raisin Ice Cream

Have a good one, ladies!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!

Susan... Oh, and I almost forgot- check out www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog tomorrow when I'm a-blogging, and my topic is 'Guilty Secrets' You know you don't want to miss out on that one!
See you there!
Sxxx

Expecting His Royal Baby- book five in the Niroli series went to acquisition today, so huge thanks to my great ed' Jenny for all her hard work.

Now happily into my country romp again, which isn't quite as straightforward as it might appear. Still waters run deep, and with the frequency with which my heroine Caz, or should I say, Cassandra, gets herself in hot water there's plenty of opportunity for surprise- Let's hope she can cope with Sunday's fiasco! This time the hurdle is more like a pole vault...

And finally...
Pudding
Oh, yes...
I hardly dare name it...
But just for you, I will...

Scrunchy Brown Bread Ice Cream, Brandysnap roll, Chocolate and Coffee Sauce.



If that doesn't make you salivate you're not the gals I thought you were!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

I've got so many ideas running through my head for this new Modern X-tra exploit that I am actually working in a new way- to bullet points.

Yes, I have my synopsis- the skeleton/road map, if you like, but now I have a series of bullet points arranged in sequence underneath my writing, which I erase as I go. Some of these may include lines of dialogue that have occurred to me.

However sometimes I do encounter some wacky ideas- not naughty, just wacky- and have to erase them even before my ed has chance to reach for her red pen...

One such I have just discovered and thought you might like a chortle over your morning coffee...

(And believe me, this has nothing to do with rumpy-pumpy, though of course you are free to put your own interpretation on the line...)

H to h: 'You'll get sore. I'm going to grease you up...'

h: Caz's concerned gaze flew to the chip paper peeping out of the bin.

Thank goodness for my internal editor!

Love to all, and happy reading and writing everyone!
Ooh, and I almost forgot- our pudding for today....

Strawberry Mille Feuille on a Puree of Fresh Berries with Cornish Clotted Cream




Susanxx

Eighty ton of stone down and one perimeter wall is finished... next more walls, my raised beds, and then a garden. Yippee!
Note the tools of the trade- string and bubble.

Writing-wise, loving Modern Xtra and think it a fabulous partner to Presents/Modern/Sexy. It allows me to visit the same exciting emotions in a small-town setting with a man I adore- Can you think of anything better?

And here's our pudding for today, girls- don't say I don't spoil you!
Allow me to present...
Valrhona Dark Chocolate Brownie, Hot Griottine Cherries & Pistachio Ice Cream

Yum Yum!

Love to all, and happy pudding eating everyone!
Susan

Okay, my h is in the shower, so I just have to decide if my H is going to join her and soap her down... Off to have a frothy coffee before I decide. She'll tell me what to do eventually.

Meanwhile, here's our pud for today...Vacherin of Summer Fruits with Passion Fruit Ice Cream.

My mouth is watering, it isn't a good idea to read this Blog if you're on any kind of diet- unless it's a pudding diet, of course!

Love to all, and happy pudding eating everyone!
Susan

Okay, Niroli just went in, accompanied by a flurry of e-mails to my long-suffering ed.
Yes, of course I had to read it through again...
Wiggy's advice when she rang up mid one panic mail. 'For goodness sake, open the wine, mother!'

Angst?
I invented the word.
Please pity my poor ed.

Meanwhile, here's our happy thought for today...
Lemon Tart with Lemon Curd Ice Cream, and Candied Zest/
(and a rather good Chablis)

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Druuuuum Roooooll
Allow me to present Dave, who without any guide other than his eye and a piece of string has produced a dry stone wall of such outstanding craftsmanship people are coming to take photographs so there is a lasting record of his work. (other than the wall itself, which will no doubt still be standing for the next few thousand years!)
The wall isn't complete until the 'toppers' are cemented in place, but I thought I'd give you first sight of it, knowing that you would be as thrilled as me to see evidence of such skill.

Bravo Dave!

