Writing for Beginners

#Writingtips: Writing the Dreaded Synopsis

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:13:00 +0000

All publishers want a synopsis of the book before they consider reading your work. If you’re anything like me, the mere mention of the word causes heart palpitations and cold sweats. I hate writing them and well...I just hate writing them.

What is a synopsis?

If you don’t know, don’t fret. Everyone has to learn everything sometime. If you’ve finished your book already, you would have encountered this by now. In layman’s terms a synopsis is a summary of the major plot points in your story that introduces the characters, shows the character development, highlights the conflict and reveals how the conflict is resolved.

How to go about writing a synopsis

This month Randy Ingermanson gave some tips on how to approach this nightmare called synopsis. For those who do not follow him yet, you could follow worse people during your writing career. He doesn’t do the SPAM thing, but once a month, you get a newsletter filled with valuable tips and tricks of the trade. Now I’m not saying his way is the best way or the only way to approach writing of a synopsis, but it sure is one way to consider when you’re faced with the daunting task of putting the synopsis together.

Here’s the relevant part of the newsletter taken verbatim:

3) Craft: How to Write a Synopsis

One of the most common questions novelists ask is “How do you write a synopsis?”

First, let’s define what a synopsis is, because it’s sometimes called an “outline” which is a confusing term. Many of us learned how to make an “outline” in third grade, using Roman numerals and capital letters to break down a nonfiction piece into smaller and smaller chunks. That’s not what a synopsis is for a novel. No Roman letters will be killed to produce your synopsis.

A synopsis is a short summary of your story, told in narrative form using complete sentences. Usually it’s done in third person, present tense. Most editors and agents want to see a synopsis, and the typical length they want is two pages, single-spaced. Always ask them what length they’re looking for, and give them that length.

Two pages is typical, so I’ll assume that’s the target for this article. Two pages single-spaced works out to about 1000 words.

There are two common ways to write that 1000 words:
1. Expanding your one-paragraph summary
2. Summarizing your scene list

Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.

Expanding Your One-Paragraph Summary

Use this method if you haven’t written your novel yet.

Start by writing a one-sentence summary and a one-paragraph summary (as described in the Craft column of the last two issues of this e-zine). Then expand each sentence of the one-paragraph summary out to three short paragraphs.

The one-paragraph summary contains five sentences:
1. An introductory sentence that summarizes the setting and one or two of the lead characters.
2. A sentence summarizing Act 1 of the book, which ends in some sort of disaster and a call to action for the lead character.
3. A sentence summarizing the first half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the wrong way, and fails badly.
4. A sentence summarizing the second half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the right way, and fails spectacularly.
5. A sentence summarizing Act 3, in which the lead character goes right up to the edge of Ultimate Disaster and either succeeds or fails.

I’d recommend expanding out that first sentence into about three short paragraphs. One might summarize the setting. The other two might each introduce one character.

Then each of the other sentences need to be expanded out into three short paragraphs apiece, explaining the three main story developments in each quarter of the book.

That gives you a total of fifteen short paragraphs, which will fit nicely into two pages. You may go a little under if your novel is short. You may go a bit over if your novel is long. Don’t settle for half a page. Don’t go overboard with four pages.

Don’t overthink this process. Give yourself an hour. Drill out fifteen paragraphs. Read it over a couple of times. Stop.

You can come back in a day or two and polish. Done.

Summarizing Your Scene List

Use this method if your novel is already written. (If you’re trying to find an agent or sell your novel to an editor, they’re going to want a synopsis even if your novel is completely written. That sounds grossly unfair, and maybe it is, but it’s reality. It’s not because they hate you. It’s because it makes their job easier. You need them more than they need you, so grit your teeth and do it.)

A typical novel might have 50 to 120 scenes. On average, let’s say it’s 100 scenes. Your synopsis is supposed to be about 1000 words.
That works out to roughly 10 words per scene. That’s not enough to explain a scene in any detail. Therefore, you can’t summarize every single scene of the novel in detail.
So what do you do?
That’s easy.

Create a list of all the scenes in your novel. You can do this on 3x5 cards or in Scrivener or in a spreadsheet or in my Snowflake Pro software or however you want to do it. The list should have one sentence per scene, no more.

Group the scenes into clusters of two to seven scenes. You’ll probably have ten to twenty clusters of scenes.

Now write a short paragraph that summarizes each cluster of scenes. If you have fifteen clusters, that’ll work out to fifteen paragraphs, which is right around two pages.

Again, don’t overthink this. You’ll need two or three hours to create your scene list, by zipping through the story and summarizing each scene into a single sentence. Or you may have already done this before you wrote your novel.

Once your scene list is in place, give yourself an hour to drill out the summary paragraph for each cluster of scenes. Read the whole thing over to make sure the story logic flows. Stop. Come back to it tomorrow and polish it up. That’s it.

Don’t Paralyze Yourself With Doubts

I’ve seen writers get stuck on the synopsis for months.
Don’t do that. A synopsis is not a big deal. It’s two pages. 1000 words. You could probably type it easily in twenty or thirty minutes.

Give yourself permission to write a bad first draft. Get it down on paper. Polish it later.

The brutal fact is that most editors and agents hate reading synopses. They’ll insist on having one, but they’ll just skim it. They want to see that your story has conflict and structure. So make sure your synopsis highlights the conflict and the structure. Conflict is about wanting things and not getting them. Structure is about disasters and decisions. Focus on those things in your synopsis.

Once the editor or agent convinces herself that you’ve got good conflict and your story has the usual three-act structure, she’ll move on to the good stuff—your actual writing. If you’re going to have angst, spend your angst where it’ll be most productive—on your sample chapters.

But don’t angst on your synopsis. Get it written. Then get it right. Then move on.

This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 14,000 readers. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Writing Great Book Descriptions by Libbie Hawker

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 06:45:00 +0000

Writing tips on how to write a good product/book description or blurb.

I came across these videos explaining how to write good product/book descriptions to increase your chance of garnering more sales. Now some of the information is not new, but she gives valuable advise on how to go about the process in a two-video series.

Every writer knows that writing the book is only the first part of a difficult journey to get people to read your book. When published on Amazon or elsewhere on the internet, an author has mere seconds to convince a reader that the book he/she is looking at, is the one to buy. Libbie offers some sound advise on how to write the book description or blurb to better your chances of soliciting a sale.

Be sure to visit her page at LibbieHawker.com for more on her and her books. These videos are quite lengthy, but they sure are worth watching.

Video 1 of Write an Awesome Blurb or Query

Video 2 of Write an Awesome Blurb or Query

So what do you think? Were these videos helpful?

Does Fear Prevent You From Saying I #Amwriting?

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:16:00 +0000

How many times have you thought of a brilliant idea that would change your world for the better? How many times have you acted on that thought to make it reality? What held you back?

If you’re anything like me, the fear of failure tied your hands behind your back and muted your voice. What if nobody liked the idea? What if they liked the idea, you invested time and money into it and it didn’t work? What if people laughed at your idea? What if ...what if...

FEAR.

Fear is the greatest inhibitor of progress known to mankind. Don’t confuse fear with recklessness. I’m not talking about jumping into a project without regard to the possible consequences or taking risks when the likelihood of success has been proven to be dismal. No, the fear I’m referring to is the one that paralyzes us when we’ve thought of all the possible scenario’s, weighed the risks and rewards, considered all the consequences and found the probable outcome to be favorable, but still we are afraid to take the final leap.

In creative writing this fear of failure steals our ability to create when faced with a blank page on the computer screen. (I assume few people still use the pen and paper method of creating novels.) Staring at the screen for hours or writing the opening sentence over and over and over because it just isn’t good enough, proves that fear can be debilitating.

Writers are fickle beings and need constant reassuring that they are indeed good enough at what they do to provide someone out there in the great big world with a couple of hours of entertainment. Few people write fiction to make a living – most of the writers write because that’s who they are – regardless if they make a living doing so or not. When the recognition of their hours of labor is dismal, their self-esteem takes a nosedive and fear takes over, creating a vicious cycle of inability to create.

Some writers overcome fear of failure by using the free-writing method. One word triggers a ten minute session of writing without worrying if it could be published or not. Usually that’s all that’s needed to get the creative juices flowing in spite of the fear of failure.

Other writers use the habit-method to combat fear. They write on their novel every day at the same time for the same duration regardless if they know what to say or how the novel has to progress. These writers claim to have less problems with debilitating fear causing writer’s Block as their minds are used to producing content at a certain time every day.

Another method I’d read about is that some writers write complete rubbish for five minutes. They disregard spelling, words doesn’t have to make sense – it doesn’t have to be legible at all. They use the switch of context to give the brain a break from thinking it’s not good enough to progress on the novel they’re working on. Some proclaim that this method works miracles for curing writer’s block.

There are so many methods advocated to overcome writer’s block – which in my opinion is just another way of saying you fear failing at what you write, that somewhere in the maize of advise, one should be able to find a way to proceed that works for you.

Have you found a method that worked for you?

Self-Publishing Platforms: Amazon, Smashwords, Etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 13:24:00 +0000

After doing this a couple of years, I can safely say that I can now give a more accurate account of which platform worked best for me. I published books on both platforms, varied pricing and done some marketing. Here is what I've found after five years:

I have four Afrikaans novels and one English novel self-published at both Amazon and Smashwords. The English novel is an erotic novel and thus the demand is slightly different than those of contemporary novels. Afrikaans novels is a niche market with limited readership and the experience I had with publishing those novels might be different if they were published in English.

How Easy is it to Self-Publish E-books on the Platform?

