Angie Peters

The NV dream is over

2010-10-09T08:59:00.004+11:00

To cap off what's been a crappy week for me, I didn't make it onto the coveted New Voices List (a.k.a. The List). For those of you who haven't heard of The List, it's a shortlist of entrants who the eds want to follow up with after the end of the competition. Congratulations to those who made it, including my fabulous CP Sarah Brabazon who is thoroughly deserving.

For the rest of us poor sods, what does this mean? Well, the way I see it, we have a number of choices:
1. Give up the writing gig altogether. Don't know about you, but not writing makes me cranky and difficult to live with. So this is not an option for me.
2. Decide that M&B isn't really for you. I like reading them, so I'll continue trying to write them thank-you-very-much.
3. Write The Damn Book - whether it's the entry in the competition (re-writing Chapter 1 'cos it obviously didn't work for one reason or another) or another brand-spanking new story - and sub it to M&B regardless.

I think I'll take number 3 thanks. I mean, I feel despondent right now and need to give myself a day to throw a pity party for one. But, as some encouraging published M&B authors have pointed out on various forums, you don't need a competition to get that publishing contract. These authors can attest to that.

So if you didn't make The List, have an apple and pear martini (my shout) and pick yourself up, dust yourself off, then keep on writing.

As for me, my plan is to write the suckopsis (can't remember who first came up with this term but I hope you don't mind if I've acquired it) and e-mail it along with my first chapter to one of my fave authors from who I was lucky enough to win a critique. Then maybe I can find out what's wrong with this damn chapter once and for all, though I have my suspicions. Then I'm going to put this story aside and do NaNoWriMo with a fresh new story, blocking out the 'shoulds' and 'should-nots' which I've found has crippled my writing so much over the past year.

What about everyone else? What's your plan now that your NV dream is over?

New Voices

2010-09-09T18:59:00.004+10:00

I've gone to ground and have been hiding out in my bunker since I hit 'send' on my New Voices comp entry. It's been the most exhilirating and horrid feeling all rolled into one. Luckily, everyone so far has been kind and supportive in their comments. And for that I'm eternally grateful :) So THANK YOU.

Everyone who entered should take a bow as it takes a lot of courage to put your work in front of others for comments and ratings.

Please visit the wonderful Lacey Devlin's blog for the Wall of Fame of entrants (we all would love your support!) and the ever-supportive Francine Howarth's blog for more recommendations of entries to read.

If you're interested in reading my Modern Heat first chapter entry, head on over to the website: http://www.romanceisnotdead.com and it's under 'Contemporary Romance' by Angie Peters. The title is 'Warming the Sexy Stranger's Bed'.

I'll get the courage to mosey on over to the Mills & Boon New Voices site soon - just as soon as my stomach stops churning and the sick feeling recedes somewhat...

Cardinal sin

2010-09-04T16:58:00.003+10:00

I've committed a cardinal sin...my hero and heroine don't meet on the first page of my NV comp entry. I know they should but I had this opening hook in my head. And the way they meet is important for the next chapter. So they don't meet until page four. Which probably means I've just shot myself in the foot. *sigh*

I've sent off the re-written first chapter to my new CP. Hopefully, she'll have time to provide me some feedback before I embarrass myself and send it to the judges and the rest of the world to read. I'm not sure if my writing is ready to be sent out to the world just yet, but I have to start sometime, don't I?

So nerve wracking....

Please tell me, my wonderful blog readers - is it absolutely MANDATORY to have the hero and heroine meet on page 1 in a category romance?

Life getting in the way of writing

2010-08-14T14:03:00.004+10:00

With a hot cup of chamomile tea next to me, I'm ready to jump back into the world of blogging. You know, after not blogging for so long, it becomes difficult to get back into it. Just like writing a novel.

