The winner will be announced at a fancy ceremony in London, on the 2nd March – so I’d better get dress shopping!

I’m looking forwards to seeing lots of friends there, and enjoying a night out with my husband, agent, and my publisher Canelo.

Jenny Eclair will be presenting the awards, and Anton Du Beke has also been nominated in another category!

It’s such an honour to have even a tenuous link to an author, and woman, like Jackie Collins, and I couldn’t be happier.

And to celebrate Knowing You has been discounted to 99p for a limited time!

Here I am, alongside the other nominees!

However, some still lurk in the shadows, flexing their fork in my direction and things came to a head, recently, when I was shortlisted for the prestigious Romantic Novelist Awards  – a huge honour. Indeed, when I first heard I’d been nominated in the romcom category for my 2018 romance One Summer In Rome  I was absolutely ecstatic… but the evening itself presented a huge challenge to someone like myself with a history of  body dysmorphic issues.

The thought of being in any way the centre of attention and – abject horror – having professional photos taken, filled me with dread. As did the challenge of finding a suitable outfit – something I imagine many of the nominees can relate to.

But with the support of my husband, and the company of my wonderful and understanding agent, Clare Wallace from Darley Anderson, not only did I get there – I thoroughly enjoyed the event. After I’d said hello to a few people my anxiety started to slip away and much chat and laughter took place. And I now feel more brave about attending any such event in the future.

At the beginning of my writing journey none of this was a problem and I enjoyed many author get-togethers, seeing them as nothing but fun and important for my career. But then my mental health took a downturn, brought back some issues from thirty years ago and I am still fighting them – and am determined to get back to where I was before, seeing every invitation to a launch or blogger get-together or publishing party for what it should be… an exciting and enjoyable aspect of the business I am in.

When the official  photo came in I got control of the self-critical thoughts and forced myself to post the image online.  And this is what CBT therapy is all about – facing your fears. The more you do the thing you are afraid of, the more you can accept that your concerns are unfounded.

Yes it’s hard. Scary. Especially when others may not understand your concern over something that appears trivial or irrational to them, particularly if you’ve become good at putting on a cheerful veneer. But the feeling of achievement you’ll get, if you push yourself, is second to none.

It’s not easy being a woman – or man, for that matter – in today’s society. Some of us may feel we have to have great jobs. Be brill parents or children. Perfect partners. That we’re supposed to look like celebrities and gain hundreds of likes on social media. And this is an area I explore in my  new novel Knowing You, that was published yesterday. Violet works in publishing and due to an upset in her private life starts to question just how successful an editor – and woman – she is. And this leads to a shocking twist at the end. I’m thrilled with the fantastic reviews coming in and humbled to see that her story is resonating with readers…

So if you’re struggling at the moment, mental health wise, and CBT therapy is an option, I would definitely recommend it.

You can do this.

Or if you are simply nervous about taking the plunge in certain areas of your life, go for it. Afraid you will get rejected if you send out that submission? There’s only one way to find out. Anxious about joining that book club you’ve been invited to? Go ahead. Without a doubt every member will have felt like that on their first night.

Whatever your fear is, there is only one true way to tackle it.

And that’s to stare it straight in the face.

You can find out about the other nominees and categories right HERE.

The winners will be chosen at an awards ceremony in London, on the 4th March.

So I’ve got just a few weeks to find a frock!

Thanks to all the readers and bloggers who’ve supported this book. It was a joy to write.

To start with, the first time I met up with my publisher, in  London. I’d spent the previous sixteen years as a stay-at-home mum so was completely out of my comfort zone in this new business environment. It makes me chuckle now that I managed to wangle sandwiches in the offices instead of being taken out to lunch – I was like a nervous schoolgirl on a first date! After the formal part we did, in the end, go out for coffee and the day turned out to be fabulous. I surprised myself with an inner confidence. Now I really look forward to my trips down to the Big Smoke.

The second scariest thing… reading reviews. The first review for my debut book, Doubting Abbey, went up on GoodReads the night before launch. It was 3* which whilst not a bad rating, didn’t meet my perfectionist hopes. Tears were shed. I convinced myself that the book would flop and that I’d let everyone down. As it was, the book went on to be a bestseller and lots of readers loved the characters and plot. But for a while, I looked at each new review with trepidation. These days, my skin is much thicker and I realise that not everyone will like my work. And accepting that is part of my job.

Thirdly… ooh…. going to my first Romantic Novelists Association party. I imagined, in my head, that the chat would be all about literature and I was going to be outed as the least well-read person in the room. As it was, I couldn’t have been more wrong! Think Prosecco on tap, lots of laughs, a little gossip, and just banter and empathy about being a writer and books. I now adore meeting up with my writerly friends, who are some of the most generous, supportive people in the world.

Fourthly… managing expectations has been hard and thinking too much about them is scary – something I try not to do just before the launch of a book, like at the moment with Breakfast under a Cornish Sun coming out in July. I try to control those questions in my head like is my writing good enough? Will I let down my agent? How many copies does my publisher expect to sell? Will my readers love this story as much as the last? I’ve learnt just to take my career one book at a time and to try to be satisfied if a good number of readers end up being moved in some way by the story, regardless of rank or sales or income. I recently received a lovely message from a reader who couldn’t wait to get home to finish Game of Scones  and I couldn’t hope or expect for more than that.

Lastly…I guess, ironically, the scariest thing is finally achieving your dream. Is it really everything you thought it would be? For the most part, the last three years have been a whirlwind of excitement and thrills, with books selling well and an award won. Of course there have been difficult moments, as with any career, when I have thought of that phrase “be careful what you wish for”. Yet finally I feel like I have “come home” and am doing what I should be with people who “get” what I am about. So really, that’s turned out to be not scary at all.