As for ease of publishing, Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing is the best. Their interface is straight forward with no real hassles. You need your manuscript in Word, properly formatted so that it displays well and a striking image for the cover. They make adding the rest of the writing to the image childsplay. (Although these days children tend to grasp these concepts much easier than their parents do)

Smashwords takes a little practice and if you want to go that route, I would suggest you read the Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker before you start writing your book.

This guide feels like it's written in Greek (for an English speaking person) the first time you read it, but after you've gone through it and applied the tips, you'll find that even publishing at other platforms is easier because the manuscript is cleaner and devoid of any strange code. You'll get a lot less gibberish when the book converts. If you implement the changes while writing the book, your publishing experience will be so much more fun.

Where to Distribute your Book?

Kindle Direct Publishing publishes, well...on Amazon. Their books are sold in the Amazon online stores of which there are thirteen in different countries. Amazon is however the popular choice for obtaining e-books as their checkout procedure is so easy, their delivery system almost instantaneous and their customer service usually on the ball.

Smashwords distributes to various other online retailers including Kobo, Apple, Barnes and Noble and various libraries. Your books are for sale on the Smashwords.com site as well, but I found that most of my sales originated from the expanded distribution channels.

Both platforms introduce your book to a vast audience, so it is wise to consider both options.

Then there is KDP - Select. This means that you will publish your e-book exclusively on Kindle for a period of 90 days. During this time you have to ensure that the digital version of your book is not available elsewhere on the internet. I would suggest that if you want to go this route you do so when first publishing the book. Only publish on KDP and be safe in the knowledge that there couldn't be another version floating around. You may not even sell from your own website for this period.

I found the benefit of KDP Select negligent with the Afrikaans titles, but it definitely worked with the English title. You get to do Kindle Countdown Deals where you can run promotional prices, you can run Kindle Free Book promotions, your book gets included in the Kindle Prime program where you earn for pages read. Would I recommend this for the initial 90 days? Hell yes! You need eyeballs on your book and what better way to get people to read your book for free and gather some reviews. Would I permanently ignore the other platforms in favor of KDP Select - No!

Where Do You Earn the Most from your Self-Published E-Book?

That depends entirely on what type of book you have, how good you are at marketing and how tenacious you are. To me, both platforms performed reasonably well, but the majority of the sales originated from Amazon's Kindle store. It is very important that you publish new material regularly as this is what keeps the sales turning over. Once a book loses momentum it is difficult to get the sales graph moving upwards again.

Although I didn't depart any earth-shattering information in this post, I hope you enjoyed reading more about self-publishing. I am by no means an expert, so if you are in any doubt, please consult an expert on the matter.

Until next time — happy writing.

Book Review: A Lifetime for Revenge by Natalie G Owens

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 22:00:00 +0000

A Lifetime for Revenge (The Valthreans: Book 2) by Natalie G Owens

Keeping it simple doesn't always work out so well…

After exacting his longed-for revenge, Massimiliano “Max” Damiani’s life is about to get more complicated when he is sent by the Valthrean Council to investigate the mysterious death of one of their Councilmen. Duty-bound to protect the victim's daughter and her young brother, the stakes are upped as Max and those around him become targets of a dangerous enemy. The Cult is closing in, threatening the future of their kind.

Fate is a cruel mistress…

Piper Ingram’s existence is thrust into turbulent waters. Her father has been murdered in cold blood and she is now sole guardian to her little brother, Charlie. After years of helping others come to terms with their problems and move on to better lives in a domestic violence shelter, she now needs help protecting herself and her kin.

Salvation comes when we face our deepest fears…

Max values his independence above anything. Meanwhile, this case brings him more trouble than he's bargained for, pushing his limits, and testing his fear of commitment. While striving to keep his personal demons at bay and holding on to his set ways, he fights his attraction to Piper, but he fast learns some things are not within his control. Will he save those entrusted in his care this time? And most importantly, will he finally find redemption ... and love?

REVIEW:

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Max Damiani is a strong man with a checkered past and proud of it. He avenged his sister’s death the only way he knew how and although he is not proud of the methods he had to employ, he suffers no remorse for executing the deed. Used to being the problem solver everyone calls upon, he suddenly finds himself in the precarious position of having to protect a woman and her young brother. This is his worst nightmare come true as the boy reminds him too much of his sister and the woman pushes all the wrong—or is it the right?— buttons.

Piper Ingram is used to protect other people at the shelter she runs. Now she has to submit to being protected by a man who made it clear that he would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else, rather than being charged with the responsibility to protect her and her brother. To top it off the only safe place seems to be Max’s house.

So the stage is set for a tale of modern romance laced with enough suspense to keep your eyes glued to the pages. Several undercurrents of evil run simultaneously only to converge under the expert hands of the author. Unlike the first book in the series (An Eternity of Roses) this book takes place in the present time only.

This story illustrates how love can overcome sadness and hatred and how it can provide courage when you thought you had none. Once again this is not a quick read and readers should expect to spend some time enjoying the characters Ms. Owens so expertly created.

It is a book filled with razor-sharp imagery and on-the-button descriptions of inner conflict. Most of all it is a book that will leave the reader with sense of satisfaction when the last sentence is read.

Definitely a book I would recommend for readers of paranormal romantic suspense.

You can buy the book here:

Amazon US

Smashwords

or at any online retailer.

Book Review: The Love Commission by Vicki Ballante

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Gelsey is a savannah sprite—a fairy in Africa who works to preserve the earth. She’s a pro at eco-balance, but when the fairy queen gives her a commission to become a human to learn the meaning of love, she’s miserable. She has to give it her best as it’s the only way to get her dream job—to save the African Wild Cat.

After a short time in her new life, Gelsey is swept into the world of Evan’s love. Now, she must make an impossible choice—give up her life with the man who owns her heart or lose her fairyhood forever.

MY REVIEW: 4 stars

People with good hearts have sex without procreating, far too many marriages end with bitter divorces and loads of couples refuse to marry, but elect to simply live together. These are all signs of humanity being ill and to top it all, the earth is suffering under pollution, deforestation and the people willing and able to do something about it, are getting fewer by the generation. Yes, humanity needs saving from itself and only magic will do the trick—according to the Fairy Queen.

So she send Gelsey, a savanna sprite, to the human world to find out why this is happening—why humans have sex without procreating. And thus a tale begins where the meaning of true love is placed under a microscope and stripped of its purported magic.

Ms. Ballante takes us on a journey of self-discovery where good intentions causes the main characters to make bad decisions—something I’m sure everyone can relate to. Dealing with the consequences of these decisions is what makes these characters note-worthy. There were a few instances where I could happily throttle Gelsey for being so fickle, but the motivation for her decisions was good enough. Although this is a fantasy novel the characters appeared real, their emotions justified and the plot conceivable.

The best part of this story was the journey the naive Gelsey had to make from innocent in love to the realizing the meaning of true love. The fact that she had to loose so much to gain this insight is what lent this story the depth it needed.

This is a well-written book where the author kept the bedroom-door open with love scenes hot enough to make you squirm, but with enough emotional twists and turns to keep your eyes glued to the pages until you read the last word. Definitely an erotic paranormal romance I would recommend.

Buy The Love Commission at Amazon, Smashwords and any other good online retailers.

Book Review: An Eternity of Roses by Natalie G Owens

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:05:00 +0000

An Eternity of Roses (The Valthreans: Book 1) by Natalie G Owens

Two lovers separated by an evil curse...

It is 1807. Adrian Segrave, Viscount Bournemouthe, and Lady Emmaline Deramore are about to wed and British Society teems with excitement at this imminent love match. But Madeleine de Brandeville, a mysterious Frenchwoman, has her lustful and ambitious sights on the groom. When she sets her cruel plan in motion, she leaves devastation in her path.

A quest through time...

Heartbroken, Emmaline embarks on an adventure she'd never imagined having. As the world changes and chaos brews, her fate becomes linked with the Valthreans, a group of immortals who must learn to face a deadly enemy that threatens their place in the human world. But all the while, there is one thing she wants more than any other -- to get back her man.

When she finally finds her prize, her worst nightmares are far from over and the toughest battle is yet to begin.

Is this love meant to be, after all?

REVIEW:

Please bear in mind that is my opinion of the book. Every person experience a book differently and what might be a great book to me, might be absolutely horrible to you.

So without further ado here is my thoughts on the book:

4 out of 5 Stars

“This particular day, God had painted a lackluster sky and overpopulated it with moisture-filled gray clouds.” By Natalie Owens from An Eternity of Roses (The Valthreans Book 1)

Filled with gems like this one, Natalie Owens provides the reader with a journey into the wonder- world of painting with words in her paranormal romance An Eternity of Roses. Spanning several centuries, the story is about love—the power thereof and the perseverance of those lucky souls who’d found true love and wanted to reclaim it. It shows that love is indestructible, neither time nor evil could obliterate it. This is a powerful story written with excellent word usage to draw the reader right into the world of Emmaline and Adrian.

Every story has to have a villain and An Eternity of Roses is no different. Without providing a spoiler, I have to mention that Madeleine de Brandeville was portrayed as a well-balanced antagonist with enough character traits for the reader to understand her motivations. At times I pitied the woman for her brazen refusal to accept that love can never be forced.

This is not a quick read and readers should prepare themselves to spend some time with the characters Ms. Owens so skillfully created. The language is prosaic and the imagery is superb. The plot was well planned and executed and the ending left the reader with a sigh of satisfaction which in my opinion is a sign of a good book.

Overall this is a book I would recommend to all lovers of paranormal romance.

****

You can buy the book here:

Smashwords

Amazon US

and at other reliable online retailers

Great Article on Harlequin Romances

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 15:28:00 +0000

I seldom just repeat other people's posts or refer my readers to them, but today I found an article that is well worth mentioning. Kelly Faircloth wrote an article on How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance that every reader of romance should read. (Please read it and take the time to let me know if you also found it highly informative.)

