Cruisin’ with RWA

Welcome to another bumper issue of Cruisin’ with RWA. Enrico and Clint have a little news of their own this week. They’ve worked so hard driving the Cruisin limo this year, I African Animalsdecided to surprise them with a well-earned break. They’re going on an African Safari! Of course, I can’t let them go alone, so between July 6 and 20, we’ll be swapping the Cruisin’ limo for a four wheel drive and binoculars. Do keep sending your news and blogs through while we’re away to cruisin@romanceaustralia.com for posting when we’re back on board on July 25.

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Cruisin’ the News

Share your good news with us each week and we’ll join you in your happy dance. Congratulations to all our members on their achievements this week. Have you got news or a blog to share? Send us the link to cruisin@romanceaustralia.com.

Good News

is delighted to share the news that she has joined the ranks of the Harlequin Romance authors with a two-book sale to Harlequin Mills & Boon, UK.

is pleased to reveal the cover for her July debut release, LETTER FROM A RAKE.  A passionate love letter goes astray in this charming Regency romance now available for pre-order.

LINGERIE WARS is now available on Smashwords. It’s the first in a new contemporary romance series, set in Scotland.

Nikki Logan, Kylie Griffin and Fiona Lowe took the prize in their categories in Annual Best Cover for VENGEANCE BORN, WILD ENCOUNTER and BOOMERANG BRIDE.

Carolyn Wren - DIPLOMAT’S DAUGHTER (The Protectors)

Danielle Lisle – THE ROSE’S BLOOM

Kelly Hunter - WISH

Margareta Osborn – A BUSH CHRISTMAS

Thanks go to the Ella co-ordinator, Raewyn Bright and to Louise Reynolds, our erstwhile R*by co-ordinator, for mentoring her through her first year in this role.

Jo Fereday

C.T. Green

Jo McAlister

Michelle Somers

Chris Taylor

Alison Van Vreumingen

Thanks to all the volunteers who make the contests happen: VPA contest manager, Erica Hayes, Contest co-ordinator, Lis Hoorweg, Judge co-ordinator, Margaret Midwood, and all our judges.

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Cruisin’ Member Blogs

Clint fueled up the limo and went cruisin’ the Blogging Highway for great blogs to keep you entertained. Are you an RWA Member? Share a link and a short blurb here each week by emailing the details to us at: cruisin@romanceaustralia.com.

  • RWA Blog

June 23 – Event Announcements

June 24 – Author Spotlight on Jennifer St George

June 25 – Conference Spotlight

June 27 – Cruisin’ with RWA

Cate Ellink talks about the genesis of THE VIRGINITY MISSION with Susanne Bellamy and Jennie Jones reveals more about her HOUSE ON BURRA BURRA LANE on Sunday on All the World’s a Page.

chatted to Leisl Leighton about her debut novel, PRINCESS AVENGER.

‘Tis the season for snuggling down with a good book and comfort food, and on Friday Feast this week Aussie author Nicole Flockton has both. We’ve a slow cooker delight, perfect for warming your innards, and to warm your heart, there’s Nicole’s latest contemporary romance RESCUING DAWN. Lovely!

blogged over at the Firebirds blog as a Golden Heart finalist on Thursday, June 20.

June 20 – MAGIC THURSDAY – with Shona Husk

June 21 – WHAT ARE WE READING with Shona Husk

June 22 – ENCHANTED ORB – TBC

June 25 – GOOD NEWS DAY compiled by Kylie Griffin

With pruning season in the Australian vineyards upon us it is prime real-time for reading Lily Malone’s new self-pubbed novella, THE GOODBYE RIDE.

Lily has been a guest on justcontemporaryromance – with the article, “Do you want a piece of me?” It talks about the pieces of Lily that have made a path into her books. Umbrellas. Sandflies. Guitars and House Of The Rising Sun for starters.

Then she had a guest spotlight at Fiction Vixen with a giveaway for THE GOODBYE RIDE which asked readers to comment on whether they like books with local lingo, language and slang… and the overwhelming response from commenters is “yes, we do! Give us authenticity!!” Check it out.

And with fellow foodie Eliza Redgold (BLACK DIAMONDS), Lily took over the Escape Publishing blog to cook up a recipe for Baking The Perfect Bloke. This was loads of fun to write, and the article comes with a calorie warning. Don’t read on an empty stomach! It’s guaranteed to add a few kilos!

Jenn’s been awfully quiet this week. I wonder what she’s up to in the house?

THE HOUSE ON BURRA BURRA LANE hit the top new releases on JB HiFi

50ks in 30 days – why I’m not letting a good man go to waste.

Confused about twitter or just want to get the most out of it? Juliet has written a blog post that will demystify the twitterverse and help you make it an efficient and fun form of marketing and social interaction.

Entangled Bliss author Jenna Rutland is on Juliet’s blog answering ten awkward questions… How would you go with answering them?

June 22 – CAT-URDAY: Food Please!

June 25 – NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Madeline Ash – our RWA/NZ newly published authors from Destiny, Escape & Momentum!

