Jane Porter - Romance Writers of Australia

Craft: Layering...p4

Jane Porter Inter-view cont ...........p6

Conference Update & Pitching Tips......p8

Emerald Finalists..............p9

Onomatopoeia ..p10

Christine Wells Boot-camp Q&A .........p11

Member Spotlight ............p12

Member News....p13

Subgenre Feature: Small Press .........p14

Events ................p16

Contest News ....p17

Deadlines ...........p18

Market Watch....p19

The Last Word ...p20

Jane Porter Since Harlequin Mills & Boon published her first book in 2000, Jane Porter has sold a further thirty stories to Harlequin and Warner/5 Spot. Jane wowed the RWAustralia membership at the 2003 Gold Coast conference with her passion for romance and her no-holds-barred candour. She took a break from a looming deadline to speak to Hearts Talk about writing, juggling family and career, and her latest book. HT: Welcome, Jane, and thank you for taking the time for this interview. Time must be a precious commodity for you at the moment with a brand new baby (congratulations!). Do you have any words of wisdom for other moth-ers trying to juggle a young family and a writ-ing career?

Jane: Time is definitely a precious commodity and I have far too little of it, particularly with a new baby, and unfortunately the business of writing takes over the actual writing. Answering email, updating my JaneBlog, doing interviews, reread-ing a galley or checking over the copy edits of a manuscript eat up huge hours of my day every day, but I always try to write every day, even if it’s just for an hour. Right now I’m on deadline for my next book—it’s due August 1st—and I’m feeling the heat. I need to get this book done. I need to clear everything off my plate but writing until the book is done...which is a lot easier to say than do!

So I suppose my advice for other women, particularly moms who are juggling a lot, is to set goals, block out time for writing either when baby naps or by getting some help with childcare, and use that blocked out time for writing and nothing else. Not email, not phone calls, not laundry, or cooking. You don’t have to

(Continued on page 6)

Hearts Talk - July 2009 www.romanceaustralia.com 2

Member photos on cover: (l-r)

Barbara Jeffcott Geris, Angela Townsend, Elizabeth Rolls,

Isolde Martyn, Lesley Ann-Smith, Kelly Ethan, Karlene Blakemore-Mowle, Clare Karacsonyi, Melita

Caulfield, Sarah Mayberry

Cover Heart Photo: Alison Leake.

RWA Inc

Romance Writers of Australia Inc PO Box 1236, Neutral Bay NSW 2089 0422 978 471

www.romanceaustralia.com PRESIDENT Kelly Hunter [email protected] SENIOR VICE Alison Ahearn PRESIDENT [email protected] SECOND Rachel Bailey VICE [email protected] PRESIDENT SECRETARY Judy McLeod 0422 978 471 [email protected] MEMBERSHIP AJ Macpherson REGISTRAR [email protected] TREASURER Andrea Fuller [email protected] COMMITTEE Robyn Grady, Louise Reynolds, Anne Cleary, Kiki Opdenberg CONFERENCE CO-ORDINATOR Alison Ahearn [email protected] CONTESTS CO-ORDINATOR Lis Hoorweg [email protected] R*BY CO-ORDINATOR Louise Reynolds [email protected] PUBLISHED AUTHOR LIAISON Bronwyn Jameson [email protected] ROMAUS EMAIL LIST MODERATOR Tina Clark [email protected] WEB MISTRESS Kiki Opdenberg [email protected] HEARTS TALK EDITOR Rachel Bailey [email protected] Romance Writers of Australia Inc ABN 30 075 409 728 is registered in NSW as an Incorpo-rated Association the liability of whose mem-bers is limited. CONTACTING US: We love to hear from you, but would appreciate calls not be made after 8.30pm.

MEMBERSHIP QUERIES Plus if you’re not getting HT:

[email protected] To join ROMAUS, our online email group: Go to http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceaustralia click on the ‘join this group’ button and follow the instructions.

Tina Clark [email protected]

For FACE-TO-FACE GROUPS throughout Aus-tralia, and queries on how to join an existing group or start one yourself:

Julie-Anne Carter [email protected]

To register for a CRITIQUE PARTNER email Rachel Bailey for more information.

[email protected]

INDIVIDUAL WRITERS SUPPORT SCHEME For unpublished members. Priority given to those challenged by distance or unable to access creative support by other means. Register for a one-off critique of either 1 or 3 chapters by a published author / advanced unpublished writer. Sharon Arkell

PO Box 421, Buninyong VIC 3357 [email protected]

NATIONAL CONFERENCE For all current details and registration forms see www.romanceaustralia.com

CONTESTS All deadlines, entry forms and sample score sheets are at www.romanceaustralia.com in the members only section (you will need a password), or in the Files section of the RWA Contest Alert yahoo group.

[email protected] To obtain contest entry forms via mail, send your request with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: RWA Contests, 20 Waller Cres-cent, Campbell ACT 2612

To join Contest Alert, RWA’s email alert for contest entrants, go to au.groups.yahoo.com/group/RWAContestAlert/ click on the ‘join this group’ in the right hand corner and follow the instructions. WEBSITE PASSWORDS To gain access to our members only section: email [email protected] To SUGGEST AN ARTICLE OR OFFER TO WRITE AN ARTICLE for Hearts Talk, email,

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Info for Members

REPRINT RIGHTS: Hearts Talk is the official publi-cation of RWAust Inc and no part can be repro-duced or used for profit by RWA members or others without prior permission from the Editor. Repro-duction rights exist between agreed parties on the condition that appropriate credit is given to Hearts Talk and the author of the article. Copyright re-mains with the author. The views expressed in Hearts Talk do not necessarily reflect the official policy of RWA. All care is taken to check details produced in these pages but no responsibility can be taken if they are inaccurate. Please let us know if we have published the wrong details and we will do our best to correct the error in the next issue. © Copyright 2008 Romance Writers of Australia Inc.

Team Hearts Talk

Rachel Bailey Editor

Rachael Blair Member Announcements

Suzanne Brandyn Front Page Member Photos

Melissa Haack Member Spotlight

Bronwyn Jameson Feature Author Interview

AJ Macpherson Writer’s Life

Stephanie Mayne Layout

Tracey Turner Editorial Assistant

Michelle Wood Practicalities, Technicalities

Deb Bennetto Features Frances Burke Proofreading Carol Challis Layout Pam Collings Market Watch and Proofreading Beverley Eikli The Write Craft Michelle Elms Layout Clare Karacsonyi Proofreading Helen Katsinis The Last Word & Web Liaison Sandii Manning Member Spotlight Ingrid Rickersey Layout Bec Sampson Page Two Doreen Sullivan Events Calendar & Features Serena Tatti Proofreading Malvina Yock Proofreading

Catherine Evans Contests and Proofreading


From the Prez...

My favourite part of a story is when the focus narrows, the pace accelerates, and the race towards the climax begins. If I’m writing this section, I’m usually writing at full speed. My sentences are short, the rhythm is clipped, and my focus is firmly fixed on the emotional landscape of my characters. If I’m reading towards the end of a well built story, you can bet I won’t be putting that book down, no way, no how. I can’t. I’m hooked, and I have to know what happens. When it comes to RWA business, we’re at much the same stage. Our focus has narrowed and we’re counting down to our August conference, and ramping up our ef-forts to make it a success. Finalist results are in for the Emerald and the Valerie Parv Award, and we’ll be an-nouncing the winners at the conference awards dinner. Congratulations to all finalists and best wishes for every success. How’s your emotional landscape? Conference News We’ve reached full capacity for our Sat/Sun workshop program and registrations have closed. We thank you wholeheartedly for your support and apologise that we haven’t been able to accommodate everyone. There are still a small number of places available for Mary Jo Put-ney and Anne Gracie’s fabulous Friday workshop ‘The Noble Art of Storytelling’, and for our Cocktail Party and Awards Dinner events. A quick thought for those few who may have missed out. Have you ever been to New Zealand? Gorgeous place. And Romance Writers of New Zealand hold their annual conference the weekend after ours. For more details see www.romancewriters.co.nz. Also, the International Association for the Study of Popu-lar Romance (IASPR), is holding its international confer-ence on Popular Romance Studies in Brisbane on the 13th and 14th of August. If you’re interested in something

slightly more academic and not attending the Friday workshop, this may be for you. Further in-formation and registration details will be up at this site in the next week or so. http://iaspr.org/conference/brisbane RWA Executive Committee Nominations Many of the current committee are generously renomi-nating for another term, but if you’ve a yen to be involved and would like to talk to a current committee member about coming on board, please contact any one of us via our RWA email addresses for more information and for a committee nomination form. A committee nomination form can also be downloaded from the member’s section of our website. Thank You On behalf of Keri Arthur, Denise Rossetti and myself, we’d like to thank the magnificent Perth Roadshow team for their hospitality and organisational skills, both of which contributed enormously to the day’s success. Please meet our Volunteer of the Month!

Kelly Hunter

Focus and Pace

Call for Nominations for RWA Committee

Ever considered standing for the RWA committee? We’re looking for enthusiastic members to join our

09/10 committee at the AGM in August. Talk to any of our current committee members about the experience,

or ask for a nomination form from: [email protected]

or [email protected] We’d love to have you on board!

Sue Burgess Thompson: Sue is a contest judge and has worked on Hearts Talk and the Melbourne confer-ence team. Sue wins a Short Sweet RBY finalist bundle – that is, all four R♥BY finalist books in the Short Sweet section will be heading Sue’s way. Congratulations Sue and Thank You.


