tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149384312011-12-05T18:55:34.102ZHello! You've reached the blog of romance author Jessica Raymond. This is where I record my progress with writing, and chat about numerous other things. I hope you enjoy your visit.Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.comBlogger2761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-1050454943026691892011-12-05T18:54:00.000Z2011-12-05T18:55:34.110Z

Read Me.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-32187806786120744272009-01-18T12:19:00.000Z2009-01-18T12:22:16.510Z

Any remaining readers of my blog (I imagine there are not many of you) will have noticed that I haven’t posted for a while, and neither have I written very much since Little Frog was born. Combined with the closure of Moonlit Romance, who published my three books, this means that my writing career has pretty much come to a standstill.I’ve thought a lot about my writing since Little Frog came

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-816568916843417532008-10-29T11:05:00.002Z2008-10-29T11:13:07.247Z

A couple of years ago a title like that would have referred to the completion of a story or a book, but as regular readers of this blog will have noticed, things haven't been like that in the world of Jessica Raymond for quite some time."The End", in this case, refers to some sad news: the closure of Moonlit Romance, the publishers of all three of my books. The house will be closing down at the

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-67258143487123986592008-10-22T16:20:00.002+01:002008-10-22T16:28:58.315+01:00

... I'm still here, I'm just not doing much in the blogosphere; apologies to those whose blogs I usually read and comment on.I'm doing a lot of thinking about a lot of things at the moment, although some days I don't feel like I'm getting very far with any of it! Some of my thoughts are writing-related, so when there's news to be shared, I'll share it.In the meantime, I need to update my "Just

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-39827381394015555532008-10-07T09:08:00.003+01:002008-10-07T09:19:37.009+01:00

Virtual Voyage!Congrats to you, because you've been drawn as the winner of my contest and will be receiving a two-month guest pass to LoveFilm.com! If you could visit my website and send me your address through the Contact Me page, I'll send your prize to you straightaway.Thank you to everybody for your entries and suggestions of favourite children's books. I have a feeling Little Frog's

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-72064367794774936142008-09-16T21:40:00.002+01:002008-09-16T21:50:42.374+01:00

If you, like me, are waiting waiting waiting for the good TV shows to start, you might be interested in watching this little snippet. It's a preview of the new ninth season of CSI, which follows on from the cliffhanger at the end of season eight involving Warrick Brown. (We temporarily interrupt this blog post for a sharp intake of breath, some nibbling of fingernails and the acquisition of a

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-13038842251736683292008-09-09T10:32:00.003+01:002008-09-09T11:06:59.441+01:00

Lots of stuff going on round our way at the moment. We've repainted the living room and had wood flooring put down in that room and also in the hallway, since our carpet (which was only three years old) had been beaten into submission by baby food splats and smears. Bizarrely, banana stains were the worst culprits -- even super carpet cleaner wouldn't get them out! We've also got a new sofa suite

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-77333431172445413782008-08-20T22:37:00.002+01:002008-08-20T22:42:10.213+01:00

I'm still chuckling at this, four days after it was aired on TV.I feel bad for these two blokes because they obviously believe in themselves, even if nobody else does (except maybe their mum). And the worst of it is that I'm fairly sure the rest of the nation are sniggering at their audition as well. I bet they wish they'd never applied. Either that or they'll have the last laugh and be signed up

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-60428951778966567322008-08-15T16:52:00.003+01:002008-08-15T17:03:30.940+01:00

Don't worry, it's not the dancing sort. Haven't attempted the limbo since a youth-club disco many moons ago, and nor would I like to! Little Frog, on the other hand, will probably be very good at it, since it has transpired that he is double-jointed. Honestly, he sits (and sleeps) in the strangest, most painful-looking positions and doesn't seem to care a bit.The limbo of which I speak is the

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-69180460332781439842008-08-09T15:40:00.002+01:002008-08-09T15:52:55.173+01:00

So it's 3:45 on Saturday afternoon. I'm taking a "lunch break" from proofreading and wondering if the occasional back massage might possibly be construed as a business expense. (Why is it that my fancy good-posture kneeling stool no longer seems to be doing its job?)As is typical, I was halfway through one proofreading job when another arrived (with a very short deadline) and another one shortly

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-48440611210611892642008-08-03T12:07:00.006+01:002008-08-05T09:08:55.427+01:00

It's been a good week. Reasons:1. I've applied for a handful of part-time jobs that would really interest me and which have nice little benefits.2. I've written some more notes on the book idea that's been prodding me for attention every now and then, as well as deciding on names for my hero and heroine.3. I FINALLY got hold of a copy of the lovely Nell Dixon's brand-new release, Blue Remembered

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-73740577998590053562008-07-19T21:52:00.003+01:002008-07-19T22:06:48.574+01:00

Had a lovely day today. Little Frog and I went to see his grandma and auntie, and the four of us spent the day browsing the high-street sales and chatting. I even got to amble around the book shop for twenty minutes on my own, picking up random books and reading bits of them before putting them back (sadly, I couldn't afford to buy any -- boo). I haven't book-browsed like that for ages, and it

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-59200729360049204302008-07-14T20:36:00.007+01:002008-07-19T22:08:39.944+01:00

