Author Spotlight - Maya Blake

Today we have our very own Minx Maya Blake in the Spotlight. Maya's second Harlequin Presents novel, The Sinful Art of Revenge, is on sale at all Harlequin Mills & Boon stockists. Buy links for the eBook version are below.

Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

I live in Southeast England, I’m married with two kids and I’ve been reading for far longer than I can remember doing anything else. I write for Modern/Harlequin Presents for Harlequin Mills & Boon and Romantic Suspense for Entangled Publishing.

What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th? (Nora Only)

200 – ha, I wish! This is No.2 with Harlequin Presents and it’s a story I was itching to write even before I sold. I’d always wanted to write a full or half Japanese hero/heroine and Reiko was just the perfect heroine for this story.

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

The reality of deadlines means I have no choice in the matter, which is a huge relief to a procrastinator like me, lol. That said, I’m finding out that writing a little, often, or if you’re lucky, a lot, often, really makes the words flow much faster and easier, so even when I’m not on deadline I like to practice a bit of bichok whenever I can! Of course, once the words are down, the credit card goes wild on those online shoe shops!

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I have no hard and fast rule for promo. I firmly believe putting yourself in a position where you can interact generally with as many authors and readers as possible is the best way to promote yourself and your book. To that end, I maintain a Twitter, Facebook and blog through which I try to reach as many people as possible.

How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit around your writing?

Unfortunately, I’m not yet in a position to fit my day around writing as I still have a full-time day job. I have a non-rigid routine where I write after my kids are in bed until about midnight (or the word count has been achieved, whichever comes first).

Do you write every day?

I really wish I could say yes, but when I’m not on deadline, I allow myself the freedom of writing in big chunks three or four times a week. When I’m on a deadline, however, I have no choice but to set myself a daily word count and stick to it.

Is there a book you haven’t written yet that you’re dying to write? What genre?

This will sound like a cop-out but I’m always dying to write my next book! I have several characters clamouring for their story and sometimes they don’t want to wait till the current book is finished, lol!

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

To summarise it in a few words, the pressure is 100% more intense but the rewards are so very worth it!

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

I’d love Reiko and Damion to return to Kyoto. It was a scene of a lot of angst for them but also a place where they each saw a different side to the other – for instance, Damion learned what a great dancer Reiko is when they went clubbing, so I’d love them to go dancing even as they laid a few ghosts to rest. I’m also sure Reiko would love to show her adopted and new child their very first cherry blossom season.

Have you written a hero you’d be happy to run off with?

Gosh, yes! I fall in love with each hero I write. But if I had to choose one I’d run off with, it’d have to be Rafael de Cervantes, the hero of my fourth book, who’s very impatiently awaiting his verdict on my editor’s desk. He’s cheeky, completely irreverent but with a wounded soul that makes me want to forgive him just about anything!

Book Blurb

Taking what is rightfully his

Endless tabloid coverage has left Reiko Kagawa with way too much information about art dealer Damion Fortier's legendary playboy exploits—everyone knows he's renowned for leaving a wake of broken hearts across Europe's most glamorous destinations!

Damion isn't used to beautiful women scorning his advances, so it's definitely time to turn his lethal charm up one last notch to ensure he gets exactly what he wants….

Reiko knows she has two things Damion wants: the first, a priceless painting and Fortier heirloom. The second, her seriously off-limits body! And she has no intention of giving him access to either.


The Sinful Art of Revenge is available now from Amazon and Amazon UK, and direct from Harlequin and Mills & Boon.

You can chat to Maya on her blog, via Pinterest or Twitter.

A Double Minx Entanglement!

We've had a good start to the year this week, with TWO minxes receiving contracts from Entangled!

Me (Sallyminx) and Maya (Mayaminx) are delighted to squee today as we've both signed contracts, and will have Entangled Publishing releases this year....

Mine is a Flirt featuring a female mechanic - And Maya's is a scorching Dead Sexy. More on both in the following weeks as things shake out!

Woo!

In other news - Blaze, the Minxes of Romance's anthology is currently #10 in the Preeditors and Editors Poll of Anthologies published in 2012, and if you've read it and loved it, we'd love your vote! http://www.critters.org/predpoll/antho.shtml

Review: The Price of Success

The advantage of belonging to a critique group as large as the Minxes, is that when life gets hectic and one of your CPs needs their manuscript read, there's always someone else able to stepin and you're not under pressure to do a critique.

Which is how I managed to read Maya's The Price of Success completely fresh, just as a reader, and without having to think of things like sentence structure or character inconsistencies.

As a reader, I loved this book. As I said in my previous post, it's set in the world of motor racing (my favourite sport), with a truly strong, feisty heroine (my favourite kind of heroine), and a hero I could easily fall in love with (and did).

This story has all the intensity and passion that is Maya's trademark, and she manages to keep the sensuality levels high and constant with surprisingly few actual love scenes. From cover to cover the chemistry sizzles.