This article is well-researched and offers loads of information—and inspiration—to readers and writers of romance alike. What I like most about Kelly's approach is that the article is balanced with informed opinions.

She starts the article with: "For the average person, romance novels bring to mind one word: Harlequin." This is true whether you read romance or not. For most romance writers their biggest aspiration is to be able to one day state: "I write for Harlequin." So to read where it all began was a wonderful experience for me.

This really is one article you should make time to read.

Author Interview: Inge Saunders

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 03:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome another South African author, Inge Saunders to our blog to answer some of the author questions. Inge's debut novel was released on 23 December 2014 and I trust there are many more being released soon.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose this genre?

I love writing romance, specifically in the sub-categories contemporary and what some would call chicklit since some of my stories aren’t quite your straightforward Harlequin types. They are fresh, humorous, elements of ‘the real’ (my phrase for issues characters haveJ) but always has froth and a lightness to it that doesn`t make the story feel stifled. My first ‘grown up’ novel, Falling for Mr. Unexpected, has a nice blend of these elements and helped me to explore what I`d like to ‘see’ in my future contemporary romance novels.

I also write YA, stories that range from high fantasy to paranormal/supernatural romances and even science fiction. It`s funny how I always have this image in my head of being a movie director, having to understand the motivation and challenges for every character, even the minor ones.

The earliest advice I was given (at age fourteen) when I started writing, was to write stories I`d be interested in. And that`s the reason I write in these genres.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you get from idea to outline?

Like I mentioned above, I write what interests me. I think the moment you start to try to emulate what`s out there and what people say sells, than it`s going to be hard to stay true to your voice. Of course it does help when current fads in books inspires you, but I`d say first write what interests you. They`re unique to you, which already will make your story stand out from the rest.

I get my ideas from books, TV, life, people, art, and music…basically everything. Falling for Mr. Unexpected was largely influenced by Pop Culture and Celebrity Culture. I was watching ENews (yeah I know *laughs*) and another sex scandal was being reported on. The ‘news’ report became one of the external conflicts in the book.

My process for outlining ideas vary, when I entered sytycw2012 it wasn`t preplanned, in fact it was the first time I`d heard of the competition. So I was basically writing by the seat of my pants *lol* However in 2011, I had started writing a YA series with very detailed mind-maps. I used them as a means to keep track of characters and sub-plots since I was writing across categories: supernatural and science fiction.

I`m more prone to ‘pen’ down an outline/brief synopsis of where I want to go. I would go so far as to note down little writing cues or quirks the character would have. Some might not make it into the story, but it makes my characters more three dimensional. I`m not big on outlining the story from start to finish, the mystery would be lost for me. I`d become bored. So you wouldn`t find me with a storyboard outlining each tiny aspect but more broad concepts especially focused on character development/conflict/the stakes. Usually when a story get`s to this stage it also means I`ve written 1-3 chapters on it, which is another crazy thing I do.

I love to jot down ideas then scenes to see how much I like the story or characters. I would usually move on from there. A recent YA story idea I got from a quote I saw on Twitter. I typed out the quote and left it to spook me for more than a week, then I sat down and wrote 2 Chapters. I have a big picture of where I want to go but will only outline it when the idea has marinated some more.

A current contemporary romance I`m working on however didn`t get the same treatment, I`ve written a brief synopsis, and pondered some questions in regards to the characters: what`s their overall story goal besides romance? What must they learn about love? What are the stakes besides heart break? How to make their major conflict internal? And then one of my favorite things to do, write down ‘20 things your reader will never know about your character’. The last tip has a way of seeping into your story without you even realizing, which makes it much richer.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you've written, what would it be? Why?

Conflict. Without this element I have no interest in writing a story. I wrote my fist story at age fourteen, and proceeded to, on and off, write stories through high school. Then for a couple of years at varsity I was more focused on academia and hanging out with friends, that writing consisted mostly of poetry. At age twenty-two I started writing again, both times when the novel writing bug bit it wasn`t only about the love interest of the characters (interesting as that were) but the personal obstacles they had to overcome that kept me going. Every story I`ve abandoned since can be attributed to conflict. There either weren’t enough or the right kind. So at this point in my writing journey, I focus a lot of conflict, I`ve even gone back to ‘study’ the classics like Jane Eyre just to get a feel for it.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

This wasn`t something I did when I first started out. I would just delve head first into a story and drown myself in it, discover my characters as they discovered themselves *laughs* What this translated into afterward was a lot of editing and polishing and asking ‘what the hell?’

I now slow cook characters in my head and on paper. I even employ Pinterest and think of celebrity lookalikes for them. I ponder their role in the family structure, e.g. what kind of child were they like? Especially if it`s important for my story. What are their insecurities? Pet Peeves? Favorite ice-cream? It sounds like work, but then again we all know writing isn`t as easy as people think *wink*

And yes, I am that weird author who has conversations with my characters in my head; it makes them human to me. They become people and sometimes take over the story without my knowledge as I type late into the night J I do all of this because I know I`ll end up with well developed characters as opposed to one dimensional ones. Even villains and bad boys have layers. Explore that thoroughly before committing them to paper, all of it might not end up in the story, but it does add something to your writing.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

Since I`ve worked with a professional editor, I`m not as ‘free’ to just sit down and write and overused-words-be-damned- I`m going to let my muse run wild. Nope. But I`m also not religious about editing a first draft.

I think there`s a fine line. There`s a point you have to shut out your inner critic and just write the story. It`s called a first draft for a reason. And I also have to add, something wonderful happens when you shut out all the voices, close the mental door to rigid lines and just go for it. A diamond in the rough is still a diamond, so don`t sweat the rough so much.

So I`m more conscious of how I write but not to the extent where it cripples creativity, I believe you should write first, edit second. Because either way, you`re still going to have to edit that first draft.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Develop thick skin early on and be teachable *laughs*

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

Falling for Mr. Unexpected

Can Emma fall for Mr. Unexpected when she doesn’t believe in Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now…?

Primary school teacher Emma Cupido compares the notion of “The One,” with believing in the Tooth Fairy. When the school holidays starts, she heads for her brother-in-law`s beach house in Strand, South Africa and stumbles on more than she bargained for.

Hollywood heartthrob, Damian Davidson flees LA thinking his beach house in SA would be a safe hideout from his sex scandal. He’s had his fill of manipulative women and when he mistakes Emma for a crazy fan, all hell breaks loose.

Emma and Damian get off to a rocky start but first impressions can be deceiving. Is there more to Damian than the superficial taint of Hollywood? And what happens when she agrees to a trip to LA? Will Emma become a believer in “The One” or just another Hollywood scandal?

Excerpt:

She didn’t put her clothes back on, only lumped them together, shoes and all, and hurried back into the house via the still-open patio. Emma released a loud, earsplitting scream.

Before her stood a half-naked man, dressed only in a white towel.

As this knowledge registered, so did the fact she wore little else but her underwear. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and she still hadn’t stopped screaming.

“Would you stop that!” the half-naked stranger yelled in a deep baritone, causing her to clip her mouth shut.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? I’m calling the police!”

He didn’t flinch; instead, he turned his back on her and walked to the small side table next to a big white-and-blue sofa.

Before his huge frame obscured her vision, she made out a black cordless phone. Her chest heaved while she mutely watched him pick up the phone.

This must be an aberration brought on by the effects of frolicking in the ocean; there was no way she was having a confrontation with a half-naked man, in her sister’s house, on the first day of her stress-free beach holiday.

Her brain hiccupped at her illogical conclusion. Nope, what’s happening is, in fact, real.

“I’m sick and tired of this,” he said into the phone and gave her a glare over his shoulder. “If it’s not underwear in the mail, naked photos on my windshield, it’s an intruder running around naked in my home.” His fiery eyes burned holes into her.

“What?” she blurted. She clutched her dry clothes in front of herself. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

*Falling for Mr. Unexpected published in 23 December 2014 and now available directly from

Decadent Publishing:

Amazon:

Kobo:

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/falling-for-mr.-unexpected/id952498444?mt=11&uo=4

Where can we find you on social media?

You can connect with me on my blog: Inge Saunders - Inside These Lines

On Facebook: http://ingesaunders.facebook.com

Twitter: http://ingeulrikesaunders.twitter.com

Pinterest: http://ingesauders.pinterest.com

Goodreads: http://ingesaunders.goodreads.com

About Inge Saunders

Inge Saunders form part of ROSA (Romance writers` Organization of South Africa), where she`s learned a lot from all the veterans there. She was ballsy enough to enter sytycw2012, write a 60k romance novel “Falling for Mr. Unexpected” in three weeks, that`s coming out with Decadent Publishing in 2014.

She writes romance/chick-lit for a mature audience, but has a passion for YA and the supernatural since Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Interview with a Vampire (books and movies). You can find her first YA series here: http://w.tt/1mJRb6X

Author Interview: Tanith Davenport

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome the talented and multi-published author Tanith Davenport to the blog. Tanith writes in the erotic romance genre and has several books published by Totally Bound Publishing.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write erotic romance. It was a genre I fell into - my debut novel dealt with the nature of sexuality and so involved multiple erotic scenes, and I discovered through this that I apparently write sex very well!

