After five long years when pandemic restrictions and then my own bout with Covid precluded travel, I’m finally able to visit England again this summer.

It’s still and always will be, important to who I am as a person and writer and one of the places I call ‘home.’

And as I count the days until my trip, it’s all about what to do, who (and what) I’ll see and what to pack!

What to do…In London, Norfolk and Manchester

London

In London, I’ll meet my British literary agent, Kiran Kataria of Keane Kataria Literary Agency for the first time in ‘real life’ rather than through a computer screen.

With Kiran, I’ll visit the office of Canelo, my new British publisher and meet and have lunch with my editor.

The day will be filled with bookish chat about my Teacher Evacuees series and UK publishing.

In London, I’ll also visit several museums and libraries for book/series research I need to do in person.

Since my historical fiction is shaped by real events and how people lived at a particular time, background research is crucial.

I’m especially looking forward to returning to the Imperial War Museum and touring its extensive WW2 galleries.

Norfolk

In my stories, my fictional teachers and their pupils are evacuated from London to Norfolk, a beautiful county on England’s East Coast.

Between visiting WW2 sites and walking in the area where I’ve set my fictional village, I’ll also return to places like Cromer which I remember fondly from family holidays when English Rose was small.

Manchester

Travelling north to Manchester, I’ll visit an author friend and catch up with many more at the one-day Love Stories etc, Festival: A Celebration of Modern Romantic Fiction.

Who (and what) I’ll see…

From Berkshire to Norfolk, London to Manchester and then North Wales, I’m meeting up and/or staying with friends from my author community and beyond.

Between afternoon teas, lunches and suppers I’ll have food I miss and can’t get in Canada like Victoria sponge cake, fish and chips on the pier, Yeo Valley yogurt, toasted tea cakes and more.

And in London, I’ve booked a ticket (with one of those friends) for a romance author panel at Waterstones Piccadilly (Europe’s largest bookshop) as three well-known British authors, Lucy Vine, Laura Wood and Kirsty Greenwood celebrate publication of their new books.

Via another pre-booked ticket, I’ll see the London Children’s Ballet perform a bookish favourite, The Secret Garden.

What to pack

From both weather reports and friends, I’ve heard it’s been unusually cold and wet in the UK in June which may extend into July.

Along with my trusty British umbrella, I’ll pack my hot water bottle, a jumper (sweater) and woolly bed socks just in case.

If I need a few extra basics? There’s always British shopping favourite Marks and Spencer.

A Rancher’s Return (October 2024)

In case you missed it in my newsletter or social media, I’m excited to share the gorgeous cover for my October Harlequin Heartwarming Jen Gilroy release, A Rancher’s Return.

This sweet second-chance romance stands alone but it’s also the fourth and final book in my Montana Carters series and is available for pre-order now, in large print paperback and eBook including Kindle in the UK.

Since my Harlequin Heartwarming titles haven’t previously been sold in the UK, it’s wonderful to be able to share A Rancher’s Return with British readers.

Summer blogging break

I’m taking a summer blogging break but will be back with a new post in September.

I wish you a safe and happy summer and, of course, wonderful books to read.