Some serious post-match analysis

The Six Nations rugby tournament started on Saturday, which means that I don't have to look very far for entertainment or romantic inspiration for the next few weekends. It also means that He and I are for once in happy agreement about what makes for a great afternoon, although obviously for rather different reasons: this Saturday He was thrilled because England won, and I was thrilled because they were playing Italy. I started watching convinced that Italy boasted the best looking team in the tournament by far, but having also watched France (against Ireland) and then Wales (playing Scotland) I'm actually pretty impressed by the competition. I'm clearly going to need to conduct an more in-depth study over the coming weeks.

One major disappointment was that the new French coach has inexplicably dropped last year's Number 10 from the 2009 line up. David Skrela gave France a massive boost in the sexiness stakes, and was also the player I used for inspiration when I was writing Alejandro from At the Argentinean Billionaire's Bidding (surely both good, solid reasons for keeping him in the First XV?) Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras was the face of Alejandro, but Skrela provided the raw rugby passion, and specifically the sexy-as-sin bleeding lip which Alejandro suffers in the opening chapter of the book-- a look modelled by Skrela in the France-Wales game of last year's Six Nations. I can't find a picture of the actual incident (although I've really enjoyed looking) but here's one for you to enjoy without the cut lip.

Anyway, back in the real world last week's snow has now dissolved into khaki-coloured slush, but the three very oddly shaped snowmen made by the daughters remain bizarrely unmelted. Very sinister, and with their black, staring eyes and gaping mouths definitely more Stephen King than Raymond Briggs. Annoyingly, more snow is forecast for later on today and tonight, so I'm going to be spending the next 24 hours looking anxiously out of the window and wondering whether I'm going to make it to the RNA Awards Lunch tomorrow. It's all in the lap of God, the Met Office and Virgin trains, but believe me, I won't miss out on a lipstick-and-heels occasion for anything less than Arctic armageddon.

Talking of which, I'm blogging later on today at iheartpresents about the underrated romance of ice and snow. Please come over and visit!

Going Large

It's been that kind of week. Everything has just been bigger than usual. Like, for example...

1. My smile (and Orlando Winterton's head, probably) when I found out that Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure had won a Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Award.

2. The cover of At the Argentinean Billionaire's Bidding which, along with that of Sarah Morgan's The Prince's Waitress Wife, was blown up to larger-than-life proportions in Borders in Oxford Street at the launch of the International Billionaires series on Tuesday.

(Felicia Field is the girl with the ball. She's the partner of England flanker James Haskell, and the gorgeous face of Mills & Boon's partnership with the RFU.) (Thank goodness.)

3. My sense of gratitude and good fortune to be doing what I'm doing after an evening/late night spent with fellow Presents authors Susan Stephens, Sarah Morgan, Carole Mortimer and Abby Green at the rugby launch party (and afterwards in the hotel bar...) Intelligent, interesting and talented to a woman, these girls know how to laugh and drink champagne in exceptional style. (The hotel barman couldn't stay the distance and went to bed long before we'd finished. )

4. My hangover the next day.

5. My status in the Birthday Cake-Creation division of the Domestic Goddess Stakes , thanks to the impromptu construction of Krispy Kreme doughnuts bought as I hurried back from London on Daughter #3's birthday on Wednesday. In all my years of sobbing and swearing over elaborate crinoline Barbie confections and fairy castles painstakingly engineered from ice cream cones and swiss rolls, none of my efforts have ever been greeted with such delight as this one, or eaten with such speed and relish.

I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere...

More Rugby Talk...

...This time at 8.30 in the morning on Radio London. The daughters thought this was a huge laugh as it meant the school run was postponed by 15 minutes and they were allowed to watch morning TV while I talked gumshields and glamour and tried to stack the dishwasher very quietly. Also being interviewed was Felicia Field, uber-gorgeous partner of England flanker James Haskell who also happens to be a Mills & Boon fan. What a girl, and what a fab ambassador for our readers. If you want to hear her inside view of real life with a rugby hero, listen here. (It’s about 2.35 into the programme...)

And (thanks so much to Marilyn for reminding me!) here’s the full line up of the books in the International Billionaire’s series, which starts next month.

The Prince’s Waitress Wife – Sarah Morgan (February)
At the Argentinean Billionaire’s Bidding – India Grey (March)
The French Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress – Abby Green (April)
The Ruthless Billionaire’s Virgin – Susan Stephens (May)
The Italian Count’s Defiant Bride – Catherine George (June)
The Sheikh’s Love-Child – Kate Hewitt (July)
Blackmailed into the Greek Tycoon’s Bed – Carol Marinelli (August)
The Virgin Secretary’s Impossible Boss – Carole Mortimer (September)

They’re all first and foremost stonking passionate and emotional romances by a bunch of totally fabulous writers (and me too) but all of them have a connection with one of the sexiest sports on the planet. Heaven in eight volumes.

It's all kicking off...

I’ve been doing a fair bit of publicity this week for the rugby series, (see here and listen here for the first fruits of it) This is huge fun and a great opportunity to ponder in-depth such questions as ‘What is the appeal of rugby players?’

Hmmm... let me think....