And from our main course, on to pudding...

Just as I promised, here is an item from the yumdelicious pudding menu from my lunch venue on Wednesday, where for first course I had the famous Morecambe bay potted shrimps, followed by fresh Whitby Bay lobster salad. Delicious doesn't even begin to cover it, but next time I have to go for pudding only so I don't get too full to enjoy a pud as I did on Wednesday!!!

I think I should print a pud a day and let you decide what I should eat! So, here goes with the first one... And remember these are all home made(I'm dribblng already!) ('What's new?!' Cry the sprogs!)

Vanilla Creme Brulee, Ginger Shortbread and Raspberries.

Leaving you with that happy thought for the day-

Love to all,
And happy reading everyone!
Susan xx

To be sung to 'There is nothing like a dame', from South Pacific.

No, there is nothing like an ed' to bring you right back down to earth.

First of all BIG waves to you my lovely friends for your congratulations. I can't tell you what it means to me... !!!
BUT
Now I have 'tweaks' on my 'tweaks' for Expecting His Royal Baby, which is book 5 in the Niroli series.
This I understand, because continuity is an issue in a series, whereas a stand alone book doesn't require this type of attention, and when it comes to the Niroli series only the eds have an overview over what each author is doing.
BUT
There I was, happily into my 'country romp' which will be for Modern X-tra, and now I'm back into some serious issues in Niroli.
BUT
At the end of the day I'm doing what I love to do.

My lunch yesterday was beyond fantastic, so tomorrow I'm going to describe it to you in all its mouthwatering detail... plus give you a look at the pudding menu, which I didn't have room for- now that is cause for some serious BOO HOOing

That's it for today!

Hugs all round and big waves to you too!
Susanxxx

I'm absolutely thrilled this morning to be able to tell you that both
The Greek's Bridal Purchase and Virgin For Sale have been nominated for Cataromance's prestigious Reviewers' Award for 2006

I love those Greeks- and so it seems do you!!!

Thank you once again to all my wonderful readers, and to the reviewers who work so hard to draw up their thoughtful reviews of so many great books each year.

Thank you


The Greek's Bridal Purchase


Virgin For Sale


Love and hugs to all of you!

Susan

Okay, it's official. I've been asked to write 2 Modern X-tras, based on a synopsis and 3 chapter submission to my lovely ed.

X-tra is said to be aimed at the 18-35 year old market, so obviously I ran my first ms past Wiggy and Sproglatina, who definitely fall into that category. After a nail-biting wait I'm told they whole heartedly approve. Phew! But I'm hoping that those of you who enjoy my Presents stories will come with me to the lighter, small town- or in my case, small village world of Hawkshead, where believe me, anything can happen, and does.

I love seeing the funny side of life and having my H and h fall into a few cow pats along the way before they finally get together is my kind of challenge. I'll give you the first title as soon as I have it, but meanwhile I can share the info that neither Galem, my hunky H, or Caz (or Cassandra as she's sometimes known) my h, are quite what they seem.

And yes, before you ask, there are cows!

And the cats?

I just love them, don't you?

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
ps check out www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog for the announcement of my latest winner tonight
Sxxx

DH serving darling Aunty Kay. (reminding myself what good food looks like!)

Okay, so the restaurant I went to last night is one of those where you have to book 3 months in advance. Accordingly, I booked in with some chums for this coming Wednesday, and with their husbands and my dh in October- and even, rashly, for the whole extended sprog tribe for my birthday lunch in November...

I wish I could tell you that I had a scrumptious meal and can't wait for my next one, but... my vegetables were greasy.

In order to understand what a major crime this is I should explain that I adore vegetables. Meat and 3 veg is more likely to be 10 veg and something/anything else in this household.

I changed my mind on my planned menu and ate stir fry of sea food for my main course. The fish was delicious, but it was plonked on top of a whole heap of over-cooked slimy stuff that was basically all one colour, so I'm not even sure what I ate and can't tell you about it.