June 29 – SATURDAY SEVEN (THE DOM’S DUNGEON – Cheryse Sinclair) – Seven paragraphs of a favourite book off my shelves.

Lovely Aussie-in-Texas Nicole Flockton visits ‘Cooking The Books’ this week and she’s got a foolproof, super easy chocolate cake recipe plus an excerpt from her latest release, RESCUING DAWN.

BSP Alerts and rum balls (minus the rum) on Margareta’s blog, The Voice of the Bush

June 12 – READING ADVENTURES compiled by Eleni Konstantine

Sasha decided to embark on the task of cooking some of the recipes in her historical romance writing research in Distasters from the Regency kitchen.

June 15 – Spotlight on Writers with Annie Seaton

June 23 – Spotlight on Writers with Marianne Theresa

A little taste of NEVER ON A SUNDAE

Our writer’s group, Sultry Scribes, tried an on-line meeting this month, with the writing topic being the introductory sentence: “They found his diary under his bed.” As per usual, we wrote for twenty minutes, polished it up and were supposed to post it on Sultry Scribes. (I’m the only one so far!) Anyway, ’tis short, and if you’re interested.

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Enrico’s Pick SixEnrico

Submit your blog site link to cruisin@romanceaustralia.com to share with our readers. Enrico hand picks six blogs to showcase every week.

Enrico’s Pick Six this week:

  1. Anne Gracie
  2. Christina Phillips
  3. Historical Saga Novels
  4. Jane Quick
  5. Lily Malone
  6. M J Scott

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Have a great week,

from the Cruisin’ Chauffeurs

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by Juanita Kees on June 20, 2013  •  Permalink
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Inaugural Ella Finalists

We are very excited to announce the finalists in RWA’s inaugural Ella competition, for published, novella-length stories.

Congratulations go to:

Carolyn Wren – Diplomat’s Daughter (The Protectors)

Danielle Lisle – The Rose’s Bloom

Kelly Hunter – Wish

Margareta Osborn – A Bush Christmas

Thanks go to the Ella co-ordinator, Raewyn Bright and to Louise Reynolds, our erstwhile R*by co-ordinator, for mentoring her through her first year in this role.  We would be helpless without our stalwart volunteers!  Thanks too, to our wonderful reader judges.

And for those of you waiting impatiently for our R*by finalists, there isn’t long to wait.  Watch this space for an announcement next week!

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by Imelda Evans on June 19, 2013  •  Permalink
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Riding the Waves Conference Spotlight ~ Ken Milling

Welcome to a conference spotlight

from the

Riding the Waves conference!

Today we have Nikki Logan talking about Ken Milling‘s workshop CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHOPATH: What Writers Get Wrong.

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How I met Ken Milling
A few years ago my employer sought the assistance of a specialist to help manage an unhealthy workplace and I was thrilled when I discovered it was Ken Milling. Ken and I had worked together a few years earlier in a mentored staff development program and he’d single-handedly shown me the path back to life/work balance. It turned out Ken specialised in antisocial personalities and he had no trouble at all recognising the toxic dynamic in my workplace and giving me effective advice on how to manage my infestation of narcissists.

How to reverse play them.

How to control them.

And of course, because I’m an author, I had more than your average curiosity about the subject and I grilled him at length about the range of dysfunctional personalities he sees.


KenMAbout Ken
Ken is a mass of contradictions. Gently spoken, unassuming, average height. He’s into flamenco dancing and has mini-poodles. But he is also a 4th Dan Black Belt (Yon Dan) martial arts Master and he delves deep into some dark, damaged and even broken personalities for a living.

Ken introduced me to the basics of how an anti-social personality (and there are many of them) functions. He taught me that with a psychopath you have just moments to mark yourself as predator or prey in terms of how you respond but that you won’t even recognise that moment when it comes. It’ll be disguised as a simple request for the time, or a light, or directions. And he talked about how to function socially in a world where that can happen; because you can’t tell every person that asks you for directions to ‘_ _ _ _ off’.  Some of them just want directions.

He invited me deep into the uncomfortable place that is the chronic narcissistic mind and talked about the kind of backstory that creates that particular personality disorder. He showed me all the ways my dysfunctional employees fit the profile. And he planted strategy seeds that eventually led to all three imploding, leaving their jobs or towing the line.
He taught me how to channel aggression for small, manageable bursts at strategic moments, and in a later session he kitted up in full martial arts gear and let me pummel the hell out of him. I’m sure from his POV it was like the battering of butterfly wings but I came away energised, empowered and so vitally aware of my own inherent power against the kinds of personalities that were making life a misery for the rest of my team.


‘Confessions of a Psychopath’
At Riding the Waves I’ll be leading a conversation with Ken designed to bring us in with him into the inner workings of a damaged mind. We’ll be doing a little mythbusting about personality disorders, looking at some of the personalities that are done to death in fiction and some that don’t get a lot of airtime, unravelling some clichéd fictional disorders (PTSD, the controlling mother, the brilliant sociopath). Is it possible to outsmart a psychopath? Can you change yourself from prey to predator? How strong does a trigger need to be to warp a perfectly good mind into a dysfunctional one?

