I’m thrilled, honoured and frankly astounded to announce that A Question of Us has won the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Comedy of the Year 2020 Award!
The trophy was presented at a glitzy ceremony in London on 2nd March, by comedian Jenny Eclair.
I’m so proud that A Question of Us was chosen by the judges from such a strong shortlist, and very grateful to the Romantic Novelists’ Association for their efforts in supporting romance novelists and recognising excellence in the genre over the last sixty years. I could only have dreamed of winning a RoNA back when I started writing in 2015, and it’s going to take a very long time for it to sink in. It really is a dream come true!
I’m delighted to announce that one of my books has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards (RoNAs) in the Romantic Comedy of the Year category for the second year in a row.
A Question of Us centres around a West Yorkshire pub quiz team, the Mighty Morphin’ Flower Arrangers, as they compete in their town’s inter-pub quiz league. The stakes are raised when team captain Clarrie accepts a bet from her best friend Simon that if they win, she’ll go on a date with him. As victory looks increasingly likely, Clarrie is forced to question what she really wants out of life – and love…
A Question of Us is one of five finalists to make the category shortlist for romance novels that are consistently funny, with 500 entries submitted for the awards overall.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Leonardo Royal London City Hotel on 2nd March, when shortlisted authors will find out who has won in their categories. Awards will be presented by comedian Jenny Eclair. Other nominated authors include Jojo Moyes, Sophie Kinsella and Strictly Come Dancing star Anton du Beke.
Mary Jayne says: ‘I’m thrilled and honoured to see my name on the shortlist alongside so many talented people, and can’t wait to raise a glass or two to the diamond anniversary of the Romantic Novelists’ Association at the awards event. The RNA is a wonderfully supportive organisation for its members and I’m proud to be a part of it.’
Since its inception in 1960, the RNA has promoted excellence in romantic fiction. RNA Chair Alison May commented: ‘The shortlists this year show the fantastic range of romantic fiction being produced by hugely talented authors. In the RNA’s 60th year it’s heartening to see the genre in such good health, and to see such an exciting mix of established and up-and-coming writers taking romantic fiction forward into the next sixty years.’
Previous winners of the Romantic Comedy Award include heavyweights Milly Johnson, Jenny Colgan and Jill Mansell.
As a reference for US readers and others from outside the UK, I thought it might be helpful to produce a glossary of English/British slang terms and cultural references in my Yorkshire-set book A Question of Us. Some of these are specific to the north of England, others are used throughout the country. And yes, I know what you’re thinking: we Brits certainly have a lot of euphemisms for sex and drunkenness. I’m not sure what that says about us as a nation!
A-Levels – exams taken at age 18
afters – dessert
all right? – greeting. Means “are you well?” but doesn’t necessarily require an answer!
Argos – British shop where items are ordered from a catalogue
arse over tit – head over heels
arse – bottom
backhander – bribe
bagsied – staked a claim to something
Baltic – very cold
banging (exclamation) – great
Bash Street – reference to The Bash Street Kids, a long-running school series in British children’s comic book The Beano
bawdy – loud; raucous
beanie – warm knitted hat
bellend – an insult
The Bill – British police drama
bird – woman
biscuit – cookie
bitter – a type of beer
Blockbusters – British quiz show
bloke – man (informal); guy
bloody – mild curse word
boffed – had sex with
(to) bollock (verb) – to tell someone off; give them a bollocking
bollocks (exclamation) – expression of frustration. Can also mean “bullshit”, as in “talking bollocks”
bollocks (noun) – testicles
bonking – having sex
boobs – breasts
booze – alcohol
bouncer – nightclub doorman
boxers – boxer shorts (male underwear)
brew up – make hot drinks
bugger (exclamation) – mild curse word
bugger (noun) – mild insult
bugger all – nothing
buggering up – screwing something up; making a mess of something
bugger off – get lost
bum – bottom
butty – sandwich (northern English slang)
cadge – scrounge; beg (northern English slang)
can’t be arsed – can’t be bothered
Carling – a brand of lager beer
Carlsberg – a brand of lager beer
(to) chat someone up – to talk to someone in a flirtatious way
cheers – thanks. Also used as a drinking toast
The Chippendales – male stripper act
chips – French fries
chuddy – chewing gum (northern English slang)
chuffed – pleased; happy
cig – cigarette
cop off with – make out with
coppering up – counting out amounts of money in small change
copper – policeman
Countdown – British quiz show
cracking (exclamation) – great
crisps – potato chips
cuppa – cup of tea
daft – silly; foolish
Dear Deirdre – agony aunt column in British newspaper The Sun
(to) deck someone – to beat them up
dicking about – messing about
did a bunk – ran away; split
dim – stupid
div/divvy – idiot
a dive – a dump; a dirty or unpleasant place
dogging – sex with strangers in a public place
