After complaining in my May newsletter that I can’t show you any lovely photographs of Yorkshire, what happens? The sun shines brilliantly.

Okay, so it truly is miserable today – not that we care a bit in Stephens’ Towers. In fact, it’s a dog’s life here

Sxx

Oof, Lizzie. When you said you could get tickets to hear Lang Lang play at the Albert Hall in London, you didn’t tell me you were going to seat us in the Royal box, complete with champagne on tap.
Aaaah. This is the life
And the concert?
Beethoven, sublime as always, and skillfully executed by an extremely talented and charismatic young man. My only complaint? The concert couldn’t have lasted longer with perhaps en encore or twenty for an ecstatic audience including yours truly.

And here’s a bouquet for you to make your weekend special

Sxx

Apologies to all who mailed to say, WHAT IS GOING ON???
You’re right. These early mornings are getting to me, which is why its now 8.30am in the UK and I still haven’t started work (but this coffee is delicious… did I tell you I have frothy coffee? Mmmmm)

Anyway, enough of that.
I have now corrected the mail where I mention RUIZ being a 2013 release. I did, of course, mean, Kruz and his handful of a heroine, Romy. And, yes again – Didn’t I tell you I have the best readers in the world. They must be to pick me up on this -
If you remember, Kruz was going to hook up with a penniless princess called Lizbet?
Yep, that’s right… until photojournalist, Romy Winner, pushed Lizbet out of the way.
What can you do with these gals?!?!
So, apologies once again.

And please note: Susan Stephens has no control whatever over her characters and accepts no responsibility for their unbelievably naughty ways

Have a good one, ladies
Sxx

I’ve just seen the new Acosta page that Jo will be uplifting onto my site late Sunday in readiness for the merry month of May. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the images of Grace and Nacho. My heroine, Grace Lundstrom, is blind, so depicting Grace in a sensitive manner was a challenge in itself, and one I think has been executed beautifully. And Nacho, the brother who brought up his three brothers and his sister when their parents were killed? Nacho had to have gravitas and be as hot as hell. I think we can safely say that this has been achieved. I couldn’t be more excited about this couple.

So. Just to recap. The next two Acosta books to be published in the UK in November and December this year will be:

Nacho and Grace’s story… A Taste of The Untamed
Lucia and Luke Forster’s story… The Man From Her Wayward Past

It’s pouring with rain here, but I’m with Kruz Acosta and a whole heap of trouble called Romy Winner, so it’s pretty hot in my study

Wishing you all a great day with plenty of good things to look forward to and enjoy,
Sxx

Lucia Acosta in December – And, okay, so Lucia was a bit of a gal in her time, but there were reasons. Give her a chance.

I know my place!

Don’t forget Nacho in November.Yum.
And Kruz?
Talking of which, my coffee break is almost over!
Kruz will be an early 2013 release if I can only stop with the displacement activities – and drinking coffee

Have a good one, ladies
Sxx

*NEWSFLASH*
www.justgiving.com/JamesDortech

On Monday 28th May, a team led by James Sutherland, MD of Dortech, will be attempting to cycle from Lands End to John o’ Groats in 6 days to raise much needed funds for the Forget Me Not Children’s hospice. The guys are hoping to raise enough money to buy some specialist cots and are over 60% into their £10,000 goal.

The Forget Me Not Children’s hospice supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Please help if you can.

And on the writing front. I am thrilled to announce, in response to the many many many mails I have received – And, thank you to everyone who took the trouble to contact me – you are seriously the best readers any author could hope to have – that two more Acosta books will be published this year. Yay! Yippee! A Taste of the Untamed, featuring the oldest Acosta brother, Nacho, and his blind bride, Grace, will be a November release for Modern Presents, followed by the boys’ sister, Lucia, in December 2012. No title for Lucia and her American polo player Luke Forster yet, but I promise, you will be the first to hear!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Sx

Contrary to popular rumour, this fabulous donation from Nestle to sustain our cycling team on the Land’s End to John o’ Groats ride is not the only reason I have volunteered to drive the support vehicle!

How fantastic! Thank you so much to Nestle!!!

I keep meaning to write about Lang Lang and our fabulous seats in the ‘Royal Box’ at the Albert Hall – also my DIL’s yummy sour dough cake, starters for which are now being passed round my neighbours oop here on the Yorkshire moors. An old Amish tradition, I believe – and I can vouch for the fact that it certainly is a friendship cake. What can possibly be better than people sharing and eating good food that they have all had a hand in?
My hands are clean, promise – I always wipe the cycle oil off before I start baking
I will write the recipe to start the cake off here when I can find the file I put it in

I need to do some catch up with news as I’m off to a fabulous ‘insiders’ tour of the Palace of Westminster very soon followed by lunch in the members’ dining room, and I haven’t even got started on what I’ve been up to in the meantime – Well, barely, anyway.

Wishing you all a great day with much friendship around you and yummy things to eat
Sxx

You may have seen that some crew members have been injured on Geraldton, one of the yachts in the Clipper Round the World race. Popped onto the Sky site to see if there was any new info on the crew members – read some crazy comments and had to shake my head, Many crew members on the Clipper race have sacrificed a great deal to be part of this endeavour. Not only are they testing themselves, but many of them are raising huge amounts of money for charity as they do so. So what would these naysayers have us do? Go nowhere? Do nothing? Wait to die? What about they stop moaning and try something that stretches and challenges them? Or would that be too much like hard work. Maybe challenge is non PC these days.

Ack!

No stretch no progress, in my opinion.

Planning for the the charity bike ride continues apace – And these guys are giving up their official holiday period to raise money for charity. Hooray for them. Thank goodness for all the good people in the world – people who get out there and do something instead of using their computer as an anonymous forum to sprout spraff.

Went to the most fabulous ‘Bronte evening’ at our local church where Patrick Bronte used to preach – This was a talk given by the journalist Christa Ackroyd – a Yorkshire woman through and through. Check out Christa’s guesthouse – where you can enjoy full-on Bronte-lore with a tour of the surrounding area, if you so wish, even adding to your stay at fabulous Whitby (we all love Whitby in Yorkshire). Check out www.brookhouseyorkshire.com for details – I can’t recommend Christa’s talks highly enough.
Sxx

The gang’s all here with at least two of the dogs – Betty in the lead, with Tiggy being controlled – for the moment- by the Bobster. It was truly the most superb day.

Dont even ask how The Sailor got across the stepping stones carrying Eloise. Suffice it to say, she did!

And just in time for the Mother’s Day Olympics

Sxx