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

I draw ideas from all sorts of places - I'm always having to email or text myself because an idea has come to me at an inconvenient time. These get written down and left until I'm ready to pick them up, which will probably be when I have several small ideas that will work well together so that I can form an outline from them.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

I'm mostly a plotter, although I'm always open to new ideas as I write.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

I like to know where I'm going, but I don't outline too tightly - I find the story will often develop as it goes so there always needs to be room for manoeuvre. The characters have a tendency to tell their own stories, I find, and often things which were briefly mentioned early on will turn out to have vital importance later.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

I'm probably in the minority on this, but for me it would be setting. I like to set my novels in distinctive places every time, so they're memorable for the reader and more fun for me to write.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

I don't go into too much detail straight away - what is important to me is a strong sense of who a character is as a person, and that can often be sketched quite broadly. The little details often come out of the story. That said, when I wrote about fraternal twin sisters, I did spend more time on them so that I could establish their similarities and differences.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

For me, it's having a plot - even if it's only general, or if it changes (as mine frequently do). If I don't have some idea of where I'm going, I'll wander around all over the landscape.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I self-edit. In part this is because I know there will be more editing to come after acceptance, but also because I used to be an editor on a regional magazine myself so I have a certain degree of confidence in my editing skills. I leave the draft alone for a few days so I can view it objectively.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

Generally two, although longer pieces have been known to have three drafts. I do a lot of fiddling as I write, so it's usually enough to write a first draft and then go over it one more time.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

Unless I'm submitting for a particular submissions call, everything I write goes to Totally Bound first. They were the first to accept me and so far have proven to be a great publisher, so they definitely have my loyalty.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Finish the book.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

The Hand He Dealt - Totally Bound June 2011

Astra Scott likes to live life to the full. A sorority girl and Gaming Management student, she spends her days studying and practising guitar, and her nights partying or working at the Fountain Casino, where she has an internship as part of her final semester. The only blot on her landscape is Ash Drake, her best friend Sasha's boyfriend. Arrogant, physical and blond, Ash has never forgiven Astra for her rejection months earlier and enjoys annoying her at every turn.

But when Astra's boyfriend Harry reveals a shocking secret, Astra responds in the only way she can think of: by finding a way to take on a more attractive, masculine role in the relationship. Her experimentation with sex toys finds a surprising outlet in Sasha, but when Ash discovers their secret and wants to get involved, Astra finds herself torn between dislike and desire…and as their undercover relationship grows, Astra finds herself falling in love, a path she feels can only end in heartbreak. For Ash may be the only man whose own fantasies are a match for hers, but can she knowingly steal his affections from her best friend?

I Heard Your Voice - Totally Bound December 2012

Tamar Steele’s life was never supposed to be like this. A sensitive working with a team of paranormal investigators, she is trapped in a loveless relationship with the team’s medium, Reed James, who believes that having sex on haunted ground enhances paranormal activity. Tamar maintains their partnership for the sake of the crew, forcing herself to ignore the burgeoning sexual tension between her and fellow investigator Jason Bray.

Until one night when, alone and bored, Tamar sings to herself and is knocked to the ground by an invisible force. Somehow she is able to invoke spirits with the power of her voice. And one particular sexy, matchmaking spirit is determined to turn her life upside down.

Sleepwalker - Totally Bound November 2013

Tally Haslam has too much to deal with. A herbalist and aromatherapist, her latest creation - an aphrodisiac potion - remains in unsaleable condition as she has nobody to test it with. And, much to her annoyance, she sleepwalks.

Hoping to get away from it all for a weekend, Tally travels to nearby Madigan Hall for their yearly Paranormal Evening—but on the first night she wakes up outside the bedroom of another guest: Kyle Hunter, who has chosen to pleasure himself with the door open. Tally escapes without being seen, but is unable to get Kyle out of her head—especially when she finds herself at the same table at him the following evening.

However, Tally's world is turned upside down when, at the paranormal dinner, she encounters the ghost of the Blue Lady, who seems determined not to leave her alone—and shows a disturbing penchant, when Tally sleepwalks again, for leading her astray…

Ready for Him - Totally Bound September 2013

In the bar at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Jade Bleecker celebrates with her three best friends, all of whom are there to get married. Jade is their bridesmaid, and beginning to believe that three times a bridesmaid really does mean never a bride. Tattooed, pierced and a martial artist, Jade is used to inspiring fear rather than desire in men, and even if she did find one who could handle her—well, no man is worth trusting with her body.

But as she is leaving the bar, she comes upon a mugging in progress and, with a few swift moves, makes short work of the mugger. Invited up to the victim's room for a nightcap, she is stunned to discover he is Will Vandenmeer—billionaire poster child of the Vandenmeer hotel and casino chain, and owner of The Sanctuary, one of the best-known BDSM clubs in New York City.

Jade finds herself hopelessly attracted to the sensual, dominant Will, and when he offers to induct her into the world of BDSM, she accepts…but can she truly give herself to him, and is Will ready for what Jade has to offer?

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Totally Bound September 2013

Into the quiet village of Lindenhope comes Helen Graham, an attractive young widow and mother. Living alone with her son at Wildfell Hall, her seclusion attracts curiosity from the local people, in particular Gilbert Markham, whose interest in her is soon edged with desire-and Helen, despite herself, begins to reciprocate his love for her.

But when scandalous rumours begin to circulate about Helen's behaviour, Gilbert is filled with anger and jealousy. Helen attempts to clear her name by offering Gilbert her diary, which reveals the dark, passionate story of her former marriage to debauched rake Arthur Huntingdon, whose sexual and sensual desires fill her with excitement and pleasure but precipitate a gradual descent into hell.

Gilbert believes he could forgive her anything, but the lies continue to spread, threatening Helen's peace of mind and, above all, her physical safety. Will the secrets of Helen's past get in the way of their future?

Photograph - Totally Bound May 2014

Tara Thornton hasn't spoken to her sister in two years, ever since Azure married the man of Tara's dreams. Tired of the rift, Azure invites her to take a Mediterranean cruise on a friend's yacht and, bowing to family pressure, Tara accepts.

Forced to be in close proximity with the man she still desires, Tara is thrown into confusion. The presence of celebrity theme park owner Liam Wilder and the reality of his marriage to Azure send Tara into a tailspin and, in an attempt to regain control, she responds to the advances of hot fellow guest Ryan Hyde, while determined to feel no affection for him.

But Ryan has a way of getting under her skin, and Tara's plan to get closer to Liam is rapidly losing its importance as Ryan begins to break down her defences. Can she let go of Liam, let Ryan into her heart...and tell Azure the real reason for her silence?

Tamar Rising - Totally Bound December 2014

Tamar Steele’s star is on the rise. Her relationship with boyfriend Jason Bray is blossoming, as is her bond with her spirit guide, the ghost of Jason’s brother Matt, who has been training her in mediumship. And, newly installed as the medium for her crew of paranormal investigators, she is already receiving press attention, which brings her to the notice of Scare Seekers – a paranormal entertainment show keen to film an episode with Tamar’s team.

But when teammate Hana is violently possessed, filming is thrown into disarray. The dark spirit seems to disappear at first, but when a frenzied Hana attacks Tamar on the drive home, Tamar realises that her mediumistic abilities may not be strong enough to fight the demon.

Until one day Tamar discovers her powers are increased by having sex on haunted ground, and finds that maybe she and Jason can save Hana, their team’s reputation, and themselves…

About Tanith Davenport

Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme. Her debut novel "The Hand He Dealt" was released by Total-e-Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.

Tanith has had short stories published by Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado. Her latest novella "Tamar Rising" is out on pre-order from Totally Bound on 23rd November 2014.

Tanith's idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side.

Where can you find Tanith Davenport

Website - tanithdavenport.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/TanithDavenport

Twitter - www.twitter.com/TanithDavenport

Thank you for being with us today, Tanith. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of Tamar Rising soon.

Author Interview: Kathy Bosman

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today I have the honor of welcoming multi-published and talented author, Kathy Bosman to the blog to answer some of our interview questions. Her answers provide plenty of writing tips useful to the novice and experienced writers alike.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romance – mostly sweet. I enjoy contemporary as it’s fast-moving, fun, and easy to write. I started off with Inspirational Romance, but that genre didn’t work for me although one of my older Inspy Romances has been cleaned up and contracted with Decadent Publishing. Should come out next year some time.

Where do you get the ideas for your books?

Usually inspired by a movie, song or just a thought.

How do you go from idea to outline?

My best time for brainstorming is when I go for my weekly walk. Somehow, being out in the open air all alone inspires my muse. I plot the outline while I walk.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

Mostly a pantser, but I do plot my initial outline quite thoroughly. Plus I tend to plot in the middle of my book too. But oftentimes, the characters take me somewhere different to my plans. Sometimes, I just have to sit down and write and let the story take me down its exciting path.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

I don’t write plots down. Somehow that makes me feel trapped. I store it all in my head which can cause a problem if I don’t have time to write and I forget some of my ideas.

Do you use any specific software to outline/plot your novel? If yes, could you give us a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the software or method you use?

Nope, the simpler the software, the better for me – I only use Word. I don’t want the technical stuff to distract me.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

Believable and likeable characters. They have to evoke sympathy from the readers, act in part with their character and not do crazy things (I have had that many times in my books before editors picked them up) and also have a character arc where they change and find their true vision in life.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

Now, I know it sounds really lazy, but this part of my book I’m fully pantser. I let the character reveal themselves to me as I write. I’ve tried to fill in those character questionnaires, but I absolutely hate them and then the character always changes anyway. They’re very rebellious, my characters – like individualistic hippies going their own way – a bit like me.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

I think you need to plan what the conflict is that’s going to keep the hero and heroine apart – that’s vital to the story. I also believe that planning a setting and researching it is vital – also finding the specific spot in the world for your character – like what they do and what the romance brings to them. I can’t just write without those things firmly in place.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

My first draft is usually a sprint. Sometimes I take it slow and deliberate, but usually, I write the first draft really fast as I like to entrench myself in the story. But every book is different – some flow easier than others. Once I’ve completed the first draft, I leave it aside for a while or send it to beta readers. When I go back to it, I can see problems a lot easier than right after I’ve written it. I edit it and then send it off. I do edit as I write but it’s never enough.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I can self-edit to a degree as I’m actually in training to be a line editor – something I really enjoy doing besides writing. I’m okay at picking up missing words, typos or grammatical problems, but when it comes to plot holes, crazy wording, character inconsistencies, etc, I’m not too good as I’m inside my own books. I would never put a book out there without someone else’s eyes. I’ve just sent in a short story to be self-published by a group of writers without going through a professional edit. I think I fine-tooth-combed that story over and over - got a bit OCD about it. I much prefer knowing it’s been through a professional edit. Although, I have to admit, the beta readers I had for that story did a really great job. So my worries are probably foundless.

