Party, Party

Fans of Regency romance will know that when a society hostess had her ball or party voted a shocking squeeze or a sad crush, that she had received the ultimate accolade.

In Regency terms the Romantic Novelists' Association summer party, which took place last month, came very close. The lovely library at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, which overlooks St James' Park in London, was packed with authors, and people from the publishing world, all celebrating the start of summer (We live in hope) and the achievement of a group of new authors from amongst the RNA membership who had achieved publication during 2008/09 and were in line for the Joan Hessayon award for the best new novel - including TM's own Helen, who was there amongst the finalists for her debut novel The Magic Knot.

Sadly Helen didn't win, that honour went to Allie Spencer with her legal rom-com Tug of Love, from Little Black Dress, but we had a good time celebrating her place in the final and drinking champagne even so -

The picture gives you an idea of what the room looked like - that's Helen in black and white in the middle. The room was so packed that my attempts to get a photo of the line up when the prize was announced are too full of the backs of other people's heads to be usable. I have to thank a tall gentleman, standing on a chair, for this one. He was doing a brisk trade as people handed him their cameras.

Also unveiled at the party was the anthology of romantic short stories. Loves Me, Loves Me Not which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the RNA next year.

Published by MIRA, in hardback in the autumn and paperback in spring 2010, it has a lovely cover and an even better contents. With a foreword by Katie Fforde - the new Chair of the RNA for its celebration year- and an afterword by Jill Mansell, it has stories from Nicola Cornick, Rosemary Laurie, Carole Matthews and a host of others. A real chance to sample the talent of the RNA across the board, to read in a genre you don't usually pick up and maybe find out a few new names to try. Makes a good gift too for Xmas or Mother's day.

A great time was had by all - and many congratulations to Helen for being in that very special line up - even if I don't have a picture.

The Perfect Setting

POWERSCOURT, IRELAND.

I’m often asked where my story ideas spring from. An interesting face, lyrical tune, or unusual place name can send my mind racing away with a new story idea. But if I had to choose one type of stimuli that inspires me the most, I’d choose places.

When I visit historic houses and ancient villages or towns I always leave dying to use them as settings in my books. Although I write paranormal romance and not historical romance, the sense of history that oozes from the very stones of the buildings sets my blood racing. I’m lucky that living in England I have access to many ancient buildings and acres of mystical countryside. I love walking through a medieval manor house seeing the swords and armor on the walls, walking across flagstone floors knowing I’m treading in the footsteps of people long dead who walked their centuries earlier. Once I have a story idea, I read about myths, legends, and folk law to give me ideas on how to blend paranormal elements with the setting.

My debut book The Magic Knot is partly set in Ireland. My inspiration for the Irish fairy queen’s mansion that features in the story is a beautiful Palladian mansion called Powerscourt. The house stands in 47 acres of gardens within the Wicklow Mountains near Enniskerry, a few miles from Dublin. A castle has stood on the site since 1300. The current structure was refurbished in 1974 in preparation for opening to the public. Tragically, on completion of the work, the house was gutted by fire before it could open. The pictures of the beautiful house engulfed in fire brought tears to my eyes. Due to the cost, only the exterior was restored again. The interior now houses craft shops. Despite this, the house and gardens are magical.

My inspiration for the setting of the Cornish pub where Niall O’Connor, the hero of The Magic Knot, lives is a little Cornish village called Lerryn. My husband and I had a wonderful weekend trip exploring the tiny villages of Cornwall and the beautiful village on the River Lerryn is so magical, I quite believe fairies live there.

Please visit my website to read a two chapter excerpt of The Magic Knot.

Back Cover Copy The Magic Knot

HE’S A BIKER WITH AN ATTITUDE
What woman wouldn’t be attracted to Niall O’Connor’s soft Irish brogue and dark good looks? But Rosenwyn Tremain must find her father, and she isn’t going to let a sexy, stubborn Irishman and his motorcycle distract her. Rose’s intuition tells her he’s hiding something, a secret even the cards cannot divine. Her tarot deck always reads true, but how can one man represent both Justice and Betrayal?

SHE’S A WOMAN ON A MISSION
Magic. Niall’s body tingles with it when he finds the woman snooping in his room. Rosenwyn might believe she’s a no-nonsense accountant, but her essence whispers to him of ancient fairy magic that enslaves even as it seduces. Her heritage could endanger those he’d die to protect, but her powers and her passion, if properly awakened, might be the only thing that can save both their families, vanquish a fairy queen bent on revenge, and fulfill a prophecy that will bind their hearts together with…THE MAGIC KNOT

The second book in the Magic Knot Fairies fantasy romance series, The Phoenix Charm, is due for release in December 2009.