Which leads me right onto what's on my mind. I've been in a dark place in my life, which then filters into my writing and reading. Everything dries up. Is this an excuse? My fears subconsciously getting in my way to prevent me from writing and, therefore, failing? Possibly. "Keep the drama on the page," as Julia Cameron says in her book, The Right to Write.

The discipline to write daily is lacking.

But there may be more to it than that. I had a lightbulb moment when I read Jane Mulberry Jones's blog post on Seven Sassy Sisters. Like Jane, I find myself writing a first chapter (or three or four!), only to decide it's all crap, get discouraged, then stop writing for a while. Which makes me damn miserable! And until I let myself write a crappy first draft, nothing will change. Which I've known for ages, but can't seem to overcome. (Besides the one time when I successfully finished NaNoWriMo. And can't seem to replicate.)

Since I've let my doubts get in the way in the past, I made a promise to myself to enter the next HM&B competition. So I'll be entering a first chapter into the New Voices competition. Once I get that chapter up to scratch, that is...

Who else is entering? And how do you overcome the life obstacles and inner doubts so you can continue writing?

Remember me?

2010-05-29T10:01:00.010+10:00

Time flies...I hadn't realised how long it had been since I last posted. I'm having a break from my medical treatment due to nasty side effects.

On the writing front, I've completed my first synopsis and have received feedback from my writing teacher. Basically, I've got a looonnngggg way to go in learning the skill of synopsis writing. My frustration with this ms is immense. After working on this story for over a year (and during this writing course), having brainstormed with my Course Coordinator, and having submitted my first three chapters there are STILL problems with my character's goals, motivations and conflict. Can you sense my frustration?!!

So the feedback from my writing teacher on my synopsis can be summed up like this:

I haven't demonstrated that my hero and heroine are made for each other, despite the obstacles that stand in their way (internal and external conflict). The motivation for the romance is not explained.

The question was asked why my hero needed his father's wishes to force him to marry? Why doesn't he decide he needs this by himself? (In my ms, hero is heir of his father's hotel. My hero wants nothing more than to take over the running of the hotel and, by doing so, preventing a merger with their competitor. His father is CEO and is stepping down, but requires his son to marry in order to take over as CEO. His father has a reason for this, but it's not explained in the synopsis.)
My heroine's motivation for the MOC was questioned. I thought I had got this right, but obviously not...

I also need to show how my heroine's initial perceptions about the hero shift and demonstrate exactly the events and actions that reveal to her the opposite qualities about the hero. Qualities that she admires in him and that make her fall in love with him.
I have to make it clear what the wound in my heroine is that my hero heals, how it happens and how it further complicates things between them.

The Black Moment - there needs to be a change in the hero leading up to this, ie. I need to show that he is starting to change his views about not getting emotionally involved with my heroine.

I've been struggling with getting my characters' motivations for the MOC believable, but it seems I still haven't managed this. I mean, it's not as if I'm writing a Modern/Sexy/Presents where the hero can just blackmail my heroine to marry him for some reason. So I've decided the MOC hook has got to be abandoned. I've wasted too much time on what has felt like trying to force my characters fit this hook which was meant to increase the stakes (rather than just a fake fiance which was what it was initially). Have re-written the first three chapters twice (second time I started completely from scratch), I'm now prepared to abandon the MOC since it's not working and my characters have stopped speaking to me and the writing has stalled. So I'll hand in my final assignment (the query letter), then start from scratch. The only constant in all this has been the characters whom I love, and I want to tell their story and their romance.

It's a struggle trying to write a synopsis when I'm an organic writer and the ms has not been completed. I think that's why it's been lacking so much. Yet I know this is an expectation of published writers so it's something I have to learn how to do.

I don't expect to get things right the first time, but when I've spent so long trying to get the story elements right and the GMC, it's discouraging after so long to realise that I haven't. I feel like I've wasted my time. Anyway, I know it's all a learning curve.

On a more positive note, I'll leave you with someone who has gone into my Hero Inspiration files recently.

