Out and about at the RNA Summer Fling!

Meeting up with fellow authors is always a joyous occasion, and to have an event where so many romance authors congregated in one place was a sheer delight. The Romantic Novelists Association's one day conference, also known as the "Summer Fling" took place in August in the gorgeous Grand Hotel in Birmingham.

I travelled up the day before with several fellow Welsh authors, and a group of us had a brilliant meal and a good laugh at Bella Italia. You might recognise a few faces: Imogen Martin (who writes Weston historical romance), Sue MacDonagh and Anni Rose (who write contemporary, small-town romance), to name a just a few.

The conference day itself was filled with talks and presentations from brilliant authors such as Fiona Lucas, who gave a very informative talk on using mottos to give our characters an anchor, and I used this session to come up with a motto for a character in the new series I'm writing based in the fictional Devon village of Honeycombe Bay. There was also an incredibly funny presentation by Virginia Heath, which had me laughing, nodding in agreement, and making notes on how to "bust a saggy middle "in my writing. Carrie Elks was another fabulous author, who generously gave her time with her talk on building a career as a writer.

Publishers were also in evidence, and both Boldwood, One More Chapter, and Mills and Boon shared valuable insights into marketing, social media, connecting with readers, and revving up the tension in romance novels. I was particularly intrigued to learn how Laurie Gilmore's The Pumpkin Spice Cafe came into existence.

As well as the very informative talks, it was wonderful to meet up with old friends, make new ones, and meet some people face-to- face who I'd only connected with online before, such as the lovely Sue Moorcroft, (the President of the RNA), Seána Tinley (the current chair and host of the event) and Julie Houston (we were seated at the same table, and I had a serious case of fan-girling!) There was also a contingent of Kate Nash Literary Agency authors - myself (Lilac Mills) Anita Faulkner, Helen Hawkins and Ruby Basu, so that was lovely.

The day ended on a high with a glass of bubbly- and I can't wait to do it all over again!

See what else Lilac Mills has written.

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About the Author

Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments. She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers. Meet her here.