If you hire a professional editor, can you recommend anyone and state the reason/s why this person is recommendable?

I’ve never had the money to hire anyone, but I would say Zee Monodee would be an excellent person to hire. I loved working with Johanna Rich – one of the Decadent Publishing editors – she’s great.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

Only one. I have sometimes deleted chunks or rewritten scenes, and I have many discarded partial books on my PC.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

Sometimes I do. Depends.

What is your greatest consideration when selecting a publisher?

How they treat their authors, their professionalism, and their success.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Don’t give up and learn as much as you can from other seasoned writers.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well. (Self-published books are also welcome.)

Wedding Gown Girl published in 2012 with Astraea Press

Blake starts to pursue Kienna, but she holds back, believing he’s on the rebound, yet all the time fighting her attraction to him. Kienna isn’t ready for love either because of memories from her bitter divorce.

Will they find healing in each other’s arms or more hurt for their wounded hearts?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?

Kienna loves dressing up her clients in beautiful gowns at the bridal shop where she works. When Blake comes in with his fiancée to help her choose a gown, Kienna discovers that he is about to make a terrible mistake in marrying her. She has to warn him, but Blake ignores her, until he is jilted at the altar.

Reminding Me of You published in 2013 with Astraea Press

Mia wasn’t planning to fall in love with a mysterious stranger called Luke the day before she left for a new life in London. She also didn’t expect every tall, dark stranger to remind her of him, including his look-a-like, Bryn, who comes into her work one day. Unable to make contact with Luke, she instead has a fling with Bryn who understands how it feels to have a love you can’t reach. Once she finds Luke, will Mia’s memories bring them together or force them apart?

Dragonfly Moments published by Decadent Publishing in 2013

A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him. Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Cosmetic Heart published by Astraea Press 2013

Lisa works for a top South African magazine as the make-up artist, but writes articles on the quiet. When the chief editor, Daniel, asks for her help in posing as his ex-fiancée to save face with his family, Lisa agrees, hoping to obtain a promotion in return. She doesn’t expect to fall for the handsome editor nor to fit in with his family who love her unconditionally. But Lisa has more secrets, and she doesn’t believe in love and family. After Daniel finds out her secrets, will his forgiveness and determination be enough to cut through all the layers Lisa has put over her heart?

Three Tiers for Win published by Astraea Press 2013

Three Tiers for Win is a story of adventure, romance, and family passion that unfolds with the backdrop of the 2012 London Olympics. Elaine said she would never date an athlete as they’re too driven. That’s until she meets kind, yet intensely focused and ambitious South African Olympic swimmer, Winston Harper. He stands for everything she’d chosen not to go for. Win also has a bad family history which keeps him from opening his heart to her. When intense attraction and affection breaks through some of their barriers, family secrets and conflicts pull them apart again. Only Elaine’s support and Win’s brokenness can draw them back together, but will that be strong enough to wipe away the past?

His Halloween Kisses published by Astraea Press in 2014

Ali’s never been so scared. She’s housesitting for a colleague on Halloween night, but the lights have gone out, and terrible noises and crashes send her imagination into overdrive. When her brother’s friend comes to her rescue, he kisses her in the dark three times. Once back in the light, Ali is embarrassed at allowing him to kiss her. Byron tries to ignore his strong attraction for Ali, especially seeing he’s not ready for a relationship. When Ali finds out why, she runs away, but life has other plans. What can bring them together? Fate, faith, or the memory of his Halloween kisses?

I also have a short story in an anthology:

Love And Diamonds is a collection of romantic love stories for Valentine's Day by fifteen of some of the best Astraea Press Authors. So sit back, relax and fall in love all over again.

Here is a listing of the contributing authors in alphabetical order: Kathy Bosman, Liz Botts, Kristine Cheney, Sherry Gloag, Jennifer Gravely, Heather Gray, Patricia Kiyono, Zanna Mackenzie, Kelly Martin, Brenda Maxfield, Amy Mullen, Vivian Roycraft, J. L. Salter, E. A. West and Nicole Zoltack.

A blurb of my story in the book: Rosalee finds an engagement ring in a pocket at the dry cleaner where she works. The ring looks just like the one she returned after accepting her boyfriend’s proposal a year earlier. She still regrets giving it back to Sam especially after he broke her heart and left. Unable to resist, she tries on the ring but can’t get it off. She has to find the owner and explain herself. What will she say?

About Kathy Bosman

Here's a little bit about me for those who may be curious. I've been writing for about ten years now. I started off writing children's books. Then my husband suggested that I try an adult novel. I enjoyed writing it so much, and it turned out to be a romance. That made me realise that I could bring my love of romance into my writing. My writing has evolved over the years from partial romance, to inspirational romance, historicals (which didn't work at all!) to sweet, contemporary romance.

I've also learnt that writing isn't just about writing - that so much thought goes into it, there's also the editing process which is actually even more work than the writing process, and lastly, once the book is out, there's promoting of your book. But I love it!
Besides writing, I keep myself busy by homeschooling my three children (okay one is a teenager), tackling piles of laundry and dishes, making all sorts of food from scratch, and helping out with raising funds for the local Cubs and Scouts. Reading and watching romantic movies help me unwind.
The best inspiration for my writing has been the ROSA (Romance Writers of South Africa) Group. What a fantastic group of writers they are who have helped me get to where I am now.

Where can we find you on social media?

Website and blog: http://www.kathybosman.com/

Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/KathleenBosman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenLBosman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5257900.Kathy_Bosman

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gracewalk17

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+KathleenBosman

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Bosman/e/B007GCQBNK/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxifimh0X62uZLvKkon8tDQ

Newsletter Subscription: http://eepurl.com/NokET

Thank you Kathy for taking the time to answer these questions. New writers (and some established ones) can always learn from experienced people—even if it is just to get some ideas and methods to try out.

Author Interview: Romy Sommer

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today I have the privilege of welcoming the talented author Romy Sommer to my blog. Romy has graciously agreed to provide some insight into her writing processes and help aspiring authors any way she can. Romy is the founder of ROSA (Romance Writers Organization of South Africa) and I'm pleased to say, also the organizer of the first ROSA conference in Johannesburg in October 2014.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romance. My books started as straightforward romances and gradually have grown a little more humorous and a little more like fairy tales over the years. I love to write light-hearted, modern stories that are upbeat.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

Ideas are everywhere. I’ve had stories spring from a song, a dream, a headline at the side of the road, a blog post that got me thinking about something… and the ideas keep coming as I’m writing and researching. Usually when I get a new idea, I jot it down in a notebook then let it sit for a while so it can grow, rising like yeasty bread. Once the idea has substance I start to add other ideas to it. Again, songs, other books I read, movies I watch all help me to flesh out the characters and the plot, right up until I type The End.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

A bit of both. I love Blake Snyder’s beatsheet, and I tend to plot my story around the turning points at 25, 50% and 75% of the story, but the rest is subject to change without notice as I’m writing.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

In my earlier days of writing I used to plan meticulously, even down to how many chapters and what would happen in each. These days I let my instincts guide me and I plot a lot less. But I absolutely have to know my characters inside and out before I start the first draft.

Do you use any specific software to outline/plot your novel? If yes, could you give us a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the software or method you use?

Until now I’ve only worked in Word, but I couldn’t do it without the incredibly amazing Document Map feature. I recently viewed a Webinar on Scrivener and I might give that program a shot for my next book.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

Without a doubt, character. These are the people through whom the readers experience the story, and whether they’re likable and relatable is the difference between a reader turning the pages or throwing the book against the wall. Also, the characters’ journeys are what determine the conflicts and the plot, so for me character is always the starting place.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

I spend quite a bit of time up front doing biographies of my characters, and finding pictures of celebrities who might match the images in my head. I also research where they live, their jobs, any major experiences they might have had in their lives. Then I decorate the pinboard next to my desk with pictures, maps, inspiration for the characters and their surroundings, any pertinent props etc. (check out my Pinterest boards to see the kind of pictures I assemble). This can take a good few weeks before I start writing their story.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

As I’ve said above, I think the writer should know their characters, their world view and their GMC (goals, motivation and conflicts) before starting the first draft.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

In the past I have written fast, but very, very rough first drafts and gone back to edit them later. These days I follow a very slow, linear process, editing as I write. I start at page 1, chapter 1, and move slowly forward, occasionally going back to add in a line or two that supports what I’m writing now. By the end I tend to have a very clean first draft. I then get one of my CPs or a beta reader to do a quick once over, then I do another complete pass (all in one go if I can so I can view the book as a whole) and then I send it off to my editor.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I am a pretty ruthless self-editor, but there is no way I would publish anything without professional eyes first taking a look. It is way too easy for the writer to miss stuff because they’re too close to the story. Also, professional editors not only see the story objectively, but bring a wealth of knowledge and market understanding to the table.

If you hire a professional editor, can you recommend anyone and state the reason/s why this person is recommendable?

