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| June 20th, 2008
No, not Frank Sinatra, but moi- though I like to think of my eyes as green. Anything can change if we think long and hard enough about it- now you see why fantasy is my profession. However, I digress. My optician informs me that blue eyes are delicate and require more care than darker eyes- my right eye, for example, is chronically dry, which is affecting my sight in that eye and now I need plugs in my tear ducts. Hmm. Sounds about right- though dh would probably like a larger one inserting in my mouth So forgive me, if at this time of maximum writing output I am a little lax with my blogging- Only I now have to stop every hour on the hour to insert drops and take a break from the screen- which will probably mean a fourteen hour day, rather than cutting down on work. Obsessive, moi? You betcha. Oh, boy, I love my latest idea, which is somewhat different to the rest… Off to work and blink frequently- another piece of advice- imagine… I shall look more like dear Moley than ever
Have a good one, ladies! Sxx June 18th, 2008
Forgive silence, am suffering from flashing lights and migraine- writer’s overload, methinks- perhaps that is why my kepyboard has purple keys…. I think it’s trying to tell me something! Anyhow, touch typing will only get me so far- so, huge thanks to all the listeners who mailed me after my broadcast on Bradford community radio, and also huge apologies to the readers of Cleckheaton, who won’t be seeing me tomorrow night Off to lie down and dream up my next story Sxxx June 13th, 2008 What has happened to the weather? I’m going to put the heating on. Yes, I am. It also rained in the far South of France, and it rained in Italy too. Blah. Grump. Scowl. Okay, so here’s a little something to heat us up
Under The Italian’s Command is one of my favourite books- I’m still a little in love with Lorenzo. All right. A lot in love. I love his humour and his socks. You don’t know about Lorenzo’ socks? *sigh* And my heroine in Desert King, Pregnant Mistress has to be one of my favourites, if only because Beth Tracey Torrance started talking to me in a broad Liverpool accent, and when I was in the theatre the city of Liverpool was one of my absolute favourite places to visit- everyone had a one-liner on the tip of their tongue, and the kindness I found there was second to none. And now I promised you that market in Ceret, didn’t I? Well, it’s supper-time for me here in the UK, which seems appropriate, so here goes…
I’m sure you’ll have pictures of your own to prove me wrong, but I have to say, I didn’t even know there were so many varieties, shapes and sizes of onions! Well, have a wonderful weekend, everyone- speak next week. Love to all, Susanxx June 12th, 2008
Oh, and minimus says, ‘Rrrrh’ (Apparently Lee will know what that means) Now don’t try telling me that I’m the only one this morning here in the UK who is a little bleary-eyed after staying up to watch, not just the final of Sir Alan’s Apprentice, but also the spin-off shows that followed. - Not the only one who was expecting Claire from Wakefield to move on to a very well deserved win, either, I’m guessing. If anyone displayed all the attributes of a more than able apprentice, Claire did. Here’s Claire, with the eventual winner, Lee
Three cheers for our lovely Yorkshire lass!!! We thought you were fabulous, Claire. But. Ladies. What can I say? Having watched Lee McQueen, shall we say, avidly, with my youngest over the past 12 weeks, we didn’t exactly begrudge him the win- In fact, minimus expressed the opinion that Lee would make a very good Mills & Boon cover model should he ever decide to give up the salary and perks of working for Sir Alan Sugar. I’ll leave you to decide as you ponder Lee’s photo at the top of this Blog over your morning coffee. And now for some more photos from lovely Ceret, in the far South of France in the region we call Catalan, but which I know some of you in the US recognise as Cataluna…
But, isn’t it lovely? The trees were so high, it was impossible to get them in the shot, but they provide a welcome canopy in the height of summer.
Next time I’m going to take you to the market… Hugs around the world, Susan xx June 10th, 2008
I’ll be back to the South of France later, as I really must get this latest script off my desk. I am totally immersed in the story of another wounded hero- wounded in more ways than one. There are some similarities to my returning war hero, Lieutenant Colonel Cade Grant, who appears in my August UK Modern Heat release, Housekeeper at his Beck and Call.