The Write Craft with Beverley Eikli

M ention the word ‘layering’ and I get excited.

When I’m ready to start layering it means I’m getting somewhere. I’ve thrown down the rough and dirty draft, corrected at least three times the erroneous perception that I’m nearly finished…and now I have some solid, concrete direction as to what’s really gone wrong with my ‘wip’.

That is, of course, one of the dangers of being a ‘pantser’. (Someone who writes by the seat of her pants, for those of you not familiar with the term.) Having rewritten the second half of my latest manuscript Widow in Waiting three times I wonder if a ‘plotter’ would have got to this point a lot earlier and with far less angst, than me.

I also wonder if having a deadline would have changed the process. My publisher, Robert Hale, has first right of refusal on my next two books. I can send my ‘wip’ in at my leisure. But without a deadline I realise how easily the luxury of time can be squandered.

Or how two young kids, a husband who is often away, a dog, part-time job and a household to run can easily make writing the lowest priority.

Nevertheless, with ten days of enforced bed rest due to a sprained back I am able to devote entire glorious days to layering. In just three days I have cut 25,000 words and added another 15,000 in a major overhaul of my ‘wip’.

It wasn’t an easy thing to do. In fact, I dug in my toes for at least a couple of days before accepting that my three critique partners were right. A major aspect of my plot didn’t work. The fact they had come to this conclusion, independently of one another, meant I had to take notice though, really, it was confirmation of a nasty little suspicion lurking at the back of my brain which I had not wanted to entertain. (Too much work! I’d already rewritten the entire second half, twice!)

It was only with distance I could see their point. I realised I was much too close to my intricate plot to notice the loose threads. I needed to revamp the credibility factor when it came to keeping my hero and heroine apart for the crucial

middle and to do this I had to remove an entire elopement. It was pretty major stuff.

This is an example of layering at its most drastic; a whole plot layer removed. Nevertheless, by this stage I knew my characters far better than I did when I started the book so that my fingers were flying as I ripped bits apart and stitched them up again in quite a different way. And it was fun.

Layering, for me, performs a variety of functions. It is the final colour wash that transforms a prosaic tea party into a hotbed of

scandal. It ups the ante with a snippet of information or revelation that feeds into the next scene, or plants the question the reader is desperate to have answered. As a panster who loves a good plot, the grand conclusion of my book is something that develops as it goes along. I might only discover the truly wicked motivation of my villain ten pages from the end of my first draft. Therefore I will have to go back to the beginning and, with the benefit of hindsight, weave many clues and red herrings throughout the text to make the plot

ultimately work. This has to be done with a fine touch,

obviously, giving me the opportunity to take a really close look at each scene and its function.

In Lady Sarah’s Redemption, my debut Regency Historical, just released, my editor had suggested I eliminate an entire plot tangent and amalgamate two villains into one. (Notice a common theme? You’d think I’d have learned to keep it simpler by now!) Anyway, I balked at the

work but did it because I knew he was right if the book was to have the necessary cohesion. However, lopping off an entire branch results in losing valuable shoots, so the process required layering other scenes with some of the necessary information disseminated in the now discarded scenes. Distance is required for this delicate work. I do

not have the mental capacity to do it when I’m tired or have worked on the book for hours beforehand. (Which makes me really worry about how I will cope if deadlines become part of the equation.)

Once again, it gave me a different angle by

LayeringLayeringLayering Why I Love It

“Layering … is the final c o lou r wa sh th a t transforms a prosaic tea party into a hotbed of scandal.”


The Write Craft with Beverley Eikli

which to enter the story, and further opportunities for strengthening what was there.

When I was a beginner writer I thought removing huge chunks of text meant I had wasted my time. I know better, now. Had I been a plotter I would have written reams of character studies before even starting my story. My ‘wasted’ words, I soon came to realise, were simply my way of discovering my characters and my story as I went along. They weren’t wasted at all.

We may strenuously resist making changes because it means extra work, or because removing beloved passages is as painful as pulling teeth, or because sensitive artists don’t like being told something doesn’t work. But the more I write the more amazed I am at how seemingly major criticisms can often be so easily addressed. When one has three diligent and conscientious critique partners, one gets used to criticism. There were times, particularly in the early days of being part of a critique group, when I’ve thought: “Yes, I can see there’s a problem, but fixing it means rewriting the whole book!” To my surprise, I discovered that an apparently major crisis can be mitigated by the simple removal or addition of a couple of sentences to fix a plot hole or strengthen or alter motivation.

Finding the right place to do it is the hard part but that becomes easier with practise. And, as I said before, distance.

In the case of my elopement scene which didn’t work in my Regency Historical ‘wip’ Widow in Waiting, I replaced it with a lovers’ tryst during several hours within the confines of the town, rather than over several days during a mad gallop to Gretna Green. (The elopement was, after all, not the focus of the plot but a means of tying the fundamental plot together.)

Discovering that there are as many writing methods as there are writers was something I learned only after I joined RWA, in 2000, years after I first started submitting manuscripts. I also learned—finally—that success comes from researching your market and that polished professional approaches are essential. A synopsis and cover letter, outlining the high concept in a couple of succinct sentences and addressed to a specific acquiring editor?

I didn’t know that’s how it was done.

I thought my fabulous story was the rough diamond a generic editor was looking for so he or she could polish it to a shine to suit their requirements. (I’d like to add here that I was very naïve, if not so very young, at the time.)

As the kind of student who started their essays on the day they were due (though I always passed) I lamented the missed opportunities of turning my work into something really good. The discipline of time and, crucially, the skill of polishing and layering came to me relatively late. In fact, I would say only with my first published novel. It developed through the combination of obligations to critique partners (in the early days

we submitted once a month but now it’s whenever any one of us needs it) together with needing to act on their advice — and proving it when I resubmitted. In Widow in Waiting I have, through multiple drafts, developed the motivations of my hero, heroine and villain and, after my third attempt, refined the plot so

that it links beginning, middle and end in a compelling and satisfying way.

With the plot now dealt with I am now into the more nuanced process of layering. Right now it’s the emotional highs and lows. I am trying to identify areas where I can up the ante at every opportunity.

To do this I paraphrase each chapter into a couple of sentences. Once I’ve identified the function of the chapter I can look at ways to strengthen whatever it is that defines it. For example: Olivia’s torment over her impossible secret; Max’s fury at what he mistakenly believes to be the truth; Mrs Hepworth’s revelation which overturns Max’s assumptions. In each case I can up the ante with regard to cause and effect.

These are all part of what I term layering. Others may call it something else.

Creating a novel is as much the discovery of what craft techniques work for you as it is

producing the final product. It’s hard work and for much of the process I find myself seriously wondering if it’s possible to turn this sow’s ear into a silk purse. With layering and polishing, it always is. Beverley Eikli’s Regency Historical debut novel, Lady Sarah’s Redemption, has just been released by Robert Hale, UK, in hardcover. It is available at www.bookdepository.co.uk. You can find out more by visiting her website at www.beverleyeikli.com.

Layering - Why I Love It

“. . .success comes from researching your market ... p o l i s h e d p r o f e s s i on a l approaches are essential.”

continued...

Beverley Eikli


Jane Porter use every free hour in the day to write, but enough that you can make progress towards your writing goals. HT: I loved your workshop with Lilian Darcy at RWAmerica’s national conference last year, “It’s My Process and I’ll Cry If I Want”. (I recom-mend the tape!) What’s your process? Is it dif-ferent for your category and single title books?

Jane: Usually, while writing one book I start get-ting ideas for another. I think the act of creating begets creativity and so as new ideas come, I stick them in a folder and continue to collect ideas, look for more info in magazines or on the internet, and build a ‘story file’ for the proposed book. Because I have contracts for a year or two at a time I can’t just jump on a new idea, either. I have to write the contracted books first, but that’s a plus for me as it gives me a year to eighteen months to flesh out the idea for the new book and make sure it’s a strong enough idea to sup-port a book. And then it’s time to write! And that means butt in chair, email off, phone off, distrac-tions eliminated until the book is done, which can take anywhere from 8 weeks to 5 months, de-pending on the book. HT: What do you do to re-energise when you’re working flat out? How do you refill the creative well between books?

Jane: I don’t write! I read, read, read, and when I can, travel, nap, and catch up on movies I’ve missed when on deadline. I need to unwind be-tween books and use down time to start collect-ing new ideas for future books. HT: Were you always a writer? A reader? What were your favourite books growing up?

Jane: I’ve written my whole life, with my first short story in Kindergarten and my first picture book in 2nd grade and my first novel in 4th grade. My parents were very supportive of my efforts and my dad used to type up my poems for me and go over rhyme and meter and stanzas with me. Because my father wrote—I’d hear him on his typewriter or see him outside with a pad of paper—writing just seemed natural. It’s what Dad did so it felt comfortable to do it, too.

Getting published, however, wasn’t easy. I wrote, and wrote and wrote, and submitted every book—many times, but I wasn’t an overnight success. I finally got my first sale to Harlequin Mills & Boon in London in January 2000 with The Italian Groom. By then I was 35, and I’d spent 15 years trying to sell my first book. People ask why I finally sold and there was no one light bulb moment. It was a decade and a half of writing, working on craft, and not giving up.