And the ever important— Who had the more dysfunctional personality: Roadrunner or Coyote?

It will be a fast, furious one-hour conversation and we’ll be covering a lot of ground, so be sure to get in and get a seat early.

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Thank you, Nikki and Ken!

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How to the Claytons

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How to The Claytons

In years past, The Claytons has been hosted in RWA’s general chat rooms, but recently we’ve moved!  We’re now in the RWA Forum chat rooms.

In order to help some of our newbies (and some of our seasoned Claytoners) better find and use the chat rooms and tools, we’ve put together the following ‘how to’.

If you find you still need direction, let us know by replying here and we can walk you through any issues you may have.  And do ask—we’re here to help you have THE BEST CLAYTONS EVER!

RWA Forum Chat Direction

Go to the RWA website at www.romanceaustralia.com .

Click into the Members Only tab.

Log in using your member number and password.  If you don’t remember your member number or you don’t yet have a password for the forum, contact RWA’s web mistress at webmistress@romanceaustralia.com.

Click into the Forum Link.

Scroll down to the very bottom of the forum page.  Click into the Chat Rooms button.

A box appears listing the available chat rooms.  Click into The Claytons Chat room.

You’re now in The Claytons Chat room!

You can start typing here.    To log out, click the door icon.

NOTE:  It is possible to slightly enlarge the chat screen by clicking into the arrow in the box icon near the door to leave icon (not shown in this illustration). But…you will need to refresh your screen EVERY time you change screen size or you will not ve able to view/participate in the conversation.  To refresh, PC users try the green arrow keys at the top of your screens web browser or Control+F5 (press both simultaneously).  Mac users try Command+R (again both keys simultaneously).

And that’s it!  Simple as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!  Have a go at the chat rooms; only The Claytons Committee room is presently password protected.  Meet a friend or two there and play around with the tools.

If you find you have questions or issues, let us know either by posting your query here or by emailing claytons@romanceaustralia.com .

We’re here to help in any way we can so that you have THE BEST CLAYTONS EVER!

Until then…happy writing (or chatting in this case)!

D

Dana Scully

RWA’s 2013 The Claytons BE THE BOOK Online Conference Coordinator

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Event Announcements

If you have a writing class, book-signing, competition, blog hop, library talk or any other exciting event coming up, please share it with us at cruisin@romanceaustralia.com.

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50K in 30 Days50kin30days

Do you have a new manuscript to write but lack motivation to get started? Have you abandoned manuscripts after two or three chapters? June is Romance Writers of Australia’s 50k in 30 days and we’d love you to join the challenge. You’ll find lots of helpful hints and inspiration to get all the way through to ‘The End,’ wonderful camaraderie, and the chance to make new friends and reacquaint yourself with old ones.

All you have to do is register.

Click here to register with 50ks in 30 days under ‘Events’ on the RWA forum: 
http://www.romanceaustraliaforum.com

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Claytons Conference 2013image

Registrations are now open for RWA’s 2013 The Claytons BE THE BOOK Online Conference!

This year’s amazing line-up includes:

  • Alexandra Sokoloff-Keynote Speaker on the 3 Act 8 Scene Story Structure
  • Sue Grimshaw-of Random House’s Loveswept & Flirt lines on The Quick Pitch
  • Mel Tescho-ARRA Nominee on Sensual Tension Regardless of Genre
  • Zana Bell-on the Grommet’s Guide to Publishing
  • And Australia’s own Queen of Romance Valerie Parv-on The Revision Maze

Don’t miss out! Register now at
http://www.romanceaustralia.com/claytons_rego.html

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Conference Pitching Session Registration

Pitch registration for Riding the Waves has now opened! Find out all about pitching (and the link to the online pitch registration form) in our latest conference email.

Meet our agents and editorsemail_banner2

Riding the Waves is thrilled to introduce the agents and editors who will be taking pitches at the conference. Both RWA members and non-members can pitch, but you must be registered for the core (Saturday and Sunday) conference. Visit the Romance Writers of Australia website and click on each of our guest’s names for more information.

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Keeping up Appearances

  • Writing Romance with Anne Gracie – Sunday 7 July,  4 August, 8 September, 6 October

If you live in or near Melbourne, Anne Gracie is taking a short course in romance writing, to be held over 4 months — a full day workshop on the first Sunday of each month. The course is being run by Writers Victoria at the Wheeler Centre in the heart of Melbourne.

When: 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Where: Writers VictoriaCost: M $325 NM $390

FMI + bookings:
http://writersvictoria.org.au/what-s-on/event/writing-romance/

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Call for Submissions

Permission to share granted by Escape Publishing.

