It’s a very romantic setting that could appear in any of our novels, and we hope to see you there.

We had a really enjoyable afternoon at Castelnau Library, in West London.

Thanks everyone for coming along to chat to us, and to the library staff for the tea, cakes and the beautiful flowers.

Talking to readers does inspire us – and in honour of Valentine’s Day – here are some thoughts about making a scene romantic…

Victoria

I think it’s the little things that make a scene romantic – shy looks as your hero and heroine get to know each other or a blush or a little smile. 

Setting plays an important role in my books too and I love placing my characters in romantic settings – a walk in a country garden or fossil hunting on the beach.  I think the ‘getting to know you’ stage of romance is the most fun and I really love writing these scenes – bringing two characters together who you just know are right for each other.

Juliet.

I think there are two different sorts of romantic scene – the ‘connected’ one where both parties are at the same stage and on the same wavelength, and the ‘disconnected’ one where there’s a mismatch of expectation, mood, etc.

A romantic scene can be particularly poignant if it’s ‘set up’ by one of the parties but then doesn’t go to plan. For example, the hero might take the heroine to his favourite place, or invite her into his private space, in the hope that she will show him that she reciprocates his feelings. But, just when he’s ready to let his guard down, something unexpected happens and it all goes wrong. So the hero is left dangling, so to speak.

Ultimately, of course, you have to have a ’connected’ romantic encounter where everything works out, but a ‘disconnected’ one can pave the way nicely and leave you anguishing with the disappointed party!

Janet

To me, a romantic scene is all about emotion. Do you remember how you felt waiting for that knock on the door on a first date? The quiver of anticipation before the first kiss? That’s the sort of emotion I want my characters and my readers to feel.

Anything can be romantic. There can be romance in the supermarket, while cooking a meal or washing a car. The romance comes from the characters’ hearts. Seeing those two hearts connect… catching that first flutter of emotion as they realise the other person is wonderful… maybe even THE ONE. To me, that moment is just magic.

Each year, the Romantic Novelists’ Association  awards the very best in romantic fiction – and this year is even bigger and better than ever before because it’s the RNA’s 50th Anniversary.

Well done Jean!

All four of us will be talking about writing and signing books at Castlenau Library from 3 – 4.30 this Saturday afternoon – do come and celebrate Jean’s good news with us.

In these days of convenient online book sellers, it’s sometimes too easy to forget how wonderful it is to be in a shop surrounded by books and people who are passionate about books. And when that happens on the eve of Valentine’s Day – it’s a romance writer’s dream.

On Friday night, we were at Waterstone’s in Windsor, for a delightful evening of chat about books and writing. The addition of some heart-shaped treats from Hotel Chocolat made the night even better.

In honour of the occasion, we are  going to post some tips on how to write a really romantic scene – come back soon for those.

 In the meantime, thanks to the staff at Waterstone’s for making us so welcome – particularly David – who presented us each with a long-stemmed red rose and chocolates at the end of the evening..

David – you sure know the way to a romance writer’s heart.

Our next outing is at Castelnau Library in West London on Saturday 20^th. Click here for full details, and to reserve a free ticket. We hope to see you there.

This Friday, all four of us will be at Waterstone’s Books in Windsor, talking about Romance and signing books.  

Not only that, the lovely people from Hotel Chocolat will be dropping by, with some seriously wonderful treats for everyone.

We’d love you to join us for a fun evening of conversation, laughs and nibbles of chocolate, as we delve into the world of romance.

The event starts at 7 o’clock. To book your seat, phone 01753 856456. You’ll find Waterstone’s just down the road from Windsor Castle.

(Tickets are £3.00 – redeemable against the price of any book .)

Romance is far too important to limit it to just one day, so the Let’s Talk About Love girls will be celebrating Valentine’s Day twice.

On Friday February 12^th, you can join us at Waterstone’s books in Windsor (just down the road from Windsor Castle) from 7.00 o’clock.

Then on Saturday, 20 February, we will be at Castelnau Library, near Richmond in West London, from 3pm – 4.30pm.

We’ll be talking about heroes and romance, and signing copies of our books. Please drop by – we’d love to see you.

It was a cold, wet evening outdoors, but inside we were warm and dry and talk turned to heroes.

Here are our thoughts on writing heroes.

 Janet

It’s not enough for the hero to be handsome or rich or strong or just plain wonderful. He needs to have some special quality that makes him – above all the other men in the world – perfect for your heroine. It might be something his past that makes him understand her hopes and fears and dreams. At the same time – there must be something about your heroine that makes her – of all the women in the world – right for him. 

 Juliet

Most romantic fiction is written by women, which makes writing the hero’s point of view a great challenge! Get a male perspective on what you write – either direct from the man in your life (when he’s stopped falling about laughing) or from so-called men’s fiction and magazines, and of course TV programmes. Do a reality check - filter out anything that’s not consistent with the type of hero you are writing, both in terms of the time period, situation and character. An example that worked for me was my husband’s suggestion that the hero, alone in his hotel bedroom, would flick through the TV channels – just a minor detail but extra authenticity!

Jean.

What is a hero?  A hero can be any age, stature or colouring but what he must have above all other things is integrity. He must strive to do the right thing even though it might cost him dearly.  He is honest and truthful but tempers that with compassion. He is never cruel, vindictive or abusive to those in his control.  A hero will step forward to protect the weak and vulnerable in a dangerous situation and will willingly sacrifice himself so that others might live.   

Victoria

Your hero is the gateway to your reader’s heart.  He has to be charismatic and compelling and – in romantic fiction – handsome!  Your reader will want to fall in love with him and, as a writer, you should too!  My heroes are also very modern – Tom in Molly’s Millions is a single dad.  I like heroes who are strong but sensitive too like Gene Kelly and James Stewart who play some of my favourite heroes in films.

Jean, Juliet and Janet will be signing copies of their books – AND Jean and Janet will be launching their new books.

We’ll be at Waterstone’s at Romford on Thursday the 12th from 5.00 until 6.30 PM. You’ll find the bookstore at Lockwood Walk in the Liberty Shopping Centre.

We look forward to meeting some new friends there. Drop by this site after that event, for more writing tips from all our authors.

Coming up – Let’s Talk About Love at Waterstone’s in Romford on Thursday November 12th from 5 – 6.30 PM .

Janet and Jean will be launching new books at that event. More details to come.

Jean

No matter how original, convoluted or clever your plot is, it will crash and burn if you try to make your characters act out of ‘character’.  Be prepared to go back to the drawing board sometime in the middle of the story.

Victoria   

When starting a new novel, write 1 – 20 down the side of a piece of paper.  1 is where your novel opens and 20 is the end.  It helps me to have this basic structure which I fill in as I go along.  It’s a real help with pacing and keeps a track of the action too.

Janet

Plot is not just events – it’s the consequences of those events that matter most to your characters. How they react to the events will drive your story forward. Take your characters out of their comfort zone – and more ‘stuff’ will happen. 

Juliet  

I tend to write ‘by the seat of my pants’ – as the saying goes. My husband even bought me Writer’s Cafe (software to plan your writing) but I’ve hardly ever used it. I don’t even write cards with people’s basic details on – which is probably OK while I’m modernising stories I know well, but I’ll probably succumb one day!