Tag: Publication day

I’m late with this. Late Tardy, y’might say 🙂 But February 2023 is a massive month for me. Starting with the publication of Book 100 for M&B on 2 Feb – actually, it was already out in Australia last month, and it’s out in the US at the end of this month, but the wonderful manager of our local Waterstone’s hosted a launch party in exactly the same place as we launched M&B 1, A Baby of Her Own.

Anyway. Book 100. I wanted it to be my favourite trope – the fake fiancé – with a little bit of a twist to it. And I wanted it to be set in Norfolk, my favourite part of the world. And it’s on a farm (I’m married to a farmer!).

What’s the twist? Well, this is the blurb…

A fiancé for the cameras…or for ever?

In Kate Hardy’s 100th book, marketing executive Elle must put her childhood home on the map by helping manager Charlie promote Bluebell Farm as a wedding venue. Ignoring their chemistry isn’t easy—especially when they become the focus of the campaign and everyone is convinced their posed engagement is real! And when the lines blur Elle’s tempted to dream it could be too…

I loved writing this. And I loved being able to celebrate. Hence roping my family in to drop off 24 bottles of pink prosecco to Waterstones/help me organise a ‘raffle’ (no purchase required, just me giving something back) and help put chairs out.

My friend Nicki made me the most amazing cake to go with the bubbles.

My friend Rachel Hore (a Sunday Times bestselling author who writes fabulous books) interviewed me (thank you to Lizzie Lamb for the pic).

And my biggest supporter was there, so I wanted him to help me cut the cake (with the same knife we’d used for our wedding, 30 years ago!)

Thank you to the readers, editors and friends who’ve been there with me on the journey since the very first M&B, 20 years ago. Thank you also to Rowan Mantell of Archant for the fabulous articles in Norfolk Magazine, the EDP and the Evening News, and to Denise Bradley of Archant for taking wonderful photos.

And thank YOU for being part of it.

Thrilled to say that today is publication day for my Medical twin doctor duo – Second Chance with her Guarded GP, and Baby Miracle for the ER Doc. (Click on the links to find out more about the books.)

Ollie and Rob are twins; and when Rob has a burst appendix that goes wrong, gives him severe blood poisoning and wipes out his kidneys, of course Ollie offers him a kidney.

They’re complete opposites – Ollie is calm and organised, and Rob is restless and a chaos magnet.

And although neither think they’re looking for love, while they’re recuperating from the operation they meet the women who will change their lives…

 

 Today’s publication day for Surprise Heir for the Princess.This started life in my head years ago, when I wrote the Penhally vet book. Readers asked me if I’d write the sister’s story, but because Penhally was a Medical Romance and the sister was a princess, my editor and I couldn’t make it work.

I still wanted to write the princess and the paparazzo. I asked. A lot. (My editor’s standard reply is ‘hahaha – no’.) So then I thought about tweaking it a bit.

Now, I love Audrey Hepburn. And I got to thinking about Roman Holiday. (I know, I know, Gregory Peck is a journalist… but bear with me.) Audrey’s princess takes a day to live an ordinary life and be a tourist in Rome. How could that work in today’s world, when everyone has a phone in their pocket and can instantly upload a pic that can zoom round the globe in seconds?

I thought about it a bit more. I wanted a photographer hero. My princess was going to be Italian(ish) – hence the fictional Mediterranean principality. (Sort of based on Capri, which I loved visiting.) And the setting? Partly in London – but they escape to the place of my heart. And the pics below show you a bit of the inspiration behind the book. Wells-next-the-sea, Hunstanton, and Blickling Great Wood.

I love butterflies. So I couldn’t resist writing about a butterfly specialist (gave me a good excuse for research) and an architect.

And it’s my 90th book for M&B!

 

I can’t believe how fast that’s gone – 90 books in 19 years.

If you’d like to know more about the book, take a look at the book page here… and there are also buy links, should you wish to purchase 🙂