Here’s a fun fact: if you submit to Escape now, you can be a published (or multi-published) author by Christmas. We’re working to an aggressive publishing program, and we want stories! Here’s our submission page:
http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/submission

Why submit to Escape?HARL_escapeLOGO_red

  • Australian location, global reach
  • Actively seeking risky, niche, or cross-genre stories
  • Publishes short stories (of more than 5000 words), novellas, and short and long-length novels
  • Small, flexible team, with the backing of Harlequin’s knowledge, experience, and professionalism
  • No synopsis required! Just a 100-word blurb.
  • Two-week turn-around guarantee for initial response

So what are you waiting for? For more information, go to
http://escapepublishingblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/call-for-submissions/

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Writer’s Classes, Groups and Library Events

Workshops

June 2013

  • Monday 17 June – A Talk by Ally Blake*

When: 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Garden City Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3403 7745

  • Tuesday 18 June – A Talk by Ally Blake*

When: 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Mount Ommaney Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3407 7010

July 2013

  • Wednesday 10 July* – A Talk by Ally Blake

When: 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Mitchelton Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3403 7411

  • Tuesday 16 July – A Talk by Ally Blake*

When: 6:00pm – 7pm

Where: Chermside Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3403 7200

  • Wednesday 17 July – A Talk by Ally Blake*

When: 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Where: Fairfield Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3403 8615

  • Thursday 18 July – A Talk by Ally Blake*

When: 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Wynnum Library, Brisbane

Cost: free but please call to make booking

FMI + bookings: 07 3403 2199

*Library talks with Ally Blake include lucky door prizes and book giveaways!

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Writing Schools

All workshops are live on the given dates at 1 PM EST. They are recorded for future viewing and purchase after the event.  Registrants have access to the video(s) of the workshop(s) and all handouts they have purchased 24/7 for forever.  The current offerings can always be found at
http://jumpstartwritinginstitute.com/
. The next workshop is “Character Motivation” Thursday June 20th at 1pm US Eastern Time.

JSWI also offers a membership and that information can be found at
http://jumpstartwritinginstitute.com/become-a-jswi-member/
.

Completed and available for purchase individually – or in bundle as of June 17th . (1) (2) (3) indicates the number of sessions and videos in the workshop.  This information can also be found on the main site.

  • Jan – Finding Time to Write (2)
  • Feb – First Time Novelist (2)
  • March – Creating Compelling, Unforgettable Characters (2)
  • April Brainmap (3)
  • May Conflict (2)

Upcoming Workshops

  • June 20-  Motivation (1)
  • Jul 23 – Hooks (1)
  • Aug 8 – Writing Humor & Emotion (1)
  • Sep 10 & 17  – Point of View (2)
  • Oct 8, 15 & 22 – Rule of 6 (3)
  • Nov 12 & 19 – Show Not Tell (2)
  • Dec 10 – Getting Your Book Ready to Sell (1 combined 1.5hr)

Bundles

  • Write A Book This Year (All 12 workshops)- Available June 17

Programs

  • Write With Shirley (Lite – 3 week e-mail program) free with e-mail subscription – Starting June 17
  • Write With Shirley full 7 week program

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RWA Conference

Riding the waves: Writing romance in tempestuous times

Riding the Waves

Riding the Waves

August 16 – 18 2013 -The Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia

For prices, conference details and the online registration form, please head to our web site:
http://romanceaustralia.com/freo/

Featuring Julia Quinn, Kim Hudson, Nina Bruhns, Sarah Wendell, Laura Bradford and Abby Zidle – and an amazing workshop program – Riding the Waves promises to be an unmissable event.

Early Bird registration is now closed.

Want to keep up to date? Join our email list

CALL FOR DONATIONS

(authors, members with services or anyone wanting to contribute)

Over the weekend of August 17-18, 2013 two exciting events will be taking place in RWA—the Riding the Waves annual conference in beautiful Fremantle (Western Australia) and the Claytons online mini-conference in beautiful…your house!

We are calling for donations of goods or services as follows:

• CLAYTONS – already have plenty of book prizes but some extra prizes still required. To be posted/emailed to the winner by you. Crits, writer services, writing tools, promotional USBs. Surprise us! Please contact claytons@romanceaustralia.com to let the Claytons team know you have something to donate. We’ll contact you after the event to let you know who won your prize and where to send it.

• RIDING THE WAVES CONFERENCE – We have two separate donation piles – one is for the FUNDRAISER and one is a call for DOOR PRIZES.

CONFERENCE FUNDRAISING
This year, the recipient of the conference fundraising will be Read, Write, Now which is an adult literacy organisation dedicated to the provision of literacy services to help those who cannot read to a level high enough to get through life. We will be running major raffles on Saturday and Sunday to raise money for RWN and we are very excited to be fundraising for a literacy cause this year.

We’d love book-bundles, writer services, baskets of goodies, critiques, three nights at a writing retreat or (where groups get together to donate something larger) e-readers, iPads, laptops or other tech toys.

To donate to this, please contact Tracey Turner (tnturner10@bigpond.com) and let her know what you’ll be donating and then bring it with you to Riding the Waves clearly labelled with FUNDRAISER. Or, if you’re not attending but would still like to donate a prize or get some exposure, then you can ship your prize to: 64 Capel Drive CAPEL WA 6271

DOORPRIZES
Lucky/random draws are done throughout the weekend for door-prizes. Individual book donations or writer swag make great door prizes.

To donate a door-prize, please contact Tracey Turner (tnturner10@bigpond.com) and let her know what you’ll be donating and then bring it with you to Riding the Waves clearly labelled with DOORPRIZE

Thanks to everyone for your generosity and support re: RWA events. It is fabulous how many of our members give back to their RWA.