I’ve worked with two freelance editors and loved the experience of working with both of them. Cindy Davis, the Fiction Doctor, is a wonderful editor who has worked with a few of my CPs as well, and Nan Swanson (who was my editor at The Wild Rose Press) has also been tremendously helpful and encouraging.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

These days my first draft is pretty close to the final draft, but I try to do at least one or two more passes over it before submitting. For a newbie submitting to the slush pile though, I’d recommend at least 2 rounds of editing, with long breaks in between so you can gain distance and objectivity.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

When I first started submitting I only submitted to one at a time, since those were the accepted rules. Also, there were fewer romance publishers in the game back then.

These days I think publishers have become less rigid, so uncontracted authors can get away with submitting to a couple of publishers at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend blanket submitting, though. Choose the one or two publishers you really want to work with and target them first.

I now write under contract for my publisher, Harper Impulse, so at least I’m saved the worry of wondering where to submit and whether they’ll want me. The wait times are still a killer, though!

What is your greatest consideration when selecting a publisher?

Writers are spoilt for choice these days, but I’d say the most important thing any writer should look for is a good reputation. Check out the Absolute Write website, contact authors already published by that publisher – are they legit, do they treat their authors with respect, do they pay on time?

After that, the next most important thing is the relationship between you and your editor. If the editor understands you and your books, and believes in you, that’ already half the battle won right there.

Lastly, what can the publisher do for you that you can’t do for yourself? If it’s editorial support, or marketing, or getting your name into a new market, then pick a publisher that is strong in that area and will offer you what you need.

These days you don’t need to be locked into one publisher for life, so it is also important to re-look your relationship with your publisher every few years. Is it time to move on to a new publisher with a different skill set, are you ready now to venture into self publishing, or are you still happy with your current publisher?

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Don’t give up.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

I have two contemporary romances published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins, with a third out soon.

Waking up in Vegas was published in May 2013The Trouble with Mojitos in October 2013To Catch a Star releases on 25 September 2014.

What happens in Vegas…

Waking up to the bright lights of Vegas in an unfamiliar penthouse suite, cocktail waitress Phoenix Montgomery finds she’s covered from head to foot in gold glitter and not alone – aside from the empty bottle of champagne, there’s a mystery man in the shower and a huge sparkly ring on her finger!

Stays in Vegas?

There’s no denying Max Waldburg’s demi-god sex appeal but commitment-phobic Phoenix doesn’t do relationships. Only it seems her new husband (agh!) has other ideas…he’s trying to keep that ring on her finger and his wife firmly back in his bed. The only question on her lips is – why? Or maybe, why not?

Waking up in Vegas is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

Turquoise blue waters. Sandy white beaches. Mojitos... Film location scout Kenzie Cole has found herself in paradise. Working in the Caribbean for a week is just what she needs to escape the long line of exes in her closet. Though the last thing she expects is to be picked up at the resort bar by a disgraced former Prince!

Luckily for Kenzie, exile is suiting the man formerly known as Prince Fredrik very well. And it’s not long before his rugged, pirate charm is proving hard to resist.

But Rik’s been spending his time in paradise exorcising demons of his own and he has danger written all over him. If Kenzie was sensible she’d run a mile instead of lose herself to lust - although, they do say sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found....

The Trouble with Mojitos is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

‘A fairy-tale romance to warm even the coldest of hearts.’ Chloe’s Chick Lit Reviews

Teresa Adler is the ultimate Ice Princess, with a heart as frozen as the winter landscape of her beloved home, Westerwald. All her life, she’s belonged to the ‘inner circle’ of wealth, privilege and position.

Christian Taylor: Heartthrob. Movie Star. Bad boy. The mischievous actor sets temperatures soaring in the picturesque baroque principality – and with a wicked glint in his eye and a chip on his shoulder he sets his sights on the one thing he’s told he can’t have. Teresa.

While Tessa holds the ultimate clue to the secret of Christian’s parentage, it is the heat of his touch that will make this Ice Princess feel more alive than she ever has before…

To Catch a Star is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon Smart URL , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

About Romy Sommer

I’ve always written stories for myself, but didn’t even think of being an author until I realised that being over thirty and living in a fantasy world was a little odd. Writing those same stories for other people makes it a lot more acceptable!

By day I dress in cargo pants and boots for my not-so-glamorous job of making movies but at night I come home to my two little Princesses, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I live, and I get to write Happy Ever Afters. Since I believe every girl is a princess, and every princess deserves a happy ending, what could be more perfect?

You can follow Romy on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads or on her website/blog.

Author Interview: Zee Monodee

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today we welcome multi-published author and freelance editor Zee Monodee to our blog. But before we proceed, just a quick reminder as to why we're doing the author interviews on this blog. There is loads of information available on the internet on how to write and publish your novel. Self-help books, reference works and workshops offer plenty of advice on what to do and what not to do. I’ve found that learning how successful authors work and the tools they use, is often the best way to discover what works for you.

The purpose of these author interviews is to provide novice writers with some valuable insights and ideas on how to start, organize and finalize their writing process. Everyone is unique and no two writers work quite the same. By getting ideas on how other successful authors go about the business of writing a novel and be published, we might be able to help one aspiring author realize the dream of getting a contract.

Now back to Zee, who graciously agreed to answer some of our questions.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write mainly contemporary. This can take the form of contemporary romance, romantic comedies, small-town romance, and even romantic suspense/espionage. There will always be romance involved, though, as well as a happy ending. I read for happy endings, and I assume most readers read for this destination, too.

As for the time period, I feel I have a better grasp on today’s world, the one we know first-hand, rather than, say, the historical world. There’s only so much information you can find online about historical resources, especially when you live in a small country like mine and don’t have physical access to big libraries and old records.

But with a click of the mouse on Google, I can find almost anything I need to know about, for example, St Pancras Station in London (specs, features, images; even Google Earth allows you to ‘see’ a place without being there. It’s how I have walked the streets of Prague for one of my books).

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

I have to say that most of the time, my books start with characters. Like, say I start a series – let’s take the Island Girls Trilogy. The plan was to write The Other Side (Book1 and Lara’s story) and be done with it. But over the course of writing that book, I got better acquainted with Lara’s two sisters, Diya and Neha. They screamed to have their stories told...and each was as different as night from day. So it couldn’t be the same idea for every sister, so I worked with the characters as they’d already been established, and fleshed out their stories/found the story idea for each from that starting point.

So basically, it’s the character that leads me to the idea, and very rarely the other way round.

Though this can also happen. Take, for example, my Daimsbury Chronicles series. These are shorter stories set in the fictional Surrey town of Daimsbury. I originally imagined this world for a cancer-based story that would show the journey of the heroine, Megha, and her friends-to-lovers tale with her boss, Magnus. I came up with Daimsbury and thrust them in that little town. But while that book was on the backburner while I had to meet other deadlines, I found myself needing a setting to start a new sweet romance series...and then I reckoned I already had Daimsbury all set up.

I still haven’t finished Megha and Magnus’ story (hopefully, this will come out in 2015!) but in the meantime, there’s been 2 other books fitting into the Daimsbury world that have been written (one already published). So that’s a case where the idea for one story helped spawn a full, ongoing series.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

A little bit of both, I would say. I used to be an anal plotter – I’d have everything down to the smallest detail mapped out. I didn’t allow myself to veer from that outline...and this led me into walls quite a few times because I failed to realize my characters had morphed and evolved and no longer fit the rigid setup I had.

So I learned to accommodate a pantser’s nature into my outlining. Like, I know the strong/main points of the story and also how it starts and how it should end. I also jot down, along a timeline, key scenes that I already know must be in the tale. But the journey to get from one point to the other is a surprise as I’ll only know how it all happens when I’m actually writing the scene.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

I do the key points/strategic scenes, as well as the start and end. I also do my best to get to know the characters before I start writing.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

I would say characters. If you have well-developed characters, they bring their own conflict to every page, then. Knowing your characters also allows you to show better, to have every page and every scene have meaning in your story.

This, to me, is especially important for shorter works, because you have to pack exposure, characterization, as well as relevant backstory, into a tighter scope so the story can also develop along the way.

But I feel that characters can give you conflict and structure all by themselves, so they’re essential to me whenever I am imagining a story. Knowing your characters like they’re real people allows you to anticipate how they will react in any situation, and this can get you out of a bind in the plot or even when you hit the dreaded wall of writer’s block.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

I have 3 very important aspects I tackle before starting to write any story.

Know your characters – see above answer for why J

Know your setting – sometimes, the setting will provide a plot point all by itself and this can progress your story along. For example, if you have Vegas in a romance, you can almost bet there will be a wedding happening there. Now what sort of complications can/will this wedding cause? There you have it – the premise for further conflict. Same goes for a little town – there will surely be gossip there; what ramifications can this gossip have on the plot?

Know your world – it doesn’t matter if you’re writing contemporary or space opera or Game of Thrones-type fantasy; you need to know the scope, limits, values, mores, customs of that world like the back of your hand to portray a believable world.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

I edit as I go along. Most of the time, it allows me to see which words I might be crutching on or overusing, and I can already remedy that when I continue writing. Editing as I go also allows me to get back into the story and immerse myself into the feel before plunging back in for writing the next scene/chapter.

But my writing process is a very unhealthy one. I will work on one single story to the exclusion of everything else over 1-2-3 weeks, depending on the length of the story. I will write during every free moment I find during the day, and I will prolly stop reading or watching TV during that time, because my brain will be wired for the story and for the writing. I almost always crash and burn (hello, cold bug or even flu virus!) when I finish a story, so I don’t recommend my method of writing. But I’ve found this is what works for me; I cannot spend weeks to months spread out over a single story. I’ll lose interest or even lose the story itself if I let it ramble too much in time.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

Well, the question never arises when I work with a publisher, since edits are part of the deal there.

But I’m getting ready to self-publish some of my titles, and for these, yes, I am using a professional editor. There’s only so much you can see and address in your own writing, never mind if you are yourself an editor. My editor sees mainly the words I am overusing – something my eyes and brain gloss over when I re-read my writing.