I absolutely loved Russell Crowe in Robin Hood. Also loved him in Gladiator. Give me a warrior any day.

For those of you that prefer a younger-looking hero, maybe this pic might float your boat instead:

Beautiful Blogger Award and other stuff

2010-04-11T14:27:00.005+10:00

Even though I haven't been the most consistent blogger (despite my best intentions!), I'll be absent from here even more as I've just commenced medical treatment which will be demanding. I'll try and visit all your blogs as often as I can, but I need to look after myself first and foremost so I might not be around as often as I used to be. I don't know how this will impact on my writing time...will just have to wait and see.

Anyway, onto other business....the ever-supportive and generous Francine (who else can I rely on to ask where I am when I've been gone AWOL for awhile ?!!) has nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger Award. Don't know if I can do the questions justice, but here goes....

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?

1) Living with my partner and engaged to be married.

2) Had just commenced doing locum work for an agency.

3) Saving up for our wedding (in November that year).

4) Was heavily into reading crime fiction and wanted to write it.

5) Living in a private rental property.

Question 2: What is (was) on your to do list?

1) Complete this blog post.

2) Provide critique for CP's chapter.

3) Rewrite love scene.

4) Wash towering pile of laundry (oh, how exciting!)

5) Finish reading current Modern Heat releases.

Question 3: What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

1) Chocolate

2) Biscuits (mainly chocolate)

3) Cake (any really, but love chocolate - seeing a theme here?)

4) Cheese

5) Toast with butter and jam

Question 4: What five places have you lived?

1) Tasmania - can't remember whereabouts as I was only 4

2) Melbourne (south-eastern suburbs - parents' place)

3) Melbourne (northern suburbs, private rental flat)

4) Melbourne (northern suburbs, private rental unit)

5) Melbourne (northern suburbs, own home)

Question 5: What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?

Some of the other bloggers have had really fun lists. Mine is more self-indulgent :)

1) Quit day job (and hubby can too)

2) Travel (have only been interstate on my honeymoon and first wedding anniversary)

3) Buy a Mercedes Gullwing (in red, of course)

4) Pay off my mortgage (okay, if I was a billionaire I'd also buy a holiday house)

5) Go diamond shopping *grin*

Now, five people to nominate. This is difficult as almost everyone has already been nominated. So I'll be lazy and say if you're reading this blog, consider yourself nominated :)

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:35:00.012+10:00

I know I've been AWOL from this blog for awhile (again!), but breaking my blog drought to wish you all a Happy Easter (for those of you who celebrate it). I hope you all have a nice Easter break with your families.

Today I'm having the traditional Greek lamb spit roast with lashings of tzatziki (yoghurt garlic sauce). And, of course, there'll be the obligatory tsoureki (Greek Easter bread) as well as the koulourakia (Greek Easter biscuits) and the dyed red eggs.

Dessert will be galaktoboureko (a custard dessert with syrup and phyllo pastry). Yum :) But won't do much for my ever-expanding waistline.

Hope the Easter bunny's kind to you all - have a great day.

Happy Cupcake Award

2010-03-12T09:26:00.008+11:00

Coming in a bit late here. Huge thanks to the lovely Lacey Devlin for nominating me for a Happy Cupcake Award. Really brightened up my day I tell ya. Just what I needed to focus on the positive.

Okay, so the 10 Things That Make Me Happy in no particular order:

