Luscious Strawberries...

It's my birthday this month, and I love strawberries so I always try to have a few ready for the big day. This year, probably because of the exceptionally hard winter and subsequent beautiful spring, the plants I have in the greenhouse have excelled themselves. The smell of ripe fruit warmed by the sun is lovely. And they taste even better than they look!
PS: Don't forget to enter my competition on http://www.christinahollis.com 

One, Two, Three...

One collection, two beautiful covers, three stories of awakening passion....
The Hot Headed Virgin collection has a special place in my heart. As well as two great reads, The Virgin's Price by Melanie Milburne and The Greek's Virgin by Trish Morey, it includes my very first modern romance for Harlequin Mills and Boon - The Italian Billionaire's Virgin. It's lovely to see it now now released as part of this  anthology. On the right you can see the cover for the Australian edition, while below is the UK version. Visit my website, http://www.christinahollis.com for details of my May competition, with a chance to win signed copies. Happy reading!

A Busy Week

There's a lot going on this week. It's been my daughter's birthday - where on earth have the past twenty years gone? The weather's been so good she's been able to have some fresh ripe strawberries, warm from the greenhouse, but the icing on her birthday cake went a bit awry. She wanted lemon feather icing, but it sent a bit too quickly so it was more impressionistic - from my 'yellow' period (!) There's going to be a village bring and share picnic to celebrate the Royal Wedding Holiday, as well as a soup and sweet session organised by the church the day before, all in the name of good neighbourly relations. It's lovely how this wedding is bringing people together. Let's hope the weather is good for all these outdoor events. I'll be making some celebration traybakes to take along - what's your favourite dish for sharing?

A Day Off...

Yesterday, I turned in the manuscript of my latest Mills & Boon Modern Romance, provisionally entitled Fire and Ice. As my editor is taking a few days well earned rest, today I squeezed in a sneaky day away from the computer. That meant spending some time in the garden. I'd love to say this is a picture of my handiwork, but sadly, it isn't! I also went for a nice long walk, listening out for the cuckoo. No luck - the wind is still a bit chilly for him. I've been trying to walk a minimum of twelve thousand steps per day to counteract the time I spend sat at the keyboard, but it's hard work! I need lots of encouragement, and with the beautiful river Wye 3,500 steps away (a figure burned into my brain), that's one obvious target. Unfortunately, to get there I have to pass the only shop for miles around. It sells chocolate.
Enough said...

Starting All Over Again!

I've just finished the first draft of a new Modern Romance. There are always mixed feelings when I type those two little words 'The End' at the foot of a final page. First there's the little flush of pleasure that comes from inventing a whole world in fifty thousand words. Then there's the tinge of sadness as I face saying goodbye to a hero and heroine that I've been living with night and day, waking and sleeping, for  several months. That's soon replaced by the thought of starting all over again with a new couple. Looking around for inspiration is always an exciting time. It can strike at any time - when I overhear a snatch of conversation, see someone with Alpha potential, or while I'm on the school run. Not that I get much time to daydream. There's the next draft of my current work in progress, tentatively called Fire and Ice, to polish!

Great News!

Photo: Ian Britton

I've just had another Christina Hollis book accepted by Harlequin Mills and Boon! The Weight Of The Crown will be published in the autumn of this year (2011) and it marks a bit of a departure for me. It's set in the beautiful little desert country of Rosara, whose regent, Lysander, is drawn to the one woman in the world who fights his animal attraction. That makes her a challenge Lysander can't resist. Alyssa is already suffering from a broken heart when she arrives to work for Lysander, so she's never going to fall for a man with his reputation. She won't give in, but he won't give up - so something (or someone!) has to change.
The freedom to invent my own country in Rosara was amazing. Much as I loved writing about it, I wouldn't want to live in a desert land. England is such a place of contrasts, my heart will always be here.  At the moment we're creeping out from under the worst winter we've had for years, but the sight of early spring flowers like snowdrops, aconites and witch hazel is a lovely contrast to all the gloom. Just like reading romance!

Here, There and Everywhere...

Happy New Year - how are you getting on with all those resolutions? January can be dark and dreary but I've got lots of things to look forward to this month.  My latest Harlequin Presents Extra Title, The Master of Bella Terra, is released in the US and I'm blogging to celebrate it. 
On Wednesday, January 5th I'll be at http://www.iheartpresents.com 
On Saturday, January 8th I'll be at http://www.pinkheartsociety.blogspot.com
On Sunday, January 9th I'll be posting at http://www.authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com
I'd love you to drop by and maybe post a comment!