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Special Events

  • Brisbane Writers Festival: 4-8 September 2013

Brisbane Writers Festival brings a page-turning experience to Brisbane from 4-8 September.

  • Byron Bay Writers Festival:  2-4 August 2013

Indications are that 2013 will be the first year the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival sells  its entire quota of Early Bird discounted 3 Day Passes! If you haven’t already secured yours, move fast.

  • Melbourne Writers Festival 22 August – 1 September 2013

The Melbourne Writers Festival is the City of Literature’s annual, two-week celebration for writers, readers and thinkers. The Festival runs from Thursday 22 August 2013 to Sunday 1 September 2013. Our Schools’ Program takes place from Monday 26 August 2013 to Thursday 29 August 2013.

  • Sydney Writers Festival: 20-26 May 2013

This year, Sydney Writers’ Festival brings together an exhilarating selection of storytellers who will delight, inform and entertain. So come along, sit back, and let us tell you a story.

  • Voices on the Coast: 1-5 June 2013

Sunshine Coast Voices on the Coast has a great lineup of writing events – Literary Breakfast with Robin de Crespigny, Literally Gourmet Feasting,  Queensland Writers Centre workshops, Pitching to Publishers & Cinematic Stories

  • Random House Events May – July 2013

Foodies are in for a treat in May with Julie Goodwin and Curtis Stone on the menu, not to mention Kate Forsyth talking about her latest book THE WILD GIRL. Featured in June is Jaye Ford and her novel SCARED YET? And in July, Michael Pryor (The Extraordinaires 2: The Subterranean Stratagem) has a number of workshop activities to help ensure your characters, location and plotting can last the distance of a longer story.

  • Penguin House Events May – October 2013

Penguin have a list of author appearances up on their website – including Cathryn Hein and Kylie Griffin.

  • Literary Festivals and Events May 2013

For more festival and writing fun, Literary Festivals has a calender packed full of workshops and events.

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Online Events

Classes are run from Margie Lawson’s website using on-line teaching software used by universities. Take a cyber tour before you start your class and introduce yourself.

Affordable forum-style writing classes

A double Golden Heart finalist in 2006, Julie Rowe has been writing for over ten years. Julie  teaches a variety of workshops and is the moderator of the Announce Online Classes email loop, which promotes online classes for writers.

To subscribe to the Announce online Classes email loop, send an email to: Announceonlinewritingclasses-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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by Juanita Kees on June 16, 2013  •  Permalink
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Valerie Parv Finalists

The finalists have been decided in the 2013 Valerie Parv Award!  Congratulations go to:

Read the full post »

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by Imelda Evans on June 15, 2013  •  Permalink
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Author Spotlight: Leisl Leighton…

Hello Leisl and welcome to the Author Spotlight.

KillingMeSoftly_cover

 

Can you tell us about your journey from hobby writer to published author?

I worked in theatre and cabaret for many years and wrote/co-wrote scripts throughout those years as well as owning my own theatre restaurant for 6 years. But after 12 years of working in that industry, I’d had enough and wanted to start a family, so closed my business down. I still needed to be creative though, so I began to write the stories I dreamed every night. My first effort was a massive fantasy tomb that when finished was 250,000 words long! I realise now that I wrote everything into that novel – character backgrounds, story backgrounds, the history of the cultures…everything – because I’m a pantser. Because I can’t stick to one thing, I wrote a bunch of other styles of novel, both single title and category, and began submitting some of them, without understanding anything about that process because I was working in the dark, alone.

A lucky meeting with Anne Gracie changed everything for me. She kindly interpreted half a dozen page long rejection letters I got and then told me in no uncertain terms that I had to join RWA and avail myself of its critique partner network and competitions to work on the technical aspects of writing I was failing at and not give up, because those rejection letters were actually telling me I had something, I just had to work at it.

I did as she suggested and was rewarded with amazing help, some wonderful friendships and a network of support you just don’t get anywhere else. I have worked on a number of manuscripts, pitched at conferences, sent to contests here and in the US (I won and placed in quite a few) and had the privilege of attending the first 5DI week. I kept submitting and got some really great encouragement from agents and editors who liked my writing but just didn’t have a place for the stories I sent them. That all changed when I met with Carol George from Destiny Romance about a manuscript I’d submitted to her. That manuscript was wrong for them, but they loved my writing and she asked to see other things I’d written as long as they had a stronger romance thread than the one I’d submitted. I submitted a romantic suspense I’d written a few years ago and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now that you are a published author, how has life changed for you?

I have been treating writing like it is my job ever since I came back from the 5DI. I spend time on my writing every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. I have also given myself deadlines to work towards in regards to entering competitions and have pitched at every RWA conference I’ve gone to, researched pitching, query letter and synopsis writing and have generally made it my business to know as much as I could about this industry I wanted to be a part of. So in essence, things haven’t changed on the outside. I still fit my writing in around my family and my part time work, but I find it’s the attitudes of others that have changed. People are suddenly taking my writing more seriously – without that contract, people do tend to give you indulgent looks as if to say they think you are dreaming when you say you are a writer.

