The evening kicked off with photos being taken of the nominees. Then there was a mix and mingle session before we all took our seats and nervously waited for names to be read out.

I didn’t win but it was such an honour to be shortlisted in the romantic Comedy category, for my book One Summer in Rome – something I would  have fantasised about during my years as an aspiring writer!

I attended the event with my amazing agent, Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson Agency, and greatly admired her gorgeous leopard print outfit!

My outfit was down to the choice of two. The other – a floral jacket with black trousers – kept suffering a massive wardrobe malfunction at the front, so I went for the safer option… a lace dress with sensible shoes, having suffered badly in the past from walking to and from events in the highest of heels. Yes, I have reached an age where comfort outweighs vanity!

There was much laughter, many canapes and it was a brilliant opportunity to catch up with writing friends I haven’t seen for a long time. A fantastic evening to celebrate such a diverse and popular genre and all supported by some very generous sponsors.

As readers of my blog will know, I’ve faced a challenging couple of years health-wise, and just attending this ceremony, in itself, was incredible – I guess dreams really can come true.

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.

Next week I’ll be blogging about the mental health challenges I’ve faced over the last couple of years that brought about this new direction. I reached a point where I said to my agent I just don’t think I can write romantic comedy any more. It’s not in me. The spark has gone. Deep within I felt a seriousness, a weight, even though my mental health was improving. And a kind of clarity that something inside me had shifted and my writing needed to reflect that.

That’s the thing. Us authors write from the heart. I’ve passionately written all of those nine previous books but just didn’t have the same motivation as the weeks became months in 2017. It would have been impossible. Which is kind of ironic as I’d always thought of myself as a very commercially-minded author, but if you’d offered me a million pounds I couldn’t have come up with the goods.

However I did have an idea for a book with characters I could relate to. A mental health problem can create turmoil within a family – and with friends and sometimes the community, as is the case with the protagonist Emma in Forgive Me Not… before I knew it I’d sketched out character profiles and a plot.

But the story wasn’t funny. The main thrust of it wasn’t romantic. I wasn’t sure how my writing style would fit this new genre. I wasn’t sure if I was up to writing in a new way with no one-liners, nor a humorous tone. I didn’t know if my readers would follow me along my new path.

But I had to do it. So with the guidance of my incredible agent I started. And it was tough. The first draft virtually needed to be scratched and I almost gave up. But a writer’s heart is a powerful tool. It kept nudging me and eventually I began again with renewed passion.

It was a nerve-wracking process sending out the manuscript to editors and a particularly emotional moment came when I read the email in which my new editor, Michael Bhaskar, expressed his passion for, and belief in, my new project. With his expertise the manuscript was polished further. When I saw the fantastic cover the Canelo team created everything fell into place and I felt that this genre was where my work – at the moment anyway – should be.

Now the whole creative process for that story is over I can see that the new book is still “me”. I feel there’s an underlying warmth that is the signature of my previous books. And I’m absolutely thrilled with the early reactions I’ve had to Emma’s story. It’s early days but perhaps this is going to go okay!

So, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to follow your heart. I’ve always believed that someone’s greatest achievements don’t come from the comfort zone and that an author must continually set themselves challenges. It is too easy to become complacent, especially if you find a degree of success. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean changing genre – for example, in One Summer In Rome a character is blind, and it took research and care to write their story. And my author friends and favourite writers never cease to amaze me with the innovative story after story they come up with.

It’s been a scary twelve months. I’m an author with bills to pay, it’s my career, and I have a lovely loyal readership for my comedy writing. One might say this change of direction is something of a risk. Yet I feel it’s too easy to become pigeon-holed as a writer. I recently attended an evening with Matt Haig who has written fiction, non-fiction, children’s stories… and I find that very inspiring. I’ve written many stories from a child’s point of view for The People’s Friend magazine and have often felt a hankering to write a novel for youngsters. And now I’m thinking well… why not?

Humans change over time – I’m not the same person I was twenty, ten, five or even two years ago – so it’s perhaps, naive, to expect our writing not to change as well.

Within the publishing industry romance authors are sometimes faced with a negative attitude regarding their lighter, Happy Ever After work. It’s a view I don’t understand. Romance is one of the most prolific and sustained genres that industry has known. And Mother Nature has, after all, wired us to seek a partner and pleasure.

Personally I believe feel-good stories are incredibly important. They offer a break and a sense of escapism, for readers. What’s more, the characters, the themes are often relatable and providing a positive ending, a positive handling of these subjects can offer a degree of solace to readers suffering the same problems.

Nothing makes my day more than reader feedback saying that my work has, for a few hours, made their life more cheerful or inspired them to change their own life.

So here are a few of the many ways you can add in the feel-good factor to your light contemporary romance novel.

Your main character is crucial and at all costs avoid avoid her/him being too complaining. This is something I struggled with for a long time, with the early manuscripts I wrote before I got my first publishing deal. It’s important, over the course of a story, to see a the main character undergo some sort of change (otherwise what is the point of the journey?) and often this means them being faced with a set of challenges they must overcome.