If you hire a professional editor, can you recommend anyone and state the reason/s why this person is recommendable?

My editor is my bestie and editing business partner, Natalie G. Owens. She’s got a wonderful eye for detail (hence spotting those pesky repeats, echoes, and crutches) and as a writer, she’s got a wonderful, lovely, & lyrical way with words. She bring this to her edits, as well, and knows better than anyone I know or have worked with how to smooth out jarring sentences or chunky clauses or those pieces of writing that look awkward and you yourself have no clue how to reword.

You can find Natalie (and myself) at our editing space on the Net – Divas At Work Editing Services http://divasatwork.wordpress.com/

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

Usually, just one. Unless I’ve been blocked along the way and have had to change the whole direction of the plot/characterization. Then I more often than not start a fresh new draft rather than work with the old.

I’ve found it is easier to rewrite from scratch rather than try to work around previous material.

What is your greatest consideration when selecting a publisher?

How are they going to treat me as one of their authors? Will I be just a name that brings in money for them, or will I be a member of their ‘family’ there?

I do my research by contacting authors I know who publish with said publisher before submitting to it. I’ve been burned in the past with publishers, and I prefer to take my precautions. This approach allowed me recently to steer clear of an outfit that I’d thought would be fantastic but was actually a disaster waiting to happen... So please, before you target a publisher, ask around with its authors how it works and treats said authors.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Write! As simple as that – if you’re a writer, you write. You don’t stop. You don’t allow doubts to get the better of you. Even if what you are writing is crap, it’s still better crap than a blank page or having nothing to show for yourself, not even that manuscript/s hidden under your bed or in the farthest reaches of your hard drive.

Ability to write more and better comes with writing – it doesn’t get more basic than that. I’ve seen this firsthand myself over my 10-year career. Where it took me countless drafts and edits at first to get the words as I wanted them to look like, today, I get away with one draft and a couple editing passes through it. I also write much faster now than I did when I started (for example, I rarely, if ever, wrote more than 1,000 words in a week when I was a novice. My brain refused to produce more. But now, I can push a 40,000 story over a week, or go as far as 77K over 19 days – as I did last Nano when I finished on Nov 25 all without writing during weekends).

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

Lol, we’re in for space here J Let’s start:

Once Upon A Stormy Night (Decadent Publishing, 1NS Series - 2012)

On the paradise island of Mauritius, British billionaire Lars Rutherford isn’t looking for a woman, and corporate law executive Simmi Moyer isn’t looking for a man. But when a matchmaker pairs them on a blind date, both face open doors toward a future they refused to contemplate...until now.

Once Upon A Second Chance (Decadent Publishing, 1NS Series – 2013)

Khalid abandoned Leila the morning after their wedding night, because he hides a deep, dark secret. Leila is adamant on getting answers; Khalid wants nothing but salvation. Will a second chance be possible for this couple, when they meet again through a blind 1NightStand date?

Inescapable (self-published, Eternelles #1 – 2013)

An immortal mother-daughter duo must put their personal struggles aside when the Apocalypse looms on Earth and an age-old prophecy implicates the daughter inextricably in this journey towards doom.

Indomitable (self-published, Eternelles #2 – 2013)

After having identified the threat on their world, immortal duo Adrasteia and Seraphine Dionysos must gang up against supernatural forces joining hands to bring chaos and destruction to Earth and every realm where supernatural creatures live.

The Other Side (Decadent Publishing, Island Girls Trilogy #1 - 2013)

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on Lara’s back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. But this same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Light My World (Decadent Publishing, Island Girls Trilogy #2 - 2014)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that to find a prince, a girl has to kiss a few frogs along the way. But what happens when a modern-day princess comes across…an ogre?

Winds of Change (Decadent Publishing, Island Girls Trilogy #3 - 2014)

To be with him feels like playing Russian roulette blindfolded all while knowing she bet from borrowed lease. Can something this wrong be....right?

Bad Luck With Besties (Decadent Publishing, The Daimsbury Chronicles #1 - 2013)

Bad luck chases Honor Whelan with every male friend she’s ever had. The last has left her pregnant. And the first wants back in her life after having slept with another woman. What’s a girl to do when she has such bad luck with besties?

You Belong To Me (Decadent Publishing, Beyond Fairytales series - 2014)

A retelling of Grimm fairytale The Nix of the Mill Pond in modern-day London, whereby a young woman who is no damsel in distress sets out to save her kidnapped prince...only to find that true evil lives well and strong in the heart of a man bent on conquering the world.

Transient Hearts (Decadent Publishing, Western Escape Line – 2014)

It’s a clash of wills, dreams, and desire, when Indo-British chef Shayne Morea comes to Freewill, Wyoming, on a teaching mission. Prodigal son and New York Forex broker, Grayson Warner, is also back on his home turf. Neither plans to stay, but the land seems to have other plans.

You can find all these titles on my Amazon author page

Where can we find you on social media?

Author Website http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/

Blog http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/ZeeMonodee

Facebook (where I am almost all the time! Catch me here the easiest!) https://www.facebook.com/#!/zee.monodee

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4836171.Zee_Monodee

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/zeemonodee/

Thank you for taking the time to visit us today, Zee and for answering the questions we threw at you. I trust you are hard at work with the next release and that we don't have to wait too long to see another fantastic read from you again.

Author Interview and Giveaway—Kiru Taye

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

The lovely Kiry Taye agreed to share some of her novel writing tips with us and provide readers with a fabulous giveaway as well. Please be sure to read to the end of the post to find out how you could stand a chance to win a $20 Gift card, one Making Scandal T-Shirt, one Essien Trilogy cap and a signed copy of A Valentine Challenge.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

The simple answer is that I write romantic fiction because I love reading romantic fiction.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

I don't really outline. My stories usually start with a character and/or a scene and develops from there as I type. I don't know the full story until it is written.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

Pantser.

Do you use any specific software to outline/plot your novel? If yes, could you give us a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the software or method you use?

No wizardry or gadgetry. J Just Microsoft Word.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

It's conflict. Without conflict all the other elements don't make sense to me.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

No time. I get to know my characters as I write. I don't fully know them until the last revision is complete and I have the final manuscript.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

My first draft is very raw. I don't edit or revise until the first draft is complete.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I have a wonderful editor. I can't live without her input. J

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Read loads, write often and revise always .

Could you please give us a list of your published books. Please state the publisher and year published as well.

His Treasure (Men of Valor, 1), Breathless Press, 2011

His Strength (Men of Valor, 2), Breathless Press, 2012

His Princess (Men of Valor, 3), Breathless Press, 2012

Her Protector (Men of Valor, 3.5), Breathless Press, 2012

A Valentine Challenge, (Challenge Series, 1), 2012

An Engagement Challenge (Challenge Series, 2), 2012

Island Bound (Bound Series, 1), Decadent Publishing, 2013

Christmas with the Enemy (Bound series, 1.5), 2013

Scars (Passion Shields, 1), Evernight Publishing, 2013

Secrets (Passion Shields, 2) Evernight Publishing, 2013

7 Sinful Secrets Anthology, Evernight Publishing, 2013

Keeping Secrets (The Essien Trilogy 1), 2014

Making Scandal (The Essien Trilogy 2), 2014

About Kiru Tye

A lover of books, as a teenager Kiru Taye used to read novels under the blanket during lights-outs in boarding school. These days, with a young family to take care of, she's still sacrificing sleep for the pleasures of a good book.

After over ten successful years in the corporate rate race, she has chosen a different kind of creative challenge—transforming her wildly vivid imagination into sensual, atmospheric romance stories with passionate characters.

When she’s not writing or reading, she'd hanging out with family and friends or travelling. Born in Nigeria, she currently lives in the UK with husband and children.

You reach her via her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest

Follow her blog for latest news and giveaways: http://kirutayewrites.blogspot.com

Making Scandal by +Kiru Taye, Author

The Essien Trilogy, Book 2

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural

Add to Goodreads TBR

BLURB

Sassy, successful Faith Brown has earned her place in the boardroom through hard work and sheer ambition. Making family is not on her agenda when there are businesses to develop and competitors to outdo. So when a casual affair with smooth and irresistible tycoon Mark Essien leads to an unplanned pregnancy, she’s determined not to make the mistakes her mother made by living with a man just for the sake of her child.

For Mark, personal matters have no place in the boardroom. Spotting the perfect opportunity, he ruthlessly launches a takeover bid for Faith’s Investment Brokerage firm. Finding out he’ll soon be a father, he knows he can’t let the indomitable and sexy Faith go through with her plans of single parenthood. All gloves are off. He’ll seduce her by any tactic necessary if it means his child doesn’t suffer the same stigma he did as a child.

With the media dogging their affairs in the boardroom and the bedroom, they find that making family is harder than making scandal.

BUY LINKS

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords

DREAMCAST

TEASERS

EXCERPT

Faith's cheeks heated and she half-laughed, half-coughed in a self-conscious manner. Her body still tingled as if it finally woke up from a long sleep. A really long sleep.

"Of course, I wasn’t expecting that finally getting you to loosen up will get me so out of control I was going to explode within seconds like a teenager."

How could he say that or even expect her to believe it? In the past year, he hadn’t exactly been lonely. Unlike her. He shouldn’t pretend this was more than it was. Sex. Lust. That’s all they had.

She rolled over, trying to cover herself up in a semblance of decency. The thought of him with other women had her heart clenching tightly.

"If I believe that, I’ll believe anything." She pulled herself up and away from him. "You forget that your pictures have been splashed over the papers with different women hanging on your arms this past year."

