Reflections on the writing life – an insight for readers and writers
- I took part in an interesting essay on Dear Author talking about Aussies and Kiwis writing for the US market. What slang do we change? What do we get to keep? Do readers want strange phrases or prefer words Americanized?
- When life gets too serious read a romance novel. Check out this ‘for fun’ romance promo on YouTube from best-selling authors Jill Shalvis, Robyn Carr, Kristin Higgins, Deanna Raybourn, Susan Andersen, Sherry Thomas, Victoria Dahl… and me.
- Read my short story, The Ultimatum”, published in the Australian Women’s Weekly.
My Writing Articles
- Defending Romance Novels – I was an apologist for the romance genre for a long time. Initially I felt uncomfortable telling people I wrote romance because I was unpublished for five years – so I felt my writing didn’t count. Read more >
- Kids and Romance – Do They Mix? – When I began writing romance I swore I’d never put kids in one of my books. Kids and romance – oil and water. Read more >
- Letter to my latest book – Well, kid, you’re done. You’ve finally outgrown those awful teenage years of driving me crazy with revisions and line edits and you’re ready to go out into the world and take your chances. Read more >
- Just do it! Creativity kick-starters – A book deadline’s starting to kick in which means I’m mooching around like a kid with homework telling myself that ‘seriously dude, you really need to concentrate on the assignment’ but willing to be distracted by almost anything else. Read more >
- Harlequin SuperRomance – romance has never felt more real! – The tagline says it in a nutshell. Write real for SuperRomance. If you’re targeting the line, think contemporary, believable romance with a modern tone, incorporating today’s women’s concerns. Read more >
- The Secret To Getting And Staying Published – We all know there’s a magic formula, quality, secret…whatever you want to call it, that separates the published from the unpublished. When I first joined RWNZ and met published authors I knew they’d cracked a code more important than Da Vinci’s… Read more >
- Advice For Aspiring Romance Writers – For years I wanted to be a romance writer without actually doing much about it. I read ‘how to’ books and attended NZ romance writers’ conferences, then wrote a paragraph and rested until next year. I waited for it to become effortless… Read more >
- Celebrating Rejection – Okay that got your attention. Why the hell would any sane person do that? Here’s two reasons… Read more >