My new contract is for four romances, including my previously published book, Her Sister’s Baby. The book I wrote during my first NaNoWriMo last November, Centre Stage, has also been signed, as well as two Christmas romances!

For more details, check out this video over on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/dgHDVa38NX4

I’m so thrilled to be able to continue working with such an incredible publishing team!

So, how are writers, and romance writers in particular, dealing with setting their fictional works in either 2020 or 2021 i.e. a world dominated by Covid-19? A world where we haven’t been able to hug, kiss, go out to meet new people, or get stuck in a log cabin in Colorado with a hunky cowboy for two weeks.

My own romances aren’t set in any particular year, so I’ve been able to skirt around this issue with my latest book, ‘Her Sister’s Baby’, due out June 1^st, but I asked around to see what others are planning to do.

A few authors have embraced the challenge. During the first lockdown, I can remember the cover image of an erotic novella doing the rounds on Facebook. Apparently the book depicted a ‘romance’ between a woman and the Coronavirus… not my cup of tea, but good on the author for coming up with an (extremely) original idea and getting it out there, I say.

But for more ‘regular’ romance authors, staid enough to want the focus of their book to be on love between humans, are any brave/daft/imaginative enough to set a contemporary romance in the middle of a global pandemic? Perhaps unsurprisingly, most say they wouldn’t touch Covid with a barge pole:

“…my books are a complete Covid-free zone. Had so many readers thanking me for the escapism and I think that’s why so many of us read. And I don’t want to write about it either. Been a grim year & just want to escape from it between the pages.” Jessica Redland.

https://www.jessicaredland.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jessica-Redland/e/B00PO9I1Y4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1619691102&sr=1-3

“I’m definitely pretending COVID doesn’t exist in my books, but what I am including is lots of crowd scenes, hand holding, hugs and closeness because we need to see and feel these things again after 12 months missing out!”  Kiley Dunbar

http://www.kileydunbar.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kiley-Dunbar/e/B07NQKQS64?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1619702433&sr=1-1

Others, like romantic comedy author, Jane Lovering, may write about it in the future:

“I won’t be writing about Covid until it’s all well in the past. Rather like with the war, I think people want to know how the end works out before they start reading about the subject. I don’t think they can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy fiction on the subject just yet.” Jane Lovering.

https://www.janelovering.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Lovering/e/B003NYBX9M?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1619702487&sr=1-1

Of course, some writers are lucky enough not to have to worry about whether or not to include the C word in their books:

“Good question! I’m able to avoid mentioning it because my novels are set in the medieval era. As a reader, I’m loving escaping to parallel contemporary worlds where the craziness of real life is not happening and people are able to hug and travel.” Ella Matthews.

https://www.ellamatthews.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ella-Matthews/e/B085WN62LF?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1619702297&sr=1-1

                I’ve recently begun work on a very different type of story set in a different genre. For part of this tale, I’m actually going to ‘utilise’ the lockdown period. I want to place my protagonists in this very unusual situation, where they’re stuck together with all their joint and individual issues, and wait to see the sparks fly! I’ll let you know if it all comes together as I hope!

Spellbound was conceived this year by Sumaira Wilson and Nikki East, two awesome women who’ve both been in and around the publishing industry for years.

More about the company can be found on their website:

https://www.spellboundbooks.co.uk/

I’ve been Facebook friends with Sumaira, Spellbound’s production director, for ages. I began seeing announcements on her feed when Spellbound started up, but my manuscript wasn’t quite ready to be sent off into the world. By the time I got in touch, they were closed for submissions because they’d had such a great response from authors in the short amount of time they’d been open.

However, luckily for me, Sumaira had read, and enjoyed, my romance, ‘Her Sister’s Baby’, and said she’d take a look at what I had to offer.

I’ve dealt with my fair share of publishing companies in the past, and I have to say that what I loved about Spellbound was how personal, as well as professional, they were. Emails were responded to instead of keeping me hanging on for months. I felt valued and like my submission was of importance to me.

By the time my contract popped into my inbox, I knew Spellbound Books was absolutely the company I wanted to take on my manuscript. I was absolutely thrilled when they agreed to publish it.

The working title for my manuscript is ‘Her Sister’s Baby’ and it’s a contemporary romance. It’s set to be released March 2021 – so not too long to wait!

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