In this current manuscript my alpha of alpha’s, Ethan Alexander, has been the victim of a gang of thugs- proving, as my heroine, Savannah says when confronted by the extent of Ethan’s injuries that even the strongest tree can be felled. Sometimes it’s very hard to let go of the characters, and this is definitely one of those times- Have a great day, everyone- and don’t forget to slather on that suncream, if you’re in a hotspot today Okay, so I couldn’t resist one little pic of the glorious lushness that exists between France and Spain in romantic Catalan- And there’s still just enough time- if you get cracking with posting your comment before 12 noon today, Tuesday, for you to pop over to Access Romance and take part in our chat there, before I announce our winner Sxx June 9th, 2008
Yes, I know it’s been a long absence, but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s been worth it! I’ve been off ‘on me travels’ you see, in the far South of France- I shall be bringing you some beautiful- and some not so beautiful (see above!)- candid photographs of my trip. What has happened to my sartorial elegance (m’ what?) So, why not share that blissful moment of marital harmony with you, I thought?? Talking of harmony- here are my hosts, the very glamorous Jim and Gilly:
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home with us- and here’s just a corner of the swimming pool with the fabulous scenery beyond- (and yes, that’s dh, staying as far from the nagging as he can get)
I’ll be writing more about this interesting research trip into the wild and very beautiful Catalan region on the borders of France and Spain, so do stay tuned… and just to give you a flavour or the quaint little towns where artists such as Picasso loved to stay, how about this-
And don’t even get me started on the food… Or the food market, which takes up the whole of the town on Saturdays…
Okay, so now I’ve started, there’ll be no stopping me- so why not drop by for more Have a great week, ladies, Yours dreaming of very large and very succulent pastries… *** Ooh, and don’t forget to join me over at Access Romance today, where I’ll be handing out a prize at random to one of you who takes part in our chat there www.accessromance.com All-A-Blog See ya! Waving wildly. Okay, so not so wildly- was up at 4 this morning to catch up, but I’ll drag my nose off the desk and join in the chat later where I’ll be looking to you to perk me up! Sxxx May 24th, 2008
I really love this new cover of the book I’ll be bringing to RWA San Francisco. Either way, this is one of my fave pairings to date. I thought of Harrods in the UK, owned by a wealthy Egyptian, and then I thought- what if a similiar luxury store (or in my case, being a greedy author!) a chain of luxury stores, was owned by a young sheikh… And, what if there was a prize awarded annually by the Sheikh to his front-line troops- Shop Assistant of the Year, for instance, and my heroine Beth Tracey Torrance from Liverpool won that prize… I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that this book wrote itself-we richocheted backwards and forwards from the desert to Liverpool, while my hand nearly dropped off from typing so fast to keep up. I love this story, and I hope you do too. Congratulations to our art department for doing us proud- and here’s another sumptuous image for my *mini* story
Have a great weekend everyone, and for those of you in the UK, enjoy your long weekend! Don’t forget to put the 19th June in your diary if you live in Yorkshire. Sxx May 23rd, 2008
Am off to do battle with my picture file to try and work out how to load my new, utterly stonking cover for Desert King, Pregnant Mistress- it’s all colour co-ordinated and everything- but unfortunately, you can’t see it. It’s lovely Honest it is T’ ra for now!! Sxxx May 22nd, 2008
Bringing you a bit of a mixed bag, really. Have been having trouble with my Facebook site recently, with my profile ‘disappearing’ from time to time, until finally, last night, it gave up the ghost completely and crashed, losing all the friends I had made. Bizzarely, having refused to recognise my e-mail address the site informed me when I attempted to re-join that my e-mail was already in use. Several attempt later I managed to get a page up- with one solitary friend- Lucy Monroe- already in situ- how that happened, I don’t know, but hi, Lucy! You were a welcome sight to Billy No-Mates, I can tell you!!! Anyway, with the help of all the fantastic friends I have made across the world, together with the stirling work of Lee Hyat of Author Sound Relations, I am slowly re-establishing myself- so huge thanks to everyone who is befriending the *new* Susan Stephens on Facebook, or re-friending me, as the case may be!!! For my Yorkshire readers… On the library front, I can now tell you that my talk at Cleckheaton library on the 19th June will be entitled, ‘Love at the Library’ Looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible
Have a good one, ladies! Sxxx May 16th, 2008
I have been contacted by the journalist, Emma Unsworth regarding an article for The Big Issue. I don’t want to beat the drum, but this is a cause very close to my heart. The Big Issue was founded in 1991 by A. John Bird and Gordon Roddick as a response to the huge numbers sleeping rough in London. The inspiration for the magazine came from Street News, a newspaper sold by homeless people in New York, which Gordon Roddick of The Body Shop saw on a visit to the States. With the assistance of The Body Shop International, Roddick and A. John Bird launched The Big Issue in September 1991, initially as a monthly publication in London. In June 1993, The Big Issue went weekly and regional editions of the magazine were soon established in Scotland (bigissuescotland.com), Wales (bigissuecymru.co.uk), the North of England (bigissueinthenorth.com) and the South West (bigissuesouthwest.co.uk). Collectively the 5 regional editions cover the whole of the UK. Today The Big Issue is an international entity, existing in Australia, Japan, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya. The Big Issue is a founder member of the INSP, which is a global association of 57 street papers with members from all over the world. INSP is an umbrella organisaton which providesa consultancy service for its partner papers and advises on the setting up of new street papers and support initiatives for marginalised people. THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION was founded in 1995 to complement the way the magazine works with homeless people and assist them in gaining control of their lives and achieving greater self-reliance and independence. Have a safe and loving weekend, everyone. Susan xx |
Not that I nag, or anything 
But he’s worth it- 
Meats, pates, pickles, anyone?
Or how about some home-baked bread?
Could this be the biggest onion stall in the world?
Congratulations to Lee McQueen, who won this year’s 12 week marathon job interview to become Sir Alan Sugar’s new Apprentice
This is the main street, and those ferocious-looking cannonball thingies are to stop vehicles trespassing on the pavements- they’d be mad to, as there are deep gullies to catch the rainwater- as well as the occasional unwary pedestrian, I imagine!
The narrow winding side streets reminded me of Venice, as did the pavement cafes in the square- 
