Guest Blogger - Lynne Marshall

We have something a little different on the blog today. Rather than our usual author spotlight, author Lynne Marshall is talking about: Putting the Minx in your Manuscript.

* * *

Thank you, Minxes of Romance, for inviting me to guest blog today. As you can tell, I love the name of your blog, and decided to incorporate it into my topic:

The Pert and Plucky Heroines of Romance!

Who they are
• If you’ve read one or a hundred romances, you’ve probably already been introduced to a particular character type presented by Tami Cowden and cohorts named The Spunky Kid in their Sixteen Master Archetypes book Heroes & Heroines. This spirited underdog not only has to sort out her messy life, but win the guy along the way.
• These characters are the unsinkable Molly Browns of the world where “I ain’t down yet” is their mantra, and they are my favorite kind of character.

Who does them best?
• My absolute favorite author of these types of characters is Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She manages to strip her plucky heroines down to the bare bones in the beginning of her stories, force them to lose everything, leave them dangling over a cliff without a foothold, yet she still manages to bring them back to life…one step at a time, until they conquer all, including the hero, before the end of the book.
• Isabel Favor watches her self-help empire come crashing down around her in the opening pages of Breathing Room.
• Blue Bailey begins her journey wearing a beaver suit in Natural Born Charmer.
• Meg Koranda is down to her last few bucks and, as Maid of Honor, manages to ruin a perfectly planned wedding before the end of chapter one in Call Me Irresistible.

Why do we love them?
• Because we can relate to them.
• From where they’re standing, there is only one way to go – UP! These plucky, pert, minxes pick themselves up, dust themselves off, head into battle, and conquer both their lives and the most unlikely heroes. As readers, we believe every step of their paths. We cheer as they rebuild their lives and themselves into the women they were meant to be.
• When these pert and saucy underdogs conquer obstacle after obstacle, we believe we can do the same in our own lives. If they can come back from “there” (whatever major fix or disappointment they must overcome) so can we!

I like to think that both Anne Grady, the protagonist in Courting His Favorite Nurse, and Carrington Hanover from An Indiscretion, are in their own way, spunky kids. Both leave their old lives behind and build new ones, totally independent, but are forced to face their past again and finally set things straight.

Courting His Favorite Nurse:
Anne Grady knew better than anyone that love was complicated. When she’d left her hometown, she thought she was leaving her past heartbreak behind for good, as well. But practically the moment she returned to care for her injured parents, she stumbled headlong into their confidant—her first love, Jack Lightfoot.

Jack had been unable to deny his feelings for Annie when he was a teenager dating her best friend, and he certainly couldn’t muffle the spark twisting between them now—even if memories of the past kept threatening to push them apart. This time Jack wasn’t going to let history repeat itself—he was going to show Annie that the two of them were meant to be much more than best friends!

An Indiscretion:
A doctor... A nurse... An indiscretion...
Paul Valverde is stretched to the limit, caring for an elderly relative while running a business and maintaining a full-time medical practice at St. Stephen's Hospital--with no time for a relationship.
RN Carrington Hanover leaves her money-hungry fiance at the altar and moves on to a new job at St. Stephen's Hospital in Los Angeles. The next man in her life must love her, not her money.
All work and no play has made Paul an unfulfilled man, and the resurrected redheaded crush from his youth is driving him to distraction. Can their complicated past become untangled by their newfound attraction--or will their love be doomed by mistrust and long-held resentment?

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SPUNKY KID HEROINE AND WHY?

One commenter will win their choice of e-book or print for

Courting His Favorite Nurse, or e-book for An Indiscretion.

Courting His Favorite Nurse is available from Amazon, Amazon UK (as a Cherish book) and Harlequin. An Indiscretion is availble on Amazon and Amazon UK.

Author Spotlight - Helen Lacey

I love promoting debut authors here on the Minxes blog, because they are the proof that it can be done and that new authors get bought all the time (and of course because we all want to be them!).

It's not what we usually do here on the Author Spotlights, but I'm taking this opportunity to do a massive shout out to Olivia Miles, who has just sold her first book to Harlequin Special Edition. Congratulations, Olivia!

Now let's hand over to today's Spotlighted author, another Special Edition debut author - Helen Lacey, talking to us about her book Made for Marriage.

* * *

What is your writing process?

I write most days. I start early, around 6.30 in the morning, once my husband leaves for work and the dogs and horses are fed I usually check emails then open up my work in progress and get started. I’ll usually re-read the last few pages, or check any notes I wrote the day before. I try to write a thousand words a day – sometimes I get more which is a bonus. I’m a panster, so I don’t have detailed outlines, and I trust my characters to take me where they need to go.

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 keep reminding myself how lucky I am to be a full time writer. If I’m stuck or my motivation is a zero, sometimes I’ll go for a walk, read a book or even watch a movie. I believe that the only thing we can truly control in life is how we respond to things – so I don’t get hung up on what’s not working, and try to think about what is. Doing something creative, that’s not writing, can relieve the pressure we sometimes put on ourselves to get it perfect every time. And if I’m having a blah day, I might go and sit in the paddock with my horses and watch them graze – I find that relaxing and de-stressing. The key is finding what does it for you. In saying that, there are times when I’m on edit or revisions deadline and I simply have to push past the resistance to work and make myself do it.

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

I leave my computer at three o’clock every afternoon and head outside. With eight horses, three dogs, three birds and a house cow named Ginger, I have enough to keep me busy for a couple of hours. I spend afternoon feeding, riding or grooming. Then there’s troughs to clean out, rugs to mend, feed shed to sweep (At some point I try to get a little of my own housekeeping in too).

Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe it’s hard to stay focussed 100% of the time. Life intrudes; daily stresses can interfere with the process. The thing I try to remember is that we all feel these pressures at some point. I recently had a plot problem with my current book and couldn’t figure how to get past it – so I called a writer friend and we sat in my office for five hours and just pulled my plot apart. For me, ‘writers block’ is usually because something in the story isn’t working. If that’s the case I’ll talk it out with my agent or critique partners – it always helps.

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

I do use places and people I know, but not obviously. The setting for Made For Marriage is a little town at the southern most point of the Great Barrier Reef – a town with an uncanny resemblance to the one where I live. I haven’t got into trouble yet .

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

Readers! I love hearing from readers. And of course it’s a wonderful feeling to experience the realisation of a dream. I was submitting for over twenty years before Harlequin bought my first book, so I feel very grateful to be in this position.

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

This blog tour, which has been great. I have a website, Facebook, Twitter – these are all ways to reach people. Creativity aside, this is a business and like any business, promotion, be that self-promotion or publisher promotion, is an important part of that.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Do what you’re comfortable with. There’s little point in forcing yourself to blog or tweet and make book trailers or post interviews on uTube, especially in the beginning. Take baby steps if your natural style is a more conservative one. If you love the lime-light, go for it – as long as it doesn’t intrude on the writing.

What did you learn while writing this book?

To write what I know. To trust my instincts. To make the most of opportunities.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Being able to write about what I love – horses. My heroine is a horse riding instructor and I loved being able to include some of my own horses in the story.

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

Hawaii!

MADE FOR MARRIAGE

Equestrian Callie Jones was used to difficult parents at her riding school. But Noah Preston took the cake.
How dare he question her teaching abilities, after his headstrong daughter paid no heed to rules—her teacher's or her father's?

Single dad Noah was ready to apologize for overreacting. But he wasn't sorry for the way the stunning American riding instructor made him feel. And he soon learned that there was more to Callie than her smarts, sass and fire: a shattered heart that threatened to splinter even further. Could he make her see that he—and his family—were for keeps?

Thanks for having me here today. To celebrate the release of Made For Marriage, I’m giving away a copy to one commenter. And as part of my blog tour, I have a grand prize of a $50.00 Amazon voucher, and for those who like a little bling, a fabulous silver Pandora Bracelet.

For the full itinerary of Helen's Celebration tour check out Helen Lacey- Author Page.

* * *

Made For Marriage is available in book stores, through the eHarlequin website, Amazon, Amazon UK and the Book Depository.

You can find out more about Helen on her blog, on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.