Nicola here, inviting everyone to join me in a small celebration! Twenty years ago this year my first book for Harlequin Mills & Boon was published. True Colours was named in homage to Georgette Heyer; the writing style probably owed a fair amount to her as well for she, along with Alice Chetwynd Ley, Clare Darcy and others had been strong influences on my developing love of the Regency romance.
Even now I can remember the sense of disbelief to see a book I had written actually in print. For 
years I had written in my spare time – 12 years to be exact. True Colours was begun when I was at college and was a long time in the writing and re-writing. Life went on around it – marriage, moving jobs, moving house… And then suddenly there it was in my hand and on the shelves. It was an extraordinary and almost unreal feeling. I also remember being a tad disappointed by the cover which looked rather vampirish to me (the US version that came later was much prettier!) I also remember spending my first royalty cheque on a new bicycle! Later that same year (August, in fact) my second Regency romance, The Virtuous Cyprian, was also published. I wrote two books a year in those days even though I was working full time in an office as well. Her I am in a bookshop looking very excited to be on the shelves with Penny Jordan and Sidney Sheldon! This is a photo of an old photo so apologies that it isn't that good!)
I had no knowledge of the publishing industry at that time and did have a hope if not an expectation that True Colours would make my fortune. It didn’t but it gave me so much pleasure to be writing Regency romance. In time I think – I hope – my own style of writing evolved to be less influenced by the “greats.” Apropos of which, I recently read a comment from a reader referring to “cash ins” on Heyer that authors like me write; it may be that some people deliberately set out to write in a particular style for money but in all those 20 years I haven’t met a single writer who was motivated by that. We write what we do for love of the genre.
Fast forward twenty years, thirty eight books, a number of short stories and sales of 5.3 million worldwide, 
and my most recent novel, The Phantom Tree, has its North American debut tomorrow. The Phantom Tree and its predecessor House of Shadows were a change of genre for me, from historical romance to timeslip with elements of suspense and the supernatural thrown in. The Phantom Tree is set in the Tudor period and the present, and tells the story of Mary Seymour, daughter of Queen Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, who was a real person who disappeared from the historical record when she was a child… I wanted to explore what her story might have been. The book focusses on the relationship between Mary and her cousin Alison, two very different women separated by centuries yet bound together by the promises they made to each other. There’s romance, outlaws and adventure in it too!
Tomorrow evening I’m doing a Facebook live event (my first one!) talking about the history that inspired The Phantom Tree and if you would like to join me for it on my Facebook page I’d be thrilled. There is a rather special prize on offer; a year’s membership of The Friends of Wolfhall, the Tudor manor where Queen Jane Seymour was born (pictured on the left). Current work on the house is revealing its secrets. You can read more about Wolf Hall here and about my visit to it earlier this year here.
I’d like to thank my readers and writing colleagues for twenty years of friendship and support. I’ve got to know so many amazing people through my writing and it’s been great! Thank you so much!
China is the traditional gift for a 20th wedding anniversary although apparently platinum is the 
modern choice. The gemstone associated with 20 years is the emerald and the flower is the day lily. But when it comes to celebrating a 20 year “bookiversary” I think a new writing pad is the ideal gift so I’ll be nipping to the shops to get one!
How would you celebrate a book or reading-related anniversary? With a new pen or a new e-reader or a special book – and if so which one? I’m offering an ARC of my next book The Woman in the Lake to one commenter between now and midnight Tuesday.