During my life I have had a taste of many different occupations – translator, cleaner, tutor, shop assistant… I’ve worked in a German publishing house and spent a few months employed by Disneyland Paris. It took my until my late 30s to discover the career I really wanted to settle in – namely, being an author.

And now I have achieved that goal, what are the five best things about it?

Firstly, spending all day with impossibly romantic heroes. Take my latest book released last week, an e-novella How to Get Hitched in Ten Days. It stars two gorgeous men. Dave makes a disastrous proposal to his girlfriend, Jasmine, and Mikey tries to help him turn this around. Both men have different but equally appealing qualities. Dave is rugged, clumsy but does his best. Mikey is every girl’s best friend with his popcorn and DVD sleepovers. As one recent reviewer said:

“I fell for Dave big time, then Mikey, then Dave, then Mikey…”

And for several weeks, I got to spend my nine to five in their company!

Secondly… The romance community is one of the friendliest I know. I belong to the RNA, the Romantic Novelists Association, and they hold several Prosecco- and laughter-filled events during the year which always give me a huge buzz – and the opportunity to meet dear online romance friends in the flesh.

Thirdly… Being a romance author gives you the opportunity to connect with some of the most generous and friendly readers on the planet, many of whom share your love of a bit of escapism mixed up with a huge dollop of a happy ever after. Their support, feedback and kind words mean everything.

Fourthly, pink and red. Fluff. Fun. Girliness. Call it a midlife crisis if  you like but having been a tomboy all my life, since becoming a romance author, I have developed an interest in clothes, spa weekends and beauty treatments. I am loving every minute of this newfound chicklit lifestyle!

Finally, of course the romance genre is very diverse, from the frothy to deeper reads. It has given me enormous satisfaction to see my writing develop and whilst my writing is still light-hearted, I am now addressing more serious issues. In my #GetHitched book I consider the prejudice that people have shown against Mikey all his life and examine the effect it has had on Jasmine to have grown up with an alcoholic father. The diversity of the genre means that I can easily explore my own writing and take it into new directions, if that is the way it pulls me. So whilst “romance author” is a label, it is a very broad one.

I couldn’t ask for more and so appreciate everyone who bought and read the book. Above is a photo of me, on the night, with my lovely HarperCollins editor. I still think I’ve got that smile on my face!

One of the best things, about 2015, however, had been to meet so many lovely writers and bloggers. I’ve attended events organised by the wonderful Romantic Novelists Association and it’s been lovely to put some faces to names from the internet. Here I am with the fab Cathy Bramley, Trevor Williams, Karen Aldous and Holly Martin.

It’s also been a year for meeting things/people that have inspired me – this included a trip to Highclere Castle, as the series Downton Abbey inspired my 2013 debut Doubting Abbey…

… plus a night out in Manchester with the Dutch KLM flight attendant who inspired the character of Henrik in Game of Scones and its Christmas sequel.

… and a trip to… Ooh. Mustn’t give too much away! But here is a clue to my spring story, out soon!

Writing-wise – ie the craft itself – 2015 has been an exciting and challenging year. Game of  Scones took my writing in a more romantic direction and I wasn’t sure it was going to work. Plus I’ve had a few dark moments, on receiving revisions from my editor, wondering if I am up to the job. I’ve been challenged and feel/hope my writing has moved forward, otherwise what is the point?

I recalled recently, how my New Year’s resolution always used to be “to get published this year”, back in the old days when I was new to the business and a little naive. I mean, getting published isn’t as simple as that. So many factors out of your control are involved, plus you need a little luck. But of one thing I have no doubt – if you are determined and persevere, you will get there eventually. Your path might just be longer than others. But don’t give up.

Of course, finally getting published, doesn’t mean that all problems and disappointments stop there and whilst 2015 has been a wonderful year for me, I am well aware that you are only as good as your next book – and I have no idea what challenges 2016 will throw my way. Having said that, I already have several pieces of great news that I should be able to share in January, so watch this space And thanks, with all my heart, to all the people who have supported me and my writing this year. I’m eternally grateful. Here, have a cocktail on me!

The calibre of the other nominees was very high, and what lovely ladies. That is the best thing about these events… getting to put proper, real-life faces to the names of writer, blogger and publishing industry people. And rather challenging it is too, as not everyone looks exactly like their social media photo if they have changed their hair or used an old picture. Yes, cue the embarrassment of someone greeting you like an old friend and it taking you a few moments to work out exactly who they are…

I also embarrassed myself but muddling up the identities of a literary agent and editor and inappropriate hugging was involved! But with the Prosecco flowing, such mistakes are easily forgotten and laughed over.

After the awards ceremony, during which another award-winner, the prolific Jenny Colgan, gave a very funny speech, we headed for the Romantic Novelists Association’s Winter party in a posh venue near the Ritz Hotel. Cue more Prosecco and lots of lovely nibbles – mini pizzas and tarts, scones (appropriately for me!) and a short industry award ceremony, champagne provided courtesy of the brilliant Katie Fforde.

From left to right, here are fab author friends Annie Lyons, Kath McGurl, Holly Martin and Carrie Elks (phew, I got all their names right).

Towards the end I finished up by putting the world to rights with another writer, in the toilets – where else – before heading off early to catch my train home (needn’t have bothered, it was delayed by an hour!) and I finally got to bed at 2am.

Great day. Both events so well organised. And writer friend John Jackson, as usual, acted as a very polite and lovely version of the paparazzi – well done.

This is the life I dreamed of years ago, when I started writing, and I count my blessings at every event. If you are an aspiring author, don’t give up. It took me several years (*clears throat* being generous there) but if I can start to achieve my goals so can anyone…