1. My gorgeous and supportive hubby. He loves me, he spoils me, he puts up with my flaws...what more could a woman want?
2. Writing. When I'm writing regularly, I'm happy. When I don't because Real Life gets in the way, I get cranky.
3. Reading. There's nothing better than getting swept away in the fictional world of a book for a few hours and forgetting about all your troubles in the process.
4. My ECO Reader. Love my e-reader. I can download the new Harlequin Mills and Boon releases on the first of the month and read them straight away ('cos I'm impatient). Also solved my problem of lack of storage.
5. Reality TV. Love it, love it, love it. Of course, I am discerning about what I watch on telly. My faves are Survivor (ooh! Heroes vs Villains is the best!), So You Think You Can Dance, MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules.
6. Our house. After years of living in private rental accommodation, one year ago we managed to finally buy our own home. It was a dream come true.
7. Reading blogs of authors and aspiring authors. I love reading all your blogs so keep the posts coming! Gives me another reason to procrastinate :)
8. Fridays. After having worked full-time hours for more than a year, I'm thrilled to have my Fridays off once again.
9. Going for a walk on a sunny day at the nearby lake. Bliss :)
10. Dessert. I always look at the menu and pick out dessert first. 'Nuff said.

Because I'm posting this so late, if you're reading this blog post consider yourself tagged for this award. Come on - share with us the things that make you happy.

When Life Imitates Art

2010-03-05T09:54:00.006+11:00

I know I've been silent for awhile. That's because Real Life got in the way in February. I've still been reading blogs but I needed some time out, like an injured animal needs to lick its wounds. With lots of other things happening, I still managed to do most of the homework in Laurie Schnebly Campbell's fantastic Plotting Via Motivation online course. I'm signed up to do her Masterclass: From Plot to Finish mid-March and I can't wait.

First, just some info on what I got out of the course. From someone who has been primarily a pantser, planning prior to starting the WIP was a foreign world to me. Sure, I've done some of that in my Category Writing Course but I had already started the WIP. Laurie's online course was challenging but rewarding. Now I've learnt that some preparation goes a long way. Figuring out the character's motivation from the start allows you to form a plot that rings true to their motivation from start to finish. I like the idea of having a road map to guide me during the writing of my WIP. Laurie's also a fantastic teacher, and I'm planning to do some more of her online courses this year.

Now to the reason for the title of this blog post. Earlier in the month I had a family life and death emergency which was sudden, shocking and unexpected. To maintain the privacy of the person involved, I won't detail specifics of the emergency here. It turned my world upside down, and has made me feel like I'm walking on a tightrope since. The eerie thing is, this incident mimicked exactly what my heroine in my current WIP is going through. Coincidence or did my subconcious know something was wrong all along? Who knows? Regardless, at the time I felt I couldn't continue with my WIP because it was too painful, too close to home. But now I feel that I need to write this story more than ever. To bring this subject with all its stigma out into the glaring light of day. And now I personally know what my heroine is feeling because I've lived through those feelings. As painful as it is, writing about the emotions involved will be true and authentic. And I know, without a doubt, that her motivation is realistic.

And my hero? I've blogged before about the issues with his motivation and the hook. But now I think I've got him pegged. A number of things contributed to this - Donna Alward's fabulous advice, applying Laurie's exercises and asking 'Why?' until I got to the core of his motivation, and referring to The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines to assign an archetype to my hero. Well, one major archetype with added flavours of a couple of other archetypes.

Finally, I feel I can move on with this project. After being stymied for so long, the frustration and self doubt were starting to eat away at me. And deep down, I knew not completing this WIP would compound and magnify the self doubt even more.

Afterall, I can't exactly submit something that's not written now, can I?

How Not To Write A Pitch

2010-01-30T08:55:00.003+11:00

The verdict's in - my pitch sucked big-time. (Of course, Donna Alward never insinuated this.) Didn't make Top 11 let alone Top 5. So what did I do wrong - boy, where do I start?

Lesson 1. Do not make your pitch too long.
This is me we're talking about - difficulty writing short and succinctly. Whether it's writing fiction or writing progress notes at work. Same problem, different context.

Lesson 2. If you have a hook such as a Marriage of Convenience, make sure you make the need for said MoC personal.
For instance, my hero needs a MoC to convince the board members he should be elected next CEO of the family business. They're old-fashioned and don't like his playboy reputation so have doubts about him being focused enough, dependable and responsible to take over the helm.
This is not enough - why should his personal relationships have anything to do with his professional capabilities? No, what my hero needs is a more personal reason for the MoC.

