IN ALL HONOUR

In All Honour will be published by Robert Hale in March.

In 1810 at the end of The Wild Card, Theo's friend, Greg, has fallen in love with Amelia but she turns him down. Broken-hearted, he goes back to his military duties in Spain.

Two years later, he is cynical about women. Wounded at the battle of Salamanca, he returns to England to face a series of problems involving his family. As he tries to unravel the mystery, developments became more and more sinister.

Sarah Davenport is one person who could help him but she constantly avoids his company. Greg cannot deny she has links to the villains even if she seems to be an honourable young lady.

Sarah has her own reasons for trying to keep away from Greg. She accepts an invitation to stay with a friend in Bath where they plan to enjoy the social life, with visits to the Pump Room, the circulating library and Assembly Rooms. Sarah thinks she has escaped but then Greg also appears in Bath - and, horror of horrors, so does the unpleasant Lord Percival, who is hunting Sarah relentlessly.

Can Greg resolve the impossible tangle?

Seeing HOW they do it

My current story, April and May, is the story of two sisters, Rose and Helena. The story begins in Constantinople [right] in 1804.

Starting a new story is splendid - new people and places to describe and a foolproof new plot. Only, it never is... the main characters quickly take over. By Chapter 9 or 10 they demonstrate their own particular interests. Now they go their own way and do quite different things from what was planned.

Keeping the main characters interacting can be a problem - especially when the heroine sails back to London, leaving the two male love interests in Constantinople. Fortunately they soon discover that they must come to London as well. And then the plot really thickens. Villains swarm all around but the real dangers are the emotions dominating the main characters' actions.

Love, rivalry, pride, fear, honour, determination, revenge and treachery, all have their part to play.



Rose is an artist. She visits the exhibition at Somerset House, but lingering too long in the empty gallery, she is almost caught by an assassin.

RNA Joan Hessayon and other Awards Lunch, 11 /02 /09

Tuesday, 11th February was a difficult day for travelling. Snow or rain had fallen again overnight and ice and/or flooding caused havoc with public transport the length and breadth of the country. But that did not stop Romantic Novelists heading to the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington to join in the annual Awards luncheon. The cloakroom was full of brollies and boots but the dining room was full of delightfully dressed ladies and gentlemen. There was a happy noise of greetings and exchange of news, the clinking of glasses and the popping of corks.

The tables were laid with crisp white linen and decorated with black candelabra and red and black ostrich plumes. Name cards in beautiful script [which must have taken many hours work to write out for three hundred guests] told everyone where to sit [another headache to plan where to put everyone].

The food was superb. Each course was beautiful to behold and mouthwateringly good. Best of all, the hot dish was served hot! The lemon tart was made in heaven. And throughout, the conversation was cheerful and people made new friends and happily met up with old ones.

We shortlisted candidates for the two prizes arrived early, in a mood of pleasant anticipation. Whatever the final result, during the event we were basking in admiration from our fellow writers. The winner of the Romance Prize was India Grey, while Julia Gregson won the prize for the Romantic Novel of the Year.

My thanks to Pam [Kate Hardy] for letting me use her photo of four Romance Prize finalists.

L-R: Beth, Fiona, Kate, Jessica.

 I was also a finalist for the Joan Hessayon Prize, for my Regency adventure romance, The Wild Card.

RNA Joan Hessayon Prize,  -  Judge’s summary:

The Wild Card (Hale) by Beth Elliott - "The background is terrific, the story lively and the pace relentless as the story builds to a fantastic climax. A wonderful charming and well-written Regency with its essential lightness spiced with intrigue."

The Wild Card