doing it – having sex
do one – get lost; go, leave
Eton – prestigious English private school for boys
fag – cigarette
(to) fancy someone – be attracted to them
fanny – vagina
fannying – messing about
fib – a lie
Fifteen to One – British quiz show
fit – sexually attractive; hot
fiver – five pounds
(to) fob someone off – make an excuse
GCSEs – exams taken at age 16
geezer – man; cool person
Gents – men’s public toilets
get off with – make out with
(to) get one’s end away – to have sex
(to) get one’s leg over – to have sex
getting you done – telling a tale on you
git (noun) – mild insult
give him/her one – have sex with him/her
give over (instruction) – stop
give up (instruction) – stop
gob – mouth
going off on one – displaying a fit of anger
going out with someone – dating them
Gold Run – a round in British quiz show Blockbusters
hammered – drunk
(to) have someone on – to attempt to fool someone
head/headteacher – school principal
heyup – hello (informal; northern English)
hiya – hello (informal)
HP – a brand of brown sauce
jelly – jello
johnny/rubber johnny – condom
knackered – tired; exhausted
knee-trembler – orgasm
knickers – female underwear
knobbing – having sex
knob – penis
knockers – breasts
knockout (exclamation) – excellent
Ladbrokes – chain of UK betting shops
Ladies – women’s public toilets
lad – boy
lager – a type of beer
lager lout – drunken, badly behaved person
lairy – loud; raucous
landlord/landlady – the manager of a pub
Landlord – a brand of ale
lass – girl
launderette – laundromat
leathered – drunk
lippy – lipstick
the local – your local pub
loo – toilet
love (noun) – term of endearment (northern English)
lunchbox – slang for male genitals when covered by clothing
Lynx Africa – a brand of deodorant
manky – dirty or gross
mardy – miserable; sulky (northern English slang)
mate – friend (informal); used in a similar way to US “buddy”
mobile/mobile phone – cellphone
Nessie – the Loch Ness Monster
Newky Brown – Newcastle Brown ale
(to) nick something – to steal it
nits – head lice eggs, common in young schoolchildren
Nobby’s Nuts – a brand of salted peanuts
on a promise – having a guaranteed offer of sex
on the job – having sex
on the pull – trying to find someone to hook up with
Oxfam – charity that runs a chain of second-hand (thrift) shops
pack it in (instruction) – stop it
pants – male or female underwear
papers – newspapers
Penguin – brand of chocolate biscuit
pet (noun) – term of endearment (northern English)
pictures (as in “going to the pictures”) – cinema
pillock – idiot
pissed – drunk
pisshead – drunken person
pissing about – messing about
Pointless – British quiz show
poorly – sick; ill
posh – upper-class; sophisticated
primary – primary school (age four to eleven)
pub crawl – a walk from pub to pub, stopping for a drink in each
pud/pudding – dessert
(to) pull – to successfully hook up with someone; score
punch-up – a fight
quid – a pound
Rag Week – fundraising week at UK universities in which stunts and pranks are staged to raise money for charity
randy – lustful; horny
Reception – the first year of primary school (age four to five)
RE – Religious Education
Rich Tea – brand of biscuit (cookie)
roasties – roast potatoes
round (noun) – when you buy a drink for everyone in your group
(to) scoff – to exhibit disbelief; also, to eat greedily
scuffer – scruffy or low-status person (northern English slang)
secondary – secondary school (age eleven to sixteen or eighteen)
settee – couch
shagging – having sex
sixth form – the last two non-compulsory years of secondary school (age sixteen to eighteen)
skint – short of money; poor; broke
slag – sexually promiscuous person; slut
slammed – drunk
slap (noun) – make-up
slaughtered – drunk
smack (noun) – heroin
smartarse – person who is smugly or ostentatiously knowledgeable; clever clogs, smarty pants
smashed – drunk
snog – French kiss
snug – small, semi-enclosed area in a pub, historically used by those who didn’t want to be seen in the public bar
sod (noun) – mild insult
sod off – get lost
soppy – overly sentimental
the spit of you – the spitting image of you (i.e. looks just like you)
squaddie – soldier
stag do – bachelor party
stroppy – argumentative; having an attitude
swotting – studying hard
swot – a studious or clever person
taking the mickey/the Michael/the piss – mocking; making fun of someone (also “ripping the piss”)
ta – thanks (northern English slang)
tea – as well as the drink, in the north of England this refers to the evening meal
telly – television
tenner – ten pounds
Tesco – British supermarket
thick – stupid
thump – punch
Top Gear – British car review TV show
trackie bottoms – sweatpants
trollop – promiscuous woman
tuppence – two pence
twat – an insult
University Challenge – British quiz show for teams of university students
uni – university
V-sign – a rude gesture made with two fingers
wacky baccy – cannabis
(to) wang something – to throw it
wanker – an insult; unpleasant person or idiot
Waterstone’s – bookshop chain
weed – cannabis
wendy house – children’s play house
willy – penis
wind-up merchant – someone who frequently mocks or teases
(to) wind someone up – to tease or attempt to fool someone
Wipeout – British quiz show
Yorkshire pudding – savoury batter pudding served with a roast dinner
I’m thrilled to reveal the gorgeous cover of my next book, A Question of Us!