And favourite books when I was a girl…lots of series books like Lit-tle House On The Prai-rie, the Oz books, all Louisa May Alcott nov-els, and then my grand-mother’s girlhood books like Pollyanna, Five Lit-tle Peppers, and Elsie Dinsmore. HT: If that first sale to Harlequin hadn’t hap-pened when it did, would you have kept writ-ing? Would you have arrived at the longer, rela-tionship books without first writing those cate-gory romances?

Jane: I used to write longer, relationship books before I sold to Harlequin—only they were his-torical novels, not romances. I’ve loved big fat books ever since I was a teenager in the ‘80’s. I loved family sagas as well as sweeping historical sagas, authors like Barbara Taylor Bradford, Maeve Binchy, James Clavell. Those authors created such wonderful interesting worlds, and dynamic, complex characters, and that’s what I wanted to write. It’s taken me a while, but I was-n’t going to ever give up on writing. I’m too ob-sessive compulsive. I’ve written my whole life…since I was four and five. It’s what I do…it’s who I am. And sometimes that’s good, and some-times it’s bad. HT: How difficult was it to make the transition from category romance to single title? Did you find any resistance to your work even after es-tablishing a successful track record…or be-cause of your success as a category romance author?

Jane: The transition was remarkably easy be-cause I wrote what felt natural to me, and I used a voice that felt comfortable and themes I felt passionate about. A big part of story telling is telling the story that needs to be told…telling the story you personally want/need to tell. Yes, the stories are commercial fiction and entertaining, but they’re also based on my experience as a woman in contemporary society confronting vari-ous problems, emotions, and issues. HT: 25 books for Harlequin – do you have a favourite or is that like asking if you have a fa-vourite child? How do you keep your ideas and characters fresh time after time? Has that be-come more difficult?

Jane: I do have some books I love more than others and I’m not sure why. Maybe because they were fun for me to write, or because they felt more creative or entertaining. I think I love the books that push the boundaries a bit—if not with characters and emotions, then with situa-

Feature Author Interview with Bronwyn Jameson


Feature Author Interview with Bronwyn Jameson

tions or even reader expectations.

For example, one of my favourite books, The Sheikh’s Disobedient Bride, was a favourite be-cause the sheikh in the story is basically a desert bandit…he lives in a desert military encampment and he kidnaps the heroine because he thinks she’s a spy. The heroine, a professional photogra-pher, keeps trying to escape, and she never suc-ceeds and she’s increasingly desperate as he’s increasingly blasé. Tair was so coolly, calmly al-pha every time she tried to run away (or even as she tried to stab him!) that it made me laugh. I loved the humour (my editor once called this book My Funny Sheikh), the tension, and the originality.

I try to be original in every book, and most of my books don’t have humour. But keeping me en-gaged as a writer is crucial, otherwise I wouldn’t want to write. So for me, the key to success is to please myself. Entertain myself. And surprise myself. It makes sitting down at the computer far more fun and the stories more dynamic. HT: Are there other genres you can see yourself writing in the future? Anywhere else you’d like to take your writing?

Jane: Maybe someday I’ll try my hand at a script, but for now, it’s just more novels. I love being a storyteller! HT: Flirting with Forty has been made into a suc-cessful television movie (starring Heather Locklear and drawing 4 million viewers when first aired in Dec 2008.) How weird and/or wonderful was it to see your story on the screen? And what do you think it takes to interest Hollywood in op-tioning a women’s fiction book?

Jane: I was very flattered that Flirting was op-tioned, and then surprised and delighted when it actually went into production. The movie and book are different from each other, though. They’re two different mediums and two separate projects. The book became what the producers wanted: a Life-time movie. They made decisions that would make the story more appealing for their audience, which meant cutting out parts of the story that I thought were crucial.

But I learned through the process to step back and let go, and in the end I really enjoyed seeing what became of the novel. I also learned that Holly-wood needs stories that aren’t too introspective (how do you tell a story if it’s all internal point of view?) with interesting, relatable characters and a strong plot. You’ve got to translate a novel to screen and there has to be action and a clear arc of character growth, which is why romance and women’s fiction isn’t as easy to adapt to the screen as mysteries, sci fi, and romantic suspense. HT: Your latest, out this month, is Easy On The Eyes. (Love the cover!) What is this one about?

Jane: It’s an entertaining tale of a modern day woman struggling to find happiness in her glamor-ous Hollywood life. Tiana Tomlinson is thirty-eight

and appears to have it made. America adores her as one of the anchors of America Tonight, a top-rated nightly entertainment and news program. But despite the trappings that come with her elite lifestyle, she feels empty. Tiana desperately misses her late husband Keith, who died several years before, and her family, who she lost at age fourteen. And in a business that thrives on youth, Tiana is getting the message that her age is start-ing to show and certain measures must be taken if she wants to remain in the spotlight. It doesn't help that at every turn she has to deal with her adver-sary--the devilishly handsome plastic surgeon to the stars, Michael Sullivan. But a reporting trip away from the Hollywood madness and into the African wilderness changes her forever. HT: It’s linked to Odd Mom Out, which is linked to Mrs Perfect... Did you plan these linked books before OMO or did the strong characters (Tiana and Taylor) demand their own stories?

Jane: Odd Mom Out and Mrs. Perfect were once one book. I’d planned on writing the two charac-ters, Marta and Taylor, in the same novel with their stories told in alternating chapters. However my editor wanted each character to have her own book, which resulted in two novels, which made me dig deeper into the characters for more story.

While digging into Marta’s story I realized how im-portant her relationships were with her high school friends, Tiana and Shey. Both friends appeared in Marta’s book and then Tiana appeared in Taylor’s, and Shey appears in Tiana’s. It’s natural for me to write recurring characters as I know them so well, and it’s something I’ve done since I started writing for Harlequin. I’ve created several mini-series for Presents based on families and/or friends and readers have really embraced them and I’m glad to say that readers have liked my 5 Spot ‘mini series’ as well. HT: Is it necessary (or helpful) to read the three books in order or do they truly stand alone?

Jane: It’s not necessary to read all the books to enjoy them, or even to read them in order, but I personally think they flow better if you start with Odd Mom and move through them by pub date simply because it helps with chronology. But I hear from readers all the time that they started with Mrs. Perfect and then read Odd Mom and they still loved them so that’s reassuring. HT: What can we look forward to next from you?

Jane: More novels! I’ve a Harlequin out in the US in December and then next July, in 2010, I have Shey’s story, She’s Gone Country, slated for re-lease. Only problem? I haven’t finished the book! It’s time I sat down and wrote.

Questions provided by Bronwyn Jameson, Trish Morey, Yvonne Lindsay, Melissa Ottrey, Malvina Yock,

Deb Bennetto, Helen Katsinis & Serena Tatti.

For more information about Jane & her books, visit www.janeporter.com. Easy On The Eyes is a July 09

release from 5 Spot (Grand Central Publishing).


Wow - only 6 weeks to go to Hot Au-gust Nights!!! As ever, your conference team is beavering away to bring you a truly excellent 3 days. Certainly num-bers have been overwhelming and it was with regret that we closed registra-tions. Looks like it'll definitely be HOT in olde Brisbane town that weekend!!

By mid July all delegates will receive an email confirming their registration, their nominated functions, their workshop preferences and any special food re-quirements. Receipts will also be at-tached.

Mindful as we all are of environmental issues, one of the major innovations this year is trialling the conference notes on CD - yes, folks, we're going green! Every delegate will receive a CD in their goody bags loaded with the full set of notes. Pease note that written notes/handouts will not be provided for you at the conference. However, the

notes will be available for download from the website pre-conference and all delegates will be directed via individual email to the appropriate link. To ensure smooth running of the sessions can all delegates please go to this link and download the notes for their sessions and ensure you pack them in your lug-gage and bring them to Brisbane. To avoid disruption and having to take copious notes during sessions it’s your responsibility to come prepared with notes in hand. This will not involve a lot of printing, especially if you double-side, and we all get to save a few trees in the process (as only notes from your sessions are printed, not every session for every person). RWAmerica has adopted this system in recent years with much success. The full notes are, of course, on the disc for you to browse at your own leisure when you return home. A "don't forget to download your

notes" email will be sent out 1 week prior to the conference. We thank everyone for their support in implementing this initiative.

Also available via our website is a list of non-fiction books that will be on sale through the conference book-shop: Rosemary's Romance Books. They can be pre-ordered through Rose-mary for pick up at the conference or bought over the course of the weekend. We have tried to source books that are related to the range of workshops being offered as well as the tried and trues. There will also, naturally, be a wide range of fantastic fiction offered.

Donations for giveaway/raffle prizes are still being sought and will be much ap-preciated. Please send to PO Box 619, Carina, 4152.

Do first impressions really count - dressing up/down, radiating confi-dence/nervousness, etc? First impressions do count--but not what the writer is wearing. Attitude, belief in their project, excitement, is what I'm look-

ing for. Sure, a little nervousness is to be expected but if I can't communicate with a writer, I can't really get a sense of their project and I'm less apt to request it.

How do you feel about someone reading their pitch from a note card? That is perfectly acceptable. It will really allow the less comfortable writer to feel more at ease. However, I do suggest that they keep the pitch short and to the point...don't recite an entire two page synopsis or you'll totally lose me in the process.

