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Please Welcome Guest Blogger Jill Mansell: The Glamorous Times!

Hi Everyone—here’s another fellow Sourcebooks authors that has decided to stop by and visit our blog. This time it’s internationally bestselling author, Jill Mansell. Her 5th release in the US by Sourcebooks is Rumor Has It and is hitting stores this month.

Hello, it’s lovely to be here at the Sourcebooks Romance Authors blog! I’m so happy to be published by such a great company in the US, and it’s hard to believe Rumour Has It is the fifth of my books to be coming out in under two years. Thanks so much to everyone for the warm welcome and all the fab comments so far!
I’m often asked to describe a typical day in my life. It may be interesting in its own way – get up, get kids off to school, sit down and write as many words as possible while the world endeavors to create obstacles – but it’s not what you’d call glitzy. So today I’m going to write about one of my recent atypical days, because I think would-be writers might like to hear about the more glamorous side of being a published author. If you’d rather not, just stop reading now!

Actually, it was two days. Rumor Has It had been shortlisted for a romantic comedy award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association (very similar to our own RWA, but in the UK!), of which I’m so proud to be a member, and I was attending the awards lunch at the fabulous Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London. I travelled up the day before and spent the afternoon shopping in all the best shops, as you do. I then met up with a lot of other authors staying at the same private club as me, and we all had dinner together, talking non-stop until the early hours about our two favourite subjects – writing and books!

The next morning we glammed up and set off in a taxi across Hyde Park. The sun was out, the sky was blue and the day was perfect. There was a red carpet outside the hotel. We met all the other shortlisted authors. It was a huge thrill for all of us to meet people we’d previously only known online, and to greet others we’d known for years. Photos were taken and before long it was time to head through for pre-lunch drinks. My UK editor, agent and publisher’s publicist were all there. Pink champagne was the order of the day and the noise level as many hundreds of authors and publishers got together was impressive. We writers don’t get out much, so when we do, we definitely make the most of it!

Then it was into the room where the lunch was being held, and it was super-special in every way. The decor was amazing, the food spectacular, the speakers entertaining. Here’s a link with photos:
http://romanticnovelistsassociationblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/rnas-50th-anniversary-awards-lunch.html



and here’s another:
http://romanticnovelistsassociationblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/glitz-glam-fun-images-rnas-50th.html

I didn’t win the award I was shortlisted for, but it really didn’t matter - we all had such a fantastic time anyway. After the lunch, a posse of chicklit and romantic comedy novelists gravitated upstairs to the hotel bar and we were plied with yet more champagne by the lovely editor of Lucy Dillon, who won the RNA Novel of the year award for her brilliant book, Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts. Only Sophie Kinsella, heavily pregnant with her fourth baby, wasn’t able to enjoy the alcoholic celebrations and had to stick to water...

Eventually we headed across the road to a wonderful pub which was crammed with yet more friends and RNA members. It really was the best of times. At nine o’clock I finally caught a taxi to Paddington and jumped onto my train like Cinderella. I was home by midnight, to complaints about lost school books and a massive pile of washing up in the sink – back to earth with a bump!
The following morning I was sitting on the sofa struggling to get back into writing mode and thinking, why can’t there be a glamorous awards ceremony every day? Wouldn’t that just be perfect?

A BIG thank you to Jill for stopping by! Let us know your glamorous moments, or tell us the little things you do each day to feel glammed up!

RUMOR HAS IT by JILL MANSELL—IN STORES MAY 2010
Would you be tempted?

Newly single, Tilly Cole impulsively accepts a job offer in a small town as a “Girl Friday.” Fun job, country house, fresh start, why not? But soon she finds herself in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the town’s most desirable bachelor—Jack Lucas.

Rumors of Jack’s “love ’em and leave ’em” escapes abound, and Tilly decides to do the mature, sensible thing... avoid Jack at all cost. But the more time Tilly spends with Jack, the more the rumors just don’t make sense. Tilly doesn’t know what to believe... and Jack’s not telling.

About the Author
UK bestselling author Jill Mansell has written nearly twenty romances and women’s fiction novels, and sold over 4 million books. A master of romantic comedy, her smart, sassy style has an irresistible appeal for women of all ages. A full--time writer, Ms. Mansell worked for many years the Burden Neurological Hospital, Bristol. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England. For more information, please visit http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/ or follow Jill on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JillMansell.

Comments

  1. Congratulations on the US release of RUMOR HAS IT. I just finished your book and am so looking forward to the next.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  2. Congrats, Jill! It looks great!

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  3. Congratulations Jill, on the US release and on being shortlisted.

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  4. Why can't we have awards' ceremonies everyday? So much better than laundry and dishes, right? Congrats on the release!

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  5. Enjoyed your post Jill. I have a love for all things British. I'm sure it was wonderful to get dressed up, enjoy the drink, food, and meeting all the other authors. As for the award--next year!
    Amelia

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  6. Congrats, Jill, and thanks for the photos! Lovely to see what happens on the other side of the pond in our industry!

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  7. Sounds like a terrific book and a wonderful celebration.

    Congratulations!

    Ash

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  8. Hi, it's me again, thanks so much for the welcome and the nice comments! I've just spent the last couple of hours on US blogs and I'm now starting to use Americanisms in my head. I'll be sounding like John Wayne soon!
    Love
    Jill x

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  9. Congrats on yet another US release, Jill--I know this one will be even more successful as the last over here :)

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  10. This is great, Jill. Fantastic on the US release.

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  11. Ah yes, the glamorous life of the romance novelist. Each of us live that way every day, isn't that right girls? ;-)

    Thanks for stopping by, Jill, and for sharing how those authors across the pond party it up! Congratulations and best of luck on the latest endeavor!

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