Firstly, I interrupt this blog post (even though I've barely started it) to remind you all that my critique partner and good friend Nell Dixon's brand new book Blue Remembered Heels, published by Little Black Dress, is OUT NOW and AVAILABLE TO BUY in all good bookshops, both physical and online.Buy it! Read it! Love it! Then I can say I told you so :)Today The Bloke, Little Frog and I went to

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-40148787941198854362008-07-01T16:46:00.007+01:002008-07-01T17:00:12.086+01:00

We recently celebrated Little Frog's birthday -- can you believe it? I know I can't! He had a wonderful little party where he played with his baby friends in the garden and was fed cake by Granny.Here is a cutie picture of the little man all dressed up ready for his party. His auntie commented that he looks like Tommy from Rugrats here, which I think is true! What do you think?Just finished

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-28974448921071165142008-06-12T11:11:00.003+01:002008-06-12T11:30:47.852+01:00

Today I welcome a special visitor: By Grace author Cindy Green. She'll be taking over my blog for today as part of her virtual book tour for her new release, Meeting Mr Right Online. Take care of the place, Cindy!-- JessicaThis past May marks the date for the release of Cindy K. Green’s sixth book title, Meeting Mr. Right Online. It is a sweet chick-lit novella. What is chick-lit you might ask?

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-75435287858470426572008-06-02T21:33:00.002+01:002008-06-03T22:08:15.037+01:00

Unfortunately, it's not the sort of pie that one would eat. Although on second thought, that's probably a good thing -- I could do without the extra calories. No, the pies my title refers to are those that feature in the "fingers in many..." saying, since I currently have numerous things in process on the career/work front.I am still proofreading as well as trying to write when the opportunity

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-63509407012712638142008-05-13T12:38:00.002+01:002008-05-13T13:15:57.961+01:00

Nell (who recently received the most gorgeous cover for her July release from Little Black Dress -- see it here) has book-tagged me, so here it is...1. Pick up the nearest book.2. Open it to page 123.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the next three sentences.5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.I feel like maybe I should give

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-58363798933380501032008-05-07T09:24:00.003+01:002008-05-13T13:16:50.882+01:00

Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction is now in full swing. The first week is over and it looks like it's going to be a very successful year again in terms of fundraising. My gift box is already bid up to $56 -- last year it sold for an eventual $96. I'm bidding on a number of things myself (yeah, I know I won't win the trip to Vegas, but I'll have a go at it). Check out my gift box here, and go here

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-51913187156300099182008-04-19T11:53:00.005+01:002008-05-13T13:17:38.324+01:00

Here are the details on the gift box I am donating to Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction:A Taste of England -- a gift box from author Jessica Raymond A Lily of the Valley gift set from Woods of Windsor English Lavender bath herbs Twinings English Breakfast tea bags A box of slow-baked all-butter shortbread fingers A signed copy of A Taste of Summer, a duet beach romance by Jessica Raymond

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-85106371042642657772008-04-16T13:56:00.002+01:002008-05-13T13:18:09.345+01:00

A short story of mine appeared on the Moonlit Romance Authors Blog last week. If you'd like to read Rearview, just click here. I'd love to hear what you thought of it!News of my Diabetes Auction gift box coming very soon.

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-53041444206819265992008-04-06T17:07:00.002+01:002008-05-13T13:18:34.265+01:00

I shamelessly stole this from Liz Fenwick, who usually has some of the best meme's and tag-posts :)If Your Life Were a Movie…What Would the Soundtrack Be?Here’s how it works:1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)2. Put it on shuffle3. Press play4. For every question/bullet-point, type the song that’s playing5. When you go to a new question/bullet-point, press the

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-71783024956201369242008-04-03T17:44:00.004+01:002008-05-13T13:19:45.979+01:00

For those of you who don't know who Danny Dyer is, here's a photo:He's a British actor, and for some reason I had a dream about him last night. Not that I'm complaining ;)Today I got one of those kneel-pad office stools, in an effort to be kind to my back. When I'm proofreading I have been known to sit in one spot for three hours or more (I know, I know, I should take a break every half an hour

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-29381249992815863102008-03-28T09:27:00.002Z2008-05-13T13:19:59.655+01:00

I am so excited about this. Anyone else?

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-60441460550254514592008-03-20T10:44:00.003Z2008-05-13T13:20:48.779+01:00

Hmm, so I was away from the blog for a little bit longer than I'd expected...It's been very busy around here lately. Little Frog didn't get any better any faster and ended up going into hospital and staying overnight for dehydration. Fortunately we were allowed home the next day and he made a very steady recovery. Now he is eating more than ever and he is about to produce his third tooth!I've

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-24495738669337723672008-02-25T20:55:00.002Z2008-05-13T13:21:25.973+01:00

Positives from the last few days:1. I finished my mountain of proofreading.2. I won Phillipa Ashley's contest and now have a nice copy of Wendy Holden's The Wives of Bath sitting on my bookshelf.3. I had a precious extra hour in bed on Saturday morning.Negatives from the last few days:1. An elderly member of the family, who had been unwell for some time, passed away.2. Little Frog has contracted

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-2033250715841181442008-02-20T10:53:00.002Z2008-05-13T13:21:37.291+01:00

Still here. Busy working. Maternity leave finished and lots of proofreading to do. Great to be exercising the brain and earning money again, but hardly any time leftover to do anything else -- hence no progress on word counter. Really don't think I'll fulfill the To Do list this month... But stranger things have happened!

