Minxes of Romance

Writing Inspiration Straight From Your TV

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000Z

For today's post I'd planned to write something on craft but then I started “researching” and it all went horrible wrong... or horribly right. It depends on how you look at.

Today we're going to be talking about the hottest men TV in 2011, and we’re talking hawt! If you're looking for a little hero inspiration this is the place to get it. Hang onto your keyboards because here we go...

source: fox8.tv

Wilson Bethel

Television Series: Hart of Dixie
Role: Wade Kinsella

source: jimhalterman.com

Tyler Hoechlin

Television Series: Teen Wolf
Role: Derek Hale

source: vampirediariesguide.com

Paul Wesley

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Stefan Salvatore

source: 24.media.tumblr.com

Patrick Dempsey

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Derek Shepherd

source: verysherry.tumblr.com

Matt Bomer

Television Series: White Collar
Role: Neal Caffrey

source: tvlistings.zap2it.com

Joseph Morgan

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Klaus

source: johnbarrowman.mypagerocks.com

John Barrowman

Television Series: Torchwood
Role: Captain Jack Harkness

source: shirtlesshollywood.blogspot.com

Jesse Williams

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Jackson Avery

source: celebrities.pl

Jesse Spencer

Television Series: House
Role: Dr. Robert Chase

source: hotguys.tumblr.com

Jared Padalecki

Television Series: Supernatural
Role: Sam Winchester

source: hotguysspam.tumblr.com

Ian Somerhalder

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Damon Salvatore

source: squarehippies.com

Eric Dane

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Mark Sloan

source: faithseptember.blogspot.com

Simon Baker

Television Series: The Mentalist
Role: Patrick Jane

source: imdb.com

Dean Geyer

Television Series: Terra Nova
Role: Mark Reynolds

source: alexoloughlin.org

Alex O’Loughlin

Television Series: Hawaii Five-O
Role: Steve McGarrett

source: deviantart.net

Jensen Ackles

Television Series: Supernatural
Role: Dean Winchester

source: joji123.wordpress.com

David Boreanaz

Television Series: Bones
Role: Seeley Booth

What, oh what, will 2012 bring? And more importantly, have I missed anyone?

***

The winner of the Sarah Morgan book give away is Amanda Holly! Congratulations, Amanda. Please contact us with your details to claim your prize.

Author Spotlight - Sharon Kendrick

2012-01-25T11:19:00.000Z

The Minxes are very excited today to welcome USA Today Bestselling author Sharon Kendrick to chat with the Minxes today :-)

Thanks so much for being with us today, Sharon!

What is your writing process?

I’m not sure that I have a *process* because every book is different. Sometimes I start with a man who wants me to tell his story. Sometimes it’s a woman. Or I might have a scene which I can see very clearly in my mind. Then I need to weave some kind of compelling thread which links them all together. Having said that, sometimes the scene that I loved so much just doesn’t work – and then it ends up being deleted. I can be ruthless about ditching stuff – particularly at the beginning - because if my story isn’t writing fluidly, then I can’t continue.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on dayswhen it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I have a confession. For me, buying shoes is like a trip to the dentist when you have an unexplained nagging in one of your molars. You’re screwing your face up in astonishment, right? A romantic novelist who isn’t orgasming over shoes? But let me explain my unfashionable aversion… my feet are so big that getting anything to fit takes a miracle. It they look half-way decent, it’s a bonus. I’m Cinderella in reverse! But to address the main point of your question: I consider writing to be a job, just like any other job. So, just as someone who (say) worked in a bank, wouldn’t dream of saying to a customer, “I’m really sorry, but I’m just not that into it today” – neither would I. If I’m really stuck, I might go and make a coffee or watch some trash TV – but I’m always back at my desk twenty minutes later. Whether I then choose to surf the Net or to lose myself on Twitter is up to me, but I know that if I have got a couple of thousand words down by the end of the day – I’ll feel considerably better than if I have the horror of having made no progress. And even a bad writing day will always yield something good.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at acomputer?

I do. For me, exercise is imperative. It gives me ideas, clears my mind – oh, and it helps combat my natural greed by making my bottom less big than it should be (though never as small as I’d like it to be!). I run. I walk. I do one of those classes where you lift weights up and down. And since spending a week with a friend and his personal trainer in Italy, I have now (very reluctantly) started doing some interval training.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I do believe in block and for me, there’s only one reason for it. Quite simply, the story isn’t working. When dialogue between your two main protagonists is forced, then your characters aren’t real. When your story isn’t flowing, you need to go back and fix it.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

It’s impossible not to use incidents from real life, but seen through my eyes they may bear little resemblance to the original! Gathering inspiration from the world around them is as essential to the writer as gathering grapes is to the vintner. Obviously, I’m careful!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

You know when people say: “It was like a dream come true”? Well, that’s exactly what it’s like – and I always guessed it would feel that way.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I do radio and newspaper interviews and have appeared on national television.I blog (not very consistently!) over at www.sharonkendrick.com I Tweet @Sharon-Kendrick (and would love your readers to follow me!)The main way I strive to reach more readers is by writing the very best book I can, so hopefully they will come back and read more – and tell their friends to do the same.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Always be charming to journalists and they’ll remember you. Be original. Embrace social media and get your local newspaper to do a feature on you. Be memorable.But the main tip is to be so damned proud of your book, that you’ll want to tell everyone just how great it is – and hopefully, that will snowball.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That you can never put too much emotion onto the page.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Becoming Francesca (my heroine) and falling madly in love with Zahid (the hero).

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

I think he might take her back to Morocco – because they had such a flaming row last time they were there!

Monarch of the Sands

An impossible love affair--with a Sheikh!

Francesca is shocked when family friend Zahid Al Hakam turns up on her doorstep. After all, he's now the Sheikh of Khayarzah--England's surburbia is hardly his regular stomping ground! But he is as achingly gorgeous as ever...and she's certainly tempted by his invitation to come to the desert and work for him. Zahid finds the geeky, gauche teenager he once knew is now an understated beauty. Embarking on a secret affair is bittersweet--but, however all-consuming their passion, Zahid's duty to his kingdom must surely come first?

Monarch of the Sands is still available at Amazon UK and Mills & Boon and has now released at Amazon US and if you're lucky enough to be in the UK, Sharon's latest Sheikh is available now over at Mills & Boon!!

Read or Write?

2012-01-23T04:16:00.003Z

I haven't finished reading a single book yet in the new year and we're almost through January. This is because I've been concentrating on getting some writing done and I haven't yet figured out how to do both in a given day.

Reading is a bit of a weakness for me..or a big one actually...I start reading, and if turns out to be engrossing...I can't put it down...I've slept only a couple of hours countless times and got up to go to work because I'd spent yet another night unable to stop reading....and faced the day looking like a ghoul...
And since I want to make a head start into the year and get some much needed writing done, I've been kinda scared to start reading something that I know will suck me in...

And time's really limited, so at the end of the day- it's coming down to read or write? and I've been picking write over the past three weeks..But I have no doubt the long clutches of my TBR pile will suck me in and will surrender to the reading one of these nights and pull an all nighter...

How about you? Do you read when you're in the midst of a writing binge? Or is reading a good book your reward once you've achieved your writing goals?

PS - Don't forget you have up to Friday 27 January to win a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan. Just leave a comment in the reivew post telling us the best book you read in 2011. Good luck!

Book Review: Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan

2012-01-20T13:49:00.001Z

Before I knuckle down to review this book I must warn you that I have a serious girl-crush on this author. Her writing makes me want to track her down and tackle-hug her just for being so, so, soooo brilliant!! Ahem.

Once A Ferrara Wife is a reunion/marriage-in-trouble story with a neat twist that will have you on the edge of your seat, or like me, feverishly reading but secretly hoping the story goes on and on and on…!

Cristiano Ferrara and Laurel were married for only short while before incredibly horrible circumstances drove her to leave. Now she’s back in Sicily to attend the wedding of her best friend, who also happens to be Cristiano’s sister. From the very first page sparks fly between these two. Laurel doesn’t want to be there because of heart-wrenching memories, and Cristiano’s seriously ticked off because she walked away from their marriage.

But what makes this book stand out, I hear you ask. From the very first page, it’s Cristiano who is pouring out his feelings, risking his heart and fighting desperately for the marriage to work. Laurel on the other hand is a completely closed book. Circumstances in her past have made her untrustworthy and she would rather skin herself alive than reveal even an ounce of feeling. To say this neat twist was seriously sexy is an understatement. Hearing an alpha male say, “I’m crazy about you. I’ve always been crazy about you,” (paraphrasing) in the first few scenes makes for a completely different kind of hero, in my opinion.

Laurel’s journey was equally awe-inspiring. The pain of losing her child and the difficult journey of learning to trust the husband she thought had betrayed her in the cruellest possible way made my heart melt for her. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her when I found out she was a fitness instructor with a body to die for, lol.

Seriously, this is a must-buy and definitely a must-keep. And a little bird told me (well, it was Sarah herself via the Harlequin Blog) that Cristiano’s hot brother, Santino’s getting his own story! All I can say it, I can’t wait for The Forbidden Ferrara to come out in May! In the scenes where he featured in his brother's story, my heart missed a few beats for him too ;)

Now for the even brilliant bit. I have a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife to give away to one lucky non-Minx commenter.

Just tell me the best book you read in 2011 for a chance to win, and good luck!

Author Spotlight - Talli Roland

2012-01-18T10:07:00.000Z

What is your writing process?

I usually have a spark of an idea, then I sit down and sketch out the major turning points for my main character – what do I want her to learn by the end of the novel? I connect the dots as I write the first draft, and then the hard work begins when I have to make sense of it all!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Oh, sigh. It would be so much easier to go shoe shopping! Well, I have a very strict writing regime – it’s the only thing that works for me. I sit down at my desk at eight in the morning, and I write at least three-thousand words a day.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

Er . . . sort of! I tend to go in fits and starts. I love jogging, and I’ll have a few weeks when I go religiously. Then something will get in the way, and I’ll be right back to ground zero.

Do you believe in writer's block?

This is a contentious issue, but no, I don’t. There are times when writing is harder than others, but I treat it like a job. I sit down at the desk and pound away at the keyboard, fervently hoping something usable comes out! Giving myself permission to write rubbish has been really helpful to push me through those tough times.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

Oh, yes. In fact, there are a few incidents in Build A Man, my latest novel, that are loosely based on things I experienced during my time working at a five-star spa in central London. I’ve changed details significantly, though, so I haven’t got in trouble.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I had dream that published writers are confident, secure, and able to write exactly what they want. Ha! The reality is that nothing in the publishing world is secure, and confidence is hard to come by when you’re putting a product out to the public. I have learned that you can’t please everyone.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

Social media has been the key for me to reach my readers and spread the word about my novels. Twitter, Facebook, blogging . . . they’ve all been critical for my promotional campaigns.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Make it fun – and have fun doing it. The less work you make it for people to spread the word and the more innovative and interesting you make your promotional efforts, the more likely people are to remember you and your novels.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I learned that I LOVE writing in first person. My previous novels were penned in third person, so this was a new thing for me.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I had a lot of fun writing Build A Man, mainly because my main character, Serenity, gets to say to the wealthy clinic clients many of the things I’d have liked to when I was working in a similar environment!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

He’s a fairly down to earth bloke who enjoys nature, so I’m going to say Wales. Great question!

Slave to the rich and the rude, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. When she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- Serenity knows she's got a story no editor could resist.With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and she's ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, Serenity must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

Buy Links:Amazon, Amazon UK

Did you get books for Christmas?

2012-01-16T10:12:00.001Z

I did. They are my favourite kind of gift, next to pretty notebooks or stationery - I am a self confessed stationery whore.

In my stocking this year I had:

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by MaryAnn Shaffer
Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
It started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson
A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French
Pip by Freya North

From them, i've read 'It started with a Kiss' - I chose this one first as it has the 'curl up by the fire at Christmas and enjoy' factor right from the start of the sparkly cover. It didn't disappoint, was a real cockle warmer, can recommend.

Pip. Have to say the husband got this one wrong as i've already got it - I love Freya's books, so he'd find it hard to find one I haven't read. My fave of all of hers is 'Cat' - it's based around the Tour de France, which in itself is an unusual setting for women's fiction. Have to confess an interest in it, as my other hlaf is a huge fan and it's become a fixture of our summers.

I've just started on Dawn French's book, and the jury is out right now. I always enjoy Dawn's sense of humour on screen, and you can really hear her voice in the book. I don't know if i'd enjoy it as much if it was from an unknown author. Hmm. Will read on and report back.

The others on my list are sitting on my bedside table waiting to be read. I love having them there, and not knowing what lies beneath their covers yet. Tempting, like unopened boxes of chocolates.

My other massive reading discovery of late has been Jenny Crusie. I read 'Bet Me' and she had me hook, line and sinker. Honestly, I adore her writing so much. It half makes me want to try harder with my own writing, and it half makes me want to stop altogether because I have so far to go. Am reading 'Tell Me Lies' in tiny chunks right now so I don't get to the end too quickly.

How about you? Did Santa bring you any books to recommend?

Addicted to Series

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000Z

My name isSri and I’m a series ho. Give me a set of three dimensional characters, a dangerousparanormal world, or a memorable setting, whatever the time period, whatever thegenre, I will return again and again to that set of characters.

Here are afew of the series I love, and wait on for the next installment.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by JRWard
Thomas Pitt series andWilliam Monk series by Anne Perry
Armand Gamache series byLouise Penny
Immortals after Dark byKresley Cole
The No.1 Ladies DetectiveAgency Series by Alexander McCall Smith
Lords of the Underworldsby Gena Showalter
Guild Hunter series byNalini Singh
The Gaslight Mysteries by Victoria Thompson
The Elder Races novels byThea Harrison
Royal Spyness Series byRhys Bowen
The Amelia Peabody Series by ElizabethPeters

Anytime a book comes out in the aboveseries, and the first few of some of them were even written before I was born,I will pick it up ,glad to visit the same world, and in some cases, again thesame characters, knowing that the author will deliver and surprise me.

How about you? Which authors orseries are automatic buys for you? Do you like series novels where you canreturn again to that setting/fictional town/or world?

Author Spotlight - Tracy Sumner

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000Z

In today's spotlight we have historical romance author Tracy Sumner. Formerly published by Kensington, she has a slew of awards to her name, and is now branching out into indie publishing. She chats to us today about her two latest releases, Tides of Passion and Tides of Love.

• What is your writing process?

I think I’m in the middle between complete novel fleshed out and flying by the seat of my pants. For some reason, I’m always intrigued by the occupations of the hero and heroine and usually start my research there. For example, in TIDES OF LOVE, Noah is a marine biologist. I researched the time period surrounding (1898) and the location. I chose that based on a place I had prior knowledge of – Beaufort, NC. And a marine research laboratory built in the time period.

Once I start to visualize the characters, I start to see them interacting. That’s where the snaps of dialogue come in. I place these in chronological order in a scenes summary. So, when I’m writing that scene, I refer to these. Could also be setting snaps or something I think belongs in that scene. I do not plot completely. I have these scene summaries to guide me. And as I get through the book, the scenes get their own notes. Even if its only half a page.

• Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Well, I’m not so great at this. But I think the best advice is to keep your butt in the chair. I just read a blog post about not feeling like the muse is with you for every word. To write when it stinks, when you don’t feel like, when it’s not flowing well.

• Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I like yoga and Pilates. I also have a four-year-old and a FT graphic design gig that keep me very busy!

• Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes. Though I think it’s self-imposed. Or a psychological thing writers do to themselves, if that makes sense.

• Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

No, I think I may use little pieces of dialogue – I see this when I read the book even if I didn’t see it when I was writing. But no actual instances. Though I write historicals, so this could hamper that a little.

• In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I’ve been published for quite a few years. And I think I learned a lot after the initial “wonder” wore off. About how hard the business was. About how the first published book is not going to make a career. I think people are surprised by how much of a business it is. Promotion alone requires a great deal of marketing knowledge – and I work in marketing FT, so I see how hard it is.

• Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

Promotion is great! If you’re doing it for the right reason. I’m very interested in gaining new readers because I love the characters in my books as if I’d birthed them.  And I want people to love them – and enjoy the stories. I have a FT career that pays my bills.

What have I done to reach more readers? Ads, blog tours such as this one!, giveaways, contests on my website. Free copies of the books. I do that a lot.

• What is your top promo tip for other authors?

To know your audience. And, perhaps, that writing a great book is the best promotion ever.

• What did you learn while writing this book?

Which one?  I think I learned with TIDES OF PASSION to let my creativity flow and not worry so much. I wrote TOP faster than I’ve ever written a book and under a bit of duress, and it’s the one mentioned most often by readers, and it won the most awards (the biggest The National Reader’s Choice for Best Long Historical).

• What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Creating characters! With all their quirks and insecurities. And I love picking names!

• And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Hmmm…for Noah, TIDES OF LOVE. His would be somewhere where he could complete a bit of research on the side.  He’s a sexy nerd. But a very, very sexy nerd! Elle is fairly intellectual, too, and would not mind the side trip for research. She’s very patient that way.

For more information on Tracy and her books, you can find her at her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

TIDES OF PASSION
National Reader’s Choice Winner: Best Long Historical
“Terrific dialogue…and hot loves scenes. If you haven’t read Tracy Sumner before, Tides of Passion is a good place to start.”
—All About Romance

“This novel realizes with a great and witty gusto that independence isn’t so much about being on your own as it is about choosing to be together.”
—Romantic Times

She is his greatest temptation.
He is her forbidden desire.
A battle of wills leads to love.

TIDES OF LOVE
“I picked up Tides of Love…just to give the book a quick peak. That quick peak turned into four hours of reading that didn’t stop until I finished the book!”—The Romance Reader

“A powerful relationship novel that explores the heartache and triumph of love.”
—Romantic Times

He left all he loved behind...
Will he be able to return and win her heart?

Expanding your options

2012-01-09T09:17:00.000Z

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm doing a blog post today about options-with the message that there are many ways to be published, and this year should be the year that all romance writers should open themselves up to opportunities, and investigate them.

When I first started putting my writing out there, I had a couple of goals.
1. To find an agent.
2. To be published by my ideal publisher, sign a contract, and see my books in print on the shelves of my local bookshop.
I haven't achieved either. Things just didn't work that way for me. I certainly tried it, I have a drawer full of lovely rejections to prove it. I was despondent about it. Dispairing even. But after a few rejections of what I considered to be good work, I altered my approach, and it seems to be working for me.

My first romance wasn't good enough to achieve publication. I had a lot to learn, and the more courses I did the more I realised I didn't understand all the components that are needed writing romance today. The second romance I wrote is Bound to Love. Agents weren't interested. My ideal publisher turned it down at partial stage. Another publisher read the full, and turned it down. I worked on it, changed it and rewrote. Then I wrote another story. This one followed the same route. Agents weren't interested. My ideal publisher turned it down at partial stage (but gave good feedback). And then a second publisher, The Wild Rose Press, liked it enough to buy it. Woo!

Last February for the first time I achieved half of one of my goals. I had a book out in print, although it wasn't available on the shelves, but rather through Amazon. I was happy, up until the publisher went bust, and my rights reverted to me. To be honest, the temptation to stuff the book in a drawer and sob on the sofa was strong. Years had passed, and I still hadn't achieved my goals. But like all writers out there, I had options, if only I'd consider them.

I decided to re-release Bound to Love as self-published. Sure, I hadn't achieved my goals, but it was time to modify those goals. To readjust my thinking. Since then I've had 2 more books accepted by Wild Rose, and at the end of December, had 2 more fulls out with publishers. I'd love to say I was selling lots, but I wasn't. The self published route or small publisher route is a hard one, there's a lot of promotion and networking to be done to get reviews, build an online presence etc. But all the writers I know are doing this anyway, published or not. We have to.