The Magic Knot Release Day!

After months of waiting, the moment has finally arrived.

Today is the official release date of my American Title IV winning paranormal romance THE MAGIC KNOT!!

I’m delighted (and relieved) that the book has received some wonderful reviews. Here are just a few of the fantastic comments reviewers have made.

“THE MAGIC KNOT is a quick-moving romance filled with action, intrigue and memorable characters. This is a book that will have readers hoping it's the start of a series!”
—Fresh Fiction

“If this is Helen Scott Taylor's debut novel, I just can't wait to see what she writes next. Definitely a new auto-buy author for me. I highly recommend this story to all lovers of magic.”
—ParaNormal Romance

“Helen Scott Taylor's debut novel, The Magic Knot, is simply fantastic.”
—WeWriteRomance


Back Cover Copy From The Magic Knot

HE’S A BIKER WITH AN ATTITUDE

What woman wouldn’t be attracted to Niall O’Connor’s soft Irish brogue and dark good looks? But Rosenwyn Tremain must find her father, and she isn’t going to let a sexy, stubborn Irishman and his motorcycle distract her. Rose’s intuition tells her he’s hiding something, a secret even the cards cannot divine. Her tarot deck always reads true, but how can one man represent both Justice and Betrayal?

SHE’S A WOMAN ON A MISSION

Magic. Niall’s body tingles with it when he finds the woman snooping in his room. Rosenwyn might believe she’s a no-nonsense accountant, but her essence whispers to him of ancient fairy magic that enslaves even as it seduces. Her heritage could endanger those he’d die to protect, but her powers and her passion, if properly awakened, might be the only thing that can save both their families, vanquish a fairy queen bent on revenge, and fulfill a prophecy that will bind their hearts together with…THE MAGIC KNOT

Short Excerpt of The Magic Knot

Rose Tremain sat on the chair before Niall’s desk, his Magic Knot cradled in her palm. She swayed slightly, her eyes dazed and dreamy. His nerves sparked. Need for her struck like lightning. He managed to suck in air, to ruthlessly crush the feeling until his body calmed.

So, he had been right. Rose Tremain was more dangerous than she appeared. She’d been sent to enslave him by capturing his stones. If she thought he’d give in easily, she had another think coming.

Silently, he walked forward and closed his hand over hers. His vision blurred at the whip of sensation. Too late, he realized his mistake in touching her. Gritting his teeth, he fought the mental pull as she sucked his very essence through their joined hands into a deep hidden part of her that whispered of ancient magic and mystery.

Niall snatched up his Magic Knot and stumbled back. His breath came in short gasps as he stared at her in shock. Rose was the Cornish pisky Tristan wanted. How had she stopped them from sensing the truth about her? That deception alone proved she was up to no good.

Slowly, her green eyes focused on him. Confusion set tiny creases between her delicate brows, then surprise chased them away. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Aye, be afraid, little thief,” he whispered. “You’ll pay dearly for your deception before I’m done with you.”

To read the first two chapters of The Magic Knot go to http://www.helenscotttaylor.com/ and click on the excerpt link on the home page.

My First Contest Up At Fresh Fiction!

In the holiday spirit, I've joined the wonderful people over on Fresh Fiction to be part of their holiday contest. If you'd like the chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card check out my contest page. There is also a link to my website where you can read the first two chapters of The Magic Knot--the book that won American Title IV.

Helen's Contest Page

To enter, look for the ENTER button at the bottom of the contest page.

A Different Kind of Contest

Lee and Anitra posted earlier this week with two fabulous pieces on contests. I recently attended the award ceremony for a slightly different kind of competition, here in the UK. Not quite the sort of contest as those described by Lee and Anitra, but a very big event for new writers of romantic fiction over here. The Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Award brings together all those writers who have been through the RNA critique scheme that year and who have subsequently made it into publication.

The award takes place as part of the RNA Summer Party – a bit of a misnomer this year, as it was raining – I settled for a sensible pair of black trousers rather than the frothy frock I’d been hoping to wear. The venue was the beautiful library of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Doesn’t sound like a romantic location, but it is – a working library with a gallery, balconies and deep window embrasures, full of books – they do tend to be about mining and other engineer type subjects, as you might expect, but you can’t have everything. The approach, up a wide sweeping staircase, is pretty spectacular too. In fact the whole building is rather splendid, overlooking St James’s Park.

The party is a gathering for gossip, sipping champagne and making contacts – much exchanging of business cards and networking. And canapés. I chickened out of something gooey, served in a spoon with what looked like spinach, but all the others were delicious, even if I didn’t know what I was eating half the time. I particularly liked the mini sausages, served with mashed potato as a dip. Bangers and Mash, in miniature.

The serious part of the evening is the judging and presentation. This year there were five newly published writers: - Beth Elliot with The Wild Card, Monica Fairview with An Improper Suitor and Elizabeth Hanbury with The Paradise Will, all published by Robert Hale Ltd, plus Giselle Green with Pandora's Box - published by Avon (HarperCollins) and Jane Lovering with Reversing Over Liberace - published by Samhain.

The award is sponsored by Dr David Hessayon, in memory of his late wife Joan, who was a romance writer and longstanding member of the RNA. Dr Hessayon is the writer of the ‘Gardening Expert’ books. There are over 49 million copies of his works in print and 1999 he received a Guinness World Record Award as ‘Britain’s best-selling living author of the 1990s’. During his usual warm and witty speech he confided that he will shortly be celebrating 50 years of publication. His generosity, as well as providing a prize for all the finalists and the main award of £1,000, also extends to buying everyone a glass of champagne to toast the winner, a gesture always very well received. This year was no exception and everyone toasted Giselle Green, with enthusiasm.

Giselle has been trying for publication for nine years, so her message was definitely never to give up hope. Pandora’s Box was described as a brave book, which tackles the story of a mother and her fifteen year old daughter who has been diagnosed with a debilitating and fatal illness. An old diary unearths memories and the ending has a surprising twist. And the descriptions of Cornwall are, apparently, superb. Giselle is also the author of A Writer's Guide to the Zodiac - on using star signs to help build and understand characters, which sounds like something a Title Magician ought to check out!

It was an excellent party. I’m already looking forward to next year. That one really will be special, as our own Helen will be one of the line-up in contention for the award, following the publication of The Magic Knot, by Dorchester in February 2009.

Romantic Times Convention and Award Ceremony

By Helen Scott Taylor

I'm delighted to announce that I won the American Title IV contest. This is such an honor considering the quality of the other entries I was competing against. Here's the wonderful book cover Dorchester designed for my book, which will be released in February 2009.

Five ATIV finalists made the trip to Pittsburgh for the Romantic Times Convention. Evonne and I made the trip across the Atlantic from the UK to join Holly, Trish and Mel. It was great to meet up and although we missed the other five who didn't make it this year, we all had fun. Here we are from left to right, my daughter Katherine, Evonne, Helen, Trish, Holly and Mel.

The awards ceremony on Friday was exciting. Chris Keesler from Dorchester called all five of us up on stage before he announced the winner of American Title.

Then I made a short speech of thanks wearing my tiara! I even received a kiss of congratulation from Mr. Romance 2008, Chris Winters.

From left to right, Kathryn Falk, owner of Romantic Times, Helen and Chris Keesler from Dorchester.

Dorchester made a poster of my book cover that I got to ship home! (At great expense. would you believe UPS wanted to charge me $300 to ship it back to the UK!! Needless to say I found a cheaper alternative.)

One final pic that I must show you because my daughter is so pleased to have had her photograph taken with Fabio!

Golden Heart!

As a reserved Brit, I was taught not to blow my own trumpet. People who drone on about their own achievements are boorish (so we're taught). It's a strange characteristic of the British that we love the underdog. But let that underdog pull him or herself up out of the mire and start doing rather nicely thank you and we get all huffy and suddenly want them to fall flat on their face.

Therefore, it is a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by Americans who far from holding back on sharing their accomplishments, shout them from the rooftops--or more aptly--broadcast them around the Internet. And generously support their fellow writers with enthusiasm.

I've had to learn one gets nowhere in life by sitting quietly in the corner hoping to be noticed.

On that note, I'm delighted to announce my American Title finaling story The Magic Knot is a finalist in the Golden Heart!

Come July, I'll be filing into the ballroom at the Marriott in San Francisco with many other hopefuls, fingers crossed, praying to win.

Wish me LUCK!

(Oh, and please forgive me the abbreviated blog today. I only had two hours sleep last night!)