Is there any particular aspect of the story you prefer people to focus on: storyline, the relationship, etc? I definitely prefer to hear more about the storyline and conflicts. A brief mention of the set up and characters, but really much more about what's keeping them apart and how they eventually get back together.

Are you amenable to being asked questions in the pitch? Either about the project just pitched, or what you’re looking for in general? Yes, writers should definitely feel able to ask me ques-tions during the pitch. And it can be about anything--their project, what I'm looking for, the market, etc.

How do you feel about being pitched more than one book? As in 'I write X subgenre and I have two com-pleted manuscripts, one is Y and the other is Z’? I'd prefer to be pitched just one project at a time. Al-though, writers should feel free to mention they have other projects completed or connected to that particular

story. I'll only ask for one project at a time, so they should be pitching what they feel is their strongest work.

If you thought another of the agents at TKA would be the agent for the writer, would you refer them? Absolutely. One of our other agents may be looking for something exactly like the project pitched and I would most definitely have the writer submit to them.

Are business cards with the blurb printed on the back helpful, or a photo of the writer on the business card? Honestly, I don't usually keep those cards. I keep track of the appointments myself, writing small details about the project in my own "code" so I remember things when I return home. I also keep track of which projects I've re-quested so when something comes in that hasn't been requested, it does go to the bottom of the pile.

What are your top 5 pet hates in a pitch? Hearing all of the set up and none of the story. You

only have eight minutes, get to the point. Not being told how a project ends. Trying to entice me

by not saying how the story wraps up won’t make me want to read your project more. Quite the opposite.

Being pitched nine projects at once. I am only going to ask to see one. Focus on your strongest project.

Being pitched a genre I don't represent. It's important a writer do their homework.

Meeting with someone whose project I already have. Leave the appointments for those writers who have not yet submitted. Your work is already in the door, give others a chance. Rather, just say hi to me at the conference and remind me I have your project.

What would your ideal pitch look like? Like a short, sweet but intriguing piece of back cover copy. Hit me with the set up, key selling points, hero and heroine and the major conflicts.

Pitching? Melissa Jeglinski Offers Tips!

Conference Update

2009 Conference Hot August Nights


Our RWA with Catherine Evans

The Emerald contest has two divisions – Category and Single Title. There are also two rounds to the contest – the first round judges read the first 3 chapters, with the top 16 entries going to round two, where the entire manu-script is read. Judges in the Emerald are readers.

CATEGORY

Helen Lacey—Made For Marriage Helen can rightly claim that rejections don’t kill you – after submitting 15 manuscripts without publication. Just months before the Emerald closed, a 2 am epiphany came - men, kids and horses - that’s what you have to write about - and the Emerald manuscript was born. An Aussie single dad meets an American girl working as a riding instructor in Australia. A perfect story to showcase what she knows! Making the top 16 for round 2 came as a shock. “To final in the Emerald is a big deal for me. It’s validation for my work and means the apprenticeship has been worthwhile. It shows that the compulsion to keep writing is paying off.” Helen says her writing support group has kept her grounded over the years. Helen’s advice: Rejections are about your work. Your work does not define you. Every-one’s destiny is different and Helen wouldn’t swap hers for anything!

Mary McCarthy—Man For Hire Mary has returned to RWA after a 10 year break raising children and read-ing countless HM&B novels. Writing for the Modern line and incorporating comedy into her latest stories, Mary has added a different dimension to her writing. Thrilled to be an Emerald finalist, Mary hopes that it means she has done something right. Mary believes that humour is the key to her recent success. Once she roughs out a story idea, the characters, followed by neurotic animals and humorous situations, quickly follow. In Man for Hire, the heroine is conservative and working in finance. Her boss organises a cocktail party to impress a new client and she must organise a suitable date. This begins a run of disasters that quickly snowball until she feels life is out of her control. Added to this, she must fight a magnetic attraction to a man she thinks she’s paid to be her date.

Rebecca Sampson—Mummy Makes Three Bec has three children under the age of four and writes to keep herself sane! The Emerald entry is her fourth com-pleted manuscript. Bec sees finalling in the Emerald as affirmation that she’s doing something right, and the achieve-ment of a goal. The bonus of a final placing is being read by an editor. “Any comments from an editor are gold. I may not like them at

first but, after a few days ruminating, they’re usually spot on.” Bec targets Special Edition/Superromance and her Emerald entry is a common hook with a twist – the secret baby… with the mother not knowing she had a living child. Bec’s third child was born during the creation of this story and strangely, Bec’s daughter and the baby in the book share a birthday, Christmas Eve. Is that fate?

SINGLE TITLE

Kylie Short—3 entries: Dark Shadows; Bloodborn; Circle of Shadows “Finalling with 3 entries has been the culmination of many years hard work,” Kylie said. “Finalling in the Emerald means achievement of a goal. This goal came about after hearing Debbie Macomber speak at an RWA Confer-ence. My focus became building up a solid “resume” of contest placings – the Emerald played a central role in that goal. The last few years I’ve been using what I’ve learnt as the result of contest feedback and improving each manuscript.”

Dark Shadows is a Romeo & Juliet inspired space opera: a fugitive-turned-smuggler, a soldier betrayed and dark secrets. Her psi-Talents, his knowledge, one quest – to defeat the ruthless Vorish. Bloodborn and Circle of Shad-ows began as the same book – a fantasy romance involv-ing demons and magic. Eventually Kylie had two totally different worlds and characters fighting to have their sto-ries told. Bloodborn – on the brink of war with Na’Reish demons, Kalan, the warrior-leader of humankind and An-nika, a half-blood demon healer, encounter a love that changes their lives and the destiny of three races. Circle of Shadows – a sorceress who uses deadly Blood magic must ally herself with a warrior who hates her. They dis-cover that love has a magic all its own.

AJ Macpherson—Vengeance Bound AJ joined RWA in 2007, when she entered the Valerie Parv Award and attended the annual conference, two firsts. “It was life-changing,” she says. “RWA is an amazing organisation; joining is the best thing I’ve ever done for my writ-ing.” AJ suspects her path to the Emer-ald final is fairly typical, lots of writing, and using feedback to revise and im-prove her manuscripts. Her Emerald story is the result of this process, a manuscript that was originally meant to be a paranormal romance targeted at Silhouette Nocturne. “With help from crit partners and contest judges, I realised my fantasy roots were really showing and I decided to explore that angle instead,” AJ says. Retitled and reworked, Vengeance Bound is a con-temporary fantasy romance featuring a species who live in the shadows, masquerading as human, even as events conspire to threaten their continued existence.

Congratulations to our

Emerald Finalists!


Practicalities, Technicalities with Michelle Wood

Sounds Like? Words communicate, but how to get the words to communicate a sound?

How do you make the inarticulate clear? Comic books are the great exam-ple of the word becoming sound and image. Bang, biff, kapow, kazam is the stuff of exploding word bubbles in graphic images from Superman to Japanese manga. Thwip! is the sound of Spider-Man's web shooter, and snikt! is Wolverine’s claws locking into place. Who can forget the wonderful, wham! pow! biff! crunch, stuff in the TV Batman? Although, books are supposed to be a tad less graphic—illustrated novels disappeared in the 1920’s. RWA member Jennifer McLeod pon-dered this problem, saying, “I've al-ways struggled to 'create' words that reflect to a sound eg. like starting dialogue with someone clearing their throat. Is it "Ah-hem ...ladies and gentlemen ..." or "Hurumph ... ladies and gentlemen ..." Then there are those words: "Uh-ha" - meaning yep, sure, I getchya! "Hmmm" - as in let me think about that, as opposed to "Mmmm" - yum! "Umm" or "Ummm" - as in let me think about that! How does one write "a scream"? The problem has two strands. Firstly, the difficulty Jennifer skewered, how to write inarticulate sounds that are not actual words with a defin-able, dictionary meaning. Secondly, the actual defined words termed as onomatopoeia; words that sound like their meaning, words that imitate or sug-gest what they stand for. Our language is full of ex-amples such as, slither, chuckle, plop, sizzle, gulp, thump, swish ... The second is the easier stuff, the word has already been added to the language. It’s the inarticulate that causes the writer to bite the lip and utter grrr in frus-tration. Because it is a difficult choice, do you try and describe the situation or manipulate the al-

phabet to find the most effective sound to fit the bill? Sometimes there will be three choices. Take the scream example; “An an-guished scream rent the air,

full of anguish and pain,” or: ‘A shriek rang out,” or ‘Aaaarrggh’.

It varies upon what you think will be the best for your writing. If someone clears their throat for instance, there are many ways of describing it that will show the mood. What kind of throat clear-ing do you want to convey? It could be just that, or you could be wanting the sound to break the silence, make a character jump, show impatience, interrupt a character … Of course it’s far more direct if you go with the short, simple sounds, like ‘hrm’, ‘ahem’. Except that doesn’t con-vey any nuances. So there are no

hard and fast rules, no handy lists to look up to slot in a word. However there are some obvious examples listed on the left. The utility of such ‘sound words’ creates problems. They can have several possible interpretations. ‘Awww’ for instance, can mean sym-pathy, admiration for a baby, being very sentimental, getting hurt, a cry … ‘Uh–ha’ is another, it can signify boredom, agreement, confusion, stupidity … These are highly depend-ant upon context. Be careful. Get someone else’s opinion on whether the word could be open to misinter-pretation.

