Victoria Connelly » Let’s Talk About Love

Follow the pink balloons …

Victoria — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:33:11 +0000

I knew I was in the right place yesterday when I saw the pink heart-shaped balloons! Yes, it was time to talk about all things romantic again with my three lovely friends from the Let’s Talk About Love group. This time, the setting was Castelnau Library in the borough of Richmond and a lovely crowd was there to meet us. It’s so nice to get away from the desk once in a while and talk to people who are as passionate about books as I am. Many thanks to the wonderful library staff who made us feel so welcome and to Adam who looked after the book stall.

And I reached a marvellous milestone in the new novel this week – my first 100 pages! Always a good sign when you can see things moving along at a fair old pace. Only another 250 or so pages to go …

Pressing on!

Victoria — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:45:04 +0000

Life as a romantic novelist can sometimes be incredibly busy especially around Valentine’s Day. Yesterday, I was talking about romance on Radio Oxford and then I spent a lovely evening with my Let’s Talk About Love friends at Waterstones in Windsor where we were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd and made very welcome by the staff. There were plates of heart-shaped chocolates courtesy of Hotel Chocolat and a fabulous display of our books including the glorious golden paperback of Loves Me, Loves Me Not in which Janet Gover and I have short stories.

The anthology has been getting lots of wonderful press coverage - it’s Heat magazine’s top read this week with a five-star review, and it’s People’s Friend ‘Book for February’, saying that my story “set in the Egyptian rooms of the British Museum, will restore your faith that romance can blossom in the most unlikely places”.

And there’s been more press with articles in The Worcester News and the Eastern Daily Press about the recent film interest in Molly’s Millions.

I’ve also been singing the praises of my favourite novel again – HE Bates’s The Darling Buds of May. It really is the most gorgeous novel!

Celebrating Valentine’s

Victoria — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:57:44 +0000

I LOVE Valentine’s Day. Well, there aren’t many romantic novelists who don’t. And this one’s going to be really special because I’ll be celebrating it in style with three of my author friends in two fabulous Let’s Talk About Love events. On Friday 12th at 7pm, we’ll be discussing all things romantic at Waterstone’s in Windsor and it promises to be a delicious evening with chocolate treats provided by Hotel Chocolat! Tickets are £3 but that’s redeemable against purchases on the night.

Then between 3 – 4.30pm on Saturday 20th, we’ll be talking at Castelnau Library. So if you’re an avid reader or a budding novelist or simply love an excuse to talk about gorgeous heroes, do come along and say hello. We’d love to see you!

Love in the afternoon

Victoria — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:59:49 +0000

When four romantic novelists get together, there’s always lots to discuss especially when we’ve been booked to talk about our favourite subject: love! The venue was Waterstone’s in Uxbridge – the first outing for our Let’s Talk About Love group.

Here I am with fellow authors Juliet Archer, Janet Gover and Jean Fullerton. You can find out more about the group at our website. We’re booking lots of other events so watch out – we may be visiting a books shop or library near you soon!

Back to the novel now and I’m half way through – chronologically that is. It’s a nice settling feeling to be in the middle of a new story but I’m equally aware of all the work that is yet to be done.

The Romantic Novelists hit Penrith!

Victoria — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:04:40 +0000

This weekend, I had the very great pleasure of attending the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s annual confernce in Penrith. It was brilliant and it was so lovely to see so many of my writer friends with their copies of Molly’s Millions, all of which I was delighted to sign!

A highlight for me was taking part in the ‘Love in the Library’ talk in Penrith where a group of us – including Katie Fforde, Freda Lightfoot and Veronica Henry - told eager readers all our writing secrets. Many thanks to the wonderful staff who arranged the day and gave us a fabulous lunch.

Penrith and the Eden Valley is where I open Molly’s Millions and it was lovely to wander around the town and visit the amazing giant’s grave which my hero Tom and his daughter visit in the book. Here’s a pic of me with some of my very good writer friends.

Back to work now which has also been a pleasure as I’ve discovered beautiful Ardington House and it’s proving a very inspirational place. My new novel is going to be about a group of Jane Austen addicts who attend a specialized weekend at a Georgian country house. Here I am working hard – honestly, I really am! – on the island in the middle of the lake in the beautiful grounds.

And breaking news – I’m part of an exciting new group of writers who are all celebrating their first UK novels. We’re called Let’s Talk About Love so visit our website and find out all about us.