Serves me right for being smug. Here's hoping I have better news for you after lunch on Wednesday!

Meanwhile, from your grumpy, disgruntled friend,
Emjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!
Susan xxx

DH serving darling Aunty Kay. (reminding myself what good food looks like!)

Okay, so the restaurant I went to last night is one of those where you have to book 3 months in advance. Accordingly, I booked in with some chums for this coming Wednesday, and with their husbands and my dh in October- and even, rashly, for the whole extended sprog tribe for my birthday lunch in November...

I wish I could tell you that I had a scrumptious meal and can't wait for my next one, but... my vegetables were greasy.

In order to understand what a major crime this is I should explain that I adore vegetables. Meat and 3 veg is more likely to be 10 veg and something/anything else in this household.

I changed my mind on my planned menu and ate stir fry of sea food for my main course. The fish was delicious, but it was plonked on top of a whole heap of over-cooked slimy stuff that was basically all one colour, so I'm not even sure what I ate and can't tell you about it.

Serves me right for being smug. Here's hoping I have better news for you after lunch on Wednesday!

Meanwhile, from your grumpy, disgruntled friend,
Emjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!
Susan xxx

Why does it always come down to food here when I'm supposed to be talking about writing?!
I'm just going to call it Writer's Fuel, and leave it at that!

Above is a pic of where I'm going, and below is a list of what I intend to eat. I shall be back on Monday with news of our winner on Access Romance All-A-Blog- and no doubt I shall be size Woolly Mammoth again by then! (but what a way to go!!!)

Potted Shrimps on Home Made Toasted Granary Bread with Watercress & Lemon

Wild Scottish Salmon simply seared with Lemon & Sorrel Hollandaise, Crushed Minted Jersey Royals & Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Valrhona Guanaja Dark Bitter Chocolate Mousse with Pistachio Ice Cream

A Selection of Mrs. Bell's Blue, Special Reserve Mature cheese & Burland Green Organic Brie from Ravens Oak Dairy served with Bath Olivers, Fruit Cake, a few Nuts & a Pot of Home Made Chutney


Have a great weekend, everyone!
Susan

I'd love to be able to tell you that I grew these strawberries myself, but they're from the farm. Let me describe the flavour. Sugar. Strawberry flavoured sugar, with just a hint of fresh air and blossom.





Don't forget to check out All-A-Blog today www.accessromance.com where you can find me blogging again, (chatterbox, moi?!) and where you'll also have chance to win a super prize in my competition.

Have a great weekend, everyone, with lots and lots of good food
Love to all
Susan

Took time out today to travel back to my old home area to see my elderly friend, whom, I couldn't be more thrilled to tell you, is perkier than the last time I visited.

We had such a wonderful time together. What a marvellous resource- and I don't mean this unkindly, or insensitively, our older citizens are... I could listen to them talk forever, and had to be reminded by Aunty Kay that perhaps I should get back before the rush hour kicked in (she just wanted to get rid of me, I know!) Also it's the perfect excuse to eat scones, cream and jam, chocs, and lots of pudding, because that's what AK likes the best. Me too!

So here I am with lots and lots of thoughts about my new book... that's what I do when I'm driving. I visit... well, Greece, this time, and I pit my feisty heroine against a totally unreasonable and unredeemable man and see what she can make of him. The Da Vinci Code got it right- Women Rule, Okay?!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
Oh, and ps... don't forget in to www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog tomorrow for the chance to chat and win a prize.
Sxxx

Yes, it does help to remember to open your eyes when you're having your picture taken. It helps to check the photo before putting your camera away too!

Also helps when you promise pic of yummy food to remember to take the shot while the food's still on the table.

After this catalogue of errors I give you Wiggy, Steam Clean Val' and Yours Truly, after well and truly stuffing our faces with tapas. And the table did look stupendous when it was loaded down with various Spanish delicacies- but you'll just have to take my word for that!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Why this picture?
Because we need it








Having - hopefully - ironed out all the creases in 'Expecting His Royal Baby' starring naughty naughty Nico and Cuddly Carrie, I celebrated today by... Well, by doing the ironing, actually, and then cleaning the kitchen floor.