As a writer, I'm very aware of saggy middles in a book, perhaps because it's the part I struggle most with. This book doesn't sag at all. The pace is unrelenting, the story and characters so gripping, that I kept turning the pages and never once felt an urge to put the book down. No wonder Maya's been getting such great reviews and made the Top 10 books of 2012 list on Harlequin Junkies.

But my biggest, number one reason for loving The Price of Success? The references to The Vampire Diaries. Read the book and see if you can spot them!

So what's next from Maya? Happily, there will be many more Maya Blake novels for you to enjoy.  Her next book, The Sinful Art of Revenge, will be available in both the UK and North America in April 2013. This is Damon and Reiko's story and features another unconventional heroine. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

The Price of Success should still be available in all brick-and-mortar stores that stock Harlequins, as well as on the Mills & Boon site, from Harlequin, Amazon and Amazon UK in both paperback and Kindle versions. However you plan to spend this holiday season, treat yourself with this read.

But don't take my word for it. Read this book and post your own review. Or leave us a comment letting us know how much you enjoyed Maya's debut novel.

Chicken soup and the Price of Success

Our very own Maya Blake was supposed to be here on the blog this week talking up her debut Harlequin Presents novel, The Price of Success. However Maya is laid up in bed with really terrible flu, so I thought I’d step in instead.

Since I’m scheduled to post about this book next week, I’m not going to talk about this story (with its strong, smart, unconventional heroine, and very Alpha, very irresistible hero). I’m going to talk about Maya instead.

Maya is every bit as strong and sassy as the heroines she writes.
She’s a Superwoman. She has a demanding, high-powered day job, two kids, and a husband in an equally demanding day job which occasionally takes him away from home. Maya not only manages all this (like many of the other Superwomen we know) but she still makes time to write intense, emotional and very sexy romances. And I know, as I’ve been privileged to read quite a few Maya Blake stories. (You’re just going to have to be satisfied with The Price of Success and her Blaze story for now, but I promise you won’t have to wait long. There’s more Maya Blake goodness coming your way soon).

Maya is a not a woman who messes around. She’s been known to pull all-nighters to write when she’s inspired (or on a deadline) and you know that anyone who goes to a hectic day job after writing all night is seriously crazy dedicated.

She also doesn’t let any of us Minxes mess around either. Maya is the wielder of the Big Minxy Stick. The Stick may be virtual but it’s still scary, and it’s been known to whip at least one Minxy butt back into line. If any of us is suffering from a case of Acute Procrastination, Maya’s Big Stick is the wonder cure.

Maya is also our staunchest defender, ready to leap in with that Big Stick in our hour of need. Have any Crows of Doubt, dodgy exes, or pesky cold callers you need dealing with? Just call Maya.
So now, in her time of need, I’m going to ask all our Minxy friends and blog readers to join me in creating a wonder cure for Maya’s flu.

We’re going to make her feel better by telling her how much we love her book. If you haven’t read it yet (and why not? It’s been on sale in stores and e-stores everywhere for at least a week!) then tell us why you loved the blurb and/or cover so much that you just have to read it.

I’m going to start by saying that I love The Price of Success because it’s set against a motor racing background and like Maya I’m a massive fan of Formula One motor racing. My fanship was guaranteed before I even opened my copy and read the dedication!

So why do you love The Price of Success? And remember that every comment is a virtual bowl of chicken soup, so keep them coming.

And don't forget - The Price of Success is available direct from Mills & Boon, Amazon and Amazon UK.

Milestones & Counting Blessings

I really wanted to come up with something hugely profound and awe-inspiring for my last post before I turn, ahem, "21". Over the last couple of weeks I've wracked my (according to my daughter) ever-dwindling brain cells for earth-moving subjects.

In the end, I've decided to keep it simple. As I move into another decade, I'm reminded how transient life can be and with that in mind, I thought what better way to say goodbye to the old decade and hello to the new than by counting blessings?

So here are a simple (writerly) five:

1. I'm thankful for my lovely CPs who bolster me and whoop for me and are always there with "you can do this". I treasure them without measure.

2. The lovely people I've met throughout my writing journey. Writing is such a solitary craft but the knowledge that I can reach out to my wonderful writer friends is priceless to me.

3. I'm thankful for the equally wonderful books out there that make me want to become a better writer just by the magic they produce. There's nothing more inspiring IMO than reading a book that gets you so jazzed up you can't wait to get writing yourself.

4.  Twitter! I never thought I'd say this about any social media, but I love this medium so much for the inspiration and camaraderie I get when I log on, I can't not mention it. Twitter Rocks!!

5. Chocolate - enough said.

So there you have it folks. And to make the chocolate lovers out there really jealous, I thought I'd cheekily post a replica pic of the cake I intend to have tomorrow (mine's being decorated). It's a chocolate curly wurly cake from Konditor & Cook and each slice tastes like a little piece of heaven...

Please feel free to share what you're thankful for. We'd love to know.