Lesson 3. Ensure you include why the heroine would fall in love with the hero - and make sure the reasons tie into the story. Being caring, passionate and believing in the heroine is not enough.

Fortunately, the lovely and generous Donna Alward had some extremely helpful suggestions on how to tighten the hook and the story. She was very encouraging.

But I must admit, bombing out with my pitch brought me back down to earth with a thud of the meteoric kind. After all the rumenating and planning and brainstorming, it was discouraging to realise how weak the motivation for the MoC still is.

I feel like I'm trying to make my characters fit into boxes by manufacturing reasons why they need this MoC. And by doing so, I've lost sight of my characters, what they want, and why I even wanted to write this story in the first place.

I'm mulling over the possibility of going back and starting from scratch. At the begining, there was no MoC in sight. Fake fiancee for a month did not have high enough stakes, according to my writing teacher. Let's up the stakes - how about a MoC for six months?

And after struggling with this story for months and months and months, getting lost in the reams of notes on my characters, their conflict, and the story, I'm considering doing something I never said I would do....give up completing the ms.

The process has been so messy, the writing has stalled on a number of occasions as aspects of the story feel 'off'. I long for the freedom of writing a shitty and fast first draft. Not trying to strive for perfection in the first three chapters before I continue with the story.

Unfortunately, I need to continue with the story the way I have been for the purpose of my writing course. I need to submit a third chapter, a love scene, a synopsis and a query letter. Which seems like such a waste, considering I won't be submitting this as a partial but plan to start all over again.

Pitches and writing doubt demons

2010-01-23T07:19:00.005+11:00

Wow, time flies! I didn't realise I had been away from here so long. So much for my goal of blogging at least once a week.

After a full and tiring week at the day job, I managed to get a pitch done for Donna Alward's Perfect Pitch Contest on eharlequin. Boy, did I sweat blood on that one! One thing I learned is that pitches are damn hard! I wasn't 100% happy with it, but it was the best I could do with the time I had. So I pressed 'send' last night. It will be invaluable to get feedback on my pitch from an experienced author like Donna.

In other news, I received feedback from my teacher about my second chapter. The verdict is that I still have a lot of work to do - I need to 'deepen and layer my story in a realistic and sympathetic way'. Hmmm....For my next assignment I've looked at my first draft of my third chapter and I'm considering cutting it out completely and making the fourth chapter into my third (if that makes sense!)

Regardless, the doubt demons have firmly taken residence at Chez Peters. Why, oh, why did I think I could write a MOC as my first ms targeted towards Modern Heat? I'm starting to doubt whether I have the skill to pull it off at this stage. But I'm stubborn, and I want to finish this ms. I need to finish it so I can have that boost of confidence that I can finish something - not just a first draft but a polished, shiny ms. Even if it is imperfect. But I'm limping along, struggling with the writing, struggling to silence the 'shoulds' that swirl through my head.

Anyway, that's enough rumenating for a Saturday morning. Off to work on Chapter 3...

How are you coming along with your WIP? And did you enter the Perfect Pitch Contest?

Goals for 2010

2010-01-02T11:39:00.005+11:00

I wasn't going to post my writing goals for 2010, but then realised it was a cop out. After all, if there's no public accountability for reaching my goals then it doesn't matter if I don't achieve them, right?

I had written these up in November 2009.

1. Write daily - this can be as little as 100 words a day on weekdays when I'm buggered from the day job.
2. Complete Category Romance Writing course by June 2010 (this is broken down into smaller goals and deadlines for assignments to be completed and submitted).
3. Enter writing contests - Great Beginnings (April), High Five (August/September), Emerald (November), Selling Synopsis.
4. Find a critique partner (most likely through RWA Critique Partners Register) and/or join a romance writing group (Melbourne Romance Writers' Guild).
5. Have partial completed to send to Richmond by June 2010.
6. Have full ms completed and polished by September.
7. Post once a week on my blog.
8. Network with other romance writers (comment on writers' blogs, be more active on eharl community forum, etc).
9. Read every day.
10. Organise my writing office (this needs to be broken down into smaller goals otherwise it will never happen!)