For me, I realised that my goals were based on giving me validation that my writing was good enough. I wanted an agent to like it. And being accepted by my ideal publisher would be fantastic. But when it didn't happen and I took a fork along the path to publication, I got what I wanted anyway. Readers. People who liked my writing enough to buy one of my books. And found a group of fabulous friends who have helped me so much along the way. Things went crazy for me last week when 19,000 took advantage of the opportunity to try Bound to Love for free. That's 19,000 people who hadn't read a book of mine before. I hope all of them like it.

So this year, if you haven't achieved your goals, maybe it's time to listen to your critique partners when they tell you your writing is good. Have faith in your writing. Explore your options. Don't let a rejection crush you (or at least, not for long). Try something different. I'm glad I did!

January Man of the Month Poll: Disney Heroes

2012-01-06T10:30:00.000Z

Yes, you read that right. I really am going to do a Hotties poll on animated characters.

But first, Our Man of the Year for 2011 was Jonathan Rhys-Myers, with an overwhelming 80% of the vote - thanks to a little help from the JRM Fan Club, it seems.

Since the voting may have been skewed [rose pruning flashback!] it’s worth mentioning that NCIS LA's Chris O'Donnell came in a more honest second.

Now back to our January poll. For something a little different to kick off the new year, I’ve chosen the theme of Disney heroes. After all, these are the most classic of all romances.

Before you all roll your eyes, you haven’t yet seen the work of artist David Kawena. He has a completely different take on the Disney heroes.

So without further ado, here are today’s contenders in chronological order.

Skipping over Prince Frederick from the 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - and yes, he really did have a name - I’m starting with Prince Charming of Cinderella (1950). This is the one contender David Kawena hasn’t drawn, but I’ve chosen to include him for the benefit of any blog readers who are suckers for a man in uniform.

Next up is Prince Philip of Sleeping Beauty (1959), the man who braves a dragon to save the Princess Aurora. Now tell me that’s not alpha hero material.

Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid (1989) is our third choice. I’m not too taken with a man so easily duped by a sea witch, but luckily for him Ariel has balls enough for the both of them.

The Beast from Beauty & the Beast (1991) isn’t given a name in the movie itself, but reliable sources inform me he’s credited as Prince Adam. Robbie Benson’s voice is just melt-worthy in this role.

You have to admit that any man who can take his girl on a magic carpet ride and introduce her to wonders she’s never seen before, is worth a vote. Just in case you’re not as familiar with the Disney movies as those of us with kids, that’s Aladdin (1992).

If you can get your head around the idea of Mel Gibson as a romantic hero, then John Smith of Pocahontas (1995) fame makes a pretty swoon-worthy hero.

Next up is Li Shang from Mulan (1998), another man strong enough to handle a strong heroine.

More recently, after a decade hiatus, Disney finally gave us a hero and heroine worth watching. Prince Naveen of The Princess and the Frog (2009) becomes a better person because of his love for Tiana. And of course I just love the 20s flavour of this movie.

Flynn Rider is Disney’s newest addition. As the bandit who inadvertently comes to Rapunzel’s aid in Tangled (2010) he rivals Prince Philip for his Rescuing a Damsel in Distress abilities. What’s not to love about a bad boy made good?

Well, there you have it: nine dashing heroes to choose from. Though I think the winner this month should be David Kawena. Don’t you agree?

Author Spotlight - Nina Jade Singer

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000Z

Welcome back to a bright, shiny new year. Our first author in the Minxy Spotlight is Nina Jade Singer, who is here to talk about her debut novel, Secrets of the Knight, a dark paranormal romance.

1) What is your writing process?

I’m definitely not a plotter. Though I wouldn’t say I’m a straight pantster either. I try to make sure I know what I’m going to write before I sit down at my desk. I’m constantly thinking about the story – in the grocery store, the kitchen, when I’m driving. So my process includes some pre-plotting. But I don’t outline or anything. As ideas come to me, I jot them down on index cards which I keep pretty much everywhere!!

2) Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Well, in the interest of honesty, I will admit that some days I do just go shoe shopping. On really rough days though, I turn to my writer friends for encouragement. They understand and know just what to say.

3) Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I try to do something physical everyday, whether it be a gym class, getting on a treadmill, or playing a little golf during the warmer months. Plus, my puppy keeps me pretty honest about getting a daily walk in. I get some of my story ideas just by moving around or being outdoors.

4) Do you believe in writer's block?

I did at first. But I heard Janet Evanovich speak at an event a few years back and she said something very interesting. She said she doesn’t believe in writer’s block, just good writing days and not so good writing days. I really took that to heart.

5) Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

Trouble? You mean you can get in trouble for that? I do it all the time. Uh oh.

6) In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

It’s very exciting, that part I expected. The social media and promotion piece is all new to me. Still working my way around that piece. Seeing something you wrote as a book in print is a bit hard to describe. A little overwhelming in a really good way!

7) Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

See above question! I’m still riding that learning curve. I hope to know more by the next book!

8) What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Get out there and get the word out! You can’t be shy in this business.

9) What did you learn while writing this book?

This was my first published book. I’m learning as we ‘speak’. The whole process, from revisions to promotion, has been a huge learning experience.

10) What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I really like the hero and enjoyed writing him. He’s so flawed yet honourable and strong.

11) And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Secrets of the Knight is set in the Caribbean. The hero makes his way there after losing everything he cares about. All he needs is the heroine, who manages to find him. They’ve got an evil enemy to defeat, but they’re already at the perfect honeymoon destination!

About Secrets of the Knight:

Several years ago life forced Thomas (Bo) Bowden to give up everything, including the woman he loves, and take refuge on a Caribbean island. Little did he know, he was taking the first step to fulfilling his mystical destiny.

Nicole Balian has come to the small island of Trenado to find a missing teenager. She's shocked to the core to find her former lover instead. And the attraction between her and Bo is as strong as ever.

Working together to solve the unexplained disappearances plaguing the island, they find themselves in a frightening world of voodoo and magic. Trenado's history is shrouded in supernatural mystery. The danger they face serves to reignite their love. But as Bo fights an ancient evil that haunts the island, will Nicole be able to save the man she loves? Or will she lose him once again, this time forever?

Secrets of the Knight is available in both paperback and eBook formats through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can find Nina on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

* * *

One lucky commenter will receive Secrets of The Knight. Followers and commenters of the blog tour will go in the grand draw of an Amazon Gift Certificate of US$100.00! For Nina's full blog tour itinerary and more chances to win, check her AUTHOR PAGE!

Best wishes for a fabulous 2012

2012-01-02T11:30:00.000Z

There's nothing we can add that hasn't already been said in dozens of other places across the blogosphere, so we'll keep it simple: we wish our blog readers all the best for 2012.

This blog re-opens for business on Wednesday 4th January, with our first Author Spotlight of the year.

A Minxy Holiday Treat

2011-12-23T11:00:00.000Z

As of today the Minxes are now officially on holiday, and the blog is closed. We wish you a wonderful holiday season, and look forward to seeing you back here in the new year.

I'm going to leave you with my current favourite Christmas song, Santa Baby from Kylie Minogue. Don't you agree that Kylie looks particularly Minxy in this video?

Happy Holidays!

Author Spotlight - Rachael Johns

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000Z

Today the Minxes are very proud and pleased to welcome one of our very best writing friends to the blog. We are all overjoyed that Rach's hard work and wonderful writing has been recognised by Carina Press. Here's Rach to tell you all about her debut!

What is your writing process?

There’s supposed to be a process? Oh dear! Well... I guess maybe I do have SOME sort of process. I generally start with a premise or a seed of an idea. In ONE PERFECT NIGHT I wanted to write about a hero who had night terrors and I wanted a Christmas story. The characters evolved from there. I’ll then usually write some notes about their conflicts – but this is something I REALLY need to work on. For my last few novels, I’ve written a rough synopsis before starting to write – either to enter into a contest or to show an ed. After the synopsis and the character conflicts, I dive right in. I usually steam ahead for the first four or five chaps and then DOUBT overwhelms me. I wail a lot to my CPs and think this is the worst thing I’ve ever written and there’s NO WAY I can do it. But I plod on.

I do VERY little rewriting – but polish a lot as I go. So far my only major rewrites have been the result of revisions from editors. I LOVE the idea of rewriting but just can’t seem to work myself up to it unless I have a request for revs.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on dayswhen it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I’m pretty lucky in that I live in a small town and there’s not much opportunity for shoe shopping. I DO love shopping online but shoes have never worked for me that way. I DO however procrastinate in a zillion other ways – the Internet being my biggest time-waster. I don’t know if I have any method as such, other than trying to reach a word goal every day. And I try to write every day (although I often fail miserably at this)!

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at acomputer?

I’m rolling on the floor laughing at this question. Does that count as a fitness routine? The short answer is no. The expanded answer is that I go through exercise binges, not generally when I’m in the middle of writing a book though. I use no-time as a fabulous excuse 

Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes and no. Yes, when I’m struggling – lol – and no, when I’m on a writing roll. Although I think if you’re writing as a career, you sometimes have to write through such down times. I think blocks are often the result of taking a wrong turn or not having enough conflict in the story. When I’m blocked I often go back and read everything I’ve written in a wip so far. Yes, it’s time-consuming but I figure it’s better to do that than waste time on crap words.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book?

If so, did it get you into trouble?Hmm... am trying to think, but I don’t think I have. I’m sure a lot of the things in my books have happened to other people but not to me. The closest I’ve probably got is writing a magician hero – my grandfather was a magician!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

To be honest, I barely FEEL published yet. Am still pinching myself at regular intervals. I think the difference is I feel less guilty for taking time to write. Aside from that, I’m still doing everything pretty much as I was before. Promotion is no longer a dirty word.

In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I try to blog regularly (lol) and have a Facebook Author page and a Twitter account. I could hang out on Twitter all day but I’m trying to limit myself. I’m also on Good Reads but not very active there. Oh and I love guest blogging on fabulous sites such as this one 

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Write more books.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That sometimes you do have to follow your gut and doing revisions that don’t sit right with you is not always a wise move. I’ll clarify – this book was first aimed at Mills & Boon. I was asked to make revisions, which included removing the Christmas element and the family element and losing the boss/employee hook. While I’m all for doing revisions if requested, I think you need to look at whether the revisions will stay true to the story. Mills & Boon may as well have asked me to write another book. I tried, but it just didn’t work out because it was no longer my story. Saying that I did quite heavy revisions for Carina too but they didn’t ask me to change the essence of the story.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Can I say typing The End? No? Alright... I have to say it was brainstorming the characters and coming up with their premise. I love the beginning of creating a novel.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

I think Cameron would take Peppa away at Christmas to a place that is covered in snow. He’s a bit of a romantic underneath his tough exterior and I think he’d like to experience the magic of Christmas in a cold climate with her. I’m thinking there’d be an isolated log cabin and a wood fire involved.

ONE PERFECT NIGHT

Peppa Grant's fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she's also heard that he's aloof and distant. Cameron McCormac certainly seems cold toward Christmas when she meets him at the company's annual party...but he's also the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family's holiday get-together, she agrees.

Cameron needs a date to the family party to get his matchmaking relatives off his back. Their chemistry is instant and undeniable, leading to an incredible one-night stand. But Peppa wants love and family, while Cameron's only interested in temporary pleasure. When their relationship takes an unexpectedly serious turn, will he run the other way—or will he give love a second chance?

Carina Press

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Rachael has kindly offered a give-away to one non-minxy commentator so please get commenting to get yourself in the running for a fab early Christmas present!

Everyone Needs a "Kalinda"

2011-12-15T10:56:00.006Z

First off, if you don’t watch The Good Wife, then you’ll probably not know what I’m talking about.

Secondly, if you don’t watch it, why on earth not??! The Good Wife is like, the best show on earth, for goodness’ sake! Ahem…*reins self back in*

To give a thumbnail sketch, The Good Wife is a drama series set in a Chicago law firm of Lockheart Gardner, and Kalinda Sharma is an investigator for the firm. But she is oh-so-much-more than just an investigator. Kalinda’s stock phrase, “I’ll take care of it”, is usually uttered in a little more than a whisper. And boy does she!
From discovering that one of the consultant’s ex-wives who’s looking to run for the senate seat used to sleep with Osama’s cousin (cue supersized hilarity), to rescuing the daughter of The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick, from a baptism her parents didn’t approve, Kalinda is a must-have-would-give-an-arm-and-a-leg-for accessory in everyone’s life.

Especially as we hurtle towards Christmas (less than a week away, ack!) I find myself wishing I had my own personal Kalinda. Believe me, this is the time of year when it seems everything that can go wrong, does. In the past week, I’ve had to deal with a work appraisal, organising an almost 10-year old birthday party, organise a family trip for next summer (had to do it or lose out on a good deal), deal with extended family issues whilst organising care packages for said family, attend school Christmas plays (note the plural), and take extra care of my mother-in-law who was missing her son as much as I was missing my DH who was away on a business trip.

Believe me, there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed, let alone take care of my kids and get myself to the day job and back again. As for the writing, it didn’t even get a look in.

So I’m here, at the day job, wishing the work would magically take care of itself, all the shopping get done by itself, the turkey magically appear in my freezer… But especially that my Kalinda would managed to get the eds to respond to my CPs who've been waiting for answers from various editors for months and months, and in one case a *year* on a partial...

Ah, what the hell… *closes eyes and makes a wish for very own Kalinda*

In case Santa’s too late with my Kalinda and I get buried under my rubble of insaneness, I just want to wish you love and a peaceful holiday season. If you have a moment though, I’d love to know what you would do with your own personal Kalinda?

Author Spotlight - Shirley Jump

2011-12-14T09:11:00.002Z

Our latest author under the glare of the spotlight is Shirley Jump. The first book she sold to Silhouette Romance THE VIRGIN'S PROPOSAL, won the Booksellers' Best Award for Best Traditional Romance of 2003. Two of her subsequent books were finalists in the Golden Quill Awards and two others were finalists in the Madcap Awards for best romantic comedy. She is also a Reviewers' Choice Award winner. In 2007, she won the Holt Medallion for RESCUED BY MR. RIGHT and the More than Magic Award for "Twelve Days" in SUGAR AND SPICE. Right, now that's out of the way, on to Shirley and the questions!

What is your writing process?

I start with a what-if situation (what if a man who never wants children suddenly finds out he’s a father), then figure out who would be in that situation and why. I don’t do a lot of plotting or preplanning on my shorter books but will do it on the longer books that have multiple plot layers. In all my books, though, I start writing and go about three chapters in before I step back and figure out the rest of the plot. Then I ignore my synopsis and write straight through, entirely by the seat of my pants. I do all the revisions and final read through and then write the last scene, because until the entire rest of the book is done, I have no idea how it will really end. I find I tend to bury the clues to my ending in the book, and when I pull them out at the end, the whole thing just comes together.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?
I use shoe shopping (and other fun things like lunch with friends) as “carrots” to keep me working. Like today I want to get to the mall for Christmas shopping, and my deal with myself is that I have to finish one chapter and revise another before I go anywhere. If I don’t do it, shopping has to wait :-(. That tends to keep me on track.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I’ve found the older I get, the more that is a HUGE necessity. It’s not just about combating “writer spread,” it’s about having energy and overall wellbeing. I go to the gym 5 times a week. I do spin classes, run on the treadmill and do one overall body class that uses weights, so I get a nice variety in there every week. It also helps me keep up with the kids, LOL.

Do you believe in writer's block?
Not at all. I know there are people who swear they are blocked, but to me, there are just days when the writing is hard and days when it is easy. It’s the same as any job—some days things go well, some days you’re slogging through oatmeal to get that project finished. I used to write for a newspaper and had to produce two stories a day, 365 days a year, no matter what. That taught me pretty quickly that there is no such thing as writer’s block—there’s only getting the job done.

What have the changes to the current Harlequin lines and branding meant to you? Have they affected your writing process?
No, not really. To me, a Shirley Jump book is a Shirley Jump book. I write the same kind of book I always have, and try to vary it by doing some comedies and some more dramatic books. But other than that, I really don’t think about the shifts in the lines or branding.

What do you think makes a Riva book Riva? (or a Cherish book Cherish?)
I’ve had books in both, and to me, a Riva book is more fun, more cosmopolitan (meaning city settings, and the kind of energy and adventures that come with that) while the Cherish books tackle the harder subjects and have more of a cozy, small-town feel.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
Real life inspires me, and some things from my real life will sneak in from time to time (like the fainting goat I put into “The Marine’s Kiss”, a true funny story from my son’s birthday party). I grew up in a small town and lived in one for a while when we moved to Indiana, so there are lots of elements of small town living that make it into my books, too!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?
LOL—it’s not all feather boas and reclining on the sofa with a poodle! It’s far harder work than people think, and it’s not glamorous. But that’s okay, because I’m really a person who likes to cozy up in my sweats and work. I also think a lot of writers don’t understand that this is a business and there’s a huge business component to being an author. It’s not just about writing the books—it’s about being savvy and plugged in to the publishing world.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
I still like to do it on a more personal level. I have done some mass newsletters, etc. But I really like connecting with my readers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. It has more of a friend feel, and I’m not just selling the newest book to them—I’m building a relationship.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?
Treat every reader special. If they take the time to approach you, talk to you, write to you, become your friend on FB, etc, treat them special. Everyone wants to feel special, and without our readers, we wouldn’t be here.

What did you learn while writing this book?
That I’m a sucker for anything Christmas, LOL. I absolutely, positively love writing Christmas books. They’re my favorite ones to write and every time I do one, I get that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling again.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?
It’s my fourth book set in Riverbend, and for me, returning to those familiar characters is a blast. I love Earl and Betsy, and seeing their romance come along has been a blast. Readers really connect with those two characters, too, and love being able to return to these familiar neighbors.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
My hero is a romantic at heart, and he’d whisk the heroine off to a tropical destination. Maybe something a little different, like Fiji, where he could spoil the heroine mercilessly. She deserves the time away—and after a chilly Christmas in Indiana—the time in the sun!

Thanks so much for going Minxy for the day, Shirley! Here's some details about Shirley's latest book, A Family Christmas in Riverbend, which sounds just the read for the holidays!:

Christmas miracle: from tough tycoon…to daddy?

Edward left Livia because he knew he couldn't give her the family and marriage she wanted. But when he's forced to return home to snowy, sparkling Riverbend, he discovers Livia has moved there, too—with her tiny baby in tow!
Livia had hoped desperately that Edward would remain away until time blurred the memory of his lips on hers. Now, she longs for him, but how can she tell him her precious daughter is not just hers…but theirs?

You can buy Family Christmas in Riverbend by clicking the links that follow for Amazon.com, (this one is for the paperback)
Amazon.com for the ebook edition,
Amazon.co.uk for the paperback
Barnes & Noble and all the usual places.

Man of the Year poll

2011-12-12T13:00:00.000Z

If you've been following the Minxes for a while, you'll know that every month this year we've treated you to our luscious favourites--the men we've painstakingly researched to bring to you, our lovely blog readers.

So with a man from every month we now bring you the ultimate in pin up calendars: The Minx Guide to Buffness!!

Mr January is Ireland's Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Mr February is Wales's Ioan Gruffud.

Mr March is Scotland's John Barrowman.

Mr April is England's Daniel Craig.

In May we brought you the medical fave Jesse Williams.

In June it was policeman fave Chris O'Donnell.

In July Daniel Gillies.

August's winner was fast moving F1 racer Jenson Button.

September brought about the first ever tie between Usain Bolt and Oscar Pistorius.

The last months of the year brought us Rugby Union fave Sonny Bill Williams.

And last month's fave, another Kiwi, was Jared Waerea-Hargreaves

The poll is now up and we're looking for the Man of the Year so please help us with your votes. And yes, greedy Minxes who always want more than one--there's only ONE vote per person!!

Exceeding Expectations

2011-12-09T19:43:00.001Z

Since it's still Friday in most parts of the world, this blog post isn't technically late. Much.

I would have posted something earlier, but I got caught up watching a Christmas movie. You know, one of those made-for-TV movies that appear at this time of year, with not a single familiar face in the cast and a predictable story line? As you might have guessed, I'm not a big fan of these kinds of movies. [Give me The Proposal any day!] But this one really hooked me.

It was called A Christmas Kiss. Romance readers will recognise the story line as a tried and tested theme: girl kisses hot guy, then finds out he's her bosses' boyfriend. Okay, so the usual trope would be he turns out to be the boss, so the movie makers at least managed to put a fresh spin on this one.

What I enjoyed about this movie was that it has a fresh, young, contemporary feel, and wasn't too schmaltzy. Whether you adore every holiday themed movie out there, or whether you're more picky like me, watch this film. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There was only one thing I didn't quite like about this film, and it was only as the end credits rolled that I finally worked out what it was. The hero.

As a romance writer, I've diligently studied what makes a good romantic hero, and I've developed my own ideas of how a hero (especially an alpha hero) should behave. And it's spoiled me. I can no longer sit back and enjoy a book or movie without constantly measuring up the hero against my own very high expectations.

A hero who manages to get through an hour and a half of TV time not realising that his girlfriend is a witch spelled with a B, and in all that time doesn't realise that the girl he kissed right at the start of the movie is the heroine, just doesn't measure up for me.

So I'm going to dig out my battered copy of The Proposal and remind myself how a true alpha hero behaves. Because Ryan Reynolds always exceeds my expectations - especially when he's shirtless.

Author Spotlight - Trish Wylie

2011-12-07T09:00:00.002Z

We're delighted here at the minxes today, to welcome minx favourite, Trish Wylie, who's here to answer minxy questions and tell us all about her new book. Trish would like to give a signed copy of her latest Riva, The Inconvenient Laws of Attraction to one lucky (non-minx) commenter, so do leave a comment below!

Right - let the questions begin...

What is your writing process?
It usually starts with a snippet of something; a line of dialogue or something I have watched which I thought should have a different ending or left me asking questions. Next up I'll 'cast' my hero and heroine with pretty pictures and create character profiles, thinking about the conflict which keeps them apart. With a few scenes in mind I wing it from there, keeping an eye on the word-count for turning points.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?
I find the need to eat a great motivator but on the really bad days I'll simply keep plugging away at it-even if I'm writing complete twaddle-and set myself a word-count goal. Once I'm over the 'hump' and get going again, I'll delete a lot of what it took to get me there.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I've tried pretty much everything from exercising with a Swiss Ball to WII Fit and have discovered a total lack of self-motivation until about a fortnight before I have to meet people in the writing world. The only thing I do regularly is walk my dogs and look after my horses.

Do you believe in writer's block?
Yes, but I believe there's always an underlying cause for it. In my case it started with burn-out after a particularly busy writing year combined with my first ever run of publicity. When real life decided to add to my woes with family problems I found it even more difficult to write happily-ever-afters. What I have learned is to pace myself, prioritize and allow space for down-time in my schedule. The creative process is all in the mind so I strongly believe taking care of your mental health is every bit as important as your physical well-being.

What have the changes to the current Harlequin lines and branding meant to you? Have they affected your writing process?
Personally I've found it liberating. Over the years I had ideas for stories I didn't feel quite 'fit' in either of the lines I was writing for and often found I was 'reining myself in', despite encouragement from my editor to think outside the box. With Riva I'm pitching the kind of stories I love best and am having an incredible amount of fun writing them. My process hasn't changed any more than it already had for me to get out of my writing 'funk', but I don't feel like I'm holding back now.

What do you think makes a Riva book Riva?
When I think Riva, I think of films like The Proposal, 27 Dresses, Two Weeks Notice and Failure To Launch. They're an incredibly fun read with stories which frequently catch me off-guard. I love that about Riva.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
Yes, but since it was a long, long time ago and no-one has figured it out, I reckon I've got away with it.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?
The thing I really wasn't prepared for was how much I've ended up doing online. Like most people I couldn't afford to pay someone to set up and run a website for me, so I found myself on a pretty steep learning curve. I'm still learning but at least now I have a better idea of what works for me and what doesn't so I can prioritize accordingly. On the plus side I had no idea how many new friends I would make across the world. I can honestly say my life has been enriched by the people I've met. I'll be forever grateful for that and for the support they gave me when things were tough.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
In the early days I did everything people told me to do; sent out books for reviews, entered contests, took out ads on websites, blogged daily, did interviews and talks, was active on numerous loops, had a presence on MySpace and Facebook and Bebo and, and, and... Some of those things I definitely think helped to get my name out there but eventually it started to eat into my writing time and something had to give. These days I'm a huge fan of Twitter and it's word-count restrictions, am attempting to blog weekly and intend to keep up with a handful of review sites and contests. Anything else will be totally dependent on my writing schedule since I strongly believe the most effective promotion is the books and telling the best stories I possibly can.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?
The latter part of the last answer. I'd then add there's no point doing promotion if you have nothing to promote, and say if a reader enjoys a book by a particular author, they will go looking for more by them.

What did you learn while writing this book?
I discovered it was necessary to mix things up to get back on track. I used to write to music, I wrote the majority of this one in silence. I used to write without stopping to edit, this time I had to have every scene tight before I moved on to the next. I used to type everything into a Word doc, now I write a lot of scenes in long hand and type up my work a the end of the day. I should also add this book taught me that I can still write. On my darkest days I sincerely doubted I could.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?
When the characters were fully formed and took hold of the story. I love when that happens and frequently discover things I didn't know; Liv's NYPD brothers doing background checks on every guy they see her with being one of them...

And just for fun: what would your hero's honeymoon destination of choice be?
He wouldn't be fussy about the 'where' part so long as they were locked indoors with no interruptions.

Thanks so much for the author spotlight, Trish. Trish will pick a winner a week after the post goes live, and pass on their name to the minxes, who will put out a call for contact details for one lucky winner!

Here's a little about The Inconvenient Laws of Attraction...
Laying Down The Law
Lawyer Olivia Brannigan has faced down some cool customers in her time. But latest client Blake Clayton takes emotional control to a whole new level. The man didn't even bat an eyelid when he discovered he'd inherited a fortune from his estranged father!
Blake doesn't want guilt money - the only thing piquing his interest is the tough-talking, sweet-looking lawyer that comes with his new property portfolio.
Dating on the job isn't in Olivia's 'Guide to Good Client-Lawyer Relationships' and it certainly doesn't sit easily with her 'no strings' attitude... But aren't rules always made to be broken?

The Inconvenient Laws of Attraction is available all over the place, but most especially here:

Mills & Boon Website:
Amazon.co.uk - Paperback (also available in Kindle edition, search around for it!)
Amazon.com - Kindle
Itunes:

A book recommendation...

2011-12-05T10:48:00.000Z

I've just finished reading "It Started with a Kiss" by Miranda Dickinson - if you're looking for a cockle warmer for your Christmas stocking, this could be just the thing. I really enjoyed it.
The story centres around twenty-nine year old Romily, who has a brief encounter with her ideal man... one perfect kiss, and then he's gone. She gives herself twelve months to track him down, and sets out on a quest that snowballs into a popular blog and newspaper coverage. Does she find him? I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say there are a couple of twists along the way that I didn't see coming. Running alongside the main story there's the fact that Romily is the singer in a wedding band, and their various gigs and weddings make a glorious romantic backdrop for the story to play out against. Throw in a cast of friends and family that spice the story up nicely, and it's a proper Christmas 'curl up on the sofa and escape' sort of read - the ideal antidote to a hard days Christmas shopping!
'It Started with a Kiss' has only been on release for a couple of weeks, and I can see why it has already hit the Sunday Times Bestsellers list. It's warm and sparkly, one to read over the holidays with a big mug of hot chocolate.

Movie Review - Only You

2011-12-02T09:00:00.001Z

Every so often, an old movie pops up on TV, which, even though I've seen it loads of times, I have to watch. Only You is one of those movies. Made in 1994, it stars Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr, and I love it.

Marisa plays Faith, a woman who believes utterly in destiny, and that every person on earth has a soul-mate. At the beginning of the film, when she is only eleven, she earnestly tells her brother, Larry:
Soulmates are our destiny.
We all have one.
My soulmate is the one I'm supposed to wait for, the one that will wait for me.

Playing with a ouija board, Faith learns the name of her soulmate, Damon Bradley. And later, a meeting with a fortune teller confirms that Damon Bradley is her destiny, although the fortune teller warns her : The truth is, you make your own destiny, don't wait for it to come to you.

As an adult, without meeting Damon, she accepts the proposal of her exact opposite, the practical and unromantic doctor, Duane. But even then she longs for romance, watching romantic movies with a soundtrack of 'Some Enchanted Evening,' and declaring that love is all to her disollutioned sister-in-law, who plays the perfect counterpart to her romantic lead.

Ten days before her wedding, Faith learns that Damon Bradley is in Venice, and, dressed in her wedding dress (which she's trying on) immediately dashes to the airport to find him.

What happens next is a delightful romance, where she meets the man of her dreams (played by Robert Downey Jr,) falls in love with him, and then rejects him when he admits that he is not, in fact, Damon Bradley, but is the man of her dreams in every other aspect.

I won't spoil the ending by explaining any more about the plot, but I find this story beautifully crafted. Echoes run through it in complex webs. On a date with Robert's character, Peter, (while she thinks he's Damon), they have so much in common - so many things they both love, that it is obvious they belong together. As if to confirm it, a street musician plays 'Some Enchanted Evening' as they walk past, and they stop to dance in the street....
Swoon.

If you haven't seen it, and you love romantic movies, track down Only You. You'll love it!

Author Spotlight - Amy Andrews

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000Z

Today I'm pleased to welcome one of my favourite medical authors. Amy writes smoking hot medicals that have me turning the page long into the night. It was no surprise for me to hear that Amy's next release is going to be a Riva. I'm so excited to read it!! Here's Amy talking about her current release.

Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

I had about four or five books out and was just dabbling in my first ST. I was writing fast back then – I’ve been getting slower and slower. Sob!

Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

My latest medical – Waking Up With Dr Off Limits - is the fourth in a linked series and came about from a few of my medical writer friends talking about wanting to do something together and then approaching one of our eds about it. We were given some very loose guidelines by editorial but essentially all the characters and setting came from us. We set it in Coogee so at the conference there in 2010 we were able to meet and discuss our characters and go looking for local Coogee landscapes that we could put in the book. We hadn’t decided who was going to do what book but as our plotting chat expanded on a little loop we’d set up, we kept talking about how there was going to be a TDH character that also lived at the house, maybe a brother of one of the heroines, to give the books a bit of eye candy and comic relief but then he grew and grew and grew and I knew I wanted my heroine (who hadn’t even really come to me by that stage) to be hopelessly in love with him. So I volunteered to go last so that Jess’s (really must stop choosing heroines names that end in an s!!) unrequited love could be well chronicled and then I could give her, her HEA at the end.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

In five years I hope to be closing in on my 50th Harlequin. I’m now also writing for their RIVA line (Innocent Until Proven Otherwise is out in Feb next year) so the magical 50 will be split between two lines. I also hope to have a thriving ST career. Last year my sister and I co-authored a contemporary women’s fiction novel (with romantic elements – of course!!) which Harper Collins Australia picked up in a 2 book deal. Sister Pact, a story about two estranged sisters forced to play nice, is out in time for Mother’s Day next year.

Our second book tentatively titled Sister Napped is out the following year and continues the story of Joni and Frances. It’s great to see so many Australian publishing houses now realising what we Aussie romance authors/readers have known all along – romance rocks. And most importantly romance sells. It’s great to see so many Aussie authors being picked up by our local houses. And it was even better to hear one of the editors (can’t remember who) on the editor panel in Melbourne this year say that the RWA conference is now THE industry conference to attend in Australia. That can only be good news for ALL of us.

Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

I have two actually. I just finished On The Loose by Tara Janzen, a new author to me. And also Susan Sey’s Money Shot. I highly recommend both of them. Tight writing. Great one liners. Zingy dialogue.

Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

No. But there was one that made me want to be a different writer  Getting Rid Of Bradley changed my life. Until I read this fabulous Crusie category romance I thought I knew what a romance was. She blew that away. She showed me that you could be funny and snarky and sassy and irreverent. Yes perhaps I should have already known that  but to that point I wasn’t really reading any ST romance and my category choices were along the lines of Ann Mather and Carole Mortimer – great books but very different to Crusie’s.

What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

Well it’s not going to sound very romantic I’m sure but a few years back my husband and I went to the Amalfi Coast in Italy sans children and one day we ended up at a little beach side shack (literally on the beach) that served basic food and cold local wine and we just watched the ocean together for a few hours – talking and eating amazing local cuisine and absorbing the ambience. It was bliss!

What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That getting the call isn’t the prize. It’s just the beginning of the journey and beyond that tantalizing, frustratingly out of reach door is another bloody huge mountain to climb!

What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Don’t give up.

How do you go about researching the medical detail that needs to go into your books?

I’m a terribly lazy researcher - I really don’t like it (would never make an historical writer!!) so I tend to chose medical situations that I know a lot about either through personal experience or just plain osmosis from having worked in the industry for over two decades. If I need to research I have a swag of medical people I know or work with that can usually answer most questions. If not it’s the www. But I think it’s also important to stress that any romance is first and foremost about the relationship – the medical stuff mustn’t overshadow that so I urge anyone out there trying to write for the line not to tie themselves in knots over medical detail.

Tell us about your book.

I’m excited about Waking Up With Dr Off Limits because it’s my first ever virgin book. I can’t believe it took me 25 books to get here  I guess though this series of four linked books is called Single Free and Fabulous in Sydney because it involved much younger heroines. I usually write my female leads in their 30’s so it seemed a good fit with Jess’s young character and her three year obsession/adulation/crush on Adam. I should perhaps add a warning here—my editor said she had to fan herself when she was reading it  Jess may have waited til she was 24 but she caught up fast!Jess is a newbie theatre nurse and Adam (Ruby from book 1’s brother) is a hotshot highflying surgeon working for an international surgical charity. He’s away a lot but that doesn’t stop Jess pining for him and imagining what could happen! Then one day she comes home from work after an all nighter in the OR to find Adam very much home and sleeping in her bed. And he’s coming to work in her theatres on a major case and wants her to help! Suddenly Adam isn’t looking at Jess as his little sister’s friend anymore. And Jess knows it’s now or never….

What’s next for you?

I’m writing my second RIVA next – not that I currently have a clue about any of it. But that’s okay, I know it’ll come. I have a title – the rest will follow 

Waking up With Dr Off-Limits

Jess's Diary: At least catching my housemate Dr Adam Carmichael--bachelor, sex-god, and my secret crush extraordinaire--in my bed {!} means he finally knows my name! For years Adam's been 100% off-limits {if ever a man needed a revolving door on his bedroom ...}, but there's no harm in dreaming of more ... is there?

Available from Mills & Boon UK, Mills & Boon Australia, Amazon UK

Thanks for being with us today, Amy, I'd be interested to know when you sleep with medicals, Rivas and Single Titles!!

Brotherly Love

2011-11-28T11:15:00.001Z

Okay, I confess... I'm a sucker for a handsome clutch of brothers. There's something charismatic and sexy about a bevvy of good looking brothers, especially when they are close friends too. They form their own little club that you desperately want to be a part of, you know? Or even better, be the little sister of!

I'll start with an obvious bunch. Girls, brace yourselves for this photo on a Monday Morning, it's a treat... the Walker boys from 'Brothers & Sisters'. Hand on heart, I searched for a photo with shirts on, and without Rob Lowe and Gilles Marini, but I just couldn't seem to find one... ;o)

Can you remember what we were talking about before you looked at that? No... me neither....
*cough* Brothers. I loved the dynamic of the brotherly relationships on Brothers & Sisters, they were all very different characters but fiercely loyal to each other when the chips were down. And they all adored their mum, which only serves to make them even more swoonsome. I miss the Walkers.

Next up, a movie clan - the Ludlow trio from Legends of The Fall. I can't say enough about how much I love this film, and much of my adoration stems from the strength of the fraternal relationship between Tristan, Samuel and Alfred. Again, three completely contrasting characters, and I find myself sympathising with all of them. It's such a beautiful, tragic love story about one woman who is lucky enough to love them all, but one more than the others. Sweeping, and epic, it sums up brotherly love with aching clarity. I think I know it almost word for word, and still can't make it to the end without crying. That scene on the porch with Alfred & Tristan gets me every time... "You say that again and we're not brothers."

It should be noted that I managed to talk about Legends of the fall without waxing lyrical about Brad Pitt. It was hard.

And lastly, a clan from the world of Romance novels - The Bennett brothers, courtesy of the fabulous Kelly Hunter.
I love Kelly's romances anyway, but the Bennett brothers books really shone for me.
Red Hot Renegade with serious eldest brother Jacob Bennett was utterly gorgeous, a really fresh slant on a reunion story. And then came Pete, the flirty hero helicopter pilot on a lush greek island. I loved him!
Not to mention super sexy Luke... If you haven't had the pleasure of the Bennett brothers, put them on your Christmas list, you won't be disappointed.

Can you add to our Monday morning list of beautiful brothers?

TV Show Review: Blue Bloods

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000Z

I’m a huge fan of Tom Selleck. I fell in love with him from way back in the day when he was Magnum PI, through to Three Men and a Baby. I wasn't so sure about his role as Monica's squeeze in Friends but doggone it, I forgave him for it.

So imagine my whoop of joy when I saw him featured in the newish series of Blue Bloods last year. I watched, I loved and I believe this is his best role yet.

In Blue Bloods, Tom plays Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the second of three generations of a New York Catholic cop family, with two sons played by Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes.

Blue Bloods is more than just Tom Selleck, although his dimples on the rare occasions he smiles on the show makes me melt (Shallow? Moi?).

There are three things that make Blue Bloods special for me: Family - the way this family support each other through rights and wrongs. Integrity – the way Tom’s character struggles between the fierce need to protect his family and the pressure of being Police Commissioner. Great Drama (spoiler alert) – the common thread that runs in the show is the loss of Tom’s first son under shady circumstances and this thread crops up throughout the series and keeps the show just that little bit more interesting for me.

But even without these elements, I’d watch just for Tom's dimples and Donnie Wahlberg's bad boy looks.

Yes, apparently I'm that shallow, lol!

Author Spotlight - Scarlet Wilson

2011-11-23T11:52:00.001Z

Since a few of us Minxes met Scarlet at the RNA conference in 2010, before she became rich and famous as a published Harlequin writer, we Minxes have been her biggest fans. Which is why we are so excited to have her here back with us again today, this time to talk about her December release, The Boy Who Made Them Love Again.

Once again, thanks for appearing in our spotlight again, Scarlet.

* * *

What is your writing process?

I write a thousand words everyday no matter what. They might not be good words, but at least it’s something. My kids have activities nearly every night so I always plan at night when I’m out with them. It means when I sit down to type I know exactly what I’m writing that day. Research is an entirely different matter….

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I try not to allow myself to be distracted. If I’m writing a bit I don’t like I try and figure out why. Sometimes skipping on to a new scene helps, but usually I write my story in the right time sequence.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I am rubbish at keeping fit. I bought a bike recently does that count? I also tried the “shoogely joogely” also known as the power plates, but I never lost a single pound. I did however, read many books on my iphone.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe in trying to write my way through it. It’s the only thing I can do. Shopping can also help!

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I’ve never really used an incident as I have an active imagination. I have used settings though, or based a story in a similar setting. I’m writing a cruise ship story next year and that will be based on my holiday where I prowled around the medical centre on the MSc Magnifica last year!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I still have a lot to learn. The learning curve is definitely steep. There’s also a little bit of regret about the things you have no control over ie your book covers etc.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I’ve recently joined Twitter after saying I’d never do it. I also have an author facebook page and I have my own website. I also blog on the Harlequin website once every two months. That’s as good as it gets for me and I still work fulltime.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Write every day and read all the current books in your genre. I also would advise to try and find out who the new authors are, and what their story lines are about. It gives you an idea of what they’re buying and what publishers are looking for.

What did you learn while writing this book?

This book deals with lost love, childhood illness and fertility. My favourite part to write was actually the most hideous. It’s when Abby is travelling to hospital with her sick son and she’s having terrible thoughts – if her son doesn’t survive she doesn’t want to be there. Every parent's nightmare. But people tend not to talk about it.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

That my imagination can run riot! This book features the President and First Lady having the first white house baby in over 50 years!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

This story is set in Pelican Cove, which is just like Cabot Cove in Murder She Wrote, but based on the Californian Coast. I think I would have to send my hero to the original setting!

THE BOY WHO MADE THEM LOVE AGAIN (Available Dec 2011 in book stores near you)

From Dr Storm to Devoted Dad

When Luke Storm ended his relationship with Abby Tyler, he thought that he was doing the right thing. Abby so wanted children and Luke knew he could never give them to her.

Now, five years later, when he meets Abby again, and with a little boy of her own, Luke is rocked. She's as gorgeous and adorable as ever, but if he wants Abby back in his life again he realises he has to let her special little son into his heart and become the father he never expected to be...

* * *

This book is already available at Amazon, Amazon UK and direct from Mills & Boon. Don't forget to also check out Scarlet's debut novel, It Started With a Pregnancy.

You can follow Scarlet at her blog and on Twitter.

Mixing day jobs and writing

2011-11-21T10:38:00.001Z

As I'm in a film studio today shooting a TV commercial (and battling with no signal and pathetic emails) it's got me thinking about how our day jobs diverge from or affect our writing.

I work in what may seem a glamorous or fascinating industry (after film school I worked in feature films and TV dramas before moving into advertising), so I should be ideally placed to write stories set in that world, right?

Wrong! When I sit down to write, I want to escape my day job, not focus my thoughts back on it.

Do you take your day job home with you when you write, or do you escape to other careers and other worlds through your writing? Do you have a day job that involves writing, or are you a full time writer?

We Minxes would love to know! (Cos we're nosy that way). And if you're lucky, we'll even share a little more about ourselves.

[Please note, these pictures are from a previous shoot, not today's studio shoot, which isn't half as interesting!]

The Minxes welcome ... Natalie Charles, winner of New Voices 2011

2011-11-18T09:00:00.001Z

A big thank you to the lovely and talented Minxes of Romance for inviting me here to talk about my New Voices experience!

I entered New Voices to get past the heartbreak of receiving a form rejection letter in late July in response to a query I sent to Harlequin Intrigue. I am no stranger to rejection, but this one stung -- I loved that story. Nevertheless, I've learned that the only way to handle rejection is to keep moving, kind of like a romance writing shark.

My rebound story, The Seven Day Target, is about an ambitious prosecutor named Libby and her former fiance, Nick. I have always taken an interest in writing about the complexities of broken relationships, and the deeper the connection between two people, the greater the possibilities for exploration. And so, Nick and Libby are childhood sweethearts with a deep connection that somehow became muddled. They are reunited when Libby's life is threatened by a serial killer whom they thought died in prison years ago, and this crisis presents them with an opportunity to grow as individuals and to heal the rift between them.

I know that last year's New Voices winner, Leah Ashton, famously submitted her chapter late in the competition. That impresses me to no end because I am SUCH a planner. I had my chapter ready to go well in advance of the start of the competition, and I entered within the first few days. I wrote my second chapter in the weeks preceding the announcement of the top 20 (which was really the top 21), and I wrote my pivotal moment before the top 4 were announced. It's a big challenge for me to produce a manuscript quickly after being declared the winner. I am not only a romance writing shark, but also a bit of a romance writing turtle…let's say sea turtle, for consistency.

(And yes, that's right: my manuscript is in the process of being written. I never thought I'd advance to the top 20 + 1, let alone the top 4. To be the winner? Crazy talk!)

I will share that the week leading up the announcement was unforgettably awful. A freak storm in New England knocked out all power and Internet two days before I had to upload the pivotal moment. Cell towers were down. I had visions of driving eight hours to find a wi-fi connection in a coffee shop somewhere near the Canadian border. I was incredibly lucky that my husband managed to find enough of a signal on his cell phone to activate a wireless hotspot that allowed me to use the remaining minutes on my (of course barely charged!) laptop to upload my pivotal moment. Up it went, 30 hours early, without the extra revisions I wanted to make. To say that I was in a cold sweat all week is an understatement. Most of my family and friends couldn't even vote for my entry since almost no one had Internet.

Which leads me to my Call story. Because of this storm, we didn't have phone service at home for 10 days. We didn't have Internet, either, so once again we relied on my husband's phone. On November 4, five minutes after the scheduled time for the New Voices winner announcement, Mills and Boon sent an email telling me that they were trying to reach me and asking me to please call. I called immediately, my stomach in knots, and they said congratulations and told me I had won New Voices. Hearing those words was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I will never forget watching my elbow shake as I held the phone to my ear. I screamed, I cried, I kept thanking them. I went to work minutes after I hung up and I tried to go about my day as usual, but it was surreal. I felt like my life was exactly the same and suddenly very, very different. I was going to be a Mills and Boon author! The many years I've spent working on my writing were well worth that incredible moment.

Now, I am very excited about the challenges ahead as I write and revise a novel (in case you're interested, I will be blogging about the process). I am also extremely hopeful that other New Voices entrants will be receiving their own Call, and I will be watching for those announcements. More than anything, I am grateful that my rebound turned into a kind of happily ever after. And if you've been kind enough to read to this point, I'm grateful for that, too.

xx Natalie

* * *

Please visit Natalie's blog at www.nataliecharles.blogspot.com for an inside look at her New Voices journey, and to follow her progress. We Minxes certainly will be following Natalie's story with eager anticipation. And once again from all of us: Well done, Natalie!

Author Spotlight - Michele Hauf

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000Z

For those readers who like to walk on the dark side, we have paranormal romance author Michele Hauf in the spotlight today. Michele's latest release, This Glamorous Evil, is out this month through Harlequin's Nocturnal Cravings.

What is your writing process?

It's pretty much the same daily. I write in the mornings and early afternoons because that's when my brain is still fresh, and I come to the computer with ideas I may have sorted through my dreams the night previous.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Well, I go shoe shopping. ;-) Usually, I'll make myself write a scene that needs to be done, then reward myself with the shopping. I know that if there are days I feel compelled to be anywhere other than behind the keyboard, that it's best to honor that feeling and just go with it. My muse loves me for that.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I wish! I do sit on one of those big exercise balls, and once in a while, when I think of it, I'll bounce. Which is like a minute total every day. I do not like to exercise, but have the yoga mat sitting in the other room in case the urge strikes. Which rarely happens. I do force myself to get up at least every hour, walk to the kitchen, maybe make some tea. Just to move a bit.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Not really. I don't think the muse works a regular 9-to-5 shift, so when she's really feeding you the ideas, take advantage of it, and when not, then don't freak about it. Really, just let it come when it wants to come. And if you feel blocked, at least for me, then I know I'm forcing it, or have too much on my plate to deal with. That's when shoe shopping comes in handy. ;-)

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I use real life incidents often, and no, I've never gotten in trouble. I always think readers are least likely to believe the true stuff, and more likely to believe the made up stuff. I would never reveal what is based on truth and what is not, though.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

The business work involved is immense. Lots of self-promotion marketing, talking about yourself (I hate that!), and generally being a public figure to represent your book when really, I'm very shy and all that stuff freaks me out.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I am everywhere online, with a website, blog (a few blogs actually), Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, a group blog. Are you sick of me yet? ;-)

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Just be available online to answer reader emails and keep the cyber conversation going.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I actually gained another story while writing This Glamorous Evil. I knew the hero, Thoroughly Jones had a twin brother, Certainly Jones. As I was writing this, Certainly's story came to me in bits and pieces, and I'm working on that as I write this.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

The heroine is a cat-shifting familiar whose job is having sex to summon demons to this realm. Do you see where some interesting and fun scenarios could develop because of that? But also, the fact she wanted to have 'real' sex with a man instead of 'work' sex made for a fun story.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Uh, he's originally from London, so he might take Star there and show her around his old haunts.

What does the closure of Nocturne Bites and the advent of Nocturne Cravings mean for you, and has the change affected your writing process or the stories themselves in any way?

Doesn't affect my writing. Both lines are novella-length, so if I would contract with the Cravings it would be for a short story. Cravings are about 5K longer than the Bites were, and a little more sexy, but it's all good. ;-)

About the book:

Throughly Jones (T.J.) is a witch who practices dark magic and is desperate to rescue his brother from Daemonia. He needs to circumvent the usual methods to conduct demons because he's after a big catch. But will cat-shifting familiar, Star, agree to cut out the middle man and work exclusively with T.J.? That would involve them having sex to conduct a demon. But she wants a real relationship, without 'work sex' getting in the way. Can the two share the most intimate of connections to get the rescue job done, or will love toss a kink into their plans?

* * *

Thanks, Michele!

This Glamorous Evil is available on Amazon, Amazon UK and Harlequin (as well as all your other usual Harlequin suppliers).

Michele also has a Christmas-themed Vampire story in Harlequin's A Vampire for Christmas anthology, and her novel Kiss Me Deadly is available as a free read from Try Harlequin. Go on, give it a try. You might just get hooked!

To view Michele's impressive full back list, click here.

* * *

Check back here on Friday, same time, same place, as we have a fantastic surprise guest appearing on the blog.

Creating multi-dimensional characters

2011-11-14T10:23:00.000Z

I've been dipping back into one of my favorite writing craft books - Story by Robert McKee, to explore once again the elements of building character. If a character isn't developed fully, they are flat and uninteresting. But by following carefully Mr McKee's advice, a character can become three-dimensional and truely fascinating.
Mr McKee's excellent book is geared toward screen-writing, but the principles espoused in it, are also of huge relevance to writers of fiction, and every time I dip back in, I find my interest sparked, and my knowledge enhanced.
Firstly, he talks about the difference between Characterization and True Character. Characterization is what we observe of the character. Their age, physical appearance, job, traits, style of speech, personality, attitudes, and the world in which they live.
True Character is deeper, it is what lies beneath the mask of Characterization. What is this character really like, and how can we portray it on the page?
Mr McKee says:
'True Character can only be expressed through choice in dilemma. How the person chooses to act under pressure is who he is-the greater the pressure, the truer and deeper the choice to character.'
Even when Characterization and True Character are fully explored, the character is not multi-dimensional. In order to create a fully rounded character, more elements must be present. Mr McKee defines it thus:
Dimension means contradiction: either within deep character (guilt-ridden ambition) or between characterization and deep character (a charming thief). These contradictions must be consistent. It doesn't add dimension to portray a guy as nice throughout a film, then in one scene have him kick a cat.
Okay, I'm beginning to get it. Now, to investigate further, I'm going to think about a character that I find fascinating in a TV show, to see if they are truly multi-dimensional. I've decided to use the character of Kalinda in The Good Wife.
Characterization: Young, good looking and street smart, intelligent, works for law firm, bi-sexual.
True character: Caring, thorough in discovering information.
Dimension: A friend to Alicia Florrick, yet secretive. Gentle, yet tough. Loyal to her job, yet prepared to compromise her principles and jump ship. Seductive but manipulative.
So immediately I've noticed four contradictions in the way that Kalinda is. She isn't designed as the protagonist in The Good Wife, but instead as a secondary character. But her multi-dimensional character builds fascination into her every appearance.
Mr McKee explains that every character in a story has a job to do. The protagonist is the central character, and every other character within the story is there to highlight an aspect of the layers of dimension within the protagonist. Observing this formula with the character of Kalinda, we see through her reactions to situations and people throughout the series. Each person she interacts with reveals another aspect of her character. Makes the contradictions within her personality clear.
If a story contains too many characters who are multi-dimensional, then the reader doesn't know who should hold their interest. So by necessity, 'bit-players' should be less complex, and should be in the story to reveal more to the reader about the central character/characters. Or perhaps just be there to act as a foil for the central characters, one that they can open up to in conversation or over the telephone.
'Story' is a great resource for writers!

In Remembrance

2011-11-11T08:44:00.001Z

Here in South Africa we're approaching 11am, on the 11th of November 2011. 11-11-11-11.

As a child I still remember wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day. That tradition has long since fallen out of fashion, and slowly out of memory too. I find this sad, as I think we need more days where we're urged to think of peace in our world, rather than less.

Why this day?

On 11th November 1918, at 11am, the armistice agreement was signed, ending the first (and what many hoped was the last) world war. Sadly, we now know better. War is still all around us, perhaps even more than ever, and certainly we're more aware of it thanks to media and the diminishing size of our world.

Why the poppy?

In the surprisingly evocative words of Wikipedia: "These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war." As far back as the Egyptians, the poppy signified life and fertility, and for its sedative medicinal qualities it's also the flower of sleep. Life and death all rolled into one simple flower.

So today, I'd like to ask our blog readers to consider the significance of this day and to suggest ways in which we might each be able to bring a little more peace and a little less war into our world.

My suggestion, to get the ball rolling: teach the next generation to revere life.

Author Spotlight - Heidi Rice

2011-11-09T11:10:00.000Z

Today the Minxes are super pleased to welcome back Minx special friend, best selling author and all around media darling, Heidi Rice.

What is your writing process?

Unfortunately completely haphazard. I wish it wasn’t quite so unpredictable. I’m a total panster (or seat of your pants) writer in that I don’t tend to write stuff down. That said I spend a lot of time imaging scenes and conversations not just between my characters but also in their pasts, in their childhoods, etc, before I start writing (and when I’m writing a story in any downtime I have), so it’s not totally unplanned. I would not recommend this method to anyone though, as it tends to lead you up blind alleys without a paddle a lot and also has your kids telling you that you’re completely mad on occasion.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy—what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Honestly, once I start writing I rarely have a problem keeping at it—because I enjoy being with my characters so much (unless of course they are not cooperating). For me the biggest hurdle is stopping all the procrastination I get up to before I start writing. You know, the endless checking of emails, or your Amazon ranking, or aimless Tweetage. I know I’m essentially a person who is not particularly focussed or driven or hard-working – I’d much rather prat about. (Sheesh, I hope my editor isn’t reading this!) So I have to force myself to stop pratting about and get on with it. But once I have I can write lots very quickly (if the muse is with me it might actually be useable). And on those occasions when I am really stuck—and that has happened—I might just try and write a different scene, or stop and figure out where I’ve gone wrong, because if there’s a blockage, that’s usually the reason why.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I live in London and cycle pretty much everywhere. I’m also a member of a fabulously cheap and cheerful local women’s gym so I try and do 40 mins on the crosstrainer there a couple of days a week. And I also play on a netball team every Monday night (I’m crap at netball, consequently we lose quite a lot!). I find the kick of endorphins is great for my mental as well as my physical health. But I do still hate that fricking crosstrainer with a passion.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Being the daughter of an Irishman, I’m not about to tempt fate and say ‘No’. And there have been a few times, usually when a deadline is looming and something has gone wrong with my story, that I have gone into panic mode, and then it’s terribly hard to write. And what I do write is invariably crap. And of course the harder it is, and the more crap it is, the more panicked I become. But having said that, I do believe that if that happens the one thing you must not do is stop. And saying you have writer’s block to yourself, is an excuse to take that easy way out.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I’ve used a lot of inspiration from real life, but they’re usually just snippets that have sparked ideas. Like the time my sister and I were sitting on a Cornish beach in the rain and watched a lifeguard rescue, which gave me the idea for the opening scene in Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger. Or when I was cut up driving down Holloway Road by a gorgeous looking guy in a sports car and I envisioned the opening scene for Cupcakes and Killer Heels (while cursing at him profusely). But I’ve never used a whole real incident, simply because it’s the characters ultimately that drive the plot and so they have to determine what happens. If you tried to shoehorn them into a ready-made scenario, it wouldn’t work.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Well, I’m nowhere near as rich as I thought I’d be… You know, everyone assumes they’ll get published one day and the next they’ll be earning as much as JK Rowling. Um, not quite! It’s also really hard work keeping your career going. You have to keep producing books, keep getting those sparks of inspiration, keep falling in love with new characters, keep re-inventing the wheel basically. Getting published isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning of loads more hard work. That said, I seriously believe that the more you’ve had to work and the more you’ve learned to achieve publication the better prepared you are to make a viable career out of it afterwards. So when you’re racking up those rejections, it’s good to remember that.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I have a blog, a Facebook page and I’m on Twitter (at @HeidiRomRice) and I’ve just recently invested in having a proper professional website designed (because before that it was a bit naff). I also love to do guest blogs, Library Workshops and any media opportunities I’m offered. But really I do all of those things because I enjoy them (and I’m a bit of a media tart). Personally I would say if you don’t enjoy it, though, don’t do it… And frankly I think I enjoy it a bit too much, because it can be a total timesuck if I’m not careful (see answer to second question!).

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Write the best stories you can and keep writing them. I know it sounds a bit corny, but that really is the best way to reach readers and keep them interested. If you enjoy doing promo then go ahead, but don’t let it interfere with your writing, because that’s the real gold as far as your readers are concerned. Put it this way, I’d much rather Nora Roberts wrote four books a year, than spent her time blogging and tweeting, because I want to read her books much more than I want to read her blogs or tweets.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That sometimes the conflict can be much subtler than you expect. This was really the first book I’ve written where during so much of the story the hero and heroine were getting on really well… They connected pretty much instantly and despite a few ripples early on I did worry at first that there wasn’t really enough of a conflict, but actually it was there all along, just hidden underneath all the fun and ‘really amazing sex’ these two were having.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

What, apart from writing about all ‘the really amazing sex’ you mean? LOL. Actually probably the most fun, apart from watching my characters grow and their relationship evolve, which is the thing I enjoy the most about every book I write, was getting to set the story in London at Christmastime – and write about all the marvellous things there are to do in the city at my favourite time of year. Like going for a skating session at the rink in Somerset House, or swallowing your own tongue on the Power Tower at the Winter Wonderland funfair in Hyde Park or even just hibernating in a luxury hotel suite or looking at the window displays in the department stores along Oxford Street. The city’s at it’s most romantic at Christmastime and I enjoyed reflecting that.

What have the changes to the current Harlequin lines and branding meant to you? Have they affected your writing process?

I love the new branding for Riva books, and especially the move away from those fairly ridiculous titles, which were all about pigeon-holing the books according to themes and not selling them as individual stories. That said though, it hasn’t affected my writing process though, because the branding of a book, even the title is an afterthought for me. I’m quite happy to let Harlequin/M&B brand the stories however they like, as long as it get lots of people to pick up the books and read them. Then their job is done and mine begins…

What do you think makes a Riva book Riva?

It’s all about that sassy, sparky attitude that is part and parcel of the Riva experience. To deliver that an author has to have a strong, vivid and captivating voice that is unique to them. All the Riva books are sold on the basis of that ‘voice’ which is why writing for the line is both immensely challenging and also very exciting. I think we’re all striving to provide something a little bit different, a little bit new with every book we write – we’re pushing against M&B’s traditional boundaries and having fun with our characters, while at the same time providing strong sexy alpha heroes, strikingly contemporary heroines, and the compelling conflict driven romance that is part of the M&B promise. It’s a bloody tough job, but I love it!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Hmm, well I think Jace is definitely an urbanite, so I think he’d choose somewhere metropolitan. And as he lives in New York… And he’s just spent Christmas in London, so my guess would be somewhere like Paris or Barcelona, in a luxury hotel penthouse suite of course, where Cassie and he could lock themselves away from the world if they wanted too, but also enjoy all the cosmopolitan delights of city living right on their doorstep.

On The First Night of Christmas

Cassie’s tips for the Perfect Christmas Fling!

1. ’Tis the season to be daring: Find the perfect Mr Right Now (extra points for a bad-boy-turned-billionaire) and be brave about getting him – even if that means jumping straight into sexy Jace Ryan’s car!

2. Enjoy the ride: Once you’ve chosen your flingee, get swept away by the moment! For once, Cassie’s determined to stop worrying about the future. But she must remember one thing…

3. This fling is just for Christmas: Jace Ryan’s a seasonal special. Do not start falling for him, Cassie. No matter how perfect the package or how much you’ve enjoyed unwrapping it…

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Mills & Boon

Give me the same thing ... only different

2011-11-07T07:52:00.000Z

The Minxes would like to congratulate Natalie Charles, winner of New Voices 2011. Even if you don’t normally read romantic suspense, read this one. The story will grab you.

If you’ve followed the New Voices contest (as I have - devotedly!) you’ll have heard the editors’ advice to avoid cliché. This is just a re-statement of what the editors have been saying at conferences for the last few years. 2010’s buzz words were ‘innovate, don’t imitate’ and this year it was ‘unpredictability’. But really these are all just different ways of saying the same thing: avoid cliché.

In the immortal words of Blake Snyder in Save the Cat: “You can be near the cliché, you can dance around it, you can run right up to it, and almost embrace it. But at the last second you must turn away.”

I was extremely fortunate to get feedback on my NV entry (see here) and one of the comments the editors made was that my set-up has been used often before and I need to be careful that it doesn’t slip into cliché.
Clearly the use of cliché isn’t an issue for them, since they praised my very clichéd opening (Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a princess.) but it’s what you do with the cliché that’s important. My next lines show that I’m going to turn the cliché on its head: She wasn’t like any of the princesses in other stories. She didn’t sweep floors, or wash dishes, or sing with the birds.

The day after the editors posted the feedback, I re-read Blake Snyder’s chapter of Save the Cat, entitled ‘Give me the same thing ... only different’, an entire chapter devoted to avoiding cliché, and he sums it up with these words:
“In every aspect of creation - from the idea, to the way characters speak, to the scenes themselves - putting a fresh spin on it (whatever “it” is) is what we do every day. But to know how to avoid the cliché, to know what tradition you are pushing forward, begins with knowing what that tradition is.”

Yes, it really is that easy. Once you’ve studied your genre, when you’ve read enough books that are similar to what you want to write, when you’ve examined the movies in that genre, you’ll start to spot the clichés: secret babies, marriages of convenience, certain type of hero or heroine, certain turns of phrase. That doesn’t mean you can’t use these elements, just that you need to tread carefully when you use them.

“When it feels like a cliché - give it a twist. When you think it’s familiar - it probably is, so you’ve got to find a new way. But at least understand why you’re tempted to use the cliché and the familiar story. .... True originality can’t begin until you know what you’re breaking away from.” - Blake Snyder

Man of the Month poll - The Rugby League heroes

2011-11-04T11:35:00.003Z

Last month it was my pleasure to research the rugby union players who were then scrapping it out for the Rugby World Cup. This month it's the turn of the rugby league players who are currently playing for the Four Nations Cup. For those who are confused--rugby union has 15 players a side, league only 13. There are lots of line outs and general dropping of the ball in union that I don't really understand. In league, the boys are men who hold the ball in their hands and run at their opponents ;-}

First up are the current holders of the Four Nations, New Zealand. This rather pensive looking guy is Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. Google him-amazing family background!

Next is Adam Blair.

And finally, a line up of Kiwi rugby league players wouldn't be complete, in my opinion, without the fabulous Isaac Luke {right}. I had a conversation on Twitter last week with some ladies who also appreciate his marvellous Haka skills! Such a shame his top got ripped from his body, huh?

The Australians are also strong in this contest and this year is no exception. First up is Billy Slater.

So sorry the only really great picture of Cooper Cronk I could find was him frolicking in the sea ;-}

I will now admit to cheating. And totally using my blog writing power for purely selfish. I have no idea at all as to why Jarryd Hayne is not in the Australian squad but thought I would lead a protest to the Australian selectors by including him in my blog poll. It's wrong. He should be playing. And preferably in one of those ripped tops ;-}

Wales are also included this year {previously the Four Nations was a 3 Nations}. Apologies to the Welsh readers there may be but your squad needs some prettifying up for next year. Of course I totally understand that the players get picked for their rugby skills and not for how they look in their tops {or without them} but still ... Lloyd White is the pick of the squad.

Finally we move onto the English players. Again, very slim pickings this year :-{ I've chosen Jon Wilkin {left}. And last but definitely not least, Kirk Yeaman rocking his pink charity shirt!

It's not the first time the best looking English players come from my home town :-} And I definitely can't be biased because Jon Wilkin hasn't played for a Hull club for years!!

In case anyone would like to see any of these guys in action, you can see Wales v New Zealand at 12.30{including the amazing Haka skills of Isaac Luke!!} tomorrow on Sky Sports 1 and England v Australia on BBC1 at 3 pm.

Finally the winner of last month's poll, very fittingly given the Kiwis won the World Cup, was Sonny Bill Williams who played professional rugby league before switching codes :-}

Author Spotlight - India Grey

2011-11-02T09:24:00.000Z

The Minxes are super excited to welcome the wonderful, warm and witty India Grey to be featured under our spotlight for the day. We're loving India's answers, particularly the one about promo!! Don't forget to leave comments for a chance of winning both books in the Fitzroy Legacy duet!

What is your writing process?

I suppose it’s best summed up as long periods of procrastination followed by intense bursts of obsessive reclusedom (if that’s a proper word). I’ve realised recently that I pretty much hate the prospect of writing and will do almost anything to put it off, but once I’ve tidied the airing cupboard/filed my nails/searched the internet for hero inspiration and have run out of work-avoidance strategies, it only takes about five minutes before I’m lost in the story again and loving it. My dream is to be able to do a quick first draft, but alas I seem to be doomed to a slow and painstaking process in which I need to feel I’ve got one bit right before I can move on. The upside of this is that I don’t tend to have big revisions; the downside is I don’t sleep much as deadlines loom.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

The methods I use depend on the nearness of the deadline. If it’s getting close, sheer panic keeps me chained to my desk, but when there’s a bit more breathing space I guess it’s reminding myself how lucky I am to be doing a job I love. And that No Words = No More Shopping. (Although I’m definitely guilty of the odd online splurge to keep morale up when I’m flagging!)

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

Oooh, I’m so tempted to say I do Zumba three times a week and swim every morning, but sadly one look at the size of my behind would reveal that to be a Great Big Lie. For about a year I went running with a friend twice a week, but used to wake up with a horrible sinking feeling on running mornings that really wasn’t worth the two millimetres I lost on my waist. The only forms of exercise I actually enjoy are walking and dancing, so I do both whenever the opportunity presents itself – often to the embarrassment of my children.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I think it’s a convenient catch-all term for a problem that can stem from a wide variety of causes and manifest itself in a number of ways. At one end of the spectrum it’s what happens when your story grinds to a halt, when the words dry up, you’re absolutely at a loss as to how to take it forward and days or weeks pass without any progress being made. At the other end of the scale it’s when outside forces sap your time, your self-confidence, your ability to focus and writing a sentence seems as likely as drawing down the moon. I think this is a particular issue for women, who tend to shoulder more responsibility for caring for sick children and elderly parents, remembering birthdays, putting the bins out, making sure the fridge is full, cleaning the bath and paying the milkman. Sometimes writing can be a blessed escape from Real Life, but there’s also a great danger that Real Life can take up so much headspace that there’s not enough room for fiction to flourish.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I use all sorts of random snippets from my life in my books, but sadly they’re mostly just mildly embarrassing – putting pizza in the oven with the plastic disc still on, forgetting which side of the road to drive on in France, neglecting to pack underwear for a weekend away - rather than salacious enough to get me into trouble.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I think I assumed that if I ever got published it would all become suddenly easier; that stories would organise themselves more efficiently in my head, my desk would look more professional (instead of like the Lost Property Department of the local bus depot) and I’d suddenly master the art of Time Management. In reality it’s just as chaotic and messy as before, but with deadlines.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I have to admit that I feel the same way about promotion as I do about exercise: I know it’s necessary but I’d do absolutely anything to avoid it. Maybe it’s something to do with being British, or having my infant teacher’s voice in my head saying ‘nobody likes a show off’, but the principle of promotion is something that makes me squirm inside. However, reaching out to readers individually is something that I love, and it’s always wonderful to receive emails and comments on my blog, and meet people at library events and things.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Don’t do any. At all. Ever. (And then my pitiful efforts will look energetic and innovative.) (Haha - cunning, eh?)

What did you learn while writing this book?

The brilliant thing about writing for M&B is that through researching the setting and the characters’ background you learn something new for every book. Writing The Fitzroy Legacy (which is actually two books, the second one a continuation of the first story) I learned about life on the front line in modern conflict and the psychological aftermath. I guess like everyone I’m used to seeing bits of footage on the news and seeing the photographs of servicemen and women who’ve lost their lives, but writing these books gave me a reason to look beyond the headlines. It was eye-opening, inspiring and frightening.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Staying with the characters for twice as long, getting to know them really well and seeing where the story would take them. I really had no clue where the second book would go when I came up with the idea for the first, so it really was a like travelling with Kit and Sophie (in the manner of a great big invisible gooseberry.)

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Good question… I think that as Kit and Sophie get married in the depths of an English winter, and live on the windswept North East coast, he’d probably want to whisk her off somewhere warm. However, he’d definitely be in no hurry to go back to anywhere remotely desert-like, so I’m thinking he’d choose a villa on the beach in Thailand. As long as there were no spiders. Sophie hates spiders.

The FITZROY LEGACY Wedlocked to the aristocratic Fitzroy family – where shocking secrets lead to scandalous seduction

Craving the Forbidden

The wrong Fitzroy brother?

Ticket-dodging in a First Class train carriage is not how bubbly Sophie Greenham envisaged meeting Kit Fitzroy, fearless army hero and brother of her friend Jasper. The smouldering

heat between her and Kit is an unwelcome shock – especially as Sophie’s masquerading as Jasper’s girlfriend all holiday! Although Kit’s bravery is legendary, he’s dreading the return to his bleak ancestral home. But Sophie’s vibrancy dispels the shadows in his tortured soul, consuming Kit with a potent desire for the one woman he’s forbidden to touch…

In Bed with a Stranger

The ticking time bomb of their marriage

Sophie Greenham whirled into army officer Kit Fitzroy’s life like a red-headed tornado, smashing through the walls surrounding his heart and changing his life for ever. Leaving his bubbly fiancée to return to the front line disposing of bombs was the hardest thing Kit had ever done… When he returns home, their reunion is raw and intoxicating. But the man Sophie loves is now a virtual stranger. Tormented, and determined to keep his distance, he can only truly connect with her in the bedroom… But they’ll need more than passion to survive the challenges ahead unscathed…

Craving the Forbidden and In Bed with a Stranger are available at Mills&Boon, Amazon UK

The first book will be out in the US later this month, followed by the second one in December.

By freaky co-incidence I’ve just had a box of advance copies of In Bed with a Stranger delivered, so can now offer both books together as a giveaway to one commenter. Thanks for having me, Minxes!

Oops! and congratulations

2011-10-31T08:45:00.000Z

Oops! You may have noticed that due to a technical error (yeah, right!) we skipped a post on Friday. Actually, this is for very happy reasons: the Minxes are all really busy right now.

At this moment in time, we have five Minxes beavering away (at least, you'd better be beavering, ladies!) on requested manuscripts, one Minx moving house, one Minx just finished moving house, and another Minx has gone back to work after a break. And two are doing everything they can to distract themselves from NTAI.
To all of you - here's wishing you lots of strength, patience, and a truckload of Minxy dust for your submissions.

Rachel Bailey has selected BrooklynShoeBabe as the winner of a copy of Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal. Well done, Rakisha. You can contact Rachel through the contact form on her website: www.rachelbailey.com/

Finally, today's your last chance to vote for your favourite Rugby hotties. There'll be a new set of dishy heroes here on the blog on Friday.

Author Spotlight - Rachel Bailey

2011-10-26T09:00:00.000+01:00

Today we welcome Harlequin Desire author Rachel Bailey into our spotlight. Rachel lives in Australia with a handful of dogs (you can meet them on her website).

She's giving away a copy of Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal to one (non-Minxy) commenter, so don't forget to leave comments when you get to the end of this post to stand a chance to win.

What is your writing process?

Slower than I’d like! :) I need to give my editor a synopsis of the book for approval, so I always know where the story is going before I write it. Then I break the plot down into quarters from the synopsis and write one section at a time. By the time I move onto the next quarter, I’ve edited and polished the one before it then sent it out to my critique partners who are pretty ruthless with telling me what’s not working. Then when I have the four quarters done, I do some more editing on the book as a whole. I’d love a simpler process, but this one seems to be working for me so I don’t want to mess with it!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Deadlines. No question. Which is why, when I was unpublished, I found the contest circuit invaluable – not only for feedback, for to keep me writing to deadlines.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counter balance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I play dog tennis twice a day (I hit the ball with a tennis racquet and the dogs retrieve it), but that exercises the dogs more than me, so I also have a walking machine in the lounge room.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes and no. I think lots of things can get in the way of writing, from stress to tiredness to fear to burnout. What you need to do about it depends on what the ‘writer’s block’ really is.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I’d find it hard to stay in the character’s head if I knew the incident had really happened to me or someone I knew, so it’s not something I’ve ever done.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I had a few friends who were published before me, so I was already aware of most aspects of the life of a published author, but it’s still amazing how much writing time gets lost in non-writing activities aspects of the job.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I blog at the LoveCats DownUnder and eHarlequin, have Facebook and twitter accounts as well as a website. But I’m also wary that promotion doesn’t take over too much of the time and brain-space I need for writing.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Pick the promo methods you enjoy the most and do those ones well.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I researched New York and New Jersey pretty thoroughly to give me a feel for the setting, and I had pictures of random NY and NJ scenes on corkboards around my walls. I *love* immersing myself in new settings and learning about other places!

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I really enjoyed the spark these two have – part of that comes from them having known each other so well as teenagers, and part from their personalities.

And I loved writing the little appearances of Winston, Pia’s cat. :)

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

JT spent most of his childhood and youth moving around, so going away somewhere wouldn’t appeal as much as it would for other heroes. JT simply wants to be alone with Pia – anywhere that’s possible is good with him. :)

Book Blurb:

He's returned for a fortune and is confronted by memories. Though tycoon JT Hartley is a success in his own right, he's set on claiming his share of his late father's legacy. But first he has to get past the estate executor - none other than Pia Baxter, a woman he's never forgotten.

Theirs had been a fast-and-furious union that ended all too suddenly. And though desire still courses between them, JT knows starting anything with Pia again is just asking for trouble. His future is set in stone. But even the best-laid plans are no match for true passion.

* * *

You can find Return of the Secret Heir at Amazon, Amazon UK, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble and Harlequin.

You can find Rachel at her website, LoveCats DownUnder, on Twitter and on Facebook.

How To Win NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-24T11:03:00.000+01:00

In 8 days National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) will be upon us. Writing 50K in 30 days is no small feat but it's absolutely achievable.

Here are the Minxes' ten top tips for winning NaNoWriMo:

1. Sign up. You can sign up on the official NaNoWriMo site to keep track of your word count, download badges and other fun things. You'll also find a copy of the official rules, so you can get a better idea of what to expect. Alternatively, keep an eye out at the Harlequin forums for their version of NaNoWrimo (you can pick your word count goal for the month). Or, sign up for both.

2. Get supported. Tell your family and friends what you're doing, or at least warn them that pizza is making a comeback and they could be required to be responsible for keeping themselves alive. Also, having a support network and encouragement helps.

3. Work out your word count. The world's not going to stop while you do NaNoWriMo, so if you have a big event and know that you're not going to get your 1.7K written that day, you’ll need to find a time to make that up. If you work out how many words you need to write each day around your commitments and stick to it, you’ll have a completed draft of 50K novel at the end of the month.

4. Steal time from your schedule. Here's where you can get creative. You may not have significant blocks of time to write but if you can snatch 15 minutes while you’re commuting, on your lunch break or before dinner then you'll find that your word counts starts to add up. There's also very little in life that can't be put off for 15 minutes.

5. Prepare. While the rules state you can't start writing your novel until midnight November 1. But you can plan it, plot it and identify your characters before then. You don't have to be a plotter and get the manila folders and label maker out (but by all means do if you wish), however, having your character names and a general idea of what you're writing each day will help.

You can take this one step further with character sheets, sketches or collages, and chapter summaries. Chapter summaries are a great trick for NaNoWriMo because the less time you have to spend thinking about what comes next in your story, the more time you have to do the writing and reach your daily word count goals.

6. It doesn't have to be perfect. NaNoWriMo founder, Chris Baty, is a big fan of just getting the words down. If you're having a day when you absolutely cannot work out what to write next he suggests adding a spaceship. The spaceship may have to go in the first round of edits but it'll keep your word count growing and may also help you work through your plot problem. Also, if you find yourself on a tangent, explore that tangent, explore the world, you'll be surprised about what you can discover about your characters and their conflict this way. Just don't give up.

7. Go on an edit detox. There's no time for editing in NaNoWriMo, that comes next month. You may be tempted to go back and reread what you've written but at most, you’re allowed to reread the last couple of paragraphs before you start writing each day. Reading from the start of a chapter or chapter one is banned. Editing can be your downfall.

8. Beware the week 2 blues. Everyone hits a wall about week 2. Suddenly the writing's harder, everything's garbage and you start thinking about regrouting your kitchen tiles. It could all be garbage (unlikely) but if it is it doesn't matter. The point is to push yourself beyond your normal limits. There's a lot to be learnt about your writing and writing process from NaNoWriMo. You can’t edit a blank page!

9. Upload. Make sure you record your final word count on the NaNoWriMo official site before midnight November 30 so that you are considered an official winner and can access their winner blog badges.

10. Don't be too critical. If you finish NaNoWriMo be aware of your achievement. You've just done something that most people only talk about, you've written the draft of a novel and you did it in a month! Get the champagne out.

If you didn't get the whole 50K down, don’t throw in the towel. Your word count will be a lot higher than it would be if you hadn’t taken NaNoWriMo on. Writing 50K in 6 weeks is just as impressive and your draft will still be finished by Christmas.

Either way, you’re going to need a lot of champagne.

Are you NaNoWriMoing this year?

Musical Inspiration

2011-10-21T10:29:00.001+01:00

Does music inspire you when you're writing, or do you find it a distraction?

I'm firmly in the inspired camp. Some songs are almost a romantic novel all of their own, aren't they?

I'm slightly obsessive about it and always create playlists for my wip, and have been known to stop the car to text myself the title of a track I hear on the radio in case I forget it between there and home.

Even more geeky than that, I create playlists for my main characters, and play their songs when i'm writing in their pov. My current leading man, for instance, is a funeral director, so his playlist is quite dark and angsty, full of Muse tracks and other atmospheric stuff (and yup, I get that his profession is a hard sell in a romance novel, but he's not as bad as he sounds, I promise!)
He also happens to be deliciously Irish, so there's a smattering of old Del Amitri tracks in there too. See where I'm going? I build the character through music in my head.

Do you do similar things? Please tell me i'm not alone in this?

I'm a recent convert to Lady Antebellum (Thank you, Romy!) Their romantic lyrics and cool laid back country vibe really melts me - not to mention their extremely easy on the eye frontman. All round fabulousness.

Check 'em out, people, and then tell us who inspires you...

Author Spotlight - Christina Hollis

2011-10-19T09:00:00.000+01:00

To readers of Mills & Boon romances, Christina Hollis is a household name. We are excited to have her here in the spotlight, talking about her latest release, Weight of the Crown.

What is your writing process?

I like to make sure I’m never faced with that deadly combination of no ideas, a blank sheet of paper and a deadline. I jot down ideas all the time - when traveling, in the middle of the night, or while working in the garden. Snatches of overheard conversation are a great starting point. My favourite way of working is longhand, in pencil, on the right hand side of a refill pad. I start with the characters, who then suggest a conflict, and off I go. My actual writing day starts after the morning school run and continues until pick up time, in late afternoon.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I’ve recently been introduced to #1k1hr on Twitter: it’s great to know I’m working with others towards a goal on the same timescale. The Pomodoro technique is good when working alone: basically, I set a kitchen timer and focus religiously on my writing with no distractions for 25 minutes, then take a break. Incidentally, I’m sorry to say I hate shopping: fresh country air is my big distraction.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I wear a pedometer practically all the time. My aim is to walk 10k steps per day, but I don’t always manage that many. I’m scrupulous about taking a break and moving about every hour to avoid DVT, though.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Only in the same way I believe in bricklayer’s block, teacher’s block or postman’s block, I’m afraid! Writing is my full time job, but it’s also my hobby and my therapy. If one project isn’t progressing, I switch to something else to give my brain a workout, then try again.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

To answer the second part of your question first, my aim is to write books that make people happy, not to upset them! My husband is so thoughtful a lot of the romantic treats - picnics and candlelit dinners - in my books are based on things he’s done for me. Many tiny details or sayings get into my work via my note-taking, and I put a lot of my own experience into my books. For instance, Kira in The French Aristocrat’s Baby (US Title: The Count’s Challenge) owned a restaurant and when younger I considered training as a chef, but writing won.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

The amount of things that must be done before I can actually start writing each day. Dealing with emails and correspondence, organising competitions, giveaways, appearances, updating my website and blog - I thoroughly enjoy each and every contact with readers, but I do tend to get carried away if I’m not careful!

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

Social networking is key to reaching the largest number of readers in the easiest way, and it’s so enjoyable. I hold regular competitions and giveaways on my website and Blog.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Use a pen name - it allows you so much freedom to go out and be someone else when you’re promoting your work.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I discovered how much fun it is to invent my own country. Weight of the Crown is set in Rosara, a combination of all the places I love: big skies, breathtaking scenery and a prince who’s tall, dark, handsome and just waiting to be tamed by the right woman...

What was the most fun part of writing this book?
This is the question I’ve had to think about for longer than anything else you’ve asked me, because I loved it all. Writing is the best job in the world, and inventing Rosara (‘Land of Roses’) and its gorgeous prince Lysander was like opening a big box of chocolates every time I sat down to start work!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Lysander would love to go to a totally deserted tropical paradise where he could escape the Weight of the Crown and get back to nature. However, he’s so concerned that Alyssa works too hard, he’d make sure there was plenty of seven-star luxury on hand for her!

Now duty is his only mistress

For notorious playboy Prince Lysander Kahani, playtime is over…Left with a country to run, he draws the line at playing nanny to his orphaned nephew!

Instead he sends for a professional. But one glance at buttoned-up Alyssa Dene and Lysander’s wicked side re-emerges! Wary of his scandalous reputation, Alyssa tries to keep her distance – but Lysander draws her like a moth to a flame.

Lysander is fighting a battle between public duty and private desire, but he is determined to make Alyssa a royal offer she won’t refuse…

Thank you so much for this invitation - I really enjoyed it.

* * *

Weight of the Crown is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and direct from Mills & Boon.

You can find Christina on-line at her website, her blog, on Twitter, on Facebook and at Romance Book Paradise Promotions.

Christina is giving away one of her backlist books to a lucky (non-Minxy) commenter ... so you know what to do!

Crazy Heart

2011-10-17T10:39:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, I turned on the movie channel to see a movie I missed when it hit cinemas a couple of years ago, Crazy Heart.

The TV blurb said:
A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

and I knew that Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell were in it, and that it had been the recipient of two oscar wins - Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for it, and the a song for the movie, The Weary Kind, also received one - and Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Supporting Actress too.

I've always loved Jeff Bridges' work - but somehow the idea of this movie had failed to inspire me to go see it, but for those who haven't yet, I must just say chase it down and watch it. It's fabulous!
Jeff Bridges playes Bad Blake, a faded, country music superstar, who drinks, smokes, and takes full advantage of the numerous opportunities to go to bed with the middle-aged groupies who flock to his performances in run down bars. He's out of shape, has been married numerous times, and has a son he hasn't seen since the kid was a nipper. Hardly hero material. But in my opinion, this is the best role I've ever seen Jeff in. He commands the screen, and even though he's overweight and rocketing towards distruction, he's still totally gorgeous.
When he meets the much younger Gyllenhaal, who plays music journalist, Jean, the sexual tension is palpable. And as they start into an affair, their individual conflicts are so strong, the story became so real, so poignant, that I was rooting for their happy ever after. There's a fantastic performance by Robert Duvall too, who plays Bad's friend.
My current hero inspiration is Colin Farrell, who plays Bad Blake's former protegee turned country music superstar. Colin doesn't appear in the credits, as he didn't want to take the focus from Jeff, but even if he had, the incredible charisma of Bad Blake would have wiped the floor with him.
The story is full of interesting twists and turns, and lots of heartbreak along the way - but ultimately, Bad's journey is an inspiring one, that grabbed me from the moment Jeff appeared on screen, and didn't let go until the closing credits.
I don't want to give any more away, so will leave you with the trailer to whet your appetite!
Enjoy!

New Voices and moving forward

2011-10-14T11:26:00.000+01:00

First up, congratulations to the 21 finalists in the New Voices contest. How amazing that the editors have given a chance to an extra writer because there were so many they loved?!

Also, I'd like to congratulate every single person who entered. You not only sat down and wrote something, but you were brave enough to submit your work to public view. That deserves applause.

I'd also just like to remind everyone who entered (and who didn't!) that contests are not the be-all and end-all. Not everyone who finals in a contest goes on to publich that manuscript. Not everyone who gets published gets there via a contest. In fact, your odds are probably even better through the slush pile than through a contest, where there can be only one winner.

So keep writing, and keep submitting.

Now if you're not completed contested-out, here's another you might want to look at:

Author Nicola Marsh is running a pitch contest on her blog until Sunday, with critiques from both herself and the senior editor of Entangled Publishing as a prize.

Talking about Entangled, keep an eye on their blog for updated submission calls each month. This month they're looking for contemporary novellas.

And more submission calls ....

Carina Press is looking for winter-themed sci fi novellas, and Avon Romance is looking for soldier homecoming short stories.

Author Spotlight - Bronwen Evans

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to have New Zealand author Bronwen Evans in the Minxy Spotlight today. Bronwen writes hot Regencies, and her first book, Invitation to Ruin, is available through Kensington Brava, with the sequel, Invitation to Scandal, due out in 2012.

* * *

Hello from New Zealand. Thanks for having me on the Minxy Blog. I’m really excited to meet you all and to tell you a little more about my debut Regency, INVITATION TO RUIN.

What is your writing process?

I always have characters and stories racing around my brain so I do need to be methodical in order to let one story develop at a time. I’m a huge believer in plotting. I usually develop a high concept 50 word pitch detailing the premise of the story and the two main characters. Then I develop a full character history so that I know everything I can about my characters. From there I develop a bullet point summary of the story and plot details which turns into a six act outline using Michael Hauge’s Six Stage Story Concept detailing all turning points and the characters’ inner and out journey.
Once that’s complete I write the synopsis – usually 1 page for each 10,000 words, so a 95k book is usually around 8-10 pages. This goes to my editor or agent so that she can sign off on the story and make any editorial changes upfront. Saves on the revisions. Once she’s signed off, I have a thorough road map to keep me on track. I actually find my creativity is greater once I’ve plotted out a book because I can concentrate on the writing, knowing I have a solid story.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I’m bad – I go shoe shopping! Just kidding. The fact that I have a plot outline and the fact I usually wake up with the next scene playing in my head, I’m not often without inspiration. But if the creative juices decide not to flow, I re-read the character arcs and I re-read the synopsis and then I go for a long walk. I find once I’m outside and walking, the story will come to me, and then I can head home and start writing.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I used to play representative netball and I have back, neck and shoulder injuries, so I have to ensure I stretch every two hours when working on the computer. I also walk every second day at around 3pm in the afternoon and I have a cross trainer for those wet, cold days. I’m just starting to build a new home in a warmer area of New Zealand, so I’m putting in a swimming pool as I’ve found that swimming is the best for my back.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I’m sure it happens. As a plotter I very rarely suffer from writers block for very long. Besides, with deadlines you can’t afford to have writers block. I do think that families, other commitments etc can get in the way of writing time. That’s harder to manage but then life can’t be ignored. You can’t be writing all the time.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

Not really, although I wrote a short story about a moment I had with a roommate at University who was very sick. It placed second in a short story contest. Because I write historicals, I have used modern day ideas such as endometriosis and thought about how that would have affected a woman’s life in the 1800’s.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Hmmmm.... I’m not sure I really knew what to expect, it all happened so fast. I love the way readers get so engaged with my story and often email me with questions. Writing is very hard work. Finishing a book is only the beginning. You have to remember that the next book has to be just as good, and the next etc. It’s like the beginning of any career, you have to put the hard yards in. Mostly, I’m surprised at how much I love it. The reality surpasses anything I could have imagined.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I’m a marketing graduate so promotion is not new to me. It’s a necessity for selling any product. Social network marketing is very important in building your brand and for reaching readers. I use twitter, facebook, blogs, websites etc I must admit I only blog or tweet etc when I have something interesting to say. I actually think my life’s rather boring; therefore it won’t be that interesting to readers either.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Use loads of giveaways – get your book into as many readers’ hands as possible. Word of mouth with social networking is huge. A good book will sell itself, that’s what you should focus on – producing the best product possible.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I learned loads about slavery in Regency England. My hero’s father was a slave trader. Anthony had a terrible childhood and I love how he has the strength to overcome his brutal upbringing and open his heart to love. It took a very special heroine, Melissa. I found I have fabulous critique partners who went above and beyond to help me make the book better and who celebrated with me on my debut sale of INVITATION TO RUIN.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Finishing it! This was the first book I actually finished. I had been writing for about three – four years and never finished a book. One of my lovely critique partners told me ‘you can’t sell what you haven’t finished’. She was absolutely right. What changed with this book? I’d plotted the whole story so I knew exactly how the character’s journey would unfold. I haven’t looked back I have completed two further books – Invitation to Scandal due out in 2012 and Invitation to Love (working title).

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Anthony’s a consummate rake and he’s now madly in love and lust with his wife. He’s very possessive and protective of her, so he’d prefer his Yorkshire Manor in the middle of winter where they would be snowed in. He’d build up the bedchamber fire, have the servants ensure beautiful meals were brought to the room, and then never let his wife out of bed. He has several months of wasted opportunity to make up for – plus he wants to try out all the positions in his wife’s naughty book. Melissa used a book written by Madam du Barry, the last mistress of the King of France, to seduce Anthony. He’s going to ensure they read it thoroughly – cover to cover.

One Good Lady is About to Go Bad...

The only thing Miss Melissa Goodly has ever wanted out of a marriage is love. But any hope of that dissolves one wild night, when she loses herself in the arms of the most irresistible-and unobtainable-man in all of England. For when they are discovered in a position as compromising as it is pleasurable, she has no choice but to accept his proposal.

Avowed bachelor Anthony Craven, Earl of Wickham, never meant to seduce an innocent like Melissa. Yet now that the damage is done, it does seem like she'd make a very convenient wife. After all, she is so naive he won't have to worry about ever being tempted. Or so he thinks, until the vows are spoken and they are left alone-and his new bride reveals a streak just as brazen and unrestrained as his own... Read an excerpt

INVITATION TO RUIN is available through most book stores and online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository and Indie.

* * *

You can catch up with Bronwen at her website, on her blog, and on Twitter.

You Know You're A Writer When...

2011-10-10T15:49:00.001+01:00

One question that has been asked and will probably be asked of every writer at some point in their career is: where you do get your inspiration? Over the years friends and family have asked me when/how/why I write. Here are some of my (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) answers.

You know you’re writer when:

1. You're in the supermarket check out line and you overhear a conversation and you think, "Wow, that would make a fabulous story"!

2. You meet a beautiful, intelligent woman and think what a fabulous heroine she’d make and what your hero would think of her (this happens to me. A LOT!).

3. You wake up in the middle of the night with your heart literally pounding because your subconscious has suddenly given you a breakthrough on that tough piece of plotting you’ve been puzzling over for day/weeks and you can't get to a pen and paper fast enough.

4. You resent the sight of your family, even when they’re bringing you cake, because you need to take your fingers off the keyboard to accept said cake, and spend at least TWO SECONDS thanking them. Ugh!!

5. You meet a hot guy and …. (apply theory number two).

6. You read an excellent book and immediately start researching organ donation because you would gladly give away an organ to be able to write as well as X,Y & Z writer. Yep people, the green-eyed monster is alive and well, even amongst writers!

7. Your boss/colleague annoys the hell out of you and you spend AT LEAST one great hour plotting gruesome shenanigans for them in your current wip. I'm told this is a common trait.

8. Your diary shows you have a party/wedding/Bar Mitzvah/PTA meeting and you immediately grumble about how it will take away from your precious writing time. And don’t even get me started on my kids’ social calendar!

9. And last but not least, you know you’re a writer when no matter what’s happening in your life, you feel physically sick if, for any reason, you’re unable to get words down for long periods of time.

I’m sure there are hundreds more little traits that affirms your writer status. Feel free to share…

Man of the Month: Rugby heroes

2011-10-07T10:59:00.003+01:00

*The lucky winner of Kate Walker's giveaway is TashNZ. If you would like to contact us via the blog, we will pass your details on to Kate, congratulations!!*

And from a winner in New Zealand, we move seemlessly on to today's Man of the Month poll. With the quarter finals of the World Cup coming up this weekend, what other types of heroes could there possibly be this month? As this is the Rugby Union World Cup, I wonder if the Minxes will let me do another rugby heroes post next month to celebrate the Rugby League Four Nations cup next month? Ahem ... perhaps not :-{

So with 8 teams left in the competition, let's have a look at some of the talent.

From the home nation, New Zealand, Dan Carter. I'm reliably informed by the lovely Jackie Ashenden that New Zealand is a country in mourning as Dan is injured and can play no further part in the World Cup :-{

Now this guy on the left, Sonny Bill Williams, I know a little about as he played rugby league before defecting to the 15 man game {for those who are interested, there are only 13 players on each team in rugby league}.

From England we have the ever youthful Jonny Wilkinson, he seems to have been playing *forever*. Just as Dan Carter is New Zealand's favourite, so Jonny has English hearts--and not just those who enjoy his skill on the pitch!!

On the right is a guy, James Haskell, I'm so glad Romy Minx suggested for this poll because he looks as though he has great ball skills!!

And from South Africa, we have a man I am reliably informed is as nice in person as he is looking! Percy Montgomery. Not that I am picking pictures solely on how many clothes these rugby players have on {or off!!} but he is the blond guy without the top :-}

Also South African is Victor Matfield, I think he looks like a perfect Presents hero *saves picture in hero file*.

From Italy, who sadly are no longer in the competition, but perhaps it will give Sergio Parisse more time to have such excellent pictures taken!! In his spare time, Sergio models for Dolce & Gabbana.

And finally, last but definitely not least, here is Argentinian Juan Martin Hernandez who I managed to find while taking time to fully research and perfect this post {I know, my attention to detail is admirable!!}.

I should take the time to let you know that last month's poll was a dead heat between the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt and the fastest man on no legs Oscar Pistorius. Incredibly apt and a wonderful result :-}

Author Spotlight - Kate Walker

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000+01:00

This week the Minxes are proud to welcome back multi award winning and USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Walker. Kate has recently had her 60th title accepted and I'm sure everyone agrees she is an absolute inspiration to all aspiring authors.

Kate has very kindly offered a signed copy of any of her backlist books to a random (non-Minxy) commenter today, winner will be picked randomly and announced at the bottom of this month's Man of the Month post on Friday 7th October.

What is your writing process?

I’m half plotter, half panster!! I spend a lot of time before I put finger to keyboard thinking about my hero and heroine and getting to know them so that I hope I know how they will react to things. Then I have the basic ‘seed’ of an idea – it’s ‘what if he is this and she is that and then this is what starts things off.’ I have a good general idea of what the main conflict between them is and why it’s there – and how they meet. Then I have a strong idea of some key scenes along the way. After that it’s like introducing two people to each other and seeing what happens. I have a sense of where I want to head but not too sure how I’m going to get there – but knowing the characters and what they are feeling keeps me heading in the right direction. After that it really depends on the story – some books need more careful planning than others, for example if there’s some sort of mystery to be revealed or an explanation to be given. My latest book is inspired by Wuthering Heights so there was a basic backstory already set out and I knew I had to start the point where Heath comes back after a long absence. But with books where I don’t have that theme to work on, often the most difficult thing is knowing where to start the story for the best.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I just had my 60th title accepted (The Devil and Miss Jones out in March 20120 so I’m well used to the good day/bad day thing that can happen with writing. I also know from experience that there will be days when it’s like ploughing through mud – some days through mud mixed with treacle! – and there are rarer wonderful days when it flows. I wish there were more of those. What keeps me going? A contract! And a deadline! (I call them dreadlines!) I know that I’ve been here before and sweated blood to get it moving so I sit at my desk and I put the words down, even if they are rubbish. As – I think it was Nora Roberts said – you can always edit a bad page, you can’t edit an empty one. And sometimes you have to go through the tortuous days to set the scene ready for the good ones. But sometimes I do give in and go shoe shopping! There is a lot of advantage to relaxing your mind and letting it roam free while you're wandering about looking at shops – often that gives the confusion/muddle in your head time to shake down, settle and then inspirations strikes. And I have a lovely husband who if I’m really stuck I’ll go for coffee with, and tell him what I’m puzzling over then he asks what he calls ‘idiot questions’ – why doesn’t she do so and so or what if he thinks . . .. I usually end up saying ‘No way!’ but because I know then what he/she wouldn’t do, it becomes clearer what they would do.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

3 years ago I made a resolution that I was going to do something to counteract the effects of hours spent sitting at a desk. I decided that if I was going to take any exercise, I had to do it first thing in the morning - if I get started writing etc then I would just keep on doing that and never get the exercise. So I decided that I would ‘walk to work’ – I go out of the house, walk for a set time and then go back home ready to start work. I started with 30 minutes and now I do an hour almost every day. I love to do this early in the morning when everywhere is quiet – there’s a park and some woods near our house and I walk through there. I meet lots of dog-walkers and I get plenty of quiet time to think. I can work out knots in my story that way – and plan scenes or dialogue. I had to force myself to begin with but now I miss it if I don’t go.

Do you believe in writer's block?

If you mean the sort of temporary block I’ve described above, then yes it happens all the time – but real solid permanent writer’s block when you never write again . . well, I’m glad to say I’ve never experienced that. I do think block’s happen through lack of confidence and through not knowing your characters well enough. Even after all this time and 60 published books – more if you include the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance - I can still get horrible days when I think I can’t do this and the fraud police will find me out. But I have great writing friends who’ll listen to me moan – I’ll do the same for them – and ask questions, make suggestions that make me grit my teeth and go on again. Because the only way past writers’ block is to write.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

No I can’t say I have – but really every book has a bit of me and a bit of things I’ve known, seen, experienced in them. I just wouldn’t use them wholesale but change the details to protect the guilty!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Being a published author is constantly changing, the longer I do it. I started out with a manual typewriter, turning in a book when I could, waiting two years or more for it to be published, doing very little promotion, not even having the books go into different lines – there was no Modern Romance etc in the UK. Now I work on a computer, submit by email, connect with readers through the internet, and have fixed deadlines. . . I never expected that I would go to America and meet readers there. One thing I never ever expected was that I would be so much in demand to teach writing - and that I would end up writing the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance so that now lots of people write to me to tell me how much it’s helped them. I regularly run courses in Wales and all over the UK and next year I’ll be teaching a week long residential course in Tuscany - I certainly never saw that coming!

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

Promotion shouldn’t be a dirty word. As a writer you create a - I hate to call it a product but that’s what marketing would do – you create something you are proud of and you want to reach as many readers as possible. It makes sense to let people know about that. You can’t force them to buy but you can hope to let them know your book is out there and hope that they will pick it up. After that the best way to sell your next book is to write the best possible one this time so they want to see more. I join in chats on the internet, on the romance writing site, I run my web site and keep it up to date and I blog regularly at Blog Kate Walker. I also have regular guest posts on other blog – like Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs, The Pink Heart Society and We Write Romance.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Never do the hard sell – I have an inbuilt resistance to someone praising something because they're pushing it. And I strongly believe that readers will feel the same. In the end, what it really comes down to is as I said above – the best way to promote your other books is to make sure that the one in the readers’ hands is the best you can possibly make it.

What did you learn while writing this book?

As I said, this book is inspired by Wuthering Heights as part of the special mini-series The Powerful and the Pure. I have always loved Wuthering Heights as a book, I read it when I was young, I grew up near Haworth where the Bronte sisters lived and I studied it for both my first degree and my MA – I wrote my thesis on Emily and Charlotte Bronte’s books - so I loved going back to it again and relearning – not learning new – just how brilliant a novel it is and how amazing Emily Bronte was as a writer.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I had the perfect excuse to reread this fabulous book - and watch all the different films/TV adaptations of the novel – then to go away and create my own Heathcliff, rework his story in the spirit of, but not copying the original – and to give Kat and Heath (my characters) the happy ending the original Heathcliff and Cathy could never have had because deep down Wuthering Heights isn't truly a love story – it’s about passion, possession, power – but I got to put the love in there!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

When Heath comes back after so many years away, he has made a new life for himself by going to Brazil and working there. He’s made himself a fortune out there too, and bought a huge estate where he breeds horses. Kat has stayed at home in Yorkshire all that time, so I’m positive he would want to take her to South America to show her his new home and his very different way of life – but then I have a suspicion that they’d make their home back in Yorkshire in the end.

Thank you to the Minxes, for inviting me along to Minxes of Romance. My Maine Coon Charlie loves rewarding readers – and he would like to offer a special giveaway of a signed book from my backlist to one commenter.

The Return of the Stranger by Kate Walker

M&B Modern September 2nd 2011
Presents Extra October 4th 2011

Standing high on the windswept moors, the lone figure of Heath Montanha vows vengeance on the woman who destroyed the last fragments of his heart... Lady Katherine Charlton has never forgotten the stablehand with dangerous fists and a troubled heart from her childhood. Now the rebel is back, his powerful anger concealed under a polished and commanding veneer. When ten years of scandal and secrets are unleashed, with a passionate, furious kiss, Heath's deepest, darkest wish crystallises... Revenge -- and Kat -- will be his!

Buy The Return of the Stranger at the following:

Amazon UK, Amazon US, eHarlequin, Mills & Boon, Mills & Boon Australia

Where can readers find you?

Website
Blog
Facebook
Author Page created by Romance Book Paradise Promotions

How much do you want it?

2011-10-03T09:37:00.004+01:00

I've had this blog post in my mind to write for months and have promised it since mid summer [sorry, Minxes!].

Many times I've heard it said that you are not a real writer unless you have been rejected as that gives you something to show for the hard work you put into your writing.

I didn't really understand that until this summer when I received my first real rejection. After entering the Feel the Heat competition almost two years ago now, I was asked to send something else directly to an editor at Mills & Boon. I was overjoyed with the request and thought I was on my way--I had dreams of hearing back in record time and contract offers!

Life got in the way a little and it wasn't until 7 months later that I sent a new, sparkling chapter to the editor in question who I was lucky enough to meet at the RNA conference last year. She asked for the partial to be sent directly to her. Again, I had the same excited dreams of instant success.

Then I landed in the real world and came back down from post conference romancelandia euphoria. Although I had the partial written, something was stopping me from sending it off. I then heard about the medical fast track and thought it was a wonderful opportunity. After all, instead of waiting for months, you heard back within a month--guaranteed. I talked myself out of it, after all I already had a partial request I needed to send. But on a car journey to the seaside I had *the most amazing idea*. You know the ones, they are the ideas where you literally have to stop the car and scribble down notes to yourself.

I wrote a chapter and a half in record quick time and sent it off. Within two days I had a request for a partial. Two days!! Now I was totally spoilt. After sending off the partial, waiting longer than a few weeks was murder. I was lucky enough to get a full request, again very quickly, and decided why not send both--so while I worked to finish and polish the medical I sent off the Modern partial.

The medical went off in February this year and while waiting for an answer to the Modern partial I thought I'd better write the rest--just in case it was requested. I couldn't. I got to the mid way point and had too many other *wonderful new ideas* to concentrate. There was something wrong. Fast forward to summer this year and my first real rejection. A form rejection of the Modern. I felt deflated, sad, disappointed. But there was something missing. I didn't feel the gut wrenching agony I felt every time I thought about my medical full, the tingle in my stomach every time I imagined someone reading my story.

This taught me something valuable. If you are not emotionally invested in your work, if you don't feel the pain of your characters as they go through their black moment, if you don't cry along with them when they feel all is lost then how on earth will your readers feel it? My Modern may well have been a nice little story, but that's all it was. I was writing what I thought the editors wanted to read. I wasn't writing what was in my heart, I wasn't putting everything I had out there on the page.

And that really is the lesson I learnt this year. I'd read that advice before from published authors, that you need to bleed on the page, that you must feel for your characters because only part of that emotion would come through in your written words. But I'd never really understood what Michelle Styles and Donna Alward meant, never really *got it*. Now I do.

I hope!

Movie Review: Red Riding Hood

2011-09-30T10:30:00.000+01:00

For weeks I drove passed an eye-catching billboard and thought "I have to see that movie!" Luckily it came out on DVD fairly quickly, and this weekend I got to enjoy director Catherine Hardwicke's take on this classic fairy tale.

For those who don't follow these things, Catherine Hardwicke directed Twilight (the first movie in the series). Since she worked as a production designer before becoming a director, it's no surprise that this latest movie is a visual feast. Red Riding Hood is sumptuously designed with stunning costumes and sets.

Don't expect historical accuracy. Do expect a fairy tale quality with more than a dash of sinister thrown in.

The film stars Amanda Seyfried of Mamma Mia and Letters to Juliet fame, and the back up cast is phenomenal: Gary Oldman, Billy Burke (also the dad in Twilight), Lukas Haas and Julie Christie. And for those who enjoy their eye candy (like me!), there are two rather attractive young men to ogle: Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons (son of Jeremy).

Interestingly, Shiloh Fernandez made the shortlist for the role of Edward Cullen in Twilight. He has a remarkable resemblance to Robert Pattinson, though without the squashed nose. I would have loved to see him in the role, but since that's never going to happen, I'll take whatever I can get of him!

As for the movie itself ... I loved it. Just the right balance of drama, action and romance for my tastes - and it's beautiful to look at! Go take a look for yourself.

Author Spotlight - Claire Robyns

2011-09-28T14:16:00.000+01:00

Today's author in the spotlight is a friend of mine, a South African now living in England, and I am incredibly proud and pleased to be able to introduce her to you. Claire is celebrating the launch of her second novel through Carina Press. her first, Betrayed, is an historical romance set in Scotland, and her latest is a fun contemporary romance.

What is your writing process?

I don’t do detailed plotting up front. An idea usually comes to me slowly and in stages. Sometimes it’s a character, sometimes a plot arc — once it was just the title of the book. As I muse over the idea, which can be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of years, the plot and characters take direction and start to form a cohesive story. Note, I say ‘start’… because once I start writing, nothing’s set in stone. Most times, it’s not even set in jello.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Is this where I admit how much I hate shoe shopping? I can never find what I’m looking for and usually come home grumpy and empty-handed!
But, if I’m struggling, the only thing that helps me is to write. Doesn’t matter if it’s only a couple of sentences a day, doesn’t matter if I end up deleting everything, just the processing of hitting keys and getting words out usually seems to start the rhythm again pretty quickly.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

If lifting my arm up and down as I slurp coffee counts, then, why, yes, I do have an exercise regime, LOL

Do you believe in writer's block?

Whatever you call it, I think it’s natural for many writers to go through a dry spell where either ideas aren’t coming hard and fast, or the ideas are there but not the words to tell them with.
I do believe that any kind of block can be persevered through, be it by some free-writing, a change of scenery, maybe changing up your genre even with a short story, or whatever else it takes to push through. We’re all human, and sometimes we just overload ourselves.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I just did, in Second-Guessing Fate 
I’m a total fortune-teller sceptic, exactly like Gemma in Second-Guessing Fate, but many years ago a friend dragged me, kicking and screaming, to her personal fortune-teller. I came away from that experience vaguely intrigued, but still a whole lot sceptical. I’ve always remembered the experience, though, and years later it wormed its way into my plot.
However, I’m more likely to use real-life incidents to spark a plot or character and that’s as far as the resemblance goes, not nearly real-life accurate enough for anyone to recognise themselves or confront me on the subject. So far…

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Well, I’d been writing (let’s call it honing my craft) for about 8 years before I contracted my debut book. That’s a lot of time I spent hanging around with fellow aspiring authors and ‘stalking’ published writers. Also, because of the internet and especially the fantastic romance authors out there always ready to share their experiences and answer questions, by the time I finally sold a book I had a pretty accurate idea of what to expect after the champagne bubbles have fizzled out i.e. triple the work with edits and promo on top of the current WIP, but no hope in sight of giving up the day job to free up more time 

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I guess I don’t do anything unique or different from other authors. After a year of running a website and a blog, I’ve combined the two to make it easier to manage. I’m on Facebook but I’m far more active on twitter than anywhere else. I find twitter great for chatting with other authors and connecting with reviewers and readers.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Well, sometimes for me promo feels like preaching to the converted. One of my biggest challenges is reaching audiences beyond my usual circle. This year I’ve joined in Rachael Harries’ Platform Building Campaign, which has proved great so far in connecting with bloggers beyond my usual scope. In a similar vein, I think Blogfests are also good for this.

What did you learn while writing this book?

With my historicals, I always learn heaps because of the research required. This book, being a contemporary, I learnt more on the editing side than during the actual writing. As Second-Guessing Fate is set in Manhattan, my New York savvy editor helped out a lot and I learnt all about the Manhattan way of life.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Oh, I had such fun writing about Gemma’s antics as she attempts to get herself dumped. The whole situation was so bizarre that I could allow my imagination to roam free, the crazier the better 

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

PARIS
Why? Because he’d ask advice from his buddies, of course, and here’s what they’d say…
Jackson: Paris, man, don’t even think about taking her anywhere else.
Billy, nodding sagely: Women really buy into that stuff about it being the City of Love. A little suffering up front goes a long way.
Gus: And don’t forget the kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Chicks are weird that way. Do this right and our Saturday poker nights will be safe for at least the next year.

Tell us about your book.

Can She Outwit Fate?

Gemma is on a collision course with heartbreak. Atleast, according to the fortune-teller her best friend drags her to see. Gemmadoesn't believe a word of it, but when other predictions start to come true,she begins to suspect that gorgeous, gray-eyed Nick is the man foretold tobreak her heart before she can find her soul mate. Too bad she's never met aman she's wanted more, because now she has to get him to dump her before shefalls too hard.

Nick hasplans of his own. He's ready to settle down with Ms. Right, and everythingpoints to the beautiful Gemma. He's determined to prove to her that he's theperfect boyfriend—even if she does seem to be trying her best to scare him off…

Thanks for having me here, Minxes 

* * *

Second-Guessing Fate is available wherever eBooks are sold. You can find it at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble and direct from Carina Press.

You can also catch up with Claire on her blog and on Twitter.

My Editing Checklist

2011-09-26T09:00:00.001+01:00

As some of you will be out there polishing your New Voices entries (have just pressed send myself, gulp.) I thought I'd share my editing checklist. This is what I use to spruce up my writing and hopefully make it presentable. It can be a bit of a faff but I think it's worth it. Please add your own suggestions. What do you do to polish your writing?

Check for clichés and express using your own words.

Check for overused or ‘telling not showing’ words using the ‘Find’ function in Word – some of my guilty culprits are: was, felt, just, that, actually, began to, started, he/she felt, though, observed.

Reduce adverbs by simmering them gently on the hob…okay, sorry, couldn’t resist that one!

Cut pairs of adjectives, less is more!

Check for repetitions, choose the best and lose the rest!

Look out for unnecessary exclamation marks! (er, see above ;-)

Don’t show AND tell; we’re not at school anymore.

Cut unnecessary repetition of tense – I’d, she’d…

Look for repeated words and use thesaurus or imagination as required.

Make characters take note of surroundings, create a sense of place.

Use all the senses, layer in smells, sounds, colour, texture etc

Listen to it out loud, if your computer has a text to speech function use it, it’s amazing what it helps you pick out (the eye always sees what it expects to), if not try reading it aloud yourself, does the dialogue sound natural?

If anything bores you cut it. Face it, if you’re bored then your reader probably will be too.

Let someone you trust read it to look for typos etc

If you get to the stage where you’re thoroughly sick of it it’s probably time to submit the wretched thing :-)

New Romance Imprints!

2011-09-23T09:17:00.000+01:00

E-books a go go!

From Random House - In August, a new digital imprint Loveswept launched!
They say: Loveswept is a publishing collaboration between Transworld Publishers and our sister company Ballantine Bantam Dell in the U.S., and it's logo says 'Classic and Original E-book romances from the Random House Publishing Group.
There are a list of authors and releases on Romance At Random
Sue Grimshaw at Romance At Random advised me that the word count for submissions ranges from 30-90K, and they are looking for all sub-genres of romance. Most importantly, Loveswept are not category romance, so there is not a set criteria or guidelines to follow. They are looking for the best books, with emotion, well developed characters and strong plots.
Sounds great, doesn't it? If you think you have written something that fits the bill, query Sue at romanceatrandom@randomhouse.com.

And in other news: Another publisher in the Random House Group, Ebury Press are launching a new digital imprint too called Rouge.

Here's what the press release says:
Ebury haved announced the launch of an exciting new straight-to-digital romance list, Rouge, which will launch on 29th September with eight titles, and four titles per month thereafter, to satisfy the huge reading appetites of romance readers. Ebury have also designed a dedicated and interactive website, http://www.rougeromance.co.uk/, where readers can discuss the books, read extracts and enter competitions.

Editorial Director (Fiction) Gillian Green said 'Given the growth in eBooks and new developments in technology, we felt that the time was right to launch a dedicated romance list. We know that romance readers have been among the first to embrace ebooks and we want to bring them the best romantic fiction out there. Our list is diverse and there's something for every romance reader on it. What all the titles have in common is they are all utterly escapist sexy romances with a guaranteed happy ending from some of the brightest names in romantic fiction. Whilst we're initially looking at eBooks, we have print rights in all the titles on the Rouge list and are looking forward to launching print editions of our most popular titles too.'

The Rouge list will be split into six sub-genres - Regency, Historical, Suspense, Contemporary, Paranormal and Occasions and includes many award-winning, New York Times best-selling authors. All the novels are full length and feature covers specially designed for the UK market. They will all be available for under £5. Ebury has bought UK digital and print rights for all titles in the list.

In other Minx news, two more minxes have entered New Voices -

You can read Sri's entry here:
http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/316-The-Price-of-Freedom

And Lorraine's here:
http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/369-Confessions-of-a-Chalet-Girl

Great work, Minxes!

Author Spotlight - Cathy Maxwell

2011-09-21T10:54:00.000+01:00

It's the equinox today, the day where the northern hemisphere hovers on the brink of winter, and where we in the southern hemisphere rejoice as summer makes its debut. It's a good moment to take stock of what's important, and so we ask that you take especial note of the appeal at the bottom of this post.

Today's author in the spotlight is Avon historical author Cathy Maxwell (who hails from the northern hemisphere).

* * *

What is your writing process?

I don’t have any one process. Each book seems to take up a life of its own and has to be worked in whatever manner is demanded. Kinda like my kids. What worked for my oldest, didn’t work for the second, and the third? Forget about it!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

The methods I use to keep at it on days I don’t want to write . . . .thinking about my mortgage, college tuition, the electric bill. Seriously! I support myself with my writing. I remind myself that I am doing what thousands for writers wish they could do. I put my tush in the chair and slog through. Then I keep my tush in the chair and revise. Good books are in the revisions. The revising part is my favorite. I like working off of an outline, even one that is a mess. (By the way, thank you for reminding me of that since I am currently creating a mess.)

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I have a horse and I ride him. We put around and it is good for both of us. I love to get my chica on and Zumba. I’ve recently taken up a Spin class. I prefer the express ones--45 minutes vs. an hour. Spin is not my favorite, a necessary evil. I attend at least one water aerobics class a week. Great for my core and my water baby soul. And I try to practice yoga every day. I also catch a yoga class with my teacher once a week. It’s one thing to practice yoga on my own and another with my teacher. Reading this, you are probably wondering when I have time to write.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes. There are all sorts of factors that can weigh on creativity. Doubt and uncertainty are two major ones. I expend good energy on maintaining my creativity. The hardest time I had writing was the year after my husband died. I tried to remind myself that he would have been disappointed if I gave up. My publisher was very supportive during this time. Focusing on renewing my energy helped me finally regain my writing balance.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

I use real life all the time. Where else should I draw inspiration? I don’t believe it has gotten me into trouble. I think everyone is still speaking to me . . . hmmm, well now, you’ve given me something to think about. Is everyone still speaking to me?

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

If anything, it is better than I could ever have imagined it. I like setting my own hours. My husband traveled and writing allowed me to be available to my children and still work. I also like following anything that interests me, knowing every experience, every meeting, every adventure is all fodder for books. And I like the people I meet. Writers come from all different backgrounds. I’m never surprised to learn who is writing a book and find their life stories fascinating.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I do the usual, a website, FB, guest blogging on loops. I’ve never minded promotion. I enjoy people so I like to talk and rub shoulders with folks. But the most effective way to win over readers is to put my energy in my books. People can lack me all they want, but if the book isn’t good, all the promotion in the world will not help.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Write the best book you can. Readers will find you.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I toyed with the Alpha/Beta male. Over lunch last week, some readers were complaining about the men they were meeting. They want a take charge man who can change a tire, fix the plumbing, and tell them to stop shopping. Okay, well, maybe not the latter. But they want someone they will listen to and respect. In THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL, I’m riffing on that same idea. Do we really want the ueber-strong male? Or a cross of strength and compassion? I sense the last. I believe that when we break down what we want, both men and women, we are all looking for someone we trust and someone who isn’t afraid to step up to the plate. Whiners and welchers are not heroic.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

The dynamic scenes between Corinne and Will. You know, the ones where they go toe-to-toe. Great fun!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Spending a summer week in the Cotswolds lazing in a hammock and enjoying the peace, the calm, the beauty--wait! That is my dream. Lazing around is what I want to do!
As for my hero, he doesn’t care where he is as long as there is a feather mattress and his wife. Men have a remarkable habit of cutting right to the chase.

And finally, some extra thoughts from me--

The most important news about my new book THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL doesn’t have anything to do with the book, but about the meaning behind the K.I.S.S. and Teal label on the book’s cover. Avon Books has donated $25,000 to ovarian cancer research and has also committed to donating 25¢ from the sale of each book, physical and eBook, in the "K.I.S.S. and Teal" promotion between 8/30/2011 and 2/28/2012, up to an additional $25,000 toward programs that support ovarian cancer patients and their families. More important, the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are printed on the back page of every September book.

How did Avon Books get involved in promoting awareness of ovarian cancer? Avon Editorial Director Carrie Feron lost a family friend to this cancer and super-bestselling writer Eloisa James lost her mother. They were talking and realized there wasn’t enough being done to promote awareness--and it is such a killer. Of the 21,000 women who will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, 15,000 will die because the cancer has been discovered too late. It is important we learn the signs and share them.

For your information, those signs are: bloating; pelvic and abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency). I know, I know, too common, right? You are correct. But if you are feeling any of those symptoms on a daily basis, please, get yourself to a doctor. Or in historical terms, hie thee to a doctor!

I know you're busy. I know you are juggling far too many tasks and heading into the doc for bloating isn’t something you want to do right now. I know money is tight. But please do it anyway. Think about the statistics--15,000 out of the 21,000 diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not survive. Better the doc tells you it is nothing to worry about than finding yourself one of the 15,000 ovarian cancer patients who will not beat this disease.

And take care of yourselves! There is only one of you. Treat yourself as the unique, vibrant person you are.

* * *

THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL is available in paperback and eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indie Bound, as well as any good book store near you.

Beat That Negative Voice!

2011-09-19T08:39:00.000+01:00

So, you did it. You submitted your New Voices entry. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the email announcing you're in the top twenty, right?

Right.

Or at least that's how it should be. Unfortunately, your inner critic often gets louder at times like these. It'll quite unhelpfully compare your entry to one you just read and enjoyed. It'll prevent you from finishing your chapter. It'll convince you that submitting is just too hard. In short, it sucks. It's also what's standing between you and your dreams.

The good news is that you can conquer it and here's how:

1. Recognise it.

Whether it's doubt (telling you that you can't or shouldn't do something), excuses (that are so easy to accept but in the long run prevent you from achieving your goals), pressure (telling you it's too hard and to stop now) or fear (that speaks of your inadequacies to prevent you moving forward), you need to be aware of the thought when it happens. Often this enough to pull it up short.

2. Replace it

Replace it with a positive thought. At first this may feel idiotic depending on how long your negative inner voice has had free reign but find comfort in the fact that you're not alone. Olympians use these same techniques and they had to start from scratch too. If that inner voice is telling you that your writing isn't good enough for New Voices, replace it with the thought that it is. Of course it is! Your voice and writing style is unique to you and the judges are looking for new and unique. If you don't enter, they can't discover you, and that would be a shame.

3. Reject it

If you find your inner critic is on some sort of playback loop you can interrupt it by saying "Stop!" in your mind. Sounds ridiculous, yes? Ah, but the mind is a funny thing and this sort of technique is enough to shock it in a similar way to if someone shouted the word in your face. Pinching yourself is another option, but it's a bit more of a shock to the system. Your mind will associate the thought with a negative response and do exactly as you say: stop. The more often you break the pattern, the less the loop occurs.

4. Reconstruct it

When you find yourself thinking negatively about your entry, use the word "but" and point out the positive aspects. For example, "My punctuation is lousy - but my characters are unique and engaging." We all want our entries to be perfect but "to err is human" and we often place too much importance on the little things that editors can be quoted saying won't rule you out. You won't be disqualified for forgetting comma, so don't sweat the small stuff. It's much nicer to focus on the things that are great about your entry because they're what will be responsible for getting you into the top 20. And if you don't know what they are, how will you repeat themin round two?

So, now you're all set to banish the crows of doubt. Remember, thoughts have tremendous power. They've been linked to the recovery or exacerbation of illnesses. Athletes the world over use these techniques. You don't get to the Olympics by believing you suck. You don't win the Olympics by believing you suck. The exact same thing can be said for your writing.

Source: Body and Soul

New Voices

2011-09-16T11:09:00.000+01:00

Entering this year was not something I was *always* going to do. After last year and the demoralising depletion of rose count I was determined this year I would sit on the sidelines and cheer on others. But as the months wore on, it became clear that this year's competition would coincide with a really difficult time for me personally. So I decided I would enter and use it as a distraction from reality. I had a hero in mind, one that has been nagging at me for a few years now. He's inspired by James Blunt's song "No Bravery". As soon as I heard that song, I knew I needed to create a hero who doesn't feel brave simply because of the job that he does, that's his duty--his life. But he will come to realise that his true bravery is the way he has got right back up after adversity and made new goals for himself and carried on simply living his life. And I guess that's what writing is like. Sometimes it sucks and you never want to pick up your metaphoric pen ever again but then at other times it's the only thing that keeps you sane and you know you'd only be existing, not living, if you never wrote again.

http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/92-Coming-Home

Romy sneaking in here:

Thank you so much for entering this year, Catherine. Your hero is divine, and I'm so glad readers are getting a chance to meet him - and I'm really, really grateful that you're there to hold my hand!

I've been feeling pretty okay with entering this year. I wasn't worried about rose counts, and didn't pin my hopes on getting anywhere. I just wanted readers' feedback on my writing, and hoped for a passing comment from an editor or published author.

So why, when the moment came to upload my entry, did I feel sick? My mouse hovered over the "enter" button for an age before I finally steeled myself to do it.

But it's up, the nerves are gone, and now we can sit back and enjoy the rest of the contest. And there are so many really excellent entries this year, that we can keep busy reading, and reading, and reading ...

http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/89-Once-Upon-A-Time

Congratulations to SONALI who has won a book from Natasha Tate. Contact us with your details via our 'Contact' link.

Author Spotlight - Natasha Tate

2011-09-14T00:20:00.000+01:00

We're honoured today to welcome Natasha Tate, one of the newly acquired Harlequin Presents authors.

Welcome, Natasha! Take it away...

What is your writing process?
My writing process varies, depending on how close I am to my deadline. When I’m in first draft mode, I tend to write at a more leisurely pace. I find I spend time writing a lot of narrative and dialogue, trying to figure out what resonates, what feels awkward, and who my characters want to be. I typically write this part of the book while walking on my treadmill, and can log as much as 10 miles in a day. After I’ve written about half the book, it either takes off or I have to go back to the drawing board because I haven’t settled on my characters’ inner conflicts yet. If my characters are muddled, I have a really hard time moving forward. But once I’ve written enough to settle on a theme and my characters’ inner conflicts, then the writing really starts to gel. I abandon my treadmill and commit to having my butt in the chair because multitasking too much slows my pace. Sometimes, when the inner conflicts come to me early on, I can write a book in less than a month. But at other times, when I’ve danced around the theme for what feels like forever, it can take up to three months. My hope is that one of these days, I’ll be able to figure out the inner conflicts and theme before I’ve written 25K words!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I am pretty type A in just about every area of my life. I set goals, have spreadsheets that track my word count, and would rather lose an arm than miss a deadline. I’m also a people pleaser, so I tend to be one of those annoying “turn-it-in-early” types. If I’ve got a four month contract, I set my weekly goals based on a three month schedule. That way, if something unexpected comes up (like that can’t-miss-it shoe sale), I can take a day off with upping my stress level too much. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that I grew up with a military father and suffered through a regimen of white glove inspections and demerits. I wake up at 4:30 AM in the morning at least five days a week to keep all my various plates spinning, and since I also have a full time day job, slacking off when I have time to write is just not an option.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I work out at a local gym in the mornings and I walk on the treadmill while I’m writing. I used to walk at the gym, but fitting writing into the day has meant that I can’t waste too much time on an activity that only works my body. So I’ve started running, just so I can burn the same number of calories in less time.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe that my writing only gets blocked when the story or the characters are blocked. If characters aren’t behaving in a way that is properly motivated, the writing stalls. I can still produce pages and word count, but the story doesn’t work and I don’t really move forward until I have a handle on how the characters need to change. So if by writer’s block you mean staring at a screen and producing nothing, then no, I do not believe in it. But if it means that you’ve hit a wall and you have to burrow through it through sheer force of will, then yes. It’s alive and thriving.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
Fortunately, I haven’t had to rely on real life incidents yet. I’m still relatively new and I have enough fantasy incidents that have been living in my head to populate stories for a while yet. But when those run out, I may have to start digging a little deeper for inspiration. I suppose in a pinch, my in-laws could supply a lot of fodder for my writing. They’re good natured enough that they probably wouldn’t punish me too harshly for exploiting them!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Since I have so many friends who’ve entered the published ranks ahead of me, I think my expectations have been more realistic than those who plunge into the publishing world with little ramp up time. I will say, however, that I’ve had to adjust my time management a bit more than I expected, simply because there are other tasks writers must do in addition to writing. Now, I find I need to allocate time to updating my website, responding to fans (the best part of my new writing life yet!), mailing out books for reviews, and juggling all the various components of promotion. Before I was published, I had far more flexibility with my timelines. Now that I’m on a three books per year schedule, I can’t take a month off to focus on the day job. Things are a lot tighter than I expected them to be.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
I’m really, really fortunate to write for Harlequin Presents, which takes a lot of promotional pressure off of me. The brand itself sells better than anything I could singlehandedly do to promote myself, so it grants me a bit of breathing room to learn as I go. My first priority was to have a website built, and that took a while to find a designer (Rae Monet did an awesome job for me!), settle on a website that matched my vision and voice, and get it populated with content. Keeping that up to date requires a bit of time, so that’s always the first item on my promotional to-do list. I also have a blog and a twitter account, though those have taken the back seat until I finish this current book. I’m also presenting a workshop at the Emerald City Writers’ Conference this year with my good friend Candis Terry, so hopefully, that will help to get some name recognition for me and help me give back a little to the writing community who has helped me so much over the years. I’ve also created author pages on the amazon.com websites, Harlequin offers an author bio on their site, and I participate in various blogs as an invited guest. (Yeah Minxes!)

What is your top promo tip for other authors?
Definitely have a professional website built, and have it up and running before your first book hits the shelves. I believe that this is where readers will go first to find information about you and your books. Its value cannot be underplayed.

What did you learn while writing this book?
I learned that my voice actually works better with contemporaries than with historicals! For years, I’d focused on historicals to no avail. Discovering that I had the ability to write a book set in the here and now was a real eye opener for me.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

The best part of writing this book was how escapist it felt. I love the whole Presents promise, and diving into a story that fit the line felt like I was playing instead of working! I loved layering in the drama, the glamour, the emotion, and the heightened sensual tension into my story. It felt like I was creating a wonderful dessert and a guilty pleasure all at once. Writing a story where two wounded characters find their way to love and forgiveness is a catharsis all its own, and I loved every minute of it!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
Ethan’s honeymoon destination of choice would be the idyllic Caribbean island he purchased from Cate, of course! What better place to seduce his lovely new bride than the birthplace of their love?

Blurb from An Inconvenient Obsession:

The Carrington family's island is up for auction…

Now, that's an invitation Ethan Hardesty just can't refuse. This groundskeeper's son turned global entrepreneur has it all. All, that is, except a piece of the Carrington estate—the island that holds all his most pleasurable and painful memories.

Ethan doesn't count on the beautiful Cate Carrington handling the transaction—and providing him with the perfect opportunity to take her into the bargain. But toying with the woman who was once the girl he loved and lost soon turns from a game into an all-out obsession…

Natasha is giving away a copy of An Inconvenient Obsession to one lucky non-Minx reader, so don't forget to leave a comment!

Links to purchase:

eharlequin store

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Thanks so much for being here today, Natasha! It's been great getting to know you :)

Remember Me

2011-09-12T13:33:00.001+01:00

We usually preserve movie reviews for Fridays here on Minxes, but in honour of remembering New York on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I'm breaking the tradition and featuring the film Remember Me.

Set in New York, this is a ponderous, atmospheric film starring Robert Pattinson and Pierce Brosnan, which centres around a family dealing with loss, each character handling the loss of a son and brother in a different way.

I found the film a little too slow moving, and spent most of the movie wondering just what the point was. The point is made clear in the closing two minutes of the film. Two minutes which pull all the film's strands together, give the entire movie a new twist, and leave viewers with an image so graphic and moving that you'll remember it long afterwards.

That final image is still clear in my head months after watching the film, and still brings a lump to my throat.

Our condolences to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, and to those who are gone: you will be remembered.

Storytelling Through Dance

2011-09-09T08:30:00.002+01:00

Yep, once again I’m here to confess another obsession!

So You Think You Can Dance (US Version)

I’ve known about this series for a while (it’s in its 8th Season) but nothing really drew me to it until a few folks on Twitter tweeted about it. On a whim I tracked down a few YouTube clips and OMG, I fell in love!

Let’s just say I’ve seen “most” of the series and like the dedicated writer that I am, have totally fallen in love with the art of story telling through dance.

In case you start to think I’ve totally gone bonkers and need to be carted off by the men in white coats, in the recent Emmy announcements, SYTYCD got five out of eight nominations for its choreography alone and the show’s host, our very own Brit-grown Cat Deeley, was also nominated for best reality show host. So, really, it’s a great show…and I’m not crazy…just sayin’!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you a few clips that shows what I’m talking about.

My personal favourite and very effective in channelling the black moment: the “infidelity/heartbreak” routine.

This one is entitled (paraphrasing) "the ups and downs of falling in love"

Then the's the friends to lovers routine that gave me goosebumps when I first saw it...

Then to finish with my family’s favourite, the “girl power” routine. Watch out for Lady Gaga’s shoe at the end. My husband googled the band after watching it and now knows everything about District 78!

By the time this post goes out, I’ll know this year’s winner. Personally, I wish I could give two awards as I can't choose between Sasha and Melanie, but then again, I love Marko too so whoever wins I would make me extremely happy too.

Enjoy!

Author Spotlight - Scarlet Wilson

2011-09-07T08:00:00.003+01:00

Today we welcome Minxy friend Scarlet Wilson, making her debut this month with Mills & Boon Medical. We love Scarlet and all we can say is: go out and buy her book!

Thanks for joining us here today, Scarlet.

* * *

What is your writing process?
I work full-time and have two young sons with numerous evening activities, so my main writing process is doing as much as possible, in as little time as possible! I write 1000 words a day, mainly in my half hour lunch break. Writing everyday keeps me focused. Any research I need to do for my book I’ll do at night when I’ve got a bit more time for surfing the net. Any medical research I need to do I can generally do in a phone call. I’ve worked in hospitals, community and public health and I’ll generally know someone who can give me the answer to the question I’m looking for.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?
It’s got to be a priority that fits into my life. As long as I meet my word count every day then I’m happy. Even if what I write is crap – I can edit crap the next day!

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
No I don’t. I’m inherently lazy and I’m starting to get fat!

Do you believe in writer's block?
Can I be controversial and say no? I think you can write your way through it. Even if you don’t like what you’re writing or think that it’s wrong. Even when I’m hideously stuck and have no idea what happens next in the manuscript I keep writing. If I do that, the characters tell me what happens next.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

No. My imagination is much better than real life. I’ve yet to meet a George Clooney or Patrick Dempsey in real life. When I first found out I was going to be published, lots of people I worked with asked, “Am I in your book?” I resisted the temptation to tell them they weren’t interesting enough!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

There are still loads of things I don’t know. For some reason I thought being published would give me whole host of information that would mean I knew exactly what I was doing. It hasn’t happened. Sometimes I feel as if I find things out by accident.The medical authors have a group e-mail loop and they’ve been great when I’ve had any queries.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I’ve built a website and a Facebook author page prior to my release. I’ve been blogging for the last 18 months on my own page and now have a spot on the eharlequin medical author blog every month. I like to join in the chats on the some of the online forums and comment on other people’s blogs. But I’m not a “in their face” girl. I’ve lined up a few spots on blogs for my first book launch but that’s it.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Get online and speak to others!

What did you learn while writing this book?
That revisions are hard, really hard. I got the third set and wanted to give up. I felt as if I couldn’t deliver what they wanted. But I got two pep talks – one from my editor Sally Williamson, who must have sensed I was struggling and phoned me to talk me through them, and the other from Kate Hardy, another Mills and Boon medical author who gave me some really good advice.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Seeing the story come to life. I could see scenes playing in my head like a Hallmark movie and wanted to get them down on paper.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
Cooper would take Missy and their lovely baby to a beach front bungalow in St Lucia, with an inbuilt cook, nanny and masseuse!

The Blurb:
After one hot date….Dr Cooper Roberts has a new job and the chance to begin a new life. What’s most definitely not in his plans? Waking up with his new colleague, Melissa Bell…And having to hold his head up above the dropped jaws of his fellow docs as he escorts Missy to buy a pregnancy test!

It Started with a Pregnancy is available to buy on Amazon and fromMills and Boon

* * *

Scarlet will be giving away a book to one non-Minxy commenter - so get commenting!

Revenge is sweet

2011-09-05T08:54:00.002+01:00

Following on from Suzanne Minx's post last week on Writing vs Real Life, I'd like to add my own reason why I love to write: Revenge is sweet, but being happy is the sweetest revenge of all.

I'm pretty sure this happens for every writer and I'm not unique, but I love when I've had a hard day at the day job, and I'm feeling stressed out about some issue, then I sit at the laptop and start to write ... and next thing I know, I'm sucked into the story.

When I'm writing I forget all the bad stuff that happens outside my novel, and get so into the head space of my characters that nothing else matters. After a while, I even find I'm smiling (unless it's a tear jerker scene, in which case I'm smiling through tears).

The boss, the deadlines, the stresses of the day, don't mean a thing beside that incredible feeling when the words are flowing, and you're in tune with your characters and your story. You know what I mean, don't you?

I'm a big fan of The Secret, and one of the principles taught by Rhonda Byrne in The Secret is that you need to get yourself into a happy state of being before you can change your life and get what you want. And just as I write this blog post, an email pops into my inbox:

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

When you find your purpose, it is like your heart has been set alight with passion. You know it absolutely, without any doubt.

So to everyone out there in my Real Life, this is my revenge: my heart has been "set alight with passion", and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it!

(Though it'd still be nice to get the ultimate in revenge by selling so many books that I can give up the day job stresses and enjoy the stresses of being fabulously successful instead.)

Man of the Month Poll - Athletes

2011-09-02T14:48:00.000+01:00

Somehow I have managed to snag another Man of the Month post. I could brag that it's my superior researching skills *ahem* but I think it's more to do with me screaming on our email group "me, me! I can do an athlete post to tie in with the World Championships!" and then I begged a little. Ok, a lot. And the lovely Minxes let me find more droolworthy sporting men *happy smile*.

To start with, the fastest man on two legs--Jamaica's Usain Bolt. Of course, all of those athletics fans out there will know that he didn't do too well in the 100m. Although I was sad not to see him at his best, I very much appreciated him taking his top off!

Next is the so called "fastest man on no legs" South Africa's Oscar Pistorius. Amazingly, he had both legs amputated as a child and has fought to be allowed to run in the World Championships this year, against able bodied athletes. That he's had to fight to be able to run is incredibly sad, but I'm so glad he was able to compete and he is a true inspiration.

This is Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen who competes in the javelin. Just look at the size of those arms!!

Next is Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi. You can't really tell from this picture but this man is an absolute mountain! And has the most amazing dimples too!

This guy has my undying love {probably only for a few weeks because I am fickle that way} as he performed in 10 events which is done over two days. The pain etched on his face as he finished the last event, the 1500m was amazing. Got to love a tortured hero! Decathlete Trey Hardee is my last choice.

The poll is at the top left, you know what to do, ladies! And please don't hesitate to share any of your fave athletes I've left out, we love extra research over at the Minxes!!