On the Web www.writtensound.com is a website that provides lists of words under topics such as: explosions, human laughter, eating, drinking, shooting weapons etc. I particularly liked this one: borborygumus - Stomach growling, the rumbling sound produced by the move-ment of gas through the intestines of animals, includ-ing humans. There is a dictionary of onomatopoeia in comics: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/300/ktaylor/kaboom/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia www.examples-of-onomatopoeia.com/

Here are few obvious examples: 'Ah hah!' - used when you stumble upon something inter-esting. 'Ugh!' - to express disgust 'Euuugh!' – also disgust, but mostly used by females 'Whoa!' - stop, slow down 'Uh-oh' – something is wrong 'Awww' - sympathy‘Aroo’ – a howl 'Er' or ‘Umm’- pausing to think 'Oi'!' – indignance ‘Phut’ – dismissal 'Eh?' – questioning 'Whoosh' – the wind

Some examples 'Ah hah!' - used when you

stumble upon something interesting.

'Ugh!' - to express disgust 'Euuugh!' – also disgust, but

mostly used by females 'Whoa!' - stop, slow down

'Uh-oh' – something is wrong 'Awww' - sympathy

‘Aroo’ – a howl 'Er' or ‘Umm’- pausing to

think 'Oi'!' – indignance ‘Phut’ – dismissal

'Eh?' – questioning 'Whoosh' – the wind

‘mwha-ha-ha-ha’ – evil laughter


Bootcamp Q&As by Anita Mack and Monique Wood

Christine Wells

In March, the 109 Beginner Bootcampers chatted with a number of published authors, including Regency author and Golden Heart Award Winner & RITA nominee, Chris-tine Wells. Following are some of the highlights from her Q&A session: When is a ms ready to submit? Once you've written the full manuscript and had feed-back from trusted critique partners, entering contests is a good way to test the water. Of course, most of them only involve the first three chapters and synopsis, but if you’re reaching the finals and getting requests from agents and editors, it’s probably an indication that you have a marketable premise. Just make sure the rest of the manuscript meets the same standard as the opening chapters! I should add the caveat that many authors sell manuscripts that have never finaled in any contest. How important are crit partners? I find critique partners essential because I’m so close to the work, there are a lot of things I miss without an-other pair of eyes. I'd recommend establishing a friend-ship first. That's how I started with the CPs I have now. It’s crucial that you choose someone who isn’t there to tear your work down, and that you reciprocate with con-structive criticism. How does one strike a happy medium – enough to satisfy judges without putting oneself off? You shouldn't do what you're not comfortable with. While contest judges are wonderful in the main, they’re not the sole arbiters of good writing. Many authors get published without appealing to contest judges. DO NOT adapt your style solely to please them—if you don't like writing that way, you won't establish a career you're happy with. How hard is it to observe historical ‘truth’? Is that historical truth needed to be marketable? All historical romance writers romanticize their period to some extent so it comes down to what level of adher-

ence to truth you find satisfying personally. It is a challenge to entertain the modern reader, yet remain true to the time. You have to make compromises but a great romance will top a dull story with meticulous historical detail every time, both in the eyes of editors and readers. How much research do you do? That depends on the book. Once I've fixed on a year/month in which the story is set, I read a lot about general events at that

time. I might research some-thing specific, like agents provocateurs, as appeared in The Dangerous Duke. Then I get stuck into the story and research other points as they come up or write a note to look it up later and keep going. Once published how hard is it to change genre? Many writers write for multiple houses in different sub-genres so it’s not too difficult to change. The publisher often locks you in to writing a certain subgenre exclu-sively for them but many writers will do historicals for one publisher and contemporaries for another. It's harder to build name recognition quickly when you’re writing a lot of different things unless you’re very pro-lific, but some authors like to have eggs in more than one basket. Any advice about writing accents? Mark Twain said whoever gets the urge to write accents should lie down until it goes away. Less is definitely more. I’d have another character describe an accent rather than spelling it out phonetically. That can be dis-tracting at best, irritating at worst. How complicated or simple do you make the language? Again, please yourself in this regard. I write what I want - no one has ever told me to 'dumb down'. That’s not to say that some subgenres don’t lend themselves more to ornate language than others. Historicals can get away with obscure words and longer sentences. For contem-porary, I would use less ornate language and a romantic suspense would be a lot punchier, to suit the faster pace. Use a pen name or not? Definitely use a pen name if you want to. I recommend keeping your first name the same if possible. It can be confusing otherwise, with your friends calling you one name and your readers calling you another at the same event. Is there a trick to writing a stand out synopsis? Synopses are so hard to write. Most writers have trouble with them, even the published ones. My tip is start small and work up, rather than starting big and condensing down. Act as if you're really excited about this great idea and you can't wait to tell your best friend the story. Don't forget to use emotive language...emotion is key in romance.

Thanks for helping with Bootcamp, Christine! Christine’s latest book, Wicked Little Game is out this month. You can visit her at www.christine-wells.com

Bootcamp 109 Q&A Highlights


Still, in the beginning, I was too in-timidated to try it. I mean, how could I possibly sustain such a strong voice through an entire novel? First person POV can be tricky to get right. I tried to push her aside but she would-n’t let me go, so I decided to give her a couple of pages trial and see what my critique group thought. They loved it. I don’t think they could believe I’d writ-ten it. And I mean that in a good way.

Member Spotlight with Melissa Haack

Hi Sue, welcome to Spotlight! You write edgy, fantasy style paranormal. What fascinates you about this genre, and where do you get your ideas?

A few years ago I read the early books in Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake series and I was hooked. They were fantastic. I loved that I was escaping into stories about a strong heroine, in a scary world, where the crea-tures of the night were real. Those books opened up the para-normal genre for me.

I get my ideas from lots of places like: news articles, radio talk-back, antique shops, dreams and overheard conversations. One of the characters, in my current WIP, came to life when I drove past someone wearing a black t-shirt with a ghostly white, cru-sader’s cross painted on it. That creepy looking cross stayed with me for days until I sorted out where I needed to put it in my manuscript.

Who or what inspires you?

Lots of things inspire me. Spooky houses, misty days, the beach, the smell of the bush after rain, friends, family, books, stories, other writers.

Recently I’ve been inspired by reading some fabulous YA paranor-mal series. Cassandra Clare (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass) Lisa Mc Mahon, (Wake) and Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy series) are some of the authors I’ve been discovering.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done for your writing?

The best thing I ever did for my writing was to sign up for a CAE course in Melbourne on ‘How to Write Romance’. A certain Ms Anne Gracie was taking the class and she suggested I join an organi-sation called Romance Writers of Australia… and I did! (Thanks so much Ms Gracie!) RWA has been wonderful for me and my writing.

We’d like to introduce you to ...

Sue Burgess Thompson

You favour writing in first per-son point-of-view. Does this change your writing? Yeah, writing in first person has totally changed my writing. It took me from ‘nice’ to ‘niiiice’. Let me explain. You should know that the first pieces I submitted to my critique group were written in third person and were targeted at Desire. At the time I was getting okay feedback but nothing to get excited about. My writing was ‘nice’, in an average kind of way.

Then I started ‘hearing’ this char-acter in my head. She’d come to me at odd moments and describe things in her unique, first person voice. She could take me into a scene with such clarity it was amazing. She was in a paranor-mal world too, and I love para-normal worlds.

You’ve done your fair share of online writer’s workshops over the years. Any tips or recommenda-tions?

Yes, well, I have done the odd one or two courses… <g>

My tip would be, if you see a course you like the sound of, ask around and see if anyone else has done the same one. Online courses can vary in quality but if you choose well, they can be motivating and inspiring.

Julie Rowe has a contest announce group that sends out information about online courses. ht tp :/ /groups .yahoo.com/ group/Announceonlinewritingclasses/ There’s also a workshop finder here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/workshopfinder/

Tell us about a typical writing day for you.

Hmm, my writing days vary de-pending on what’s going on. I write best after I’ve walked the dog and when I’m not procrastinating with housework. I usually check my e-mails first so I can warm into it.

When I was doing the June 50K in 30 days I would stop by the Sprint-ing track and write for 30 minute bursts with the other writers. That was a great way to get my word count up.

Last but not least, where do you see yourself and your writing in five years time?

As my kids grow up I’d like to write more books, continue to have great critique partners and get pub-lished!!


Member Announcements with Rachael Blair

Member New Releases

Member News THE WINS:

Cathryn Hein’s short story Budapest won RWNZ’s Short Story Contest. Final judge Julie Redlich [Woman's Day (NZ)] has shown interest in buying the story.

Amy Andrews’s HMB Medical Doctor Romano’s Christ-mas Baby won a Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award.

THE SALES:

Elisabeth Rose's Avalon books will be released in large print. Stuck in November and Coming Home in August.

Sarah Evans sold large print rights for novellas Yesterday Once More & Collision Course With Love to Ulverscroft.

THE FINALS:

Rachael Blair and Barbara Jeffcott Geris finalled in the RWNZ Great Beginnings contest.

THE LISTS:

Borders Group Series Bestsellers List in May/June: #2 Maxine Sullivan VALENTE'S BABY #6 Robyn Donald VIRGIN BOUGHT & PAID FOR #8 Meredith Webber CLAIMED BY THE DESERT PRINCE #8 Robyn Grady BEDDED BY BLACKMAIL #8 Natalie Anderson PLEASURED BY THE SECRET MIL-LIONAIRE #9 Annie West THE GREEK'S CONVENIENT MISTRESS

Send your news and releases to: [email protected] by the 15th of the month prior to HT publication. Please note that new releases will only be featured once, so authors may choose whether that’s their Australian, overseas, digital or print release.