Ah,yes, you guessed it, the author's life is full of so much glamour I hardly know how to control my excitement.
Okay, so I do... I'm off tomorrow for lunch with Wiggy and Steam Clean Val, who is herself fresh (fresh? not according to SCV) from marking 'A' level scripts.
More on our guzzling adventures tomorrow... I expect they will contain red wine and chocolate to a greater or lesser degree (mostly greater, I suspect)

LTA, and HR everyone!
Susanxxx

Before I get onto what's been happening I thought I'd show you this pic' which is the view through the window on my landing upstairs. Perhaps this is the reason the move has worked out better than I hoped. The countryside is just so lovely. Believe it or not, when we moved in this window was 'obscured' 'decorative' glass and you could see nothing of the magnificent view beyond.

Okay, so pooters: Urgh. Aaargh! Yuk! That just about covers it.

Actually, managed to do incredible deal as only required tower/keyboard/mouse to use as glorified typewriter; my work pooter never goes near the internet.
Bought off display a model with twice the capacity of my ancient laptop for one sixth of the price (remember how pricey those original laptops were?!) I even snaffled a further 5% discount for buying display model. The way it worked out the 'insurance' would have cost more than my purchase. Insurance? I'll take my chances, thank you very much!

And now it's back to work, hopefully without too many hitches of the technical sort to drive me bonkers!

(more bonkers)

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

OOPS!
After my rather light-hearted mention of computer-type problems yesterday I switched on this morning to total chaos. I had somehow gained fifty pages, and when I tried to track them down they came up in gobbledy-gook, wiping out all previous work on Expecting His Royal Baby, which is part of the fab' Niroli series for 2007.

I called on minimus who gained high marks in her uni' pooter tech course to come take a look.
Several grimaces later she tells me that computers are only supposed to last three or so years.
What?! Doesn't she realise how long I had my Amstrad? And that's even before we get onto the subject of mobile phones. I was still carrying a brick around when everyone else was taking cine film...

However, I digress. Thank goodness for hard copy, which thanks to the dire warnings of W-W my fantastic web mistress with ARTEMIS WEB DESIGN, I always keep I have managed to retype mid section of book at high speed, and have now transferred onto dh's computer. (So, not only do I need a new TV this weekend, I need a new computer too!) Ack! Penury! Again!

So, I think we all deserve a big bunch of flowers to cheer us up...
Here you are, ladies... cyber roses, with my compliments!


(I couldn't decide which pic I liked best, so I give you both-



plus some choc to go with them!)


Mmmm, feeling better already!

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan

Have just eviscerated my manuscript... and am now staring at the blank screen wondering where the scene I have extracted has gone. No worries, it's bound to turn up somewhere. Isn't it???!!!

While I take a break to mop my brow don't forget we've got a new competition on the SS site.. Please don't miss out! Remember, it could be yoo-hoo

What else is happening? My dry stone wall is coming up
I can't tell you how impressed I am watching the men building this... each piece of stone is cut by hand and believe me, this is one wall that ain't gonna fall down. Ever.
By the time they've finished they will have handled- and I mean handled- 80 tons of stone!
Incredible, or what!

Off to find my missing scene...

Love to all, and happy reading (and entering competitions) everyone!
Susan

First a reminder that our own Xandra King has posted your August sun signs on www.xandraking.com and this is for the whole month of August, with lucky days, and everything!

Now then. Revisions.

Go away singing decorators, banging wood floor men, piano tuner-okay, you can stay, but just for a couple of hours, understood? And no coffee. All right then, one cup. And as for the dry stone wallers.... doesn't anyone care that I need to concentrate. Okay, so don't answer that.

I should be relieved that my revisions for my Niroli book are fairly light, but instead it makes me edgy... Has anyone missed something???
Urck. Off to take a confidence pill.

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan