Spring is here – at last!

Today, for the first time in far too long, the weather has been glorious. After months of gloomy grey skies and unremitting rain, the sun has been shining. I took advantage of the change in the weather to pay a visit to one of my favourite places, Rufford Old Hall. The grounds are looking particularly beautiful at the moment, full of spring bulbs. I wandered  around then stopped for a cup of tea and a delicious freshly baked scone in the tea room. It was lovely to get out and enjoy the warmth and the sunshine after all these longs months of gloom. If you are visiting the north west, then do put Rufford Old Hall on your list of places to see. The grounds and the house are really worth seeing.

Here are a few photos I took today. Maybe they will tempt you!

I think this poor scarecrow must be as happy as I am to see the sun!

Mother’s Day.

Yesterday, here in the UK, we celebrated Mother’s Day. Although it has become very commercialised over the past few years, it’s a day most mothers treasure. I know I do. Being a mother has defined my life and it is the achievement I am most proud of. To bring a new life into the world and watch that child grow and develop into a wonderful human being is one of life’s greatest joys. Oh, it isn’t all plain sailing – certainly not! There are many hiccups along the way but they are nothing compared to the sheer joy of having a family.

Now my daughter has children of her own and I have the double joy of being a mother and a grandmother. I consider myself very lucky indeed. So to all of you who celebrated being a mother yesterday or will celebrate it in the coming weeks, I hope you derive as much pleasure as I do.

Out and about.

Having delivered my latest book to my editor, I have been out and about, enjoying seeing friends and catching up with what is going on in the world. In the last week I have enjoyed afternoon tea with an old friend, been to the theatre to watch a brilliant performance of Mary Poppins, been out to dinner, and taken my grandchildren to the cinema to watch Goosebumps (great fun!) It’s been a lovely break but now I am itching to get back to work.

I imagine most writers feel the same as I do when they are not writing – a bit lost and at sea. Writing not only fulfils a deep need in me but it gives structure to my days. Oh, I love having a break and know that I need to take time out away from the keyboard, but getting back to work is never a chore but a pleasure. I can’t wait to set off on a new journey and watch my characters come to life.

I am planning to write a three-book mini series next, set in the Yorkshire Dales, and I am looking forward to getting to know the area. I shall probably drive over there and spend a couple of days soaking up the atmosphere so that when I  settle down to write the books they will have a truly authentic feel to them. Then there is the medical research that will need doing and I am really looking forward to that. Each and every step along the way is exciting even after writing so many books. And the end result, actually seeing my book in print, will be the icing on the cake!

Next month I have a new book out, one that is set further afield than Yorkshire. The Greek Doctor’s Secret Son is set on a tiny idyllic Greek island. I have ben lucky enough to visit Greece on several occasions and love the culture there as well as the people who are so welcoming and hospitable. I do hope I have managed to get that across in my book. Here’s the cover.

Christmas is almost here . . .

Well it’s almost time. The big day is just a few hours away and I have almost finished my preparations. I have to confess that I love Christmas – love  shopping for presents, love hanging the decorations, love every tiny bit of it, in fact. This year has been no different. I’ve had so much fun racing around the shops and decorating my home. Now everything is ready. The Nativity is set up, beautifully arranged by my granddaughter, Isobel. 

The tree has been decorated even if it does appear to be listing to starboard!

The presents have been wrapped.

And Bess, my dog, has tried on her new antlers. (She’s not keen on them as you can see from the picture.)

Now all that is left is for me to wish you a very happy Christmas.

Love to you all,

Jennifer.

 

 

Stop press!

 I have just discovered that Miracle Under the Mistletoe is my 80th title for Harlequin Mills & Boon. I am so thrilled and wanted to share the news with you all. I had no idea that I had written so many books. I feel so lucky to have a job I love and to be able to spend my days creating lovely characters.

A huge thank you to all my readers and huge thanks as well to my editor, who is so wonderfully encouraging.

love,

Jennifer.

 

Miracles and Mistletoe . . .

 Well, there has certainly been a huge change in the weather since my last post! Wet grey days have heralded the onset of winter. I have to confess that once the obligatory walks with my dog are over with, I haven’t been  inclined to venture too far afield. It’s been the perfect time to sit in the warmth and read, and I have read some really great books recently.

I started with The Return Journey, a collection of stories by Maeve Binchy, lovely heart-warming tales which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that I moved on to Gamble by Felix Francis who has taken over his father, Dick Francis’s mantle and writes horse-racing thrillers. Felix is really getting into his stride (excuse the pun!) and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It kept me up into the small hours and that doesn’t often happen. Following on from that I read Judy Astley’s It Must Have Been The Mistletoe which was another lovely read.

To have read three books, one after the other, which have been so enjoyable has been something of a miracle and I am hoping my luck continues with the next batch. In the meantime, I am celebrating the release of my latest book, Miracle Under The Mistletoe which will be in the shops in December and is already available from millsandboon.co.uk in both print and e-book format. I love the cover! It’s perfect for the story. Take a look and see what you think.

Once again I’ve used my fictional town of Dalverston for the setting and this time the action takes place in the A&E department over the busy Christmas and New Year period. Two years ago A&E consultant Sean Fitzgerald left Molly Daniels broken-hearted. Now he’s back and the reception Molly gives him is frostier than the weather! But this time Sean is determined to reveal the truth about his past.

Walking away from Molly was the hardest thing Sean has ever done but now she’s within his reach once more he never wants to let her go. Could one magical mistletoe kiss be enough to melt her heart and finally show Molly that he’s here to stay?

I loved bringing together two people who love one another but thought they could never be with each other. The fact that the book is set in the beautiful English Lake District was another bonus. I spend a lot of time there, especially in the area close to Ulverston. In fact the name Dalverston is a combination of Dalton-in-Furness and Ulverston!

I do hope you enjoy Molly and Sean’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now I intend to curl up by the fire and read!

Love to you all,

Jennifer.

An Indian summer . . .

I can’t believe how gorgeous the weather has been for the last few days. Cool, clear early mornings followed by brilliant sunshine. I have been enjoying getting out and about with my dog, making the most of this unexpected warm spell. With winter just around the corner, it’s best to take advantage while we can!

September has always been a special month as it’s when my husband and I usually went away on holiday. I have been thinking about some of the holidays we had a lot recently as I have just completed a book set in the Greek Islands. Bill and I often went there and it’s not only been lovely to recall the happy times we had, but also to be able to picture the stunning scenery while I was writing. The Greek Doctor’s Secret Son won’t be published until April 2016 but I am looking forward to it appearing on the shelves of my local bookshop.

September is also my granddaughter’s birthday and there has been a lot of celebrating going on. Isobel turned eight this month and she is looking very grown up. She is crazy about horses and loves spending time with her pony. Here’s a photo of her plaiting Smokey’s tale.

My grandson, Max, also started school this month so it’s been a busy time for him too. Fortunately, he has settled in and seems to be enjoying it. He certainly looks happy in this photo taken on his first day!

I hope September has been a happy and enjoyable month for you too.

love,

Jennifer

There’s good news and there’s bad . . .

The last few weeks have been mixed to say the least. There has been all the thrill of seeing my latest book, From Best Friend to Perfect Bride, published; however, the excitement has been tempered by the news that I need another round of chemotherapy to control my myeloma. Let’s start with the good bits first though.

From Best Friend to Perfect Bride tells the story of what happens when old friends Dr Bella English and Dr James MacIntyre meet up again. On Bella’s wedding day James had sworn that his feelings for her would remain hidden for ever. Three years later and James finds himself working  in Dalverston General’s Paediatric A&E department alongside a newly divorced Bella! And it’s clear that the feelings he had for her are as strong as ever . . .

I always love setting a story in my fictional town of Dalverston. It is based on an area I know extremely well, the beautiful English Lake District. I spend a lot of time there and draw inspiration from the magnificent country. Using it as a setting for this book was perfect – I was able to re-visit the places I had created and introduce my two lovely characters to them as well. I think you will enjoy it so do let me know what you think, won’t you?

Now the bad. For the past seven years I have been dealing with multiple myeloma, cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. I have had a lot of different treatments during that time to try and control it but, sadly, it has come back again with renewed force. As I have more or less run out of treatments, I have opted to have a stem cell transplant later this year in the hope that it will put me into remission for some time. Last week I started a course of chemotherapy to that effect at Manchester Royal Infirmary, not pleasant but tolerable. With a bit of luck it will bat down the cancer so that the transplant can go ahead. In the meantime I am trying to keep busy by working on revisions to my latest book. It helps enormously to take my mind off what is happening.

Does the camera ever lie?

This time last week I was enjoying a break at my caravan in the Lake District . Despite the fact that it was pouring down with rain and blowing a gale, I had a great time. Today, I finally got round to viewing the photos I had taken and was amazed to find that there was hardly a trace of the inclement weather. Everywhere looks wonderful, from the clumps of golden daffodils in the grounds of Sizergh Castle to the picture of my dog, Bess, posing on the decking outside my caravan. Take a look and you will see exactly what I mean.

Sizergh Castle

A host of golden daffodils . . .

Rock pool

Bess enjoying a rare moment when it wasn’t raining!

So does the camera lie? Definitely! This week, of course, the sun has been shining down, probably because I decided to avoid all the holiday traffic and stay at home. Oh, well, these things happen.

Easter chicks in the sunshine.

A happy Easter to you all. I hope the sun is shining down on you wherever you are.

Jennifer.

Moving on . . .

Well, I finally did it! After years of wondering if I should, discussing the merits – or drawbacks – if I did, I finally plucked up the courage and moved house. And do you know what? It was the best thing I could have done. Phew!

You see I had lived in my old house for forty plus years. Bill and I started our married life there and we raised our children there too, so it was a huge decision and I have to confess that I was worried in case I was doing the wrong thing. However, happily, I love where I live now.

OK, so I had to get rid of a huge amount of furniture. I mean moving from a large 4-bedroomed house to a 2-bed apartment always meant there was going to be a space issue. My lovely Spanish-style dining-room suite had to go, so did the conservatory and garden furniture, the media centre . . . you get the picture?

I downsized in a big way but, amazingly, I haven’t missed any of the things I gave away. I love the openness of my new apartment with its huge living, dining kitchen area and the fact that I don’t have half as much cleaning to do. I have a lot more “me” time now and I’m making the most of it, believe me.

I take long walks along the canal towpaths with my dog each morning and don’t feel guilty about not getting down to the vacuuming or window cleaning. I go out with friends and don’t need to worry that the garden needs sorting out. The move has given me the freedom to do what I want, when I want.

Here’s a photo of where I am living. It’s a beautiful spot no matter the time of day and I’m very happy here. But have you made any major changes to your life? And have they turned out how you hoped they would? I would love to hear all about them.

Love,

Jennifer.