Leisl Headshot tweet

How important have writing competitions been in regards to your development as a writer?

I think they have been essential. They gave me my first taste of criticism from people I don’t know and helped me see not only where I was going wrong and what I could improve, but what I was getting right. The contest dates made me work to deadlines and made me research how to write queries and synopsis, which in turn helped me to figure out elemental problems of my manuscripts – like where a plot falls into the mire of its own cleverness or where character GMC’s aren’t strong enough. They also got my work in front of agents and editors who gave me some wonderful advice and allowed me to make some good contacts. I was asked, through entering the Emerald, to become a contest manager, which has taught me even more about what good writing is, reader and judge expectations and helped me connect with some of the other wonderful volunteers in RWA who have been massively supportive of my work. But most of all, entering the competitions has taught me the most important lesson of all – You can’t please everyone.

Do you have a Critique Partner?

I belong to two different critique/writing groups, one an RWA group, the other I started with someone I met in a local writing group. There is someone in each group that I can send things to in between meetings if I need and I do the same for them. I also have had critique partners through the critique partner network, who helped me a lot, but in the end with each, life got in the way for one or other of us and we just stopped swapping work.

You write across a variety of genres: paranormal, suspense and fantasy, which is your favourite?

That’s like asking me to choose a favourite child!

I love reading those genres, so that’s why I write them. In regards to choosing what genre I’m going to write in at any one time, I write what strikes me at the time and when writing it, it evolves into one of those three genres. My characters seem to know best where they belong.

What are the essential elements in all of the above genres?

There must be mystery, high tension, and a strong, twisting plot that keeps me guessing but that doesn’t make me go ‘Huh? How did that happen?’ at the end; strong, engaging characters who are challenged by the situation they find themselves in, but also have a personal journey to make and are fully drawn so they feel like friends I can believe in even while I’m thinking, ‘how can they find their way through this?’

Other characters and little subplots can add to the mystery and tension, but aren’t always essential, although they very often help the leads find their inner strength and face their own personal demons, so I do like them to be there and real. The worlds need to be fully drawn so that I can see them and breathe them in, allowing me to feel a part of them every time I open the page and draws me right in. The world also needs to make me feel that the characters truly live there and haven’t just been dropped in for the duration of the book, that I could revisit this world to follow other characters and it would be just as alive and fulfilling as the first time because there is even more to explore. And on top of this, for paranormal and fantasy series especially, an overarching plot that will unfold a little more in each novel.

What are your top 5 all time favourite books?

Wow, that’s a really hard question to answer. I think more in terms of favourite authors, of which there are many, but I suppose my favourite books, the ones I have read over and over are: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, (and the rest of the series), Magician by Raymond E. Feist (and the subsequent series), Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts (and the subsequent series), Hummingbird by Lavyrle Spencer, Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singhe (and the subsequent series).

I have to say I also love Nora Roberts, Anne Gracie, Katherine Kerr, Anne McCaffrey, JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyers, Charlaine Harris, Sherylyn Kenyon, Richelle Meade, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Georgette Heyer… the list goes on and on.

Can you tell us a little about your next novel?

I am currently working on a few things. The first is a romantic suspense I’m rewriting that I wrote many years ago about a woman on the run for her life after witness protection failed her. The second is a paranormal romance series about Witches and Weres and a curse that threatens to tear apart the pact they created 500 years ago to save Witches from the wildness of their powers and Weres from the violence of their animals. I have written the first book for this series and am currently writing the second in the series as well as mapping out ideas for the third. And then there’s an epic paranormal fantasy about a blind witch and her vampire lover and the prophecy that threatens to tear their world apart. I’ve written the first two novels of this series and am working on ideas for redrafting them before moving further into the series (although I have the third and fourth books basically mapped out).

What does the future hold for Leisl Leighton?

Hopefully lots of time to write, lots of people loving my books and wanting more, affording me the ability to make writing what I do for my career. Although, if this weren’t to happen, writing would still be essential to my life, because I love it, I need it and it helps keep me sane in this insanely busy world. Other than that, health and happiness, friendship and love for myself, my family and friends is everything I would ask for. 

Congratulations on your debut release, ‘Killing me Softly’. Can you give us an extract?

His eyes were vibrant blue in the semi-dark room. She could feel his gaze like a touch as it skimmed over her face, came back to her eyes, remained there. How could it feel as if he were drinking her in? She cleared her throat, shifted, tore her gaze away. ‘I like to come down here at this time of the night. I like the quiet. I can work without being disturbed.’
He laughed at her gentle barb, the sound sliding up and down her spine. She stood up abruptly. ‘How come you’re up at this hour?’ She sounded defiant, almost annoyed, but she couldn’t help it. He’d thrown her with his presence.

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by Sarah Belle on June 15, 2013  •  Permalink
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Blog Bites with Venetia Green

 

Another fantastic author sharing a bite with us, Venetia Green.

venetiaI write: medieval historical romance with a dash of erotica and a good seasoning of Vikings. Throw in a bit of plague and madness, and that’s about it. Shortly though, I’m going to try my fingers at more ‘serious’  historical fiction; the question is – am I allowed to keep the naughty bits?