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-13191750154799567512008-02-14T10:50:00.006Z2008-05-13T13:21:59.083+01:00

I've finally succumbed to the progress of technology and joined MySpace. There are people I know who've been on there for quite a while but I've never done it myself before now -- mainly because... well, if I'm going to be honest about it, the pages always look really cluttered and messy to me! But I think you can customise your own page, yes? I would appreciate any pointers or advice anyone can

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-3669203643718130422008-02-07T11:15:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:23:05.125+01:00

Question: How can we already be a week into February?!It's been a time of great milestones for Little Frog lately. In the last fortnight he sprouted his first tooth, finally worked out how to sit up unaided, spent a trial day with his childminder (during which he went to a birthday party and was helped to play pass-the-parcel: be still my sniffy motherly heart), and then promptly sprouted his

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-63031752024483140732008-02-02T18:40:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:23:26.271+01:00

The first chapter of The Truck of Luck is DONE! And I am loving my characters. Their dialogue feels really effortless to me, which is great (I sometimes think my dialogue sounds a little forced) and I lurve my hero -- always a good sign.*happy sigh*And now I get to celebrate, because today is mine and The Bloke's sixth anniversary (of our first date) and Little Frog is at his grandparents, so we

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-26992887954271832042008-01-31T09:10:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:24:45.124+01:00

My maternity leave comes to an end in just a couple of weeks now, and Little Frog is booked in to have a trial day next week with the lady who will hopefully be his childminder. My feelings are mixed about the whole thing (as I imagine most mothers' are). It will be the first time he has been looked after by somebody who is not family, which makes me feel weird and nervous, but equally I am

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-41009154767687395902008-01-23T10:39:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:25:10.514+01:00

Liz Fenwick had this on her blog the other day -- What's the Recipe for Your Personality? I did it for myself and came up with the following results.For my real name:3 parts Grace2 parts Fascination1 part PanacheSplash of ProsperityFinish off with an oliveFor Jessica Raymond:3 parts Warmth2 parts Sass1 part StyleSplash of IntellectFinish off with a little umbrella and strawInteresting differences

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-14329051195421555712008-01-21T18:01:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:26:21.584+01:00

Thanks for all the comments and input on how to settle on a project. The last couple of days have seen my Libran trait of indecisiveness hit an ultimate peak. I started off the weekend wanting to work on the pregnancy book, changed my mind to Truck of Luck at lunchtime, then back to babies later on in the day. Yesterday I did some plotting for the baby book, but today I've been plotting Truck.I'm

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-31095656307359387012008-01-18T21:26:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:27:03.485+01:00

So I have just under two weeks to check off the last two items on my January To-Do list: writing a short story and finishing my plotting for The Truck of Luck. The short story's in the works, but the book plotting is being a bit troublesome.What do you do when you are trying to work on the initial stages of a book but you keep getting distracted by another idea? Because that is what's happening.

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-3565931545530794772008-01-16T16:06:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:27:31.708+01:00

My motherhood article is finished and I am waiting to hear if the features editor of my targeted magazine is interested in it. Fingers crossed.At the weekend I read a horoscope for my year ahead. It said that I would be very motivated and approach my career with sensibility and concentration. Hurrah! I have high hopes for 2008; hopefully Mystic Meg is telling the truth.We've also been finalizing

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-88112674191716624422008-01-09T21:31:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:27:49.394+01:00

That's one item crossed off my list -- the tax return. I filed it online and it's a lot easier. I still have trouble understanding most of it, though; the guidance notes can only be so clear to a person who isn't very maths-minded. I dream of the day when I might be able to afford an accountant...Item two on my list is also half-done. I've finished my motherhood article and now I'm just

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-75132905971718903712008-01-08T11:06:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:28:16.902+01:00

I've decided to make a "To Do" list at the start of every month to keep track of my goals and put pressure on myself to achieve them. I'm feeling very motivated at the moment, but that may not always be the case!January's "To Do" list:1. Do my tax return.2. Finish my article about the surprises of new motherhood and submit it to a magazine.3. Write a short story.4. Finish my plotting for TRUCK OF

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-86196744472327669862008-01-02T15:26:00.000Z2008-05-13T13:29:02.891+01:00

Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable time on the Big Night and that your Christmas was also wonderful.I'm always a little relieved when the festive season is over -- not because I don't like it, because I do! But I always find myself reflecting over the year that is about to finish and planning ahead for the one that's about to start. For that reason I'm always quite excited by the start

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-385517220769524982007-12-26T15:59:00.000Z2007-12-26T16:29:39.573Z

...to all my blog visitors, wherever you may be. I hope you had a lovely Christmas Day and that you are now enjoying all your new presents and eating yummy leftovers.We had a great day, what with it being Little Frog's first Christmas. He, of course, got more presents than everybody else combined. He also enjoyed his pureed roast turkey and trimmings and almost ate the whole dish (although this

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-27497839627502112042007-12-07T09:02:00.000Z2007-12-07T09:03:23.520Z

Dreams about Daniel Craig are A Good Thing.That is all.;)

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-90468746762169732152007-12-06T09:09:00.000Z2007-12-06T09:16:51.429Z

Feeling a bit better today. Upside of the last week or so is that I have lost four pounds in weight!I thought I'd post something writing-related, so I'm going to direct you to a couple of recent web features on two of my favourite writers.The first is Time magazine's 10 Questions for Nora Roberts. I particularly like her answer to the frequently asked question, "where do you get your ideas?"