A Question of Us tells the story of best friends Clarrie and Simon as they battle to win their town’s pub quiz league – and find themselves reassessing their feelings for one another into the bargain. The blurb is given below.
Two best friends. Eight pub quizzes. One shot at love…
There are some people who seem like they have all the answers in life. Clarrie Midwinter isn’t one of them.
At the age of 26, tomboy Clarrie is still struggling to become a ‘proper’ grown-up. She’s eternally strapped for cash, she hasn’t had a date in nearly a year and her attempts to quit smoking tend to take a nosedive after the second pint. Most annoyingly of all, her ladykiller best friend Simon just won’t stop asking her out. The only thing keeping her sane is her pub quiz team, the Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers.
But when Simon bets her a date their team will win the quiz league, Clarrie is forced to confront what she really wants out of life – and love. Is it finally time for her to grow up?
Gloriously irreverent, badly behaved romantic comedy from the author of Meet Me at the Lighthouse.
A Question of Us will be published by Aria Fiction on 5th September 2019.
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ve signed a two-book deal with the lovely folk at Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus.
A Question of Us, a romantic comedy following the ups and downs of a northern pub quiz team as they give it everything to try to win the inter-pub quiz league, is out on 5th September. I’m delighted to be working with Hannah Smith and the team at Aria to bring this book into the world. It features some of my very favourite characters and has a special place in my heart.
Two best friends. Eight pub quizzes. One shot at love…
There are some people who seem like they have all the answers in life. Clarrie Midwinter isn’t one of them.
At the age of 26, tomboy Clarrie is still struggling to become a ‘proper’ grown-up. She’s eternally strapped for cash, she hasn’t had a date in nearly a year and her attempts to quit smoking tend to take a nosedive after the second pint. Most annoyingly of all, her ladykiller best friend Simon just won’t stop asking her out. The only thing keeping her sane is her pub quiz team, the Mighty Morphin’ Flower Arrangers.
But when Simon bets her a date their team will win the quiz league, Clarrie is forced to confront what she really wants out of life – and love. Is it finally time for her to grow up?
Gloriously irreverent, badly behaved romantic comedy from the author of Meet Me at the Lighthouse and A Bicycle Made for Two.
Whooptedoo and huzzar! Filled the final hole in my current WIP, tentatively titled Quiz Team, today, bringing the first draft word count to 103,577.
So what did I learn this time around compared to my first finished novel, The Honey Trap?
The Honey Trap was my first long work of fiction, after many abortive attempts to write a full-length novel over the years (usually caving in after about 3000 words). In order to avoid hitting that same old wall again, I sat down and wrote out a full plot using a loose version of the snowflake method, carefully divided into chapters. Then I sat down to write my story linearly from chapter one.
Of course, as I wrote and got to know my characters, the plot took me in directions I hadn’t foreseen. That was fine: the very fact I had a plot at all gave me a feeling of security, a safety net. A lot of the early scenes, particularly dialogue, were then rewritten with what I’d come to know about my characters in mind.
Quiz Team, on the other hand, was pure pantsing from start to finish. To begin with I had a strong idea of characters, could hear them speaking, but only the flimsiest idea of plot. So I wrote snatches of dialogue here, there and everywhere from all over their timelines, developed the characters and created plots and sub-plots for them as I went. Then I went back and filled in the holes.
It felt like the dialogue was very authentic, and I was quite proud of some segments, but the plot and transition scenes were meandering and the overall effect was patchwork. I don’t know, that might be first draft exhaustion talking: I suspect I had a similar feeling about The Honey Trap when I’d finished it, but when I read it back it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Dreading the edit on Quiz Team, however, especially the sagging middle, and praying it isn’t an unsalvageable mess…
So, not sure still whether I’m a planner or a pantser by nature and which method I prefer. Something in the middle I think!
I’m delighted to announce that one of my books has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards (RoNAs) in the Romantic Comedy of the Year category for the second year in a row.