I’m from: Perth, WA

I procrastinate by: knitting. It’s therapy.

Favourite author: Kim Wilkins, an awesome Aussie author with a penchant for cussing. Read her advice for writers on her blog. Brilliant!

Current reading: Hilary Mantell’s Wolf Hall. It’s my duty as a historical author.ahawkenslaved_msr

Favourite book as a child: Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories, and a tome on Viking mythology. I was destined for medievaldom from the age of 7.

Favourite movie: Umm, probably Gladiator, although I do love The Princess Bride and my recent favourite is the BBC mini-series North and South. Richard Armitage can scowl at me any day.

Plotter or panster: plot, plot, plot.

Latest project: Just finishing a Viking-themed erotic romance. Next is my serious project, a re-imagining of Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’. (If anyone has encountered her in The Canterbury Tales, you’ll know that this was one medieval tart who seriously got around!)

I am insanely, ecstatically pleased to announce that first contracted novel has a release date. A Hawk Enslaved will be available through Ellora’s Cave and all good e-book vendors on the 23rd May 2013!

For more info about my book, please check out my website: www.venetiagreen.com

Thank you Venetia, it was a pleasure. I’m a huge fan of Gladiator and especially Princess Bride too. 

RWA members can take a bite. Contact Kerri Williams to schedule your Blog Bite feature on blogbites@romanceaustralia.com

 

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by Kerri Williams on June 14, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kerri Williams on June 14, 2013

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Cruisin’ with RWA

Welcome to another bumper issue of Cruisin’ with RWA. Follow our members’ good news and blog posts and stay up to date with all the new releases and events in the world of Romance. Sit back and let our chauffeurs, Enrico and Clint, take you Cruisin’…

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Cruisin’ the News

Share your good news with us each week and we’ll join you in your happy dance. Congratulations to all our members on their achievements this week. Have you got news or a blog to share? Send us the link to cruisin@romanceaustralia.com.

Good Newscruisin_in_my_car_cartoon_stickers-p217946953741101444q0ou_400

Juliet is having a bumper year having signed yet another contract with Escape Publishing for her novella, STAR STRUCK IN SEATTLE, a contemporary romance with a magical element. a few weeks ago, Juliet signed a contract for another novella, I DREAM OF JOHNNY, a romantic comedy, which will release in September.

has signed a second contract with Entangled Publishing for three contemporaries.

Elise’s second novella in the Homeland series, ASK ME FOR MORE, is available for pre-order with less than a month until the release.

has a contemporary romance about female mechanic Billie Williams  out now on Amazon and Steam eReads’.

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Cruisin’ Member BlogsClint

Clint fueled up the limo and went cruisin’ the Blogging Highway for great blogs to keep you entertained. Are you an RWA Member? Share a link and a short blurb here each week by emailing the details to us at: cruisin@romanceaustralia.com.

  • RWA Blog

June 15 - Author Spotlight on Liesl Leighton

June 16 – Event Announcements

June 17 – Claytons 2013

June 18 – Conference Spotlight on Ken Milling

June 20 – Cruisin’ with RWA

Annie Seaton celebrated the release of ITALIAN AFFAIR with Susanne Bellamy.

What do the Daintree and The Virginity Mission have in common? Find out this Sunday, 16th June with Cate Ellink on All the World’s a Page.

Summer or Winter? Night or Day? The questions you can answer to win either an Alissa Callen or an Allison Butler eBook. AND you get to read someone else’s mail.  Just pop over to the lovely Barbara DeLeo’s blog for your chance.

Grab a cuppa and settle down for some serious afternoon delight because this week Friday Feast is laying a spread! BENEATH OUTBACK SKIES author Alissa Callen has dug out the fine china and whipped up an afternoon tea that will have your tastebuds singing. So come join the fun of Friday Feast. But don’t dilly dally. Alissa’s delicious muffins and biscuits are sure to disappear fast!

June 13 – MAGIC THURSDAY with Christina Phillips

June 18 – GOOD NEWS DAY with Kylie Griffin

June 29 - MAGIC THURSDAY with Shona Husk

 June 6 – UP CLOSE with Sandra O’Grady

June 11 – SARA NEWS with Emmeline Lock

June 12 – READING ADVENTURES compiled by Eleni Konstantine

Where have I been?

Jenn J McLeod ‘bales up’ Heather Garside who is giving away a copy of BREAKAWAY CREEK. Check it out here (but be warned, Jenn is having a rant!)

 Venetia Green knocked on the Manor Door to introduce her first full length novel A HAWK ENSLAVED out now from Ellora’s Cave.

kicks off her blog tour for BLOODLUST DENIED at the following stops:

June 7 – I’m over at the Australian Romance Readers Association blog, with a giveaway of a copy of BLOODLUST DENIED (this contest is open to members of ARRA only)

June 9 – Unusual Historicals chatting about my Roman/Druid romance, BETRAYED, and how historical fact forms the backdrop for Tacitus and Nimue’s story. There’s also a giveaway on offer!