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-28106892116584657512007-12-05T09:18:00.000Z2007-12-05T09:24:45.161Z

Not feeling so hot at the moment. I got a cold last week, which was fine -- I could deal with that. Then myself, Little Frog, and The Bloke all got a stomach bug. That was not so fine and it really wasn't fun.Frog and the Bloke are A-OK now but my share of the bug seems to be hanging around. I'm drinking lots of water and peppermint tea and eating the blandest food imaginable (the thought of most

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-63778714829124526082007-11-20T22:24:00.000Z2007-11-20T22:36:08.062Z

Thank you for all the congrats I received in reply to my previous post :) My ring is back from being re-sized and it's sitting proudly on my finger. I keep posing my hand in different contexts (trailing over book spines, writing a note, swishing Little Frog's bath water, etc.) so I can admire my bling. Frog likes it. If I hold it in front of him he goes wide-eyed, grabs my hand and pulls it

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-61308103519342206402007-11-12T18:09:00.000Z2007-11-12T18:13:09.981Z

So the big news from this past weekend is that I got engaged :) The Bloke asked me The Big Question on Saturday night, quite out of the blue. After checking (twice) that he wasn't kidding, I said yes. No idea yet on when or how (big hotel affair/registry office/Vegas) we'll be getting hitched. But there's plenty of time for all that, and I think it would be wise to get Christmas out of the way

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-1950973160538117392007-11-06T14:25:00.000Z2007-11-06T14:31:52.559Z

Look at my word counter. Just to the right there. See it?546 words.Yeah baby!For the first time since having Froglet I actually did some writing. This was yesterday, during nap time. I decided the laundry could wait and I opened up a Word file. It's called Chapter One and it has words and sentences and paragraphs in it :)I am certain that it will be heavily edited, and that what I've written so

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-71024891862876128922007-11-01T11:07:00.001Z2007-11-01T11:15:23.125Z

I know, I'm a day late. But I had to post this:He'll hate us for it when he's a teenager, but who could resist??Just finished reading: Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-28062496720009180542007-10-21T12:12:00.000+01:002007-10-21T12:22:47.711+01:00

Things have settled back down again with Froglet now. Phew. I knew they would, it was just a matter of waiting a couple of days for him to find his feet with things again and let us know what his new routine would be! Miraculously he's evolved into a very predictable schedule of three daytime naps, which has been brilliant! He's sleeping now, and I've used the time to do my hair, wash up, eat

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-21420541865313779212007-10-15T17:01:00.001+01:002007-10-15T17:22:05.535+01:00

As promised, here is a picture of me as my sister's bridesmaid, complete with angel baby.*Insert throaty Hollywood voiceover tone*It was the calm before the storm. Peace and pride reigned. We nodded in reply to those who said: "Isn't he a good baby?"But then the well-mannered Little Frog became a fickle Devil Toad...It's the four-month growth spurt. We've had a couple already, but this one's a

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-55669819168818279182007-10-08T17:07:00.000+01:002007-10-08T17:10:47.289+01:00

We're back! The wedding was amazing and everything went so well. The weather was beautiful, the food delicious, the chatting and dancing great fun. Froglet looked uber-cute in his suit and was an angel all day. None of us could have asked for more.Photos are still being collated from various quarters, and once I have a good selection I'll post a few of them. Oh, and we didn't get the haunted

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-14222462223095724362007-10-03T09:06:00.000+01:002007-10-03T09:14:34.924+01:00

Am posting quickly as it is a v. busy week for me; my sister's getting married on Saturday! This evening I must practice my "left-together, right-together" walk. With my heels on. Also, the hotel we will all be staying at is repute to be haunted by the ghost of a highwayman. Apparently he frequents a particular room and likes to watch women in the bathroom. When we called to book our room I asked

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-53001653251432943892007-09-24T10:10:00.000+01:002007-09-24T10:17:37.239+01:00

I've been pretty busy lately (as you might have guessed by my lack of posts).I've taken on some editing work, which I've been steadily working my way through. I've also critiqued the final chapters of Nell's Little Black Dress book, Blue Remembered Heels. I have two other critiques/proofreads waiting in the wings for other writer friends, and I still have my plans for Truck of Luck brewing in my

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-19478683773698623522007-09-10T09:42:00.000+01:002007-09-10T09:47:39.910+01:00

There's a new advert for Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate that has just started airing in the UK. It's a bit bizarre. See here:Anyway, Froglet was sitting on my lap so I could burp him after breakfast this morning, when the advert came on. He went very still and wide-eyed, then when the drums started he nodded his head from side to side, waved his hands, and gave a big grin! Cuteness.

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-75990039150416650432007-09-02T15:33:00.000+01:002007-09-02T15:46:49.339+01:00

It's not Josh Duhamel, king-prawn curry, Badger Baby Balm, or my new car -- although these are all some of my favourite things at the moment. No, my new love is Green & Black's organic white chocolate. It's made with Madagascan vanilla and you can actually see the dark flecks of it throughout the bar. It is good. But not good for my teeth.And speaking of teeth... He's not even three months old

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-21663767713688760822007-08-18T15:57:00.000+01:002007-08-18T22:08:49.589+01:00

Little Frog went off to Grandma's again yesterday so that The Bloke and I could have a "date night" (we went to see Transformers -- v. good!) and so I could get some writing done. With each passing day I've been getting more eager to start writing again, but whenever I get around to starting something I usually have to turn my attention to something else (usually baby-related) within ten minutes

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-31015378654372389122007-08-09T19:47:00.000+01:002007-08-09T20:11:15.481+01:00

I've been thinking a lot about my writing in the last few days. I feel like I'm itching to start writing something and get it out there into the ether, but I don't know what to do. I don't know what to write or where to send it, and I don't know how to envision the next one, two, or five years of my writing career. Perhaps I still have "baby brain"!I seem to have lost a bit of enthusiasm for

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-62182051264856372302007-08-05T11:50:00.000+01:002007-08-05T11:56:38.925+01:00

Little Frog went to stay with his grandma yesterday. The Bloke and I spent the evening on the sofa, chattering indecisively about whether to go to the cinema, or out for something to eat, or to Blockbuster, or somewhere else altogether. Our suggestions were interspersed with "I wonder if he's had his feed yet" or "How many times do you think he'll wake up in the night?" The Bloke kept bringing

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-7937968409997370702007-08-03T10:33:00.000+01:002007-08-03T10:43:24.800+01:00

He had his six-week check yesterday, and my little chubba now weighs 10 pound 7 ounces! I thought it sounded like a lot -- three whole pounds since he was weighed last -- but he's right on target. Everything is fine with both of us and he's doing more each week: the smiles have started and he's starting to do the coo-ing and aah-ing :)It's also time to announce the winner of my mini-contest. My

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-22285666975917801382007-07-27T16:52:00.000+01:002007-07-27T17:08:43.690+01:00

It's been a lovely day today, with the unexpected return of some sunshine and blue skies in my corner of the world after days of incessant greyness and rain. Little Frog, Popple the dog and I went for a lovely walk this morning. I'm hoping that summer might finally be here.I've had some great entries for my mini-contest, where you could win an e-copy of A TASTE OF SUMMER. Click here for more

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-59182503229509277782007-07-19T12:40:00.000+01:002007-07-19T12:48:56.337+01:00

Dropping in while Little Frog is having his lunchtime nap to say that my publisher, Moonlit Romance, will be holding a virtual summer beach party on the Moonlit readers group next Monday, 23 July, to celebrate the release of the Beach Party Duet books (A TASTE OF SUMMER was the first in the trio, the other books are A HINT OF SUMMER and A SLICE OF SUMMER). The event will last all day and you can

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-44040744551013770682007-07-10T16:16:00.000+01:002007-07-10T16:46:51.258+01:00

What's this? A writing-related post on Jessica Raymond's blog?? :)Well, a little bit. There is, of course, room to mention that Little Frog is doing very well and "chubbing out" in all the right places. (Dimpled elbows and dimpled knees -- love 'em.) He's getting very good at holding his head up for brief periods of time and is already fitting into clothes that were too big for him two weeks ago

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-5639621832032851762007-07-02T12:51:00.000+01:002007-07-02T13:14:01.459+01:00

Charlie is over two weeks old now, which is hard to believe. Before we know it, he'll be a month old! We've started to try to establish a routine of feeds and sleeps based on Gina Ford's Contented Little Baby philosophy. Some days are better than others. For instance, today he woke at 8am and fed with me for an hour, after which he was supposed to nap for a little while before his next feed. He

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-53991486619888807632007-06-18T10:15:00.000+01:002007-06-18T10:35:48.136+01:00

Introducing Charlie Malcolm, born at 5.37pm on Saturday 16 June safely at home and at a healthy weight of 7lb 11oz. Labour was monitored at 13 hours.I cannot recommend a homebirth enough for women with a good support network and a healthy pregnancy. I felt calm throughout the entire process and got through it using a TENS machine for one hour while waiting for the midwife to arrive, then by

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-9966424186137049982007-06-14T09:38:00.000+01:002007-06-14T09:49:53.484+01:00

If you haven't already seen it, check out Judy Jarvie's blog for the birth announcement posted by her hubby last night! Sounds like Judy was an absolute trooper. Many, many congratulations to her, hubby, her DD and their new little baby girl, Esme Kate! :) :)Flump: "Meh. I'm still happy where I am for now. Stop pestering me."Yesterday I finished the first chapter of WISTERIA COTTAGE, which I'm

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-7195522550267529612007-06-13T09:44:00.000+01:002007-06-13T09:47:58.454+01:00

Having your feet massaged while heavily pregnant = BLISS.Just finished reading: The Dating Game by Shirley Jump

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-30093708319491632122007-06-11T18:52:00.000+01:002007-06-11T19:01:16.772+01:00

There's one week left to enter the contest that myself and Nell Dixon are running to celebrate our recent release, A TASTE OF SUMMER. Here are the details --Prizes:A paperback copy of A TASTE OF SUMMER, signed by myself and NellA paperback copy of FALL IN LOVE: AN ANTHOLOGY, signed by NellInflatable pink beach ball (suitable for ages 1+) and a frisbee for beach funAlba Organics SPF30 green

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-35887222197363008002007-06-10T13:08:00.001+01:002007-06-10T13:17:29.505+01:00

Flump is still in utero and I have a week and one day to go to our predicted due date. My raspberry tea bags are disappearing at a rate of knots and every night when we go to bed I think to myself "maybe this time tomorrow it will all be over and the baby will be here", but baby is obviously still quite comfortable! Good news though -- when my midwife came round on Friday to drop off two

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-81743204751042736022007-06-07T13:47:00.000+01:002007-06-07T14:02:10.883+01:00

Do you think ironing counts as a nesting activity?I only ask because I've done more ironing in the last ten days than I have in the last two years!I've always hated ironing and thought of it as a very boring activity that I'd much rather swap for cleaning the toilet. Truly.But recently I've been pressing and steaming away, mainly for a lack of other things to do. It's quite tedious sitting at

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-85845303048127315602007-06-05T20:39:00.000+01:002007-06-05T20:48:36.349+01:00

I'm pleased to say that my "Taste of England" gift box from Brenda Novak's diabetes auction sold to its winning bidder for a brilliant USD $96. It's great to have helped raise money towards diabetes research; I won a couple of cool auctions myself. I love waiting for the items to turn up in the mail -- I won a couple of gift baskets in last year's auctions and it was great fun to rip open the big

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-41134573041464693232007-06-03T14:29:00.000+01:002007-06-03T14:37:58.058+01:00

The sun has been shining, the birds have been singing, my plants and flowers are flourishing, etc... I've spent virtually the whole weekend in the garden, sitting underneath a parasol on the deck with my laptop, a cold drink, and a Nora Roberts book (yep, another one). Yesterday I caught up with one of my friends, who is also pregnant and whom I hadn't seen since Christmas. Last night The Bloke

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-25363891355343045662007-06-01T17:17:00.000+01:002007-06-01T17:47:11.712+01:00

I'm thrilled to tell you (if you don't already know from other blogs) that one of my personal picks for the RNA New Writers' Award, Phillipa Ashley, was named the winner on Wednesday night for her wonderful Little Black Dress book Decent Exposure. Congratulations, Pip! Not only will she be over the moon with her win, but her second book with Little Black Dress, Wish You Were Here, is out this

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-1818989454815428342007-05-30T10:11:00.000+01:002007-05-30T11:30:38.654+01:00

This evening the Romantic Novelists' Association will be holding their annual Summer Party in a very lovely library in Westminster, London (see this post for pics from last year's event). One of the main events of the party will be the announcement of the winner of this year's Joan Hessayon New Writers' Award. You may remember my proud announcement a few weeks ago that my novel, Haunted Hearts,

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-38832301126461320032007-05-28T10:16:00.000+01:002007-05-28T10:33:19.482+01:00

There are three days left to place bids in Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auctions: most of the lots close this coming Thursday, 31st May. I'm thrilled to say that my Taste of England gift box has received an astounding 26 bids and currently stands at $96 USD! Click here if you'd like to consider bidding on my donation, and I highly recommend that you take a look around at the other items while you're

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-60727263375398925262007-05-26T09:28:00.000+01:002007-05-26T09:40:33.023+01:00

Big Brother is due to start here in the UK next Wednesday, May 30th. They start advertising it ten days before the launch night, and right now there are little countdown-style adverts sprinkled among the commercial breaks on the network channel the show will be broadcast on. See here for yesterday's advert:Now, it's probably just me being weird, but every time I've seen one of these adverts --

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-70652151577632387922007-05-24T14:31:00.000+01:002007-05-24T14:38:34.136+01:00

One of the great online romance sites, eCataRomance, is posting a brand-new smooch excerpt (a kiss scene from a romance novel) every day in May. I'm pleased to say that I am the author of today's smooch!You can read this exclusive little scene of mine from A Taste of Summer, in which Noah and Carrie kiss for the first time, by clicking here.Just finished reading: The Marriage Contract by Anna

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-65746766937231509542007-05-23T09:12:00.000+01:002007-05-23T09:26:14.587+01:00

Not long to go now, as you can see from the Flump's Progress ticker above. My due date was one calendar month last Friday (the 18th) and Flump will be full-term as of this Monday coming (the 28th).Everything is ready now. Nursery is painted and furniture set up. Flump clothes are washed, folded and put away. Birth pool has been inflated, filled, tried out by me, then emptied and deflated again.

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-91098911928888143992007-05-20T16:36:00.000+01:002007-05-20T16:46:15.600+01:00

I just realized that I'd promised to post an excerpt on Friday, yet I completely forgot! I blame Flump hormones.So here's an excerpt from "One Shore Thing", the novella of mine that comprises one half of A Taste of Summer. You can also read an excerpt from Nell's novella, "Making Waves", over on her website. I've also put up a permanent link to the buy the book over there to the right, on my

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-18030456388077595252007-05-18T20:35:00.000+01:002007-05-18T20:48:15.829+01:00

A Taste of Summer is now available to order from the Moonlit Romance website -- yay! Here's the back-cover blurb to whet your appetite:A Taste of Summer: A Moonlit Romance Beach Duetfeaturing "Making Waves" by Nell Dixon and "One Shore Thing" by Jessica RaymondMaking Waves by Nell DixonCassidy Jones needs a holiday and her friend, Tammy’s cottage in New Bay sounds perfect. The beach could heal

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-59811915846432967372007-05-16T10:14:00.000+01:002007-05-16T10:25:46.637+01:00

Dog barked for an hour. I had to make two bathroom visits. Hips went dead every twenty minutes because of sleeping on my side. Turning on to other side with approximate 5-and-a-half pound baby inside = bump ache. Pelvis clunks disconcertingly if movements too sudden. One hour of Braxton-Hicks contractions. Loud bird outside started dawn chorus at 4:10 a.m.Tonight I'm going to try sleeping

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-4591746173680124362007-05-12T10:13:00.000+01:002007-05-12T10:42:42.331+01:00

I've been tagged by Lis to do the "Eight Things About Me" list. Here are the rules:Each player starts with eight random facts or habits about themselves.People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things with a copy of these rules.At the end of your blog you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.Don't forget to leave them a note saying they've

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-83365887010685130932007-05-09T19:23:00.000+01:002007-05-09T19:42:06.524+01:00

An exciting post today -- the cover for my next book, A Taste of Summer, has been released!Isn't it lovely? The book features two summery novellas, one by me and one by my (ahem, award-winning) critique partner and Moonlit Romance labelmate Nell Dixon. Following is a little taster on each of our stories; mine is called "One Shore Thing" and Nell's is called "Making Waves"."One Shore Thing" by

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-24647088230384863462007-05-03T18:15:00.000+01:002007-05-03T18:37:44.203+01:00

...this baby business. I'm 33 and a half weeks pregnant now. Babies are classified as being "term" (on time) any time from 37 to 42 weeks, which means Flump could be here in just three and a half weeks' time. (Of course, he/she could arrive before then, but hopefully won't.)I've written out my birth plan and gone through it with my birth companions (The Bloke and my sister) and also with my

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-51812902810072802332007-05-01T09:09:00.000+01:002007-05-01T09:13:22.126+01:00

Brenda Novak's stupendous auction in aid of diabetes research starts TODAY!My gift basket is now live and ready to be bid on -- click here to see it. Be sure to take a good browse around all the other wonderful lots while you're there. I'm about to do the very same thing myself!

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-19654042179264549712007-04-27T17:40:00.000+01:002007-04-27T17:48:36.375+01:00

So I planned to blog today about how my lovely spanky new laptop has turned up -- they could have repaired my old one but I was offered a brand new replacement laptop for a reasonable fee, so I opted for that. However, there is now a more important announcement to make...I'm thrilled to tell you that my critique partner, Nell Dixon, has won the RNA Romance Prize 2007 with her book Marrying Max! I

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-3444634443103794442007-04-25T10:15:00.000+01:002007-04-25T10:25:03.878+01:00

With less than a week to go to the start of Brenda Novak's annual diabetes auction, here's the full description and a photo of the English-themed gift box I'm donating. You'll be able to start bidding on my gift box (among many other fabulous prizes) from May 1st, at which time I'll post up a link to the auction. In the meantime, you can check out a list of the other fabulous items up for auction

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-27188083815475094642007-04-20T20:07:00.000+01:002007-04-20T20:32:50.430+01:00

Here's the latest update in my Top 100 Favourite Romances project. There have been some changes to the five books with the most votes, but I've got to say that number one is way out in front!5. Born in Fire by Nora Roberts (new entry)4. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (new entry)3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (up 2 places)2. Persuasion by Jane Austen (non-mover)1. Pride and

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-37583185059591904782007-04-15T12:40:00.000+01:002007-04-15T13:15:42.631+01:00

Last spring I planted three fruit trees in my garden -- a Peregrine peach, a Sunburst sweet cherry, and a Worcester Pearmain apple. We didn't expect them to do much in their first year, and although none of them blossomed, the peach tree did produce a couple of small fruits.A few weeks ago the peach tree started to sprout a few pink blossoms. Then, earlier this week, I saw one or two white buds

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-85205826921019888752007-04-13T10:32:00.000+01:002007-04-13T10:50:22.459+01:00

The last twelve hours or so has been a time of great contrasts in the world of Flump. For the first time in a while he/she seemed to sleep for almost exactly as long as me, resulting in the best night's sleep I've had for a while :) I still woke up every time I had to move, so I could rearrange my pillow collection, but I got used to that a while ago. Prods and kicks, however, were at a minimum

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-54994551328074054002007-04-11T16:42:00.000+01:002007-04-11T16:58:00.663+01:00

That may be where my little Packard Bell is headed. It had a bit of an accident yesterday and won't switch itself on. My claim's been put in and it's due to be picked up and looked at by the professionals any day now. In the meantime, I'm appropriating The Bloke's laptop to access my emails and work off CD-ROMs. Mercifully I do have all my stuff backed up and can still access all my emails (

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-70291579692393177192007-04-07T16:26:00.000+01:002007-04-07T16:30:14.037+01:00

Flying by to say Happy Easter to everybody! Hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend and that the weather with you is as pleasant as it is with me.Also, I was recently interviewed by the lovely Connie from Once Upon a Romance, and am pleased to say that my interview is now up on the site. Click here to read it!Just finished reading: Blind-Date Marriage by Fiona Harper

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-79469141545516402752007-04-02T15:20:00.000+01:002007-04-02T15:30:55.792+01:00

Last week I was contacted by a young woman called Emma Henry, a design student from a university in Belfast. Emma has been given the brief for a project in which she must design the interior of a cabin for a writer, which would be located in the back garden of the client's house. She's doing some research into the habits, inspirations, motivations, and environments (actual or dreamed-about) of

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-82050424154064928422007-03-31T09:33:00.000+01:002007-03-31T09:56:16.828+01:00

This is a piece of news I've known about for some time, but I have (mostly) sat on it until I could make a proper announcement -- and now I can!As you may (or may not) remember, before I submitted Haunted Hearts to a publisher I sent it to the Romantic Novelists' Association's New Writers Scheme ("NWS") for a critique. This was an absolutely invaluable opportunity for me as a member of the RNA,

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-75848430181198718712007-03-30T16:39:00.000+01:002007-03-30T16:51:38.122+01:00

We will finally get to meet Flump and find out if we have a son or a daughter.To get the ever-looming spectre of labour out of the way.So that I can get a comfortable* night's sleep once again.I'll be able to put on foot-cream myself and won't have to ask The Bloke to do it for me.Because waiting for something to happen is one of my worst "things".*Note that I say "comfortable", not "a good

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-73839548480588779032007-03-27T17:51:00.000+01:002007-03-27T18:19:56.981+01:00

Now that I've agreed with myself to shelve You Don't Know Jack, I've been taking things a bit easier. I have a new idea that I'm currently exploring -- working title of which is Wisteria Cottage -- but other than that I've been reading, napping, catching up with paperwork, and watching many episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.The seventh series of CSI has recently started here in the UK,

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-26987055936249355902007-03-23T14:26:00.000Z2007-03-23T14:37:39.947Z

A couple of weeks ago Judy Jarvie posted a picture of herself+bump on her blog at the 27-week stage of her pregnancy. I promised I'd do the same, and since you'll see from my "Flump's Progress" ticker bar at the top of the page, the time has come. So, here we are -- me, Flump, and Popple the devil-dog, who also wanted in on the action...By the way, I know it looks like I'm consciously thrusting

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-71016993601175337782007-03-20T20:35:00.000Z2007-03-20T20:58:05.011Z

I haven't done any writing for the last week or so, due to a feeling-pretty-icky patch and a proofreading job. During this time I've thought a lot about You Don't Know Jack, my writing in general, and the kind of romances I love to read.I've come to a conclusion.As much as I was excited about YDKJ and enjoyed working on the first two chapters, the tone, style, and targeted subgenre (light

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-74155592188702671012007-03-16T22:27:00.000Z2007-03-16T22:46:23.959Z

Following on from my previous post and its subsequent enthusiastic responses, I'd like to compile a list of 100 Favourite Romances. When we use these "definitive" lists of classic fiction, etc., on our blogs I often wonder who first came up with the list and why they'd chosen particular books to be in it and not others. I've not seen one that's centred on romances (although they may well exist),

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-86261853010623423342007-03-14T10:31:00.000Z2007-03-14T10:46:36.428Z

Been a little quiet on the blog lately, mainly for lack of progress on You Don't Know Jack for the last couple of days. While keeping up with reading everybody else's, though, I saw this book list over at Liz Fenwick's and got auto-tagged :)How Many Have You Read?Look at the list of books below.Bold the ones you’ve read.Italicize the ones you want to read.Leave same the ones that you aren’t

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-61419819952101153362007-03-09T21:25:00.000Z2007-03-09T21:36:18.787Z

Today, thanks to Benita Brown (a fellow member of the Romantic Novelists Association), my attention was drawn to a petition on the Prime Minister's website. The purpose of the petition is to request that people with the chronic blood disorder ITP (full name: Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura) do not pay for their prescription drugs and treatment. I was only too happy to sign this petition as I

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-5661435686573427292007-03-08T20:29:00.000Z2007-03-08T20:39:55.042Z

...is actually going well. I've almost at the end of chapter two, which means that if I complete it by Sunday, I will have got chapters one and two done within one week. This would bode very well for me making my Flump deadline, but unfortunately it doesn't really count because all of chapter one and the majority of chapter two were first written when I had the initial idea for You Don't Know

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-25853056721153343362007-03-07T11:11:00.000Z2007-03-07T11:20:42.595Z

It took me a long time to get to sleep last night, so busy was my mind as it glossed over subjects such as more gardening, decorating Flump's room, my second chapter of You Don't Know Jack, and whether I was hungry enough to go downstairs for a post-midnight bowl of Coco Pops.As you may know, my plan is to get YDKJ written and out on submission by the time Flump arrives, which gives me about

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14938431.post-17688893730106316782007-03-06T13:43:00.000Z2007-03-06T14:02:50.528Z

It's been a good day. The sun is shining and the chilly breeze has dropped, which means it's now possible to be outside in short sleeves without wishing you had a jacket or cardigan on you. As a result I've done a bit of (gentle) gardening. I've marked out a flowerbed that The Bloke is going to dig out on his day off, where we'll plant my budding honeysuckle. Then I planted up lots of seeds into

Jessica Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12640355725990451745noreply@blogger.com5