I've got my brand spanking new 2010 diary and I'm going to write my goals in there, then I'll jot down dates to review them during the year.

Happy new year to you all, and hope you achieve your own goals this year.

Books Read in 2009

2009-12-31T17:35:00.007+11:00

I was hoping to have read stacks more books this year but, similarly to last year, life got in the way. Will have to aim to read more this year.

Highlighted in red were my fave reads which is not to detract from the other books which were still enjoyable. So, without further ado, here goes:

1. Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis
2. Flashpoint by Jill Shalvis
3. Confessions of a Millionaire's Mistress by Robyn Grady
4. Playboy Boss, Live-In Mistress by Kelly Hunter
5. Untamed Billionaire, Undressed Virgin by Anna Cleary
6. The Boss's Bedroom Agenda by Nicola Marsh
7. A Night With the Society Playboy by Ally Blake
8. Hired: The Boss's Bride by Ally Blake
9. Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
10. Two Weeks In The Magnate's Bed by Nicola Marsh
11. Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance by Kate Walker
12. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
13. The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge by Trish Morey
14. The Billionaire's Baby by Nicola Marsh
15. The Secret Mistress Arrangement by Kimberley Lang
16. The Mile High Club by Heidi Rice
17. Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition by Heidi Rice
18. Savas' Defiant Mistress by Anne McAllister
19. Heart and Craft: Bestselling Romance Writers Share their Secrets With You, edited by Valerie Parv
20. Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone
21. Hot Nights With A Playboy by Nicola Marsh
22. Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal by Heidi Rice
23. Between The Italian's Sheets by Natalie Anderson
24. Exposed: Misbehaving With the Magnate by Kelly Hunter
25. Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge by Lynne Raye Harris
26. Memoirs of a Millionaire's Mistress by Anne Oliver
27. The Antonakos Marriage by Kate Walker
28. Antonides' Forbidden Wife by Anne McAllister
29. Hot Boss, Wicked Nights by Anne Oliver
30. Bought: Damsel in Distress by Lucy King
31. Getting Red-Hot With The Rogue by Ally Blake
32. At The Boss's Beck and Call by Anna Cleary
33. Revealed: A Prince and A Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
34. Public Affair, Secretly Expecting by Heidi Rice
35. The Millionaire's Mistletoe Mistress in Christmas With The Boss by Natalie Anderson
36. Devil In A Dark Blue Suit by Robyn Grady
37. The Secrets of Successful Romance Writing by Emma Darcy
38. Hot Boss Boardroom Mistress by Natalie Anderson
39. Married: For Business or Pleasure? by Nicola Marsh (part read)

Now off to put in a dent in my TBR pile...

Editing Blues

2009-12-30T16:22:00.006+11:00

My wordcount meter hasn't been budging lately. The reason for that is that I'm trying to edit my second chapter. Trying being the operative word.

I'm following Margie Lawson's Deep Editing: The EDITS System through her lecture packet that I purchased. I've only got one word to describe how I'm feeling at the moment: overwhelmed. Cliches abound, too much introspection, not enough witty dialogue. Right about now, I'm hating everything about my chapter.

So I've decided to try and rewrite the chapter and see if it reads better than how it does at the moment. This editing biz is harder than writing. Now I now why they say 'Writing is re-writing' (though I can't remember who said this, so apologies because I don't know who to attribute this quote to).

How do you go about editing/revising/re-writing your manuscript? Have you got a systematic method or is your way random?

Desperately Seeking Writing Mojo

2009-12-13T13:41:00.004+11:00

I've lost my writing mojo.

