Me & Nora Roberts...

Last Sunday was a day that a dream I thought impossible came true - I met and spoke to multi-published, super successful romance author Nora Roberts! Nora is my biggest influence, favourite author and reason I started writing toward publication all those years ago.

How I discovered Nora's books is a little divine and other-worldly - a certain sign from God that I NEEDED to read her books. Mr B and I attended the famous Hay-On-Wye literary festival back in 2005 and back then, I hadn't even heard of Nora Roberts…I know, crazy!

Hay-On-Wye is a tiny village in Wales, famous for its streets filled with the most glorious, and often tiny, bookshops. Books literally line the narrow streets! For a bibliophile like me it is heaven on earth…and about time I went back for another visit.

Anyway, back to how I discovered Nora - I went into one particular bookshop that was split over two floors. On the top floor, I pulled from a shelf of a million and one romances, Seascape by Nora Roberts. New author to me, liked the blurb and tucked in under my arm - I went downstairs to another section marked, "Futuristic"…I pulled out another new author to me, J.D.Robb.

Little did I know until I returned home that Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb were the same author - if that wasn't fate that Nora's would change my life, I don't know what was!

Over nine years on, I am obsessed with Nora's books and estimated I have read about 50 of her 200 plus books - I have a long way to go…So when I discovered my idol was coming to Ireland and hosting an afternoon tea, there was no chance I wouldn't be there.

My fabulous Mr. B booked a night in Ashford Castle - Oh. My. Lord! The castle is a whole other post…just amazing.

The journey from England was logistically tight and we missed the sandwiches and scones, but thankfully, none of Nora's interview or signing. Dry mouthed and shaking, I approached Nora with Dark Witch in my clammy hand and before I knew it we were chatting how she was the reason I started writing. I told her I write for Harlequin and Kensington, she congratulated me and told me she looked forward to seeing me at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York next year. Happy Rachel!

Let's hope she meant it because I fully intend to be there and as Nora and I are now firm friends…I'm sure she won't mind me following her around!

A dream come true and one I will share again and again with anyone willing to listen!

Rachel x