Goodness, during my first attempts at novel-writing this meant they used to whinge. It’s okay for a character to moan – but for the feel-good factor make sure you demonstrate their positive traits as well. The reader needs to see them trying to help themselves improve their situation by taking action, by trying to see the bright side, but not giving up, by showing courage and determination – or if they can’t do this to start with, make them likeable in some other way. Perhaps they are especially kind.  It’s very important in the opening chapters. In real life we’d readily provide a listening ear to family and friends who are going through tough times. We don’t expect them to see the cheery side. But the reader isn’t emotionally invested with your character during those first pages, so bear this in mind and make sure he/she has redeeming features. I mean, which sort of upset stranger would you prefer to spend your time with? A person crying and ruing all the mistakes they have made – or someone blowing their nose, putting their tissue away and drawing up plans to start over?

If your character really is in a position where they can’t help themselves, the feel-good factor can be added in by giving them a dose of self-deprecating or dark humour. It has never ceased to amaze me, during the course of my life, that at the most challenging times humans can see the humour in darkness and that contributes to helping them get through. I recently underwent counselling and the group therapy sessions were often filled with laughter even though each person in there was struggling to take control of their life and get better.

A sense of community – this is a sure-fire way of creating a sense of wellbeing within your book. In my 2015 bestseller Game of Scones, for example, villagers pulled together to save their economically failing businesses. The feel-good factor is created by people helping each other in the face of adversity – by formal rivals swallowing their differences for the greater good. By self-less neighbourly acts being committed. Having a community pull together will have the reader rooting for a wider cast and the setting. The ending will warm readers hearts even more if it doesn’t purely focus on bringing together the heroine and hero. And that community doesn’t necessarily need to be geographical – it could, to take the group therapy as an example, be a set of people pulling together – school parents, colleagues, whatever.

This ties in with another factor – have your protagonists overcome adversity. This will get the reader cheering for them from the sidelines and when your characters reach their goal the reader will feel an immense and rewarding sense of satisfaction. Perhaps they need to overcome an emotional problem like anxiety. Maybe they have set up a business and it becomes a success. Perhaps they finally stand up to a difficult boss. Take my debut, Doubting Abbey. Abbey has to pass herself off as an aristocrat. Even though she is really a down-to-earth pizza waitress, she must outwit and charm the posh folk. In One Summer In Rome  the challenges of facing disability and prejudice must be overcome. In Game of Scones Pippa gives up the rat race and seeks the simple life on a Greek island – will she be able to adapt to life without her executive luxuries?

Goodies – that’s the best word I have for adding things to your novel that make people feel great. We’re talking… beautiful locations like sunny Italy or scrumptious Cornwall. How about setting your novel in a cake shop? Yes it’s been done before but I don’t think those locations will ever stop a book being more appealing. Talking of food, mozzarella, tomato, cheese… One Summer In Rome is set in a cosy pizzeria – what could make you feel better than that?! Oh, and pets. Warm scenes can often be created with animals. In The New Beginnings Coffee Club a small kitten helps turn around the life of a little girl. And there is a micro pig called Frazzle for added cuteness in Mistletoe Mansion. In One Summer In Rome a stray dog reveals a hidden kind side to a rather aggressive character. “Goodies” will leave the reader glowing from tip to toe.

Best of luck! If your story makes you feel good then there’s no doubt it will the reader too!

And who could blame her? There is no doubt that this smouldering, scything sex-god has taken the viewing female population by storm. But why? Here are the five things about this character that really turn me on!

Firstly – and funnily enough – it isn’t that six-pack bare chest. Mesmerising as that grass-cutting scene was, it’s those raven eyes that captured my heart. With their dark, inky depth they show passion. They say eyes are the windows to the soul yet Poldark’s are less transparent than that, in a way, and leave us guessing as to his next actions. They hint at a recklessness and spontaneity that keeps me on the edge of my sofa. He has a lawless and risk-taking side that excites, especially as it is usually driven by his strong moral code. They also show his hurt, for example at losing the love of his life. And compassion. Here is a man who looks out for his neighbours and tenants.

Secondly – that scar. Emblazoned across his face it reminds us of his physical hurt, suffered during the American War and compounded by losing Elizabeth whilst he was abroad. In my experience, picture perfect heroes often lack depth. Flaws tell a story. Here is a man who has life experience and that’s very appealing.

Thirdly – ooh yes, as a romance reader/viewer I do love a man in uniform so was always bound to find this British Army officer appealing, with the red jacket and tricorn hat. A uniform implies its wearer possesses a sense of duty, responsibility and selflessness if things take a turn for the worse. They shout “this is a person of integrity” who, in difficult times, would put you first.

Fourthly – those bedroom black curls. In an age of sculpting gels and groomed male haircuts, it’s refreshing to see a wild-at-heart style that taps into primeval desires unrestrained by society’s trends and expectations. Poldark’s masculine physicality and strength as a soldier and mine-owner compound his irresistible appeal on very basic levels. (Although I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, but actor Aidan Turner actually wears a wig for the show!)

Lastly – okay, that grass-cutting scene was pretty hot. All the more so, because it was an impulsive idea down to Aidan Turner on the day, and this sums up the character he plays. There is no hidden agenda – Poldark is what he is. He’s not trying to impress anyone. He’s being himself. You either want to spend time with him or not. Um, yes please

If you’re interested to find out if Kate Golightly finds the fictional man of her dreams, my new fun romance is 99p for a limited time on Amazon and Kobo!