Life seems to have gotten in the way once again. I'm mentally, emotionally, psychologically and physically fatigued from all the constant challenges I've had to face in the last 16 months. Just as I think the worst is behind me, then something else happens. It's all finally taken a toll.

I know that sometimes writing needs to take a back seat - especially when there is no energy left. But I wish I'd stop feeling so damn guilty about it.

I've decided to write at least 100 words per day. Because not writing feels so bad. And I lose track of my story and where I'm going with it if I take too long away from the WIP.

The point of this post is not to whine, believe it or not. I want some suggestions from those who care to share them. What do you do when your writing mojo goes AWOL?

Plot hole bigger than the Ozone Layer

2009-12-02T20:52:00.004+11:00

More than 15,000 words into my WIP and I've realised that I have a massive plot hole. And it's integral as it relates to the reason my hero needs a marriage of convenience. Now, I can hear you asking: How did she not pick this up earlier - like in the planning stage? Unlike my previous mss, I did actually plan this one. I spent ages brainstorming with my teacher, getting to know the characters, their backgrounds, and the internal and external conflict. And yet...I knew there was something wrong, something niggling away at me.

S'pose it's better that I picked it up now rather than at the end. Now in order to address the plot hole issue, I'm coming up with ideas that are making it more and more complicated. And I keep remembering the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

So I can either keep trying to bust my brain trying to come up with a way to fix this thing. Or I can change the reason entirely as to why the hero needs the MOC. Which means I need to go back and rewrite. Grrr...whoever says writing is easy ought to be shot!

Oh well...might as well get back to it.

Great reads

2009-11-29T11:35:00.004+11:00

Natalie Anderson's fast becoming one of my fave HM&B Modern Heat authors. I was fortunate to win two of her recent new releases in a comp on her blog. First was her novella 'The Millionaire's Mistletoe Mistress' in Christmas With the Boss.

If you haven't read this yet, you're missing out. From the opening scene (gorgeous half-naked hero anyone?), she had me hooked. Her sexy hero, Ryan Taylor, was to die for. The way he regularly tries to spend time with the heroine while she volunteer gift wraps at the department store during her breaks was sweet and funny. I'm usually not one for Christmas-themed books, but I absolutely loved this one.

The other book I won, Ruthless Boss, Royal Mistress ,which is part of The Royal House of Karedes continuity, is on my TBR list.

I also recently read Natalie's Hot Boss Boardroom Mistress which was another fantastic read. Wonderful inner conflict, sizzling hot sexual tension and love scenes, and I loved how the hero's misconceptions about the heroine were eventually all blown out of the water as he realised how wrong he had been about her. This novel actually had me wondering how the hell these two were going to have their HEA. Which just goes to show how skillful a writer Natalie Anderson is.

I'm currently reading Nicola Marsh's Marriage: For Business of Pleasure. Her books never fail to deliver and this one so far certainly is delivering in spades. It's also interesting because I'm currently writing a marriage of convenience.

Now if I can only write half as well as these talented authors...

e-Readers

2009-11-17T17:40:00.004+11:00

My fellow aspiring romance author, Rachael Johns, recently posted on her blog asking for recommendations on e-Readers. I decided to post about my e-reader which I've had since September 2009. It's the ECO Reader and it's the best thing I've ever bought.

I decided to buy an e-reader since moving to my new house which had less space for my precious books than my previous residence. I've got stacks of books in cardboard boxes in the garage because there's nowhere to put them. My e-reader cuts the need for storage space and hubby is much happier!

Also, I get to purchase and download all the latest HM&B Modern Heats as they're released in the UK rather than waiting for them to be available in Australia. Considering I like instant gratification, the e-reader is ideal. I don't have to wait for books to arrive in the mail. I also get to carry my ECO Reader in my handbag and have a number of titles stored on there. And the battery lasts for ages (7,000 pages - to put this in perspective, I've read stacks of books since I've purchased it in early September and I haven't needed to recharge since then).

When doing my research for what e-reader to purchase, I found a problem. Sony eReader wasn't available in Australia, neither was the Kindle (which didn't suit my purposes either because I wanted to purchase Harlequin novels), and there were two e-readers available in Australia and they cost a small fortune. And iphone wouldn't cut it for me because I have poor eyesight and I read for hours on end.

I purchased my ECO Reader from DA Direct in Melbourne, Australia for $449 (incl. GST) plus delivery. Or rather hubby purchased it for me as my birthday present :)

I got my 12-month warranty and the option of technical support plus regular firmware updates for my e-reader.

So there you go! Anyone, else got an e-reader? Care to share your experience?

NaNo and other things...

2009-11-07T09:00:00.003+11:00

For me, NaNo is off at a snail's pace. All I've written so far is 654 words.

I've been mulling over the feedback that's been provided on my first chapter as part of the Category Romance Writing course I've enrolled in. Overall, the feedback was positive. My marker (not my original teacher) had some really good suggestions on how to improve the work. Boy, am I glad I didn't enter it into the Harlequin Presents comp! The chapter needs a rewrite. Problem is, I don't know how to keep the elements in there that the marker praised me on when I change the things she suggested. And she also suggested writing the rest of the ms first before coming back and layering in individual details about my characters. But I seem to have stalled...

Anyhoo, one criticism related to my title which reflects my warped sense of humour, I guess. The marker was correct in stating that it suggests I'm not serious about the genre, even thought that wasn't my intention at all! So 'My Big Fat Fake Wedding' will have to go. Any suggestions? I've got a billionaire who owns a strings of luxury hotels, a cocktail waitress and a marriage of convenience.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Harlequin Presents comp

2009-10-27T17:29:00.004+11:00

Well, I've decided that my first chapter is nowhere near ready to be seen by an editor. Instead of entering the Harlequin Presents comp with a sub-standard entry, I'll work on it some more and submit it as my second assignment for the Category Writing Course that I'm doing. With the feedback that I'll receive from my fabulous teacher, then I can either rewrite, scrap, or edit the first chapter. There's something lacking, but I can't pinpoint exactly what...

At least I have a plan, so I'm happy. I've also signed up for NaNoWriMo this year with the aim of finishing the first draft of MBFFW. So instead of completing 50k, I'll be aiming for 44k.

Taking the plunge

2009-10-25T18:24:00.001+11:00

I've finally decided to take the plunge into Blogland. I've been toying with the idea for a while, but didn't think I'd have anything interesting to say. Still don't. I also didn't want to spend time blogging when I could've been writing.

So what's changed?

By blogging, I'm hoping to increase my writing output by being accountable. Even if no-one reads this blog, at least I can see that the wordcount meter for my latest ms is/is not moving upwards.

I realised that even though I've been a member of Romance Writers of Australia since 2007, I don't know many other writers. Hopefully by blogging (and commenting on other writers' blogs), I can come out of my shell and network with other romance writers.

If I can state my writing goals up where the whole world can see them (not that I think the whole world will be interested - LOL), then I have to work harder to achieve them.

There. Now that that's out of the way, I can talk about what's currently on my mind. For the third year in a row, I've thought about - then abandoned - the idea of entering the Harlequin Presents Writing Competition. To be fair, I couldn't enter last year as I had to pack my belongings, move our stuff into storage, and move house around the time of the comp. This year I wasn't going to enter because...well, because I didn't feel ready. But after this post, I'm considering about entering. My first chapter needs a rewrite and I haven't written a synopsis yet. Is it doable? Coincidentally, I have a whole week off work. So if I work 12-hour days on it...Maybe I can get my entry in before the deadline? Or am I nuts to even consider it?

One thing's for sure. I'm through with sitting on the sidelines watching others doing something with their writing, while I sit in my comfort zone.