Romantic fiction and love songs go hand in hand. Why not click on the play button to hear In the Still of the Night sung by Chris Holland? Why not enjoy Chris singing while reading a little more about my work?
In 2004 I began studying at Trinity College, Carmarthen for my MA in Creative Writing. We explored themes, listened to visiting poets, playwrights and prose writers and learned to meet deadlines as well as drink coffee in the Students' Union! The highlight was the launch of de/tached, our short story collection, in June 2006 at Hay Literary Festival. I'm delighted to add Toni Sands to the list of Trinity graduates whose novels have been published.
Membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association has opened the door to a huge amount of expertise and encouragement. Thanks to the efforts of Liz Fielding, we have a Carmarthen chapter which meets whenever members can all agree on a date. We look forward to the next time when we'll need a larger table! I also belong to Hookers’ Pen, an all women writers’ group, which offers the chance to critique and encourage each other towards publication. If we can manage to stop laughing. Last but not least, visiting the Dylan Thomas Centre is an opportunity to network with writers who live in the Swansea area. Whether it's an informal meeting or an organised event with 'stars' attending, the knowledge and talent on tap is impressive.
I'm always pleased when asked to facilitate creative writing workshops. You just never know what's going to emerge. A keen group generates its own particular energy. Please use the Contact Toni section if you'd like to arrange a workshop.
Some of the Class of 2004 at the Hay Festival for the launch of de/tached
COMPETITIONS:
It was while running a guest house in Wiltshire that I began writing short stories and was invited by BBC Wiltshire Sound to record two for transmission. Since moving back to Wales in 2001 my articles and book reviews have appeared in local papers and my short stories in women's magazines and literary publications. I hope you'll click on Novels and enjoy reading an extract from my first romantic comedy, Suddenly You Know. The book is set mainly in Reading and I was delighted to be interviewed by BBC Berkshire Sound's Sarah Walker and to agree that romance exists against all sorts of backgrounds.
You’ll find food and drink references scattered all over my work because food is such a great leveller - important in celebrations of all kinds. So many relationships begin across a candlelit dinner table or over a cup of coffee. I also enjoy drawing upon the many mad moments and hilarious incidents that happen to us all - maybe to some of us more than others!
Attending the 2008 Winchester Writers’ Conference was a brilliant opportunity to meet experienced authors and listen to agents and publishers. I took criticism on the chin and was delighted by some very positive comments about my writing. There are a lot of hopeful writers out there but, as Lorella Belli reminded us, there are layers of writing. We can't all be top ten novelists but we can enjoy our short story writing, our poems and our articles. It's good advice.
My new romantic comedy is set in Wiltshire and Paris. It takes a light-hearted look at the celebrity culture as journalist Georgia, divorced from tennis star Nick, is propelled into the limelight when she appears on TV with two famous chefs. Passion, food and a whiff of Wimbledon strawberries and champagne are on the menu and while I pitch this book, there's another set of characters waiting to tell their story.