Emma Darcy OUTBACK GROOMS ANTHOLOGY HMB Series Special

Carol Marinelli BEDDED FOR PLEASURE, PURCHASED FOR PREGNANCY HMB Sexy

Margaret Way OUTBACK HEIRESS, SURPRISE PROPOSAL HMB Sweet

Maxine Sullivan VALENTE’S BABY Silhouette Desire

Miranda Lee THE BILLIONAIRE’S BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE HMB Sexy

Robyn Grady NAUGHTY NIGHTS IN THE MILLIONAIRE’S MANSION HMB Sexy Sensation

Christine Wells WICKED LITTLE GAME Berkley

Stephanie Laurens AN UNWILLING CONQUEST Mira

Robyn Grady BEDDED BY BLACKMAIL Silhouette Desire

Janet Woods THE COAL GATHERER Severn House

Beverley Eikli LADY SARAH’S REDEMPTION Robert Hale

Marion Lennox TELL NO ONE in THE CALL OF DUTY Anthology HMB Series Special

Daphne Clair SALZONO’S CAPTIVE BRIDE HMB Sexy

Heather C Brown BETROTHED TO THE ENEMY Noble Romance Publishing

Amy Andrews GREEK DOCTOR, CINDERELLA BRIDE HMB Medical

Melanie Milburne THE MARTINEZ MARRIAGE REVENGE HMB #1 Bestsellers Collec-tion 2009

Valerie Parv A RELUCTANT ATTRAC-TION/A ROYAL ROMANCE HMB Bestsellers Collection

Kandy Shepherd LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD Berkley Sensation

Anna Hackett SAVAGE DRAGON Nocturne Bites

Melissa James HIS PRINCESS IN THE MAKING HMB Sweet


In the search for the magic ‘Call’, the dream contract, massive advance, bestseller lists, movie deals, mega-bucks . . . wannabe authors head naturally for the big publishing houses first. Here, Elisabeth Rose and Anne Whitfield discuss two alternatives: Avalon Books and Robert Hale.

Avalon Books by Lis Hoorweg w/a Elisabeth Rose

This was my dilemma. I didn’t want a really small press, I’d done that and the company folded. I didn’t want to go the e-path with print

option, I didn’t want a small US press where self promotion was expected because of their limited distribution. Scouring the online listings I discov-ered Avalon. My style suited them perfectly. Now, four years after my first (and successful) submission my fifth book will come out in December. I love writing for this small but well respected and long established (since 1950) New York house. They produce hardcover books with beautifully de-signed and individual covers, espe-cially for the US library market. Some titles are sold on to a Large Print pub-lisher. Loretta Brabant became the second Australian author to join me at Ava-lon. Her first book Kiss and Tell comes out in October 2009. Faith Black – Editor, Avalon Books says, “Avalon publishes 60 books a year (6 cycles – one every two months – of 10 books each) in the

genres of romance, mystery, and western. We publish both contempo-rary and historical romances while the mysteries are all contemporary and the westerns are all historical. We publish only family friendly material. And our romances are strictly of the “sweet” variety. That means no sex (or even the insinuation of it). I know, I know. But trust me, you can have a truly entertaining, sparkling romance without sex. And in case you were wondering, nope, no sex in the mys-teries or the westerns either. Also, there shouldn’t be foul language or a lot of drinking. We’re not a Christian publisher and we don’t publish inspi-rational literature of any kind. “Our guidelines are spelled out in detail at: www.avalonbooks.com “Avalon authors are a very special group of people. There’s a definite sense of community amongst them which I am only too happy, as an edi-tor, to foster. We’re a small publisher and we try to give as much individual attention to our authors as possible.” Avalon authors are very proud of their place on the Avalon team. For many it was their first book contract and al-though several have moved on to write for other bigger publishers Ava-lon holds a special place in their hearts. Loretta C Rogers, western writer said, “Sure, we all want those dream contracts—and it stings when some-one infers that our Avalon contract doesn't have the same ‘oompf’ as some of the bigger houses. “Here are a few things to consider -- the small advance outweighs the huge advances--why? 1) you don't have to market if you don't want to; 2)

you don't have to worry that the shelf life of your $7.95 novel is only 3 weeks, because library shelf-life is forever; and if someone steals the book, the library reorders it; 3) you don't have to hire an entertainment attorney to read Avalon's contract. “Every time I check my stats on www.worldcat.com to see how many more libraries have bought my book, my smile gets a little broader.” Christine Bush, contemporary and historical romance writer said, “I've been writing for Avalon for 30 years. 8 books. Despite small print runs, there are many benefits. “1) Hard cover books last, are never returned to the publisher and never destroyed as paperbacks are. When libraries close or purge, copies are sold as used books on places like Amazon and B&N. 2) Library sales mean PLENTY of time for EACH copy to be read by dozens of readers. This increases our readership over time. For example a book that’s been out 30 years x 5 readers a year average =150 readers per copy. That's 150,000 possible readers for each 1,000 copies put into libraries. 3) Avalon is a not-so-small press in that they really publish a lot of titles—60 per year. 4) Distribution is mostly set, libraries contract for the whole cycle program, and all books in the cycle are sold. 5) Great, long term reputation for quality, family friendly romances and mysteries.

“The down side: 1) Smaller print runs.

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SMALL PRESS: Big Readership by Elisabeth Rose & Anne Whitfield

Subgenre in Focus: Small Presses for Libraries


Subgenre in Focus: Small Presses for Libraries

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2) Less possibility to make more money past advance. 3) Not easily available in bookstores. 4) High price per copy so is a strain for ‘friend purchases’ and as ‘giveaways’.” Writing for Avalon has always been a very positive thing in my life. I also do other things, but I love my Avalon books.

Visit our Avalon Authors Blog at www.avalonauthors.blogspot.com &

the Avalon site: www.avalonbooks.com

Robert Hale by Anne Whitfield

This family run company was founded in 1936. As well as pub-lishing non-fiction they have a strong fiction side. For me, being signed by Hale in early 2007 was due to my

new agent’s contacts at the time. I signed with both the agent and Hale in the same week. Although Hale will take unsolicited manuscripts, I’ve heard it is harder to become published with them without an agent. For instance, I sent Hale an unsolicited manuscript three months before I signed with my agent and I was rejected, but I was accepted within a week once I had an agent. However, you can happily and suc-cessfully work with Hale without an agent. I know many authors that do. Having met John Hale I found him to be a kind and intelligent man, who enjoys working with authors. One day to my surprise he sent me an email with an artist’s hand drawn sketch of my cover for Woodland Daughter, asking if I liked it. Thankfully, I did. That was the first time he had emailed me personally and the first

time I had seen one of my covers be-fore the book was out. The two previ-ous times the cover was not dis-cussed with me, again, thankfully, I liked them. In fact, my first Hale book The Gentle Wind’s Caress had the exact cover I wanted. The artist must have been a mind reader! The contract is straightforward and usually they ask for first refusal on your second book, but not subse-quent books. Edits are not too demanding, but the consensus is Hale only accepts books that don’t need a lot of work. So make sure your book is polished! Word count is on average about 75 000 words. The guidelines on the Hale website say up to 125k words, but I’ve never heard of anyone getting published at length recently. Hale only publishes in hardback for libraries – although the plans to move into digital in the future have been revealed. They have approximately fifty countries on their distribution list, but of course it is up to the buyers in each country as to whether your book is bought for their libraries. Hale do pay an advance, which can be between 300 – 400 UK Sterling Pounds, which depending on the ex-change rate, can be quite good, but obviously not as much as the larger publishers. Royalties are sent bi-annually. Print runs are usually small – 300 copies and once those copies are sold, the book won’t go into its sec-ond print run until there are out-standing orders of 100 copies. That is a definite downside. However, once your book is in a library here in Aus-tralia you can apply for Public Lend-ing Rights (PLR) and Educational Lending Rights (ELR). Also you can apply for UK’s Authors and Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). All of which will give you a few extra dollars on top of your royalties from Hale. In most cases Hale will try to sell your

book’s large print rights to a publisher within the UK. Sadly the price and weight of a hardback does make it difficult for the public to buy copies. Fellow Hale author, and only female Hale author in New Zealand, Loren Teague has this to say: “My romantic thriller, True Deception, was pub-lished in July 2008, and my second novel, Ultimate Betrayal, was pub-lished in March 2009 by Robert Hale. After being published previously by epublishers and with print on demand in the US, it's refreshing to be with an independent publisher in the UK who is well established in the publishing world. “The fact that they have distributors in most countries helps enormously with sales compared to epublishers print on demand books. What is even bet-ter is they love stories with New Zea-land settings which many bigger pub-lishers in the US and UK don't want. “The sales are fairly guaranteed be-cause Hale already have their market for libraries. It's great to be with them because they are a well known name and that counts for a lot when publi-cising my novels. NZ and Australian writers may not realise that writing for the library market is definitely worth considering.” I first targeted Robert Hale because I wanted to break into the UK market. They gave me the chance to work with an established and respected company and to reach a wider audi-ence in the market I wanted and for that I will always be grateful.