The mattress depressed as he sat on the edge. Tendrils of his heat curled around her. Breathing saturated her lungs with his spice. Need bubbled in her veins. She closed her eyes, hating the tightness in her chest.

Remember, this is just sex. It doesn’t matter how many women he’s been with this past year.

Bullshit. Her hands clenched into fists, tightening on the seams of her clothes.

"Yes, I’ve attended events with women all because you refuse to be seen publicly with me. I would rather have had you as my escort on those occasions."

Fingers, steel bands, wrapped around her ankles and tugged. Eyes flying open, she gulped in air and slid down the bed on her back until her legs straddled his hips. One by one, he removed her shoes and massaged her bare feet. His fingers worked blissful magic. She purred, to her dismay.

"But I haven’t had sex with another woman since I met you at that conference in Jo’burg."

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

You reach Kiru via her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest

Follow her blog for latest news and giveaways: http://kirutayewrites.blogspot.com

Read book excerpts and free short stories on her website: http://www.kirutaye.com

Link to her Amazon author page

GIVEAWAY

Kiru is running a contest during the book tour. She is giving away a $20 Gift card, one Making Scandal T-Shirt, one Essien Trilogy cap and a signed copy of A Valentine Challenge. For your chance to win, complete the rafflecopter entries. This contest is open internationally to eligible entrants over 18 years or as applicable in their country of residence.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CATCH UP ON THE OTHER ESSIEN TRILOGY BOOK
Keeping Secrets is 99cents /77pence for a limited time only

Have you ever loved someone and didn’t even know it?

That’s the dilemma facing Felix Essien when he wakes from a coma to find he is married to the most beautiful and sensual woman he’s ever known. He cannot remember her or their wedding. He who had sworn never to get married or to give his heart to another. Yet he feels an intense bond with her that he intends to explore fully.

Ebony can’t believe her good fortune when her paper husband wakes not remembering the temporary marriage arrangement with no intimacies he’d proposed but is now the adoring husband she’s always dreamt of. She plans to make the most of the passion blossoming between them. However would he still feel that way when he regains his memory and realises she’s been keeping secrets and their marriage is not what he thinks it is.

BUY LINKS

Amazon US | Amazon UK | All Romance | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble

Author Interview: Gina Rossi

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today I am honored to welcome multi-published Gina Rossi to our blog. Gina has graciously agreed to share some valuable novel writing tips with us today.

Are you a plotter or a pantster?

I’d long to say plotter − and I start every book intending to be a well-organized plotter − but I’m a panster through and through, and that’s how I always end up writing. Before I start a book, I define my characters as well as I possibly can, work out a rough beginning (say, the first three chapters), plus the last chapter, then I go for it. I’m always surprised by the twists and turns that happen on the way. It sounds a muddle, doesn’t it? However, I reckon if you’re a pantster by nature you shouldn’t fight it, because you’ll likely find a clear stream of creative thought without the formality of a plot plan – I would go as far as to say especially without a plot plan, As a newbie writer, don’t put off writing because you haven’t got a whole story plotted out. Start today, now, and see where that loose bundle of ideas takes you…

If you have to choose only one element that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be?

Conflict in every scene is essential, even on every page if possible. By this, I don’t mean a bomb has to go off on page one, a plane crash on page two, and a cruise liner sink on page three, all hands lost to saltwater crocodiles. There are many forms and levels of conflict (think of it also as tension, pressure, anxiety, niggles, all that kind of stuff) even in regular, daily life. If your hero (or heroine) encounters a range of such conflicts – big, medium and small − as he moves through the story, the reader will a) relate to the hero and his human problems, and b) most important, keep turning the pages to see how he overcomes these obstacles.

Regarding conflict, I find it really helps me if I can answer these four questions across about ninety percent of my scenes, as I write my way through the story.

1. What is the main character trying to do?

2. What goes wrong?

3. What does he/she do to fix it?

4. Why does it matter?

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

A lot. I use a detailed character questionnaire – which I’m very happy to share if anyone wants to try it out. When I know a character intimately, I know exactly how he/she will behave in reaction to just about any situation the story throws at me. I study faces, too (yes, I get heaps of funny looks), trying to work out how looks, mannerisms, voices, body language, and even clothing, influence or affect character. You can tell a book from its cover, I’m convinced. Of course the most tedious part of all this research is searching ‘hunk’ and ‘hottie’ on Pinterest. Good luck with that!

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

I submit to multiple publishers, why not? Some publishers request – instruct − you not to, but never give a reason why, so I ignore. I imagine it’s to make life simpler for them. Submit as many different works as you possibly can, often, widely, and simultaneously. Don’t submit one thing to one publisher and sit back and wait on them. And, while that’s all going on (and you’re keeping a detailed spreadsheet of what’s what and where) get on with your writing.

My advice to the novice writer in one sentence:

Even (especially) if you are unpublished, go around telling people you are a writer, and put ‘writer’ next to ‘occupation’ when filling in forms – that way you have to write, and publish, one way or another, or people will think you’re an idiot.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

THE WILD HEART

(first published by The Wild Rose Press in 2012, self-published in 2014)

A romantic adventure set in the majestic landscapes of Southern Africa

Georgina Blake flees a refined life in eighteenth century England to hide a scandal. Determined to start a new life, she voyages to the wild and beautiful Cape of Good Hope, unprepared for the adventure, danger and heartbreak that await her. On a remote farm, hidden in a magnificent mountain valley in the Cape hinterland, she meets intriguing stranger, Anton Villion, who threatens her precarious new-found security, yet steals her heart. Anton, privy to a painful secret, is drawn to Georgina, but wily Louisa Summerton is hell bent on a swift union with him, leaving Georgina adrift in a savage landscape. Will Georgina and Anton’s love lie buried forever, along with the truth? Made for one another, yet driven apart by fate, will they ever meet again? Will they be able to salvage sufficient strength and courage to embark on a journey to redemption and everlasting love?

Available from all Amazon sites.

LIFE AFTER 6 TEQUILAS

(published by Thornberry Publishing UK in 2013)

A contemporary, chick lit romance featuring a London career girl whose life changes when the childcare agency throws her a curved ball.

Beth Johnson, an upbeat, hardworking, single mum living in London takes the humorous challenges of life in her stride. Her career is fast-tracking but that’s secondary to baby Jacob – his care and development is paramount. When her impeccably-organized childcare routine implodes at the worst possible moment, she has no choice but to leave Jacob with unlikely ‘nanny’, Davit Kacharava, a Georgian migrant. Is she making an enormous mistake, letting this stranger into her comfortable world, even if he is gorgeous? She’s drawn to Davit but he resists, so why does she reveal to him the shocking secret that overshadows her life? And can she face the truth – do what’s right for herself, Jacob and Davit – before it’s too late?

Available from all Amazon sites.

TO HEAR YOU SMILE

(self-published in 2012)

A contemporary romance novella set in the glorious Cotswolds, paying tribute to the Paralympians of London 2012

Disillusioned and dumped, London girl, Olivia Sinclair, hides out in the English countryside, unaware that handsome local stranger, Zachary Jordan, is a world class athlete. Deeply attracted to his intuitiveness and apparent sixth sense, Olivia nevertheless shuns him when he scares her badly on a date and, worse, when she finds out he has stolen something precious from her. Then she discovers the devastating truth about Zac. He's blind, and somehow, in their brief encounters, she hasn't noticed. She's determined to make amends, but Zac, crushed by her carelessness, doesn't want to know, and Olivia faces a gruelling, uphill battle to win his respect and love

Available from all Amazon sites.

Where can we find you on social media?

Twitter: @Ginagina7

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.rossi.7

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ginarossiwriter/

A Word (or Two) from Gina Rossi

All my wonderful family and friends aside, writing is the most enjoyable element of my life. I write historical and contemporary romance - being an ardent fan of the happy ever after - and am both traditionally- and self-published. Apart from developing full-blooded characters, I enjoy creating a specific setting for each book I write, mainly because I love to read books that are firmly grounded in their own landscapes. I've been lucky enough to live in the most beautiful parts of the world, from stunning Cape Town to the green depths of the English countryside, and the sunny French Riviera.
I try to never let my memories be greater than my dreams!

If you read my books, I hope they bring you much enjoyment, just a step away from the real world.

About Gina Rossi

Gina Rossi was born in South Africa. She grew up in Johannesburg and lived in Cape Town before moving to England to live near Oxford,in the Cotswolds. Now settled in the sunny south of France, Gina is able to write full time. Her debut historical romance 'The Wild Heart' was listed for the 2012 Joan Hessayon award. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) in the UK, and the Romance Writers Organization of South Africa (ROSA)

Thank you Gina for visiting us today and providing our readers with some excellent novel writing tips. It is always a pleasure to find established authors willing to share their knowledge with aspiring authors.

Author Interview: Louise Rose-Innes

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today it is my great pleasure and honor to welcome the talented Louise Rose-Innes to our blog to give us some novel writing tips. Definitely not a novice in the writing world, Louise can offer great insights into the writing process that works for her.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romance, and more recently romantic suspense. It’s important from a novelist’s point of view to define which genre you write in for a number of reasons. Firstly, it helps your readers define you. If they like suspense, and you write suspense, it’s a good match. If you write something in between, they may not think of you as a suspense author, and you’ll miss out on those sales. Also, it helps with search terms. With a definite genre you’re more easily found if a reader searches for suspense, or contemporary romance. In between genres are not easy to search for or find, and are searched for less frequently. To make your books available online, it’s better to be linked in a definite genre.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

Most definitely a plotter. I can’t figure out how authors write a story without knowing how it’s going to turn out. For me, that would be impossible. As I like to include elements of adventure and suspense in my books, I have to know the plot before I start writing. For me, its essential.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

Pretty thoroughly. I know all the major turning points of the story. I know the characters and how they react to all the plot