The Annual AMBA lunch

September marks the time of year for the annual AMBA lunch held in London, and since it's a rare occasion that so many authors get together, we at the blog though it might be interesting to our readers to catch a rare glimpse into the one day a year we get to be glamourous. Jessica Hart, one of this year's organizers, has provided a bit of background into what this particular day means, and Donna Alward, who attended from Canada, is supplying the pictures!

Every year in late September a very special lunch is held in London. To attend, you have to be a member of AMBA, which stands for the Association of Mills & Boon Authors. This makes is sound a lot more formal than in fact it is – there are no rules or regulations or membership fees. All you need to join is to have written a book published by Harlequin Mills & Boon. You’d be surprised at how many of us there are around the world! This picture shows us all lunching at the RAF club in Picadilly.

Writing can be very solitary, and the lunch is a great opportunity to meet up with fellow authors who really understand the highs and lows of writing romance. It doesn’t matter whether we’ve written one book or twenty or a hundred, we all know what it’s like!
Inevitably, most of us converge on London from different parts of the UK, but we’re always delighted when overseas authors can join us. This year, for instance, we welcomed Donna Alward from Canada and Carol Marinelli from Australia. (Picture: Romance Authors Trish Wylie, Fiona Harper and Donna Alward)


It’s primarily a social occasion, but we do also invite guests from Harlequin, who earn their lunch by taking part in a Question and Answer session about some aspect of the publishing business, marketing this year. And in the evening, Harlequin Mills & Boon host a champagne reception, a celebratory toast to their authors, which is usually held in one of London’s old gentlemen’s clubs and which rounds off the day in suitable style! This year it was held at the Oriental Club in Stratford House. Gorgeous, isn't it!

All in all it's a day to celebrate who we are and what we do - and we do it in grand style!



Jessica's Outback Boss, City Bride is out NOW... "Jessica Hart brings the Outback vividly to life in this captivating romance that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone. ... RITA award-winning author Jessica Hart never disappoints her readers with her spellbinding and sophisticated stories brimming with warmth, wit, drama and romance" - Cataromance





Donna's September release is Marriage at Circle M - the follow up to Hired By The Cowboy and "A poignant, heartrending story about romancing and healing. You’ll love strong, protective Mike and cheerful, independent Grace — and wonder how these two can ever reach a happy ending. An emotional read, that belongs on your must-buy list for September." - The Pink Heart Society Reviews