Visit our Hale Authors Blog: haleauthors.blogspot.com & the Robert

Hale site: www.halebooks.com

Downunder Avalon & Robert

Hale Authors

Loretta Brabant Frances Burke Beverley Eikli Elisabeth Rose Loren Teague

Anne Whitfield


Events Calendar with Doreen Sullivan

(Costings Code: M-member. MC-Member concession. NM-Non-members.) @ Saturday 11 July Writing and Selling a Romance Novel Jennifer Brassel When: 10.00am--4.00pm Where: New South Wales Writers' Centre Cost: M $99, MC $85, NM $125 FMI + Bookings: www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/ @ Saturday 18 July Talking up for writers Gillian Polack When: 10.30am-12.00pm Where: ACT Writers' Centre Cost: M $23, MC $18 , NM $53 FMI + Bookings: (02) 6262 9191 OR www.actwriters.org.au/workshops09.html @ Wednesday 22 July Your Writing, Your Career Putting Your Best Foot Forward Kirsty Wilson When: 6:30pm - 8:30pm Where: Victorian Writers' Centre Cost: M $24, MC $18, NM $30 FMI + Bookings: www.vwc.org.au/what-s-on/event/your-writing-your-career-putting-your-best-foot-forward/ @ Sundays 26 July to 13 September Why Was My Manuscript Rejected? Catherine Hammond When: 1.00pm--4.00pm Where: NSW Writers' Centre Cost: M $440, C $360, NM $520 FMI + Bookings: www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/ @ Sunday 9 August Writing Romantic Fiction (My Brother Jack Literary Festival) Anne Gracie When: 10.00am--1.00pm Where: Carnegie Library, Carnegie VIC Cost: $20, Concession $15 FMI + Bookings: (03) 9524 3333 Or www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=1096&h=1 @ Thursday-Friday, 13-14th August International Conference on Popular Ro-mance Studies Who: I.A.S.P.R. Where: Brisbane—UQ/QUT campuses. FMI: http://iaspr.org:80/conferences/brisbane

In Person Events

Online Events

Send your events to: [email protected] by the 15th of the month prior to your event.

Julie Rowe, a 2006 Golden Heart double finalist, moderates the Announce Online Writing Classes list. The Announce Online Writing Classes list notifies subscribers of around 25 to 35 workshops available each month. Most tutorials are sponsored by Romance Writers of America chapters, but on occasion other reputable teachers are handpicked too. Interested? Subscribe by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

Can’t make the conference in Brisbane?

Don’t feel left out! Come and join the online

Clayton’s Conference

14th to 16th August 2009 Workshops, chats and writing challenges will be part of a fun filled weekend. You can even attend

the Clayton’s Conference in your pyjamas.

To take part, log into our Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/claytonsconference_group/

All RWAustralia members welcome.

For more information, you can email Sandie Hudson [email protected] or

Diane Curran [email protected].

Calling any published authors

not attending the Brisbane conference! Would you be willing to run a chat or a workshop for the Claytons Conference? Or if anyone is willing to donate prizes for the weekend could you contact Sandie Hudson [email protected] or Diane Curran [email protected]


Contest Page with Catherine Evans

Contests! Category: Final Judge

Jenny Hutton (HM&B) Helen Lacey Mary McCarthy Rebecca Sampson

Single Title: Final Judge Meredith Giordan (Berkeley) AJ Macpherson Kylie Short x 3

The lines in the Category section were:

Thank you to this year’s category entrants, because I had the chance to read 36 round 1 entries & 3 round 2 entries & loved them. What a talented bunch you are.

The Emmy category attracted 46 entries to round 1 (3 chapters). Two entries from Nikki Beynon were withdrawn prior to judging because Nikki had been offered a publishing contract — well done Nikki.

After round 1, with three tied for 15th place, 17 entries went into round 2 (full manuscript) alas one was then withdrawn. Most judges commented they would like to read full MSs of many of the stories that did not make it to round 2. At the end of round 2, there was only 0.6% between 2nd and 4th places; an extremely tight finish. What the judges liked most (in no particular order) The high standard of story telling Strong beginnings drew the reader

into the story world. Immediate action or encounters made the

reader want to follow characters, find out answers to questions, how characters will overcome obstacles

Emotional interaction between lead characters with conflict evident

Heroines they could empathise with ie with complexity, strength, wit and high integrity (but not too perfect)

Good rapport but with sparks, ie it will not be an easy path to find true love

Strong or unusual settings with good setting descriptions

Smooth flowing, easy to read stories Humour or a light touch, where

appropriate What the judges liked least (in order from those aspects most commented on, to those least commented upon)

When the plot pace was slow, especially if the story took a while to get going, or went in circles with not enough escalation of problems in the plot or romance

Typos, poor punctuation and spelling errors were so common many judges commented only when there were no such errors. One judge stated, “they are distractions that draw the reader out of the story

world and spoil the reading experience.” Quite a few entries contained:

homophones eg they’re/their, whether/weather, to/too, rein/reign, piqued/peaked, carved/calved, fraud/frawd

Incorrect spellings eg raucous/ruckus, gentile/gentle, lightening/lightning; lose/loose; gesticulation/gestation

Poor use of apostrophes eg it/it’s, hers’, wont/won’t, and some weird ones when making a word plural

Heroines did not work so well if they were immature, weak, downtrodden by their circumstances, or didn’t know what they wanted and wavered from page to page

Stories they had read last year (some with very few changes)

Too many secondary characters and sub plots (without any reason for them being in the story)

Final word about formatting. The Emerald specifies advance review copy (ARC) format be used. In round 1, 16 stories had formatting errors & 6 in round 2. More careful checking would avoid penalties & eliminations.

2010 High Five & STALI details are now on the website. Remember to check the

relevant guidelines carefully, in particular the ARC & Standard Entry Format instructions. If you have any questions after checking the samples, please ask the Contest Manager before the closing date.

Emerald Finalists

Congratulations to our finalists!

Line/subgenre Round 1 3-chs

Round 2 full MS

Sexy/Presents/Modern 13 2

Intrigue/ Rom Suspense 8 2

Sweet 4 3

Blaze 4 2

Medical 4 3

Special Edition 4 2

Superromance 4 3

Modern Heat 1

Desire 2

Historical 1

HM&B Teen 1

TOTAL 46 17

EMERALD AWARD 2009 CATEGORY – Bev Lewis

Valerie Parv Award Finalists

Congratulations and good luck to the six finalists:

Rachael Blair Monique McDonell Louise Reynolds Kylie Short x 2 Melissa Smith

Winner to be announced at conference in August.

Big thank you to Pam Collings for managing the VPA with a record number of entries.

2010 Contest Season


Whether you’re unpubbed, a con-

test diva, agented, sweating on delivering the sec-ond book in your first ever contract or an estab-lished author polishing your umpteenth manuscript, how you manage ‘dreadlines’ can have a huge im-pact on your writing—and your sanity. Here’s how some of our published authors and advanced writers make deadlines work for them, rather than against them. “I’m a deadline person,” says award winning YA author Sara Hantz. “Without them I’d procrasti-nate until the cows come home. When I do have a deadline, I operate on the prin-ciple of ‘little and often’. I open my manuscript up first thing in the morning and dip in and out of it all day, until go-ing to bed. By doing this I find that I never have to spend too much time read-ing over what I’ve already done in order to get back in the zone, because I’m al-ways there. I’m lucky that I have the ability to work with constant interruptions, which is what it’s like when you live and work in the same place—we own a motel. Actually, I like the interruptions, because I have a very low attention span so it keeps me fresh.” Kylie Griffin, 2009 VPA and Emerald ST Finalist, agrees that procrastination is the enemy of all writers. “Once you get into the habit of goal setting, meeting word counts and writing on demand, meeting deadlines gets somewhat easier. For example, a BIAW challenge is a great way to develop and hone these skills and the ex-ternal accountability of checking in is similar to keeping an agent or editor informed of where you're up to. Benchmarking what you achieve on a calendar, either daily or weekly, relieves the psychological stress of a looming deadline—you can see exactly what you've achieved. This also lets you know what you're capable of producing or doing, and it helps you to define what you can expect of yourself in the future. It'll make meeting deadlines achievable rather than something to be dreaded.” Fiona Lowe, bestselling HM&B author (Miracle: Twin Ba-bies, August/September) had been self-employed for a long time, as well as being a wife, and a mother to two busy sons, when she was first published. “My life was and still is one big juggle,” she says. “Without goals or deadlines stuff just wouldn’t happen and I wouldn’t have been published. Before I was published I wrote to a self-imposed deadline so I would ‘finish the damn

book,’ so it wasn’t a big leap then to face a publishing deadline. Now, when I’m under contract I get up every morning and as my feet hit the floor my head tells me how many weeks until the book is due. What was hard about a publishing deadline was working out all the things I had to allow for to meet the deadline.” Fiona offers this advice: “Before committing to a dead-line date do the following: 1. Study the calendar. 2. Al-low for school holidays where minimal work gets done. 3. Allow for birthdays/anniversaries, weekends away and major events like RWA conference which wipes out a shirt load of time. 4. Allow for school related stuff like sports days. 5. Allow for the other job(s) in your life. 6.

