I’m delighted to introduce my next guest, author of romantic comedies Jan Jones. Um. You can guess how Jan and I met… actually, I’ll let her tell you that herself. Although we only live an hour or so away from each other, we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like – with me having two small children at home and Jan organising the RNA events and the conference (which is next week, so I really appreciate her doing this blog entry!), there just aren’t enough hours in the day. But it’s one of those friendships where you can just pick up where you left off and it’s as if you only saw each other yesterday. Which makes me feel very privileged. Oh, and she also sends me pictures of gorgeous men, which really helps the inspiration.

So here’s Jan Jones:

Hi, I'm Jan Jones and my claim to fame is that I first met Kate Hardy at an RNA chapter meeting just before she was famous. It was my first chapter meeting (and I'd bought Ladies-Who-Lunch shoes which pinched) and I was a tad nervous, but as soon as Kate and I smiled at each other and opened our mouths (it may have been to say 'Yes, please' to a glass of wine) we clicked. For the rest of the lunch, we talked so non-stop that we may very well have forgotten to eat.

At the time, Kate was in tentative discussion with HM&B about her very first medical romance. That, dear reader, was in October 2001. Yes, you read it correctly, 2001. Since then - this pains me a little but she IS a mate - Kate has had 25 books published. I have had, er, one. But, what the hell, Kate is mega-talented and knows exactly how to make her readers both laugh and cry. A rare gift.

(You can visit Jan's website here or her blog here.)

GIVEAWAY: Jan’s offering a copy of Stage by Stage, her 2005 NWS-award-winning romantic comedy, (or one of the Sexy Shorts compilations in which she has short stories if you've already got a copy of Stage by Stage) [edit by Kate: Owen is a hero to die for. And the dialogue had me in hysterics for all the right reasons.]

GIVEAWAY QUESTION : I had great difficulty selling Stage by Stage because I was told over and over again that "theatrical backgrounds don't sell". So let your creative juices flow and invent a really compelling reason that I can use when pitching a stand-alone-sequel, also set in the touring-theatre world. (It may help if I let you know that Viggo Mortenson was the original inspiration for my hero, Owen.)

[Edit again by Kate: she twisted my arm so I’d include the pic!]