Truly Madly Deeply is an anthology of 24 specially-selected stories from various authors who are all members of The Romantic Novelist Association. You’ll find a number of lovely authors all together. Besides myself there’s Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews, Miranda Dickinson, Chris Manby and many more. The stories are diverse (as is romance!) from wedding days to special anniversaries, steamy one night encounters to everlasting loves. Truly, Madly, Deeply offers an exciting romantic adventure where love really is all you need.
Please tell us a bit about your story ‘A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet.’
My story is about a couple of sisters who, whilst very close, could not be more different. One is a die-hard romantic and the other is a resolute cynic when it comes to love. The romantic is happily married and longs for her sister to find the same bliss; the cynic sees her sister’s attempts at matchmaking humiliating and frustrating…it’s set on Valentine’s Day, a tinderbox of a day I always feel.
How did you become involved in the project?
I’ve been a member of the RNA for several years. I read about the project in the quarterly magazine and submitted a story. A committee selected the stories they wanted to publish. It was all rather exciting. Writing short stories is a very different skill and discipline from writing novels. I think it’s important for me to challenge myself by writing something that’s structurally diverse. It keeps me fresh.
Why is the book suitable for women of all ages?
Romance, relationships, hope, joy are all ageless!
How does it feel to be among other best-selling authors as well as rising stars?
It’s great fun. Many of us are already good friends and it’s always a pleasure to be in an environment where new talent is nurtured.
Why does the genre of romance never lose its appeal?
We are eternal optimists…
What is next for you?
I’ve just launched a novel called Spare Brides. It’s quite a departure for me. After writing 13 Times Top Ten Bestsellers I’ve turned my hand to historical fiction. Spare Brides begins on New Year's Eve, 1920. The Great War is over and it's a new decade of glamorous promise. But the novel looks at the fact that this is a generation of men and women who whilst having survived the extreme trauma and tragedy, they will never be the same. With countless men lost, it seems that only wealth and beauty will secure a husband from the few who returned, but lonely Beatrice has neither attribute. Ava has both, although she sees marriage as a restrictive cage after the freedom war allowed. Sarah paid the war's ultimate price: her husband's life. Lydia should be grateful that her own husband's desk job kept him safe, but sadly she sees only his cowardice. She’s extremely disappointed in him. A chance encounter for one of these women with a striking yet haunted officer changes everything. In a world altered beyond recognition, where not all scars are visible, this damaged and beautiful group grasp any happiness they can find - whatever the cost. I loved writing this big sweeping romantic novel and setting it in such a glamorous but complicated period.