This is important; add a two week buffer for illness/family disaster/unforeseen problems like the book just isn’t working. Oh and one last thing…write every day, even if on Saturday and Sunday it is only for an hour, as it keeps you immersed in the book and keeps the deadline demons at bay.” Carolyn Comito, 2008 STALI and Emerald

ST Winner is another writer who knows the value of an internal deadline. “I love a deadline!” she says. “As an unpublished writer, my deadlines are self-imposed ones and they’re as important to my process as any other writing tool. My agent has never set me a deadline but usually makes it clear that the sooner I send her the pol-ished manuscript/synopsis/edits, the better. “For me, the best way to meet a deadline is to work out how many pages I need to write a week to meet it, then I try to exceed those targets. I don’t beat myself up if I don’t meet them (the luxury of being unpublished) but I do give myself an incentive to reach that deadline. Usu-ally the incentive comes in the form of a book I’ve been dying to read!” Melanie Milburne writes six books a year for Harlequin Mills and Boon in London for both the Presents and Medi-cal lines so she knows a lot about deadlines. She says: “One of the biggest differences in being a published au-thor and an unpub-lished one is the looming approach of deadlines. A hobbyist has all the time in the world to play at their craft. An under con-tract author on the other hand has only a few months, or in my case two months, to

Bane or Boon: Deadlines

“Without goals or deadlines stuff just

wouldn’t happen and I wouldn’t have been

published.”

Writer’s Life with AJ Macpherson

Top 5 Deadline Taming Tips:

Make a plan Break it into smaller tasks Start immediately Factor in delays Remain flexible – find

what works for you


Market Watch with Pam Collings Information on markets is sourced from websites and other publications and reported in good faith. RWA Inc. does not investigate the informa-tion hereafter and cannot be held responsible for its accuracy and recommends readers verify names and addresses before submitting.

Writer’s Life with AJ Macpherson

get the book in on time. Even before I was published I set myself goals: a certain number of pages a day and/or finish the book by such and such a month and so on. “Procrastination is basically fear in disguise so I have taught myself the DIN principle: DO IT NOW. The longer you leave something the larger it becomes in your head. Avoidance behaviour is self-defeating. It achieves noth-ing but delaying the inevitable. Some people work well under pressure, funnily enough I do too, but I prefer not to torture myself with it. Writing is a discipline like any other. It is such a good feeling to have crossed off yet another thing on my to do list. It’s so satisfying to have

a little extra time to spend on the three Rs: reading, reflecting and recharging my batteries.” A deadline is essentially a writing tool and it’s up to you how you wield it. You can regard a deadline as a chal-lenge that you rise to or an impossible burden that takes all the fun out of your writing. Whichever way you look at it, deadlines are a critical and constant part of writ-ing that play an increasingly vital role as your career progresses. Now, if I can just remember where I put that calendar and my red pen…

Ref: Cynthia Sterling newsletter, Publisher’s Lunch, Fiction Factor, RWA members, Gal-leyCat Dorchester are now accepting esubs. Word count strictly adhered to. Send full manuscript in a Word or .rtf document, along with a 3- to 7-page synopsis. The body of the email should contain: contact information, including physical address and phone number; word count; the genre of the novel; and a brief, tantalizing descrip-tion of the plot. All romances should be approximately 75–90k.

Following genres sought: Historical Romance, Futuristic Romance, Time-Travel Romance, Paranormal Ro-mance, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy Romance, Romantic Sus-pense, African-American Romance. Westerns, Horror, Thriller and illustra-tions also sought. FMI: www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SubmissionGuidlines.cfm New Harlequin YA line, Harlequin Teen, has posted a podcast so you can listen to the latest scoop on what the editors are looking for. www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=749 From guidelines: 50-100k; Fresh, authentic teen fiction featuring extraordinary characters and extraor-dinary stories set in contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, science-fiction and historical worlds. Scary Kisses edited by Liz Grzyb with Russell B. Farr is a paranormal romance anthology scheduled for release in 2010. Deadline: 1st De-cember, 2009. Story length: 1-8.5k. Original stories only: no reprints, mul-

tiple or simultaneous submissions. Looking for submissions with roman-tic and paranormal or speculative ele-ments. Payment: 2 copies and Aus 2 cents/word (GST inc., maximum pay-ment $100) on publication. FMI: http://ticonderogapublications.com/wordpress/submissions/#scarykisses As of July 2009, Steeple Hill Books is discontinuing its single title pro-gram. Steeple Hill will continue to publish Love Inspired category inspi-rational romance. FMI: www.steeplehill.com Abingdon Press www.abingdonpress.com has moved into the inspirational fiction realm pub-lishing romance, historical romance, contemporary women's fiction, sus-pense, mystery, and biblical fiction novels. FMI: http://tinyurl.com/o2xrql Torquere Press is launching a new Pulp Fiction line. Novels should be 50-70k, Sci-Fi, western, mystery, campy, over the top themes, but with solid writing and solid characteriza-tion. Will be published in both ebook and print format. Note: "All submis-sions must contain gay, lesbian or transgendered characters. While works do not need to be graphic, they must contain homosexual romance and focus on the interaction between characters." www.torquerepress.com/submissions/hardliquor.html John Oakes and Colin Robinson launched their new venture OR Books on an old fireboat. They aim to sell non-returnable only and print only on-demand (or not at all via ebooks).

And they pledge to spend the money saved on inventory on marketing in-stead. They will launch in September, and announced a collaboration with the editorial collective Mischief & Mayhem. Another new venture from Richard Nash and Dedi Felman called The Round Table, targets the writers who flock to writers’ conferences and of-fers them the prospect of an online community comprising both publish-ing professionals and interested, en-gaged readers. They are also target-ing passionate readers looking for more direct connections with the au-thors and genres they love. They offer not just individual books but "membership"--including access to a "library of content in draft, final and 'postfinal' versions; workshop, com-munity, and special features; and ac-cess to authors and peers." The pair aim to focus on five community verti-cals: current affairs; mystery/crime/thriller; sci-fi/fantasy; alternative fic-tion and pop culture; and urban lit and consciousness. Kindle for Bloggers Now bloggers can be added to Amazon Kindle con-tent. Writers will receive 30% of reve-nues which Amazon will determine. Some bloggers taking up this service are The Literary Saloon, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Galley Cat, and Jacket Copy. Poetry Contest: Mornington Penin-sular Prize. Open theme and style, up to 30 lines. First prize: $150. Entry: $5. Deadline: 30 Sept, 2009. For en-try form: [email protected]

The Last Word with HelsKat

Snippets & buzz from the front lines

King of the Night

This time it’s Mr Darcy’s turn with a new book being released called ‘Mr Darcy, Vampyr’ by Amanda Grange. It is a sequel to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, where Lizzie learns that Mr Darcy is more.

mrdarcyvampyre.blogspot.com

J.D Salinger lawsuit

Salinger is suing over unauthorized sequel called 60 Years Later Coming Through the Rye, to his The Catcher in the Rye. The lawsuit describes Salinger as "fiercely protective of his intellectual property" and says he "would not approve of defendant’s use of his intellectual property." (source: Reuters)

Meyer Craze continues At the 2009 Children’s Choice Book Awards, Stephenie Meyer was awarded Author of the Year for her novel, ‘Breaking Dawn’. She also won the Teen Choice Book of the Year – as expected.

Guinness World Record James Patterson has earned a place in the record books for the “Most Entries on The New York Times Best-Seller List," with 31 hardcover novels

reaching number one, and 45 total books on the list!

The Heart of a Woman: Harlequin Cover Art 1949-2009 Exhibition

Presented at the Openhouse Gallery in New York. The ex-hibit is a look at changing shifts of what women wanted before it was the norm in soci-ety. These old novels and im-ages were discovered in the company’s headquarters in Toronto. See images at: http://openhousegalleryblog.blogspot.com/ http://www.harlequincelebrates.com http://tinyurl.com/mr3ant (CNN report)

New Agatha Christie Books Discovered

Two new stories about Hercule Poirot have been discovered. They will be published in the

forthcoming volume, Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making by HarperCollins.

TLHINGON HOL!*

What? You don’t know Klingon?! Well here’s something to help you - Simon & Schuster’s will make a Klingon Language Suite available as an iPhone application. It will include Conversational Klingon (presented by actor Michael Dorn, aka Worf), a dictionary and a Phrasebook. (* Klingon Language)

Palin Book Deal! HarperCollins has signed a deal with the Alaskan Governor. HC’s chief Brian Murray said, "She has a fascinating story to tell, and we look forward to publishing what surely will be a captivating book.”

Palin wants to write much of the book herself, eager to use her journalistic background. But will also be using a collaborator. (source: LA Times blogs)

Fantasy author David Eddings has died at the age of 77. Inspired by Tolkien, the author and his wife, Leigh Eddings, revived the fantasy genre with the famous The Belgariad series.

TWEET -ZINE & TWIBES Tweet the Meat is a Twitter only e-zine of horror. So you guessed it, stories are only 140 characters long. And now you can join groups on Twitter, called Twibes.

Libraries feel brunt of economic conditions

As a former librarian this news shouldn’t surprise me. Despite this now being the time when the facilities are being used more, the New York Public Library may lose more than $57 million in operating funds. They are urging NYC residents to email their city council and are also asking for contributions.

And in Pennsylvania, the Senate has passed a bill with 50% cut in library funding. Sad, sad, sad.

More Evidence Vampires are Cool

No, not because of their skin. But fol-lowing in the steps of True Blood, an-other vampire book series has been adapted for the small screen, L.J Smith's The Vampire Diaries. They were first published in the early 1990s.

Jane Porter - Romance Writers of Australia

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