The Hot Pink Typewriter

Today we welcome our friend Olivia Miles (debut Harlequin Special Edition author) to the Minxes blog to chat up her new blog venture.

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First off, a very big thank you to my Minx friends for inviting me to post today and spread the word about the new group blog The Hot Pink Typewriter: A Romance Writing Sisterhood.

As some people in the romance writing community know, Natalie Charles and I have been best friends since we were 14 years old, and we knew each other long before then from our annual stints at a local children’s theatre camp. We’ve been reading and critiquing each other’s work for years, and it wasn’t until about a year ago that we discovered just how tight knit and supportive the romance writing community is. As writers, we spend so much time living in our own heads, sitting alone at a computer, and it inspired us to see so many writers reaching out and encouraging one another on a shared dream.

We decided to create Hot Pink for this exact reason--as an outlet for aspiring writers, and a gathering place for all members and fans of the romance genre. We pulled on board Victoria James, a close friend that I actually met through the Harlequin community boards, and began brainstorming ideas for the “sisterhood.” It was important to us that we brought together a group of writers who are not only talented, but who also represent different sub-genres of romance: Natalie writes romantic suspense, Lindsay Pryor writes paranormal, etc. We wanted a well-balanced group that will bring unique insight to the table: some of us are new authors, others are in the submission stage, some have agents, and all of us are passionate about our craft.

We’re hoping that by starting The Hot Pink Typewriter, we’re giving back to the community that so greatly inspired us, lifted us up, and cheered us along the way. We hope to do the same for other romance authors out there, not just by promoting within our own group, but also by extending ourselves to all the wonderfully welcoming individuals we continue to meet on this journey.

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You can find Hot Pink Typewriter here.

And please also check out our very own Maya Minx's blog for the account of her recent trip to the hallowed M&B halls in Richmond.

The Year of the Minx

Happy birthday to us!

This week this blog turned 2. To celebrate the occasion, Sally Minx is generously giving away free copies of her first published novel, Catch Me a Catch, to all our lovely blog followers. You can download the book from Amazon or Amazon UK.

A year ago we were just like any other one year old. We were just standing on our feet and taking our first wobbly steps. A few of us were published with smaller presses, a few were working with editors, a few of us were still clinging to the nearest chair and wondering how we were supposed to get across the great divide between published and unpublished.

But 2012 is a whole new ball game. We're excited toddlers now, running around as fast as we're able and sticking our fingers into every open lighting socket we can find. It's been so electrifying a start to the year that we're calling this The Year of the Minx.

You already know that Maya Minx has sold to Harlequin Presents, but behind-the-scenes we have 5 (!) Minxes all working on revisions for various editors, one with very exciting news we're not quite ready to share, and the remaining two both have editors excited about their work.

Can it get any better? Yes it can!

To continue the festivities, we'd like you to share your good news with us. Today is the day for sharing the joy, whether it be big or small. All good news is worrth celebrating. And in return for sharing, you get to help yourself to a cupcake.

Keep Dreaming...

You know that saying – "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"? That has never been more true or real to me than in the last two weeks. As some of you may know, (sorry if you're hearing this one too many times!) I sold to Harlequin M&B recently. But amid the euphoria of realising my dream, it occurred to me how easily all this could’ve come to nothing if I'd given up, given in or let myself be discouraged along the way.

Believe me, I've certainly come close in the past. Just before and after my second full rejection, I had several weeks of "what's the point?-ness", where my motivation was reduced to nil. It would've been so easy to throw the towel in and just give up.

Luckily, I have very supportive group of people around me who would ask, "So, how's the writing going? or, "Have you written anything lately? Tell me about it." My CPs also helped loads, often times indirectly. Sometimes just by being around someone who is excited about their own writing can give you the kick up the backside you need. If you don't have this background support, reading your favourite writer's latest book can induce envy, yes, but it can also get your juices flowing in ways nothing else can.

The moral of this story is, if I'd given up when the road seemed too tough, or the rejections too heart-breaking, I wouldn’t have sold. It's that simple.

So by all means, cry about those setbacks, moan, gorge on chocolate and cookies, use your laptop to watch endless YouTube clips of stunning, successful people while eating more cookies. But do it with the firm proviso that you're taking a break, recharging the batteries.

What you must not do is give up! Remember how many rejections JK Rowling received before she sold her first Harry Potter?

Exactly!

Keep Dreaming!

Keep writing!

Because it does happen.

And the odds are way better than winning the lottery, although that would be nice, too, lol.

We got The Call!

Do you hear all that cheering around Blogland, and the popping of champagne corks? It's because Maya Minx has sold to Harlequin Presents!!

We are all so proud of her, and we know the rest of the world is going to love Maya's stories just as much as we Minxes do. We promise, you're in for a treat.

Come join in the celebrations! There's a party on the new eHarlequin community boards, and you can read Maya's Call Story in full on her blog. Please leave comments to show your love, and for every comment you're entitled to one free glass of virtual chocolate. (Yes, you read that right).

Congratulations, Maya!