June 10 – It’s my turn over at The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads. Just answer a question on BLOODLUST DENIED ( the answer can be found by reading the excerpt *on my website) and you’ll be in the draw to win a copy of the book! *Excerpt is for over 18s only*

June 10 – Partying at the fabulous Historical Hearts, my group blog where you can find wonderful historical romances from fellow Down Under authors. Today I’m chatting about Regency vampires and Pride and Prejudice! Come join in the fun and be in the running to win a copy of BLOODLUST DENIED

June 12 – In the hot seat with Sizzling Hot Books where you can discover all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff about me!

June 15 – SATURDAY SEVEN (Chloe’s Double Dare – Fiona Archer) – Seven paragraphs of a favourite book off my shelves.

June 18 – NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Juanita Kees – our RWA/NZ newly published authors from Destiny, Escape & Momentum!

Sasha decided to embark on the task of cooking some of the recipes in her historical romance writing research in Distasters from the Regency kitchen.

June 10 – Nicole Flockton celebrates the release of RESCUING DAWN

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Enrico’s Pick SixEnrico

Submit your blog site link to cruisin@romanceaustralia.com to share with our readers. Enrico hand picks six blogs to showcase every week.

Enrico’s Pick Six this week:

  1. Anita Joy
  2. Cats, Books & Life
  3. Historical Hearts
  4. Imogene Nix
  5. Jane Quick
  6. Kiki Fu

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Have a great week,

from the Cruisin’ Chauffeurs

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by Juanita Kees on June 13, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Juanita Kees on June 13, 2013

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Author Spotlight: Mandy Magro…

Hi Mandy, welcome to the Author Spotlight and congratulations on your new release, ‘Flame Tree Hill’. Can you tell us a bit about it and perhaps give us a sneak peek?

Hi, and thanks for having me!

Kirsty Mitchell is ready to come home. After a tragic accident that left her scarred, she fled overseas. Now, three years later, she’s finally returning to Flame Tree Hill, her beloved family farm. But at twenty-five Kirsty isn’t prepared for the terrifying new challenge ahead: breast cancer. Kirsty’s never been a quitter and that’s not about to change. But can her budding romance with local vet Aden bear the strain? As she battles with chemotherapy and as her past threatens to overwhelm her, Kirsty realises you can never take anything – or anyone – for granted. Drawing strength from her family and the beauty of Far North Queensland, Kirsty finally understands what she must do.

“A lyrical and heart-warming testament to the power of love – and forgiveness.”

‘Kirsty  slid  into  the  driver’s  seat  of  her  Holden  ute.  “Oh my God. I have a lump, it could be cancer.  Please, I’m too young to die” she whispered. She took a deep breath as she pushed the key into the ignition and revved the Holden to life. ‘It’s all going  to  be  okay,’  she  repeated  over   and over as she drove towards Flame Tree Hill, the tears rolling down her face once again.’

High Reso FTH new 

Can you tell us about the chemistry between the hero and heroine in ‘Flame Tree Hill’?

Kirsty and Aden are old flames. Having grown up together there has always been a deep underlying love for each other that neither have pursued, until now. After their lives careening off in different directions for a few years they are thrown back together due to a mixture of circumstances. And it is here, on Flame Tree Hill, that they discover what the meaning of true love really is.  

Name three character traits that you think make an irresistible hero in a romance novel?

A protector…A man that will lay down his life for the woman he loves.

Passionate…A man that has an endless depth of passion in his heart and soul and isn’t afraid to lay everything on the line for love

Inner Strength…A man who knows what he wants, and will move heaven and earth to get it.

 

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a novel?

It usually takes about 5-6 months. And that included putting it away for a month before going back through for the first edit.

 

Do you have a writing schedule you follow, or are you a ‘write whenever I can’ type of author?

Being a single mum and having an energetic five year old around I am most certainly a “write whenever I can” author.

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Do you write detailed character profiles before starting a new book, or do you find the characters come to life as you write?

I am a “pantser” and love to allow my characters to come to life on their own accord. It makes writing so much more exciting for me.

 

How important do you think it is for authors to self-promote?

I believe it is very important and I get a kick out of connecting with my readers. It can be such a solitary life, writing, so being in touch with the outside world through different avenues is such a pleasure.

 

Your next release, “Driftwood” is released in November. Can you give us a sneaky peek at that one?

I would love to, but my lips have to be zipped for now. Although, I can tell you that the country music legend, Adam Brand, is one of the characters in the book. He is in the middle of reading through the edited draft right now, and in his own words…”I’m digging this smooch book”

 

What other works in progress you have?

I am 35k into writing my 5th romance novel, with the working title Country At Heart. Like my previous novels, it is of course set in the beautiful Australian countryside. The hero, Dean, divides his life between his family’s horse trail business and fighting the war in Afghanistan as a bomb squad soldier.

 

Complete this sentence: When I’m not writing, I’m…

Running around doing a million things at once, but at the same time feeling like I’m not really getting anywhere…an Aries trait!

jacaranda cover

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by Sarah Belle on June 11, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Sarah Belle on June 11, 2013

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