Author Spotlight - Charlotte Phillips

Today we're pleased to welcome the fabulously minxy, Harlequin KISS/Riva author, Charlotte Phillips to the blog. You may remember Charlotte as one of the finalists from New Voices 2011. 

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

I’ve been faffing about with writing since I was just a kid but it’s only in the last few years that I started taking it seriously. The turning point for me came when I entered a chapter in Mills & Boon’s New Voices competition in 2011. I ended up in the final four and after that I started throwing everything at my writing ambitions. All my achievements since have come from that moment. I squash my writing around family life, keeping two teenagers out of trouble and looking after a four-year old.

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th?(Nora only!)

This is my second published book but it was the first one I wrote (if that makes sense!). I spent years picking it up, fiddling with it and shutting it back in the wardrobe before I eventually submitted it to Mills & Boon. It was initially rejected after major revisions but after I sold they asked to look at it again. It has a limited release in the UK only for now, although I hope it will get a full release further down the line. I’m so happy it will finally get out there as it really was my baby!

3. 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?

Shoe shopping has its place! I definitely have times when writing is the best thing ever and the words seem to flow from my fingers, and then other times when it’s like pulling teeth. Forcing myself to keep writing at those times is the only thing that works for me. I set a target of 1k a day and make myself keep going until I reach it, even if I’m still messing about at 3pm and I think I’m writing dross. Some of the time it turns out not to be dross and even if it is, once the words are down they are far more fixable.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Not to get too bogged down by the promo! I’m on Twitter and Facebook and I try to blog at least once a month. I also think it’s important to have a website with good up-to-date information on your books, along with excerpts, blurbs, buying links etc. I’ve just discovered Goodreads (can’t believe it’s taken me so long) and I think that is a fabulous site. But all this stuff takes up a lot of time and the most important thing is to get the books done to the absolute best standard I can. I try to prioritise that.

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

Since my smallest daughter started school last September I’m much more time-rich than I used to be! I try to write from 9am-12pm on weekdays, longer if I haven’t hit my wordcount or if it’s flowing particularly well. In the afternoon I make notes or draft scenes by hand in between doing housework and running around after the kids. I have notebooks all over the place! Weekends are family time, but I still fit in the odd hour here and there, especially if I’m near a deadline.

6. Which blog(s) do you read regularly?

I read from my article list on Blogger every day. I love the articles on Romance University, I always read the Minxes blog (of course!) and I especially like the craft posts that some of the authors I follow write – Maisey Yates does craft advice brilliantly, as does Fiona Harper.

7. Any craft books you recommend?

Liz Fielding’s Little Book Of Writing Romance is a brilliant pared-down craft book for keeping you on track while you write your first draft. It cuts through all the faff.
Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat! and Michael Hauge’s Writing Screenplays That Sell are invaluable to me. I’m a real planner and I’ve used both their approaches and found them so helpful.
And Stephen King’s On Writing for its pure kick-up-the-butt inspiration.

8. Could you be friends with any of your heroines?

I feel like I’m best mates with all my heroines while I’m writing them. I always feel like I’m really living their journey and as a result I have to work really hard to make sure I don’t neglect the hero. I have to keep in mind that it’s a 50-50 story of two people with their own backgrounds and experiences that converges.

9. At what point in your career did you actually start to feel like you were a writer?

It’s all still a bit surreal, to be honest! I think when I received my first box of author copies. Seeing my name on the cover was a special moment.

10. Do you write to music, or with the tv on in the background, or do you need complete silence?

I can write to any of these quite happily. I think the ability to tune sound out stems from all that time spent squeezing my writing in around a mad toddler. I still do a lot of writing by hand in notebooks with Disney films in the background or at the end of the table while my small one builds things from Lego. But I’m just as happy writing in total silence. Whatever works in the time I have!

The Proposal Plan

Click to buy from Amazon (UK release only, sadly)

How do you get the wedding you’ve always wanted?

Lucy Telford knows all about heartache – her teenage crush on her friend Gabriel Blake was a crash course in unrequited love – but these days she’s determined to make her own happy ending. If her boyfriend won’t get down on one knee, she’ll just have to ask him herself!

Step one is enlisting Gabriel’s help – as an absolute woman-magnet, surely he can give her some tips on becoming irresistible? But Lucy’s perfect plan goes awry when she starts wondering if she’s asking the right man to walk her down the aisle…

Author Spotlight - Liz Fielding

I've been a fan of Liz's since I first started reading Mills & Boon Romances (which wasn't as long ago as that might seem!) Her books consistently manage to move me both to tears and laughter. So I am especially delighted to host her here in our Spotlight today. Welcome. Liz.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

My first romance, An Image of You, was published in December 1992, so this year marks the twentieth anniversary of my career as a published romance writer. The changes during that time have been extraordinary. Where I once sat in isolation, writing stories for people who would occasionally put pen to paper and tell me how much they appreciated them, I now chat daily with a supportive coterie of authors and readers in a worldwide community of romance lovers.

In my real world, I’ve been married for 40 years to the same man, have two fabulous grown-up children, two lovely granddaughters and I live in the mystical south-west of England within the triangle of Stonehenge, Glastonbury and my favourite city, the Regency playground of Bath.

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th?(Nora only!)

The Last Woman He’d Ever Date is my sixty-first for Harlequin Mills and Boon – my sixty-fourth in all.

3. 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 discipline. It’s my job. Shoe shopping is for the weekends.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

That is just so hard. You create a website that showcases your work. If you’re happy blogging, then keep it short and interesting. Treat your followers on twitter and facebook like people, not just a sales opportunity. And remember that none of it works if you spend so much time on social network that you’re not producing the books.

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

I get up early – around six o’clock and work until lunchtime. The afternoon is for research, housework (aka thinking time) and gardening.

6. Is there a book you haven't written yet that you're dying to? What genre?

I get asked this so often and yes, I have a romcom/crime book — a cross between Katie Fforde and Jennifer Crusie on my back burner. It’s about time I stopped talking about it and got writing!

7. Any craft books you recommend?

Kate Walker’s 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is brilliant. And I’d also recommend Save the Cat by Blake Snyder – it’s a screen writing book, but full of great stuff.

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

No, and that has to change. My hips complain if I ask too much of them, but we have swimming pool quite near and my plan is to cut down on the carbs and take to the water.

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

I’m sure most unpublished writers think that getting published is the end. That you have arrived and after that it’s going to be easy. It’s not, it’s just the beginning. I went to hear Ben Kane and Val McDermid talk at our local library a couple of weeks ago and they both said the same. Each book is like the first. You’re back to square one. The technique gets stronger, but your standard gets higher and achieving the vision of the story in your head is always at the end of the rainbow.

10. Just for fun: a year from the end of the book, where would your couple go on holiday?

Italy. Claire would want to see the fabulous gardens, Hal would want to indulge her. And after all that walking they’d spend some time in one of those steep little villages on the coast to relax in the sun, drink wonderful wine and eat the fabulous food.

11. Could you be friends with any of your heroines?

I hope I write characters that my readers would want as a best friend but if I had to choose I’d want Amy Jones in The Bachelor’s Baby (and a bit player in several other books) as a best friend. And Belle in Reunited: Marriage in a Million.

Tall, dark and brooding — and back for good!

Claire Thackery: Hardworking single mom, working for the local newspaper. Hoping for the inside scoop on sexy billionaire Hal North, aka her teenage crush, to get her career back on track.
Most wary of: Gorgeous men who set hr heart racing. (Been there — using the T-shirt as a duster — and has the baby to prove it.)

Hal North: Bad boy made good. Back in his hometown as new owner of the Cranbrook Park estate, with some scores to settle.
Most wary of: Journalists — especially pretty ones, like his new tenant, Claire Thackeray.


The Last Woman He'd Ever Date is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and direct from Mills & Boon / Harlequin.


You can follow Liz on her blog and on Twitter.

Author Spotlight - Joss Wood

I am absolutely thrilled to have fellow South African Joss Wood in the spotlight today. Not only is Joss' debut novel a re-launch title for Riva (my favourite M&B line) but she's also the first South African to sell to Harlequin / Mills & Boon in the 21st century. You go girl!

What is your writing process?

Even while I’m working on a MS, I always have ideas bubbling away in the background. As an idea comes to me for a new book− or a heroine/hero with a problem− I jot them down and carry on writing. When I’m waiting for revisions to come back from my editor, I go through those ideas again to see if any of the premises/ ideas jump up and shout ‘write me, write me!’ If they do, I start fleshing the story out, if not I pace the floor, eat cookies and worry whether I’ll ever write another book again.

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?

If I’m not pulled back into the story by the previous chapter then I grit my teeth and write anyway. And then I write some more. The first couple of pages are usually absolute rubbish but I start getting into the flow and my right brain takes over. I’m an absolute believer in right brain and left brain writing and when I allow my right brain to be in control, then writing is that much easier. And better.

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

Does running after my kids count? Nope…didn’t think so. I know that I have to find the time to exercise but with a pressure filled but flexible job and two kids with crazy and varied school, social and sporting lives, exercise falls way down the list. I know, I know….that answer sounds wet, even to me…

Do you believe in writer's block?

I don’t actually. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that I can’t allow myself to believe in writer’s block because I have such limited time to write. The time I set aside to write has to produce black letters on a white screen…

I mentioned right brained writing earlier and I went on a course to learn how to easily slide into right brained writing and that’s what I do now. Since learning those techniques I really haven’t struggled with writer’s block because I just fall into the story and let my subconscious take over.

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

In my book She’s So Over Him, the scene where Maddie gets stuck in her own bathroom is based, very loosely, on something a friend’s daughter experienced. At the moment I get into trouble because my friends tell me there is not enough of them in my books! Oh, and the scene in She’s So Over Him, when Maddie puts red food colouring into the pool and turns the pool− and Cale’s dog− pink? That’s courtesy of my very good friend Tracey, who routinely tosses food colouring into her pool and turns her Golden Labrador (who loves water) pink or green or blue.

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

Getting published is such a thrill; surreal and fun and such a kick in the head. (In a nice way!) When that all died down, I admit that I went through a spell about two months ago when I felt quite overwhelmed by it all. Nikki Logan, a Riva author, put it in perspective for me. She said that before you are published writing, for most people, is an escape and once you become published, some of that is taken away and it becomes a business. Time that you would’ve spent writing is now taken up by Facebook and Twitter and because I’m neurotic *grin*, I’m always second guessing myself. Just recently, I’ve made a conscious decision to trust the process, to trust myself and to enjoy the ride.

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

I’m on Facebook and Twitter and have a Blogspot. I’m in the process of establishing a website and I am grateful for any opportunity to feature on anyone else’s blog. So, thanks, Minxes!

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Not so much a promo tip but I found that by meeting other authors and joining Writers Loops, I have learnt so much about what and what not to do. The wonderful authors from Harlequin and Mills and Boon have been so incredibly helpful.

What did you learn while writing this book?

She’s So Over Him being my first book, I learnt that the character’s motivation has to be water tight and consistent and deep enough to be believable, that dialogue is incredibly important and that romance is incredibly hard to write.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I just fell utterly in love with the characters and felt bereft when they went off to enjoy their happily ever after. I just enjoyed them….their hang ups, their chemistry, they way they had to be dragged, especially Cale, to his happy ever after!

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

Cale’s honeymoon destination….? Mmm, that’s a hard one. I suspect that it’ll be a bit off the wall, like sailing a catamaran up the coast or hiring an isolated cottage in the mountains. But definitely away from any shops so that Maddie can’t indulge in her insane shopping habit!

BLURB:

What not to do with your ex…

Maddie Shaw has spent the last ten years not thinking about her fast-and-furious fling with Cale Grant. His dark blue eyes, his hot chocolate voice, his magic touch… No, she doesn’t remember anything like that. Only the numbing devastation when he let her down and she walked away.

Now Cale’s sauntered back into Maddie’s life – drinking in the same bars, working on the same projects, and setting off the same fireworks inside her. It’s Maddie’s chance to prove just how over her ex she really is…but one steamy kiss later she’s fallen at the first hurdle…!

She's so Over Him is currently available here from Mills & Boon, and will be available from 1st October on Amazon and Amazon UK.

You can follow Joss on her blog and on Twitter.

Author Spotlight - Fiona Harper

Thanks so much to wonderful Riva author Fiona Harper who has agreed to join us today. Thanks so much for being with us today, Fiona!

What is your writing process?

Once I’ve had the initial idea for a story, I start fleshing out the characters. Usually, one character will be stronger in my mind, so I start with them. These days I don’t bother so much with minor details, such as where they went to school or what their hobbies are, but I try and dig as deep as I can to find out what makes them tick. What are the things they won’t compromise on, no matter what? What is their deepest fear? What do they long for in their heart of hearts? If you could get inside their heads, what would be running on a loop in the background – e.g. “I must be perfect” or “I can’t lose control”.

I find script-writing consultant, Michael Hauge’s questions and theories really helpful at this stage (http://storymastery.com). Then, once I know my characters well, I start to devise a plot that will push them to grow and change and learn their lessons. Essentially, I start with inner motivation and inner conflict first, and then I use the outer motivation and conflict to force them into facing their demons.

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?

This might seem a bit strange but I get away from the computer and out of the house. It’s so easy to be distracted by not only all the things that need to be done but emails and social media! I often write a first draft longhand, so I will take myself off to a café (or somewhere else where I have nothing else to do but write) and get on with it.

I use a kitchen timer. I set it for either 30 or 45 minutes and I start writing, and I don’t stop until it dings. Don’t tell anyone – but sometimes I do just go shopping…

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

Sigh. I’m trying to. Sometimes I go to the gym for a workout and then sit in the on-site café and write afterwards, because then I get to feel doubly virtuous! I really need to be a bit more consistent about it, though.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes and no. I’ve got stuck a few times, but I’ve written enough books now to know that if I just keep going it will get better – and usually after a much shorter time period than I expect. I don’t think I’ve suffered from true writer’s block yet, but I know friends who have, and it’s just awful.

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

In my book Break Up To Make Up, I had an in-car satellite navigation system that misbehaved and took the hero and heroine on a wild goose chase. All the sat nav’s crazy instructions were based on real-life experiences, unfortunately. No trouble from using it in the story, but it caused plenty of arguments in the car with my other half!

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

It’s a lot less glamorous! And I don’t get to sit around and write all the time because there are plenty of other writing-related jobs that take up my time, like keeping accounts, checking proofs, updating my website and doing promotional stuff.

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

To be honest, I’m not someone who loves the promotional side of things. I’m not an extrovert and I’m much happier just getting on with the writing. I think you have to find a way to promote yourself and your books in a way that you feel comfortable with, and different approaches will suit different personalities. I try to keep my website up to date, and I attempt (less successfully) to blog regularly, but I’m also active on Facebook and Twitter, although I tend to just pop on and be myself rather than have a big marketing strategy.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find really aggressive promotion (for anything) off-putting. My advice is for authors, no matter how excited we are about our latest book, is to remember that potential readers are people to engage with, not just statistics on a graph – that’s why we write in the first place, after all, isn’t it?

What did you learn while writing this book?

That I love writing in first person! It wasn’t something I’d tried before, so I was a little nervous about it. However, I loved the immediacy of it, and the way I could get right inside my character’s head and viewpoint in a way I’d never been able to do before.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Definitely my heroine, Coreen. She’d appeared as a secondary character in two other books and I was desperate to give her a story of her own. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a sexy, sassy, polka-dot wearing vintage fashion drama queen? She was such fun to write – maybe because she’s very different from me and I got to be outrageous by proxy.

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

Ooh, let me think… Well, Adam, the hero of Swept Off Her Stilettos, builds luxury treehouses for a living, so I think his ideal honeymoon would involve a treehouse somewhere tropical and secluded, where he could be in his own private world with his very lucky bride!


A little finger isn't properly dressed without a man wrapped around it...

Clothing connoisseur Coreen Fraser's film-star style never leaves her wanting for male attention! But sourcing for a 1930s murder-mystery weekend stops being fun when she discovers she has to wear a tweed suit and sensible shoes!

Meanwhile Coreen's best friend Adam Conrad has his own plans for the weekend... And one moonlit kiss later Coreen's blinkers fall from her eyes. Adam is the only man who knows the girl underneath the skyscraper heels and scarlet lipstick. But is she brave enough to invite him to kiss it off any time he likes...?

Swept Off Her Stilletos is available at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Mills&Boon, eHarlequin and, of course, all usual book stockists.

Author Spotlight - Aimee Carson

The Minxes are super pleased to welcome the very lovely and supportive Aimee Carson to visit us today. Aimee is travelling today but will pop in to visit with us when she can, so let's make her feel welcome!

What is your writing process?
I’m a combination plotter/pantster, though I lean more heavily in the plotter direction. I develop the characters and conflict, do research, and write potential scene ideas on notecards—tacking them up on a story board (set up like a painter’s easel - dh is very handy) I take some time to think, ponder, dream, and wallow in the conflict, shuffling the order of the cards and filling in new scene ideas as I go. Once I’ve identified my major turning points, I start writing and rarely look at the board again. Of course, things often change because new layers to the conflict will be unearthed and interesting character quirks will be discovered. But that’s the fun, pantster part! As far as the writing goes, it’s up every morning at 3 or 4 and BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard) ‘till I can’t take it anymore.

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?
Shopping is great, but I’d rather be riding my motorcycle! When I get really stuck and want to give up, I make myself write for 15 minutes on/5 minutes off. Giving myself those frequent breaks helps me keep at it when it’s a particularly difficult day.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I have a dog who knows how to make life difficult if she’s not taken on her daily walk in the woods. And I do yoga—without the dog, of course.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I’m a firm believer in the theory that positive or negative thoughts often become your reality, so my take would be this: the moment you start thinking you have writer’s block, you do.

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

I get snippets of ideas from real life but so far there’s been no trouble. Of course, this is my debut book so there’s always hope :-]

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

Well, I knew there would be time pressures. I just had no idea how painful that could be!

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

I blog, I twitter, and I’m on Facebook. My husband just signed me up for a google + account, but I refuse to participate until someone develops a SIMPLE, easy-to-use universal remote that will control all of the social networking sites. They can do it for your TV/stero/DVD player etc., so why not social networking?!?

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I think it was Donald Mass who said there are two things that sell a novel: writing a good book and word of mouth. I believe it’s important to have an online presence—and I don’t mean constantly talking about yourself and your books. Engage with others and let them see the real you, because your personality and your voice are a big part of your brand. But most importantly, be kind, be considerate, and help promote others. Because I believe good karma finds its way back to you.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That revisions won’t kill you, you’ll just sometimes wish they would!

What was the most fun part of writing this book? The dialogue. I LOVE dialogue. And these two had a lot to say to each other :-]

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

Sailing on a yacht in the Caribbean—completely staffed, including a master chef, of course.

What have the changes to the current Harlequin lines and branding meant to you? Have they affected your writing process?
I adore the new covers, but none of the changes have affected my process.

What do you think makes a Riva book Riva? Voice!

Thanks for having me here today, Minxes! My debut book, Secret History of a Good Girl, will be released in the UK September 16th as part of the Mills & Boon Loves anthology along with Maisey Yates, Barbara Wallace, and Leah Ashton. Its US release will be February of 2012.

Play with fire…
Miami hotel tycoon Paulo Domingues knows that beneath his events planner’s southern priss, Alyssa Hunt is all s

ass. Little Miss Prim has Paulo’s inner rebel roaring to life—he’s determined to seduce the fire out from behind it!

And you might get burnt!
Tough-cookie Alyssa hasn’t fought tooth and nail to shake off her past to be blindsided by one smooth-talking boss. Until, punch-drunk with desire, she succumbs to temptation and realises what she’s been missing out on! But will Miami’s most wanted bachelor run when he discovers the real reason behind her good-girl façade…?

Author Spotlight: Lucy King

This week we're delighted to welcome Riva author Lucy King to the blog and to hear all about her latest release "The Crown Affair".

• What is your writing process?

Haphazard, but hopefully getting less so the more books I write. I’d like to be able to claim that the characters and the story pop fully formed into my head overnight, but I can’t. When I first started writing, I’d open up a document without a hint of an idea and hit the ground running. While initially quite liberating, I’d find myself speeding off in completely the wrong direction and continually having to go back and rewrite, which was very inefficient and extremely frustrating. Now I spend at least a week mulling over ideas and characters and making copious notes about them (although while I might have some idea of a plot it’s only ever very vague). Then, once I’ve made a start I send my editor as much as she can stand – usually the first chapter followed by Chapters One to Three – and she gives me feedback. If I could, I’d send her the lot paragraph by paragraph!

On a day to day basis, I have a spreadsheet with dates and word count targets and days blocked off when I know I’m not going to be able to write, which keeps me more or less in line. The days I delete more than I write I ignore.

• 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 live in Spain, a country where my feet are practically double the average size, so shoe shopping is isn’t something that tempts me away from the keyboard. Plenty of other things do, though, and when it gets really bad, I have been known to iron bedsheets. But as I’ve found that the longer I stay away from my wip, the more difficult it is to get back into it, I try to keep going and write through the pain. Having said that, when I do step away I often find that I’m refreshed from not having looked at it for a while so (depending on where I am deadline-wise) I try not to beat myself up about skiving!

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

Keeping fit? What’s that?

• Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe it exists, but haven’t suffered from it yet. Thank goodness.

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

Hmm. Good question. Several of my books have an initial spark that comes from a real life story. My first book came about after as a result of watching a Top Gear interview on TV. Say It With Diamonds, which is out in January 2012, was inspired by a newspaper article I read online about the history behind a jewellery collection.

My current release, The Crown Affair, opens with the heroine ogling the hero with a pair of binoculars, which is a very liberal adaptation of something I’d heard had happened in real life. And apparently the village in which the story starts, whose name I thought I’d made up, actually exists and is very close to where my parents live, which I think was a bit of a surprise.

So far nothing has got me into trouble but it’s early days!

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

In pretty much every way. As I’d never imagined being published I had no idea what to expect. While in many ways it’s fabulous (here I’m thinking of the lunches, the fan-mail and the email that tells you your book has sold) for me, there’s also the issue of meeting expectations – deadlines, revisions, delivering a book the editor and readers will love. I live in constant fear of not meeting those expectations!

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

I’m on Facebook and Twitter, I blog and I try to keep my website updated. I’m sure, though, I could be doing more (any tips very welcome...)

• What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I suspect I’m the last person who should be giving promo tips! (see above)

• What did you learn while writing this book?

To get to know the characters inside out before starting and to make sure that what they do is consistent with their personalities. And to focus on the romance, which you might think was obvious! But the first draft of this book had characters who did nothing but bicker all the time and was littered with plot devices. There was a broken leg (not very conducive to nookie), a kidnapping (because I wanted one) and sub-plot involving stolen public money. What was I thinking?!

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

Finishing it. Honestly, this was a tough one. I sent in the manuscript a few weeks before my son was born and received revisions just afterwards. When I say revisions, it was actually a complete rewrite, and sorting it all out while dealing with a new-born (my first) was quite a … um... challenge. Having said that, once I got on the right track, it was a joy to (re)write. I reread it when I received my author’s copies, and loved it - I hope others do too!

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

My hero’s the ruler of an isolated Mediterranean island. As he’s young, hot and royal, he’s a target for the paparazzi, so it would have to be somewhere where there are no reporters and no photographers. His manor house in the Cotswolds would be perfect.

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

I think the different covers and the more interesting titles in both the Modern and the Riva lines are fantastic, although I will admit to having a tiny weeny soft spot for ‘the clinch’, and both reflect both the content a lot better. The re-branding hasn’t changed the way I write – I just carry on writing stories with characters I love. In fact, my January 2012 book, Say It With Diamonds, is actually being released as a Modern (a marketing decision), although being very Riva.

• What do you think makes a Riva book Riva?

I think it’s really hard to define, as there isn’t any one thing that identifies a book as a Riva. There’s a contemporariness to a lot of them and humour and wit in many, but mainly I think it’s the voice of the author. The heroes and heroines in the Rivas I’ve read are people I could imagine hanging out with.

Thank you so much for having me on the Minxy blog. It’s been great to be here (and sorry if I’ve gone on a bit!)

Not at all Lucy, thanks for a fab interview :-)

"The Crown Affair"

Close encounters of the Royal kind!

After being made redundant and finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman, Laura's decided it's time to take charge of her life! However, the last thing she expects is the new Laura to end up having wild, naked fun with the gorgeous guy next door…

Okay, she virtually runs away afterwards in shame—but so what? She soon gets a new job—on the Mediterranean island of Sassania, no less! But the island has a new king—aka Laura's guy-next-door! Now they're both in trouble, for King Matt should be focussing on affairs of the state, not be intent on re-igniting a hot affair of his own…

Buy the book:

Mills & Boon:http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/riva/the-crown-affair.htm

Harlequin:http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24361

Amazon UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crown-Affair-Mills-Boon-RIVA/dp/0263883906/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311863904&sr=8-5

Amazon US:http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Affair-Harlequin-Presents-Extra/dp/0373528329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311863958&sr=8-1

The Book Depository:http://www.bookdepository.com/Crown-Affair-Lucy-King/9780263883909

iBooks:http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-crown-affair/id447725593?mt=11

Settings and Senses - by guest blogger Nina Harrington

One of the delights of travel is to see and experience new places through your own senses. Holiday brochures or a Guide Book may be brilliant at showing your where to go and how to get there, but there is no substitute for physically standing somewhere on the planet and allowing your senses to take in the full impact of that location in person.
To me it does not matter is I am watching a thunderstorm roll in over the Mediterranean sea at night, or walking along the crowded street in Delhi or Kathmandu. What truly matters is my reaction to it and what it feels like to be there.
Of course the way I experience a setting may be completely different from the person standing next to me, and frequently is, especially when that person is not used to the riot of colour, deafening noise and violent assaults on the nostrils that is a city like Kathmandu – but that is what makes a person’s writing and imagination so unique.
The real challenge comes in trying to reproduce the sensory aspects of that location on paper. A good example is the region of France called the Camargue. This is the delta region of the river Rhone as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Inland it is lovely Provence and theLanguedoc but on the shore, it is a land of marshland and islands and inland freshwater lakes where the local fisherman farm oysters and mussels.
I came across this part of France when I took a canal boat holiday in the area. Travelling at a maximum speed of 4km an hour and mooring where you wish, it is an ideal way to experience the silence and natural beauty of the contrasting landscapes. Sunflowers and vineyards and pines landwards, and waving grasses, egrets and wild flamingos flying over your headas youreach the coast. Perfumes and scents, the music of the tall reeds and marsh grass and the call of the flamingos. The quality of light has attracted artists for centuries, and the towns are sun baked and quiet and very little English is spoken. Buying wonderful local produce involved much pointing and laughter.
It was one of the most relaxing holidays I have ever had.
Perhaps that is why I chose the Languedoc for the setting of my latest Mills and Boon Romance called ‘The Last Summer of Being Single’ which is released in the UK this month in the RIVA line and March in North America and Australia. I particularly like the sunflowers on the cover!I do hope that you enjoy it and find a true sensory flavour of this lovely part of the world.

Many thanks to the lovely Nina Harrington for visiting the Minx blog today. To buy "The Last Summer of Being Single" on Amazon click here or visit the Mills and Boon site.

Author Spotlight - Natalie Anderson

Today the Minxes are excited to welcome USA TODAY bestselling author Natalie Anderson!


1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

I’d just sent off my first submission to Mills & Boon at Christmas. I’d only started writing in the six months prior to that having found the NANOWRIMO book, NO PLOT NO PROBLEM – it kick started my old dream. I was very lucky. M&B got back to me in April asking for the full, asked for revisions in September and bought it in October – so Oct 2011 will be my 5-years-since-selling anniversary. It’s scary how fast it’s gone.

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

The idea for the opening scene was triggered by my own combing-hair-while-driving incident. I was at a red light and my foot slipped while I was vigorously trying to sort my wet, tangled hair and I remember thinking thank goodness there wasn’t a car or pedestrian in front of me when I accidentally slid forward… hmmmmm. Bingo!

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

I’d love to be doing what I’m doing now – writing and selling! I love writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon, it is a dream come true and an honour. I really, really, really want to get my 25-book-pin (HMB celebrate milestone book numbers, 25 is the first biggie). So that’s within my 5-year plan! I’m looking forward to the next five years – my youngest two start school in October so my writing routine is going to change somewhat as I get day time to write. I’m going to cry my eyes out on their first day at school, but it is an exciting time as well.

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

That’s just an impossible question!!! Honestly, there are so many books I just adore and think damn, wish I could write like that! I think Susan Elizabeth Phillips is fantastic – love her humour and tone.

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

None particularly leap out as being the one to make me want to be a writer. I’ve just always wanted to since as far back as I can remember. I’ve always had an active imagination and making up stories has always been part of what I’ve done. Both my parents were journalists (before both changed careers) and I married a journalist. Writing for a living is very normal in my world.

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

Oh! There are a couple of incidents I couldn’t share… but I remember a week or so before my gorgeous-one proposed, we had a long weekend in Rome. That entire weekend was deliciously romantic. There were so many special moments. I remember sitting at a bar in the lovely autumnal afternoon sun, eating some divine antipasto with a glass of wine… and just being with him. It was perfect. It’s our 11th anniversary next week. I’m thinking that sometime (when the kids are old enough to abandon), he and I are going to have to recreate that weekend in Rome – only this time, perhaps make it a month :)

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

Everyone says that some things get harder not easier once you’re published. It’s true. You definitely feel more pressure – and you have to learn to cope with that. Plus there are those reviews and sales figures and all kinds of things out of your control. I recommend ignoring all those things and just focus on loving writing! It is a rollercoaster – but what a ride!

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

Just do it. I like the ‘do it every day’ requirement. You have to be disciplined if you want to succeed. And it has to come from within you – no one else is going to make you do it. So it’s all up to you.

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you.

I think it’s an exciting time. I love writing very contemporary, city set stories – with a fair amount of sensational sex and fun… with an edge. I’ve been having some real fun with my heroines recently – and then finding the very strong, confident guys capable of matching them! I think Riva is great because it’s giving us a chance to push those edgier characters and themes.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

Well, mine is a February release – but you can get it online already – and from that gorgeous pop-up shop in Selfridges if you happen to be in London! It’s a tale about two non-conformists – he’s a champion snowboarder who’s happiest literally up in the air, and she’s an IT geek person who hides behind crazy hair and coloured contacts. They have an accident – well, a couple of them actually – and then have to deal with it. It’s February’s Book of the Month in the UK and here’s the editorial comment on the M&B website:

"With edgy, opposites-attract characters plus electric chemistry that will make your skin tingle, this book brings an original twist to the classic pregnancy story – a fabulous read! "

11. What’s next for you?

It’s gearing up to be a busy year – I’ve got REBEL WITH A CAUSE out in the US in February, while WALK ON THE WILD SIDE is in the US in April.

My first M&B, ALL NIGHT WITH THE BOSS is being reprinted in a 3-in-1 in March in the UK – titled: MY TALL, SEXY, HANDSOME BOSS.

After that I’ve a couple more Riva’s coming:

THE END OF FAKING IT– out April UK - and yes, in part we’re talking about her faking that!

And

DATING AND OTHER DANGERS – in July UK – which is a total Girl vs. Boy story involving a dating reputation website and a dare!

I’m currently revising another story and brainstorming the next. I love brainstorming – so many possibilities!

Thanks so much for having me along today!

* * *

Natalie’s debut RIVA is available now at Mills & Boon and will be available in the US in April and in Australia and New Zealand in March.

You can find out more about Natalie on her website.

Thanks so much for blogging with us today Natalie!

Author Spotlight - Jessica Hart

Today the Minxes are pleased to welcome RITA award winning author, Jessica Hart to blog with us.

The Minxes caught some hugely exciting news, announced towards the end of last year, that Jessica mentions in her interview. Read the details on Jessica's blog here.

1.Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Funny how long ago 5 years seems now … I had to really stop and think about this question! I know I’d written over 40 books by then. Christmas Eve Marriage won a RITA® in 2005, and in 2006 Contracted: Corporate Wife won the UK’s coveted Romance Prize, so I was feeling more established and confident as a romance writer. At the same time, I felt as if I’d reached a point of change. I’d finished my PhD at the end of 2004, and I was missing the contrast between my research (into environmental regulation in C15th and C16th York – much more interesting than it sounds, I promise!) and romance writing. It’s taken me a while to actually make that change, but I did get there eventually!

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

I usually start with a hook, but in the case of Juggling Briefcase & Baby, the idea was easy. This book is the sequel to Oh-So-Sensible Secretary in which Lex appeared as Phin’s workaholic brother. Lex was so reserved and stiff and focused on the company, he was the perfect contrast to the relaxed and charming Phin, and I started to wonder what would make two brothers so different. I’ve always had a soft spot for the gruff, reserved hero, too, and it seemed to me that Lex was just as attractive as Phin but in a very different way. Even while I was writing Oh-So-Sensible Secretary I was wondering what it would take to break down Lex’s famous reserve and reach that carefully guarded heart …

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

I’ve spent the last few years building up what I grandly call a ‘portfolio’ career, although this makes it sound a lot more grown up than it actually is! I work as a freelance editor for illustrated books about institutions like Lincoln Cathedral or York Minster – a wonderful job where I get to tell other people what to write instead of writing myself! - and I teach writing classes here in York and in Tuscany. The more I write, the more interested I am in how and why romance works, so I love teaching too.

I’ve also been writing a mainstream women’s fiction novel that has just been bought by Pan Macmillan as part of a two book deal. It’s a project that has taken me wa-a-a-ay out of my comfort zone, but the challenge has been good for me, I think. Finishing the first book and writing another 150,000 word novel is going to keep me very busy for the next couple of years, and of course I’m hoping that parallel writing career will have taken off in 5 years’ time.

Last, but absolutely not least, I’d like to continue writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon. I’ve been a Mills & Boon author for 20 years now, and it’s part of who I am. I don’t want to give that up. Romances are fun to write – or perhaps I should say fun to plot and fun to have written? The pesky business of actually writing the story can be harder work!

So in 5 years’ time I think I’d like to still be juggling all four strands of my career – and still standing!

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

Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase. What a great writer she is – warm, funny, intelligent, and very, very sexy.

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

The honest truth is that I never wanted to be a writer. I decided that I wanted to do a PhD in Medieval Studies after reading The Sunne in Splendour (about Richard III), but I had to find a way of funding a return to university, so I thought, ‘I know, I’ll write a Mills & Boon …’ I always feel a bit guilty about having stumbled into a writing career, but I suppose I owe it all to Sharon Penman!

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

Falling in love at first sight. I didn’t believe in it until it happened to me.

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

I had no idea just how much information and support is out there – although I don’t know how much of that was available 20 years ago when I started writing. I’m constantly impressed nowadays by how friendly and supportive romance writers are. I wish I’d known about the need for self-promotion too – I might not have been so hesitant to get involved with technology. Websites, blogs, Facebook … I’m always the last to get there, and it feels like a constant race to catch up. If I was just getting published now, I’d try and be clued up about promotion right from the start.

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

I heard the late wonderful Blake Snyder talking about his book on screenwriting, Save the Cat! and was very struck by his advice to “Embrace the formula”. Or then there’s my mother’s advice, which goes for life as well as for writing: “Just get ON with it!” (said in a Scottish accent for maximum effect!)

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you.

The editors at M&B have encouraged us to try something different with this new imprint, and you can see from the covers that they’re hoping to attract a new, perhaps younger, audience who might not realize that romances don’t have to be as old-fashioned as they’re often portrayed. I’ve always thought of my heroines as contemporary women with contemporary attitudes, so I have to be honest and say that Juggling Briefcase & Baby isn’t actually that different from most of my other stories. But I love knowing that there’s scope now to play around with new ideas and approaches, so while these stories will still be first and foremost romances, the new sense of editorial freedom is very exciting.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

Only once has Lex Gibson ever let his guard down, and he’s vowed never to make himself that vulnerable again. But now, 12 years later, Romy is back – and she’s not alone. Romy has a baby daughter, Freya, and between them they throw Lex’s carefully ordered world into chaos!

Juggling Briefcase & Baby is a reunion story, with a baby and an office setting thrown into the mix. I like it when the hero and heroine have to confront the problems between them in the present while still tangled up in the feelings they shared in the past. There’s something very appealing about the idea of a second chance to get things right, after you’ve made a mess of them first time round, and I really enjoyed giving Lex his own happy ending at last!

11. What’s next for you?

Convenient Engagements, a 3-in-1 re-released by Mills & Boon in their By Request series, is out in January 2011 in the UK. Later in the year, my royal duet will be out. I’ve never played with the royal theme before, so that’s been fun. Ordinary Girl in a Tiara will be out in June 2011 in North America and the UK – I was rather hoping William and Kate would opt for a classic June wedding to tie in with its release, but they have selfishly decided on April instead! - and The Secret Princess later in the year.

Jessica's debut RIVA is available at Mills & Boon & Amazon now!
 
The Minxes would like to know when on earth Jessica will have time to sleep given her commitments for the next few years, we're in awe!!
 

Author Spotlight: Kelly Hunter

The first book I read by Kelly Hunter was Misbehaving with the Magnate which had me hooked from cover to cover. The most recent, Red Hot Renegade, turned me into Kelly Hunter's number one fan (in a non-Misery sense of course!). This book is the last in her Bennett family series - they're all great reads, but each one seems better than the last. Red Hot Renegade kept me flying through the pages and into the wee hours. With an Asian heroine far wealthier than the seriously seductive, tough martial arts hero, this novel was certainly different. It was fresh, fun and sensual - all the qualities of the new Riva line. Her first Riva novel, With this Fling, looks like it will be just as good a read and I'm looking forward to opening my brand new copy!

And now that I've had my fan girl moment, here's Kelly ....

* * *

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Unpublished and unsure which line to target. Harlequin Temptations had just left the building – much to my dismay – and there was rumour of a fun, flirty and sexy editorial stream somewhere on the horizon. When the guidelines appeared for a HMB London edited line (then) called Nu Temptation, I snail mailed off a partial. A week and a half later HMB London asked to see the rest, at which point I had to fess up that the rest didn’t exist. Yet. I still remember Ed’s long suffering email sigh and her very patient, ‘just send it when it’s done’. That story became Wife For A Week, and Ed bought it, and it helped launch a new editorial stream (Modern Extra which later became Modern Heat). It also gave me quite a few more Bennett Family stories to write.

2. Where did you get the idea from for With This Fling?

It all started with wanting to write a back-from-the-dead hero. But a back-from-the dead hero was unlikely to work tonewise for Riva. I needed fun. Flirty. Not a hero who’d had amnesia or who’d walked away from the heroine in order to protect her, and I certainly didn’t want him to have been held prisoner somewhere nasty. Nope, I wanted a daisy fresh back-from-the-dead hero, and he couldn’t be a vampire either. I headed for the gin. I decided my heroine would invent a fictional hero for some terribly convincing reason and then kill him off when she no longer needed him. And then he would reappear, so to speak. In the flesh. Daisy fresh. And twice as sexy. More gin ensued. Of course I could make this premise work…

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Still writing. Still selling.

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

Barbara Samuel’s No Place Like Home (and pretty much every Barbara Samuel/O Neal book since then).

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

It was a cumulative effort that began with Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree and gained momentum with every story that ever swept me away.

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

That you need to work even harder once you’re published to stay published and captivate new readers.

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

Every word counts.

8. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you.

It means I get to help launch another new line. Woohoo! That was the mememe answer. In a general sense, a bold new line means there’s room for authors to boldly go where no author has gone before. I love that kind of freedom. It’s not for the faint of heart though, because – count on it – somewhere along the way you’re going to go where no one wants you to go.

9. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

With This Fling is about a reality challenged heroine who invents a fiancé to appease her dying godmother. He's dashing, honourable, supremely accomplished, and above all, absent. When he's no longer needed Charlotte kills him off but the gossip grinder has done its work and Charlotte’s workmates believe she’s lost both her godmother and her fiancé. They want to help and go searching for a memento of Charlotte’s beloved fiancé to give to her because lo, she doesn’t even have a photo of him. Then the contents of a man’s office turns up on her doorstep. Then the owner of the office arrives to collect it. He shares the same surname as Charlotte’s fictional fiancé. Perfect he most definitely is not, but he is rather dashing. You can see where this is going...

I really enjoyed stacking my poor, imperfect, in-the-flesh hero up against the fantasy of the perfect man. That my poor, imperfect, in-the-flesh hero was a category romance hero and not real(istic) either amused me no end. Small things amu-- ah, never mind.

10. What’s next for you?

An April RIVA release called Man She Loves To Hate.
You know those historicals that start with the heroine disguised as a stable hand or cabin boy and the hero thinks he’s losing his marbles along with his lust for women? I love those stories (possibly the small minds thing again). I love the deception and adore the reveal.
I decided to open a contemporary story in similar fashion, and try and make it believable, and flirty, and fun, and it’d help if I had some handy dandy reason as to why the hero and heroine wouldn’t declare undying devotion the moment the ruse was up. What If ensued and the Man She Loves To Hate was born.

This segues into a question for the Minxes. Anyone have a favourite story opening, premise, or scene that you’ve never forgotten, even though it’s been years since you read the book? What made it so memorable? Try breaking it down. Which bits of the premise or scene intrigued you the most? Then, for the writers here, have a quiet think about the kind of story you might be able to wrap around that lovely old favourite story bit.

I hope you enjoy reading the new Riva stories and thank you so much for the invitation to come and talk stories and play with the Minxes.

* * *

With This Fling is a January release in the UK through Mills & Boon and Amazon, a February release in Australia and a June release in North America.

Red Hot Renegade is available through Mills & Boon and will be released in North America in March as a Presents Extra, under the title Her Singapore Fling.

To find out more about Kelly, you can visit her website here.

* * *

Congratulations to Desere Steenberg, winner of last week's Kimberly Lang contest.

Author Spotlight - Kimberly Lang

We are thrilled to welcome Kimberly Lang to be an honorary minx today!
Grab a cuppa and settle in to read Kimberley's fab interview....

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

The slush pile. ~grin~  I was licking my wounds from a rejection, about two months from getting another one,  and working on my third manuscript (which would become my 2^nd book, THE MILLIONAIRE’S MISBEHAVING MISTRESS).  I was still over two years away from selling.  Wow.   Oh, the memories…

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

Hm, I don’t know.  My books normally start with the characters – or sometimes a scene – that I then have to play with until it becomes a big enough something to make a book out of.  I remember when the idea for GIRLS’ GUIDE  finally crystallized, though.  I was having coffee with a good friend and telling her about my marriage counselor heroine and the divorce attorney hero and she asked, “Were they married?” BING! 

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

If I say “doing exactly the same thing as I am now,” it makes me sound like I don’t have any ambition, doesn’t it?   I love writing these books:  the strong heroines, the glamour, the sizzle. I also love the range I have in the line to be funny and light or tackle something a little heavier.  I can’t imagine what else I’d want to write!  So, can I be doing exactly what I’m doing now, only better, faster, and with a couple of fancy awards to show for it?

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

THE GIRL FROM MARS by Julie Cohen.  Julie has a twist in her brain that I can’t quite figure out, but her books are so great because of it – funny, quirky, and romantic. And anything by Julia Quinn – I’d love to write like that!

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

I spent my teen years devouring big, fat, historical novels --  Bertrice Small, Johanna Lindsay, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood – and historicals are still where I turn for escapist reading.  (I love contemporaries and devour those too, but since that’s what I write, it’s not always the escape a historical romance is.) Those are the books that made me want to be a writer, because I wanted to make my own stories with happy endings.  More importantly, those are the books that made me a *reader.* It’s one of the reasons I went on to major in English in college  (and imagine my horror when I signed up for Romantic Literature and it was Wordsworth and that lot… sigh.).

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

I have a pretty amazing husband who’s not normally one for the big gestures.  Instead, he’s very good at the small, daily things that let me know I’m loved.  (Hey, the man thinks my mood swings are part of my charm and that my crazy is kinda cute.)   But romance-wise, probably when he packed up everything he owned in one suitcase and moved to the US because that’s where I was.  Seeing him come off that plane and knowing he’d left his whole life behind because he loved me and wanted to be with me… that’s a pretty romantic moment.

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

That it doesn’t get any easier.  Rejection hurts, but so does a bad review – and those are public!  Then there’s all the worries about sales and lists and the next book.  It’s a different set of problems, granted, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but this writing gig doesn’t get any easier on the other side of the contract.

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

Finish the book.  Most writers are told that in the vein of “you have to finish it in order to sell it.”  That’s true, but I’ve also learned that even when I’m not sure what’s wrong with a scene or the middle is sagging or whatever, finishing the book gives me the information I need to go back and fix the problem.   Being able to see the book as a whole gives me insight into the individual bits.

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you.

Hopefully, Riva will hook that reader who thinks all romance novels are the same, or that there’s nothing really in the genre to appeal to them. Riva is fresh and fun, with a variety of voices and stories.  The new covers and titles really reflect that fresh feel, and will hopefully introduce those readers to the joys of romance novels!  These aren’t your Grannie’s romance novels, that’s for sure!

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

GIRLS’ GUIDE TO FLIRTING WITH DANGER

Rule #1 — Don't even flirt with your ex — let alone sleep with him!

Life is good for marriage counselor Megan Lowe—until the media discover that she’s the ex–wife of Devin Kenney, America's most famous divorce attorney! Now the paparazzi are digging for a scoop just in time for the launch of Devin's new book. His gorgeous smile smirks at Megan from magazines and billboards — making him infuriatingly impossible to forget…

It's time for Megan to throw her very bossy rulebook out of the window and face her dangerously sexy ex. And their sizzlingly hot reunion — well, that's most definitely headline news…

I’m very excited about GIRLS’ GUIDE TO FLIRTING WITH DANGER.  It’s a reunion story with two very strong characters.  I love reunion stories, because there’s so much conflict already built in.  And a lot of sexual tension, too! Megan and Devin were so much fun to write, and I’m so thrilled they were chosen to help launch the new Riva line.

11. What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on a series of books connected by three brothers from a political dynasty.  Handsome, powerful, rich… the kind of heroes I love.  And I’m matching them up with heroines guaranteed to drive them insane ~grin~  The first of the three, THE PRIVILEGED AND THE DAMNED, will be out in the UK in June. 

You can catch up with Kimberly here....

www.booksbykimberly.com

www.writingplayground.com

www.writingplayground.blogspot.com

Kimberly is offering a back list book to one lucky commenter - so don't be shy, leave a comment and start the year with an awesome read.

Thanks for taking the time to blog with us today Kimberly, and the very best of luck for your exciting Riva launch title!