RNA Conference: my first ever editor pitch

Back home now safe and sound after an excellent weekend in sun-soaked Sheffield at the Romantic Novelists' Association Annual Conference.

I had booked a 1 to 1 slot with a Mills & Boon editor beforehand, but as the dreaded hour grew closer I was more and more panicked by what I'd done.

On the morning of my pitch I felt more nervous than when visiting the dentist. I couldn't eat any breakfast (now that's really nervous for me). I'd rehearsed my pitch until I was word perfect. I knew my theme and I knew my character arcs. But all that angst was for naught. Pippa Roscoe, Acting Assistant Editor for Mills and Boon Modern, was delightful and immediately put me at my ease. My pitch was unnecessary and she plunged straight into telling me what she thought about my 1st chapter and synopsis.

The good news is my chapter wasn't awful and I wasn't publicly humiliated and thrown out of the conference. So thank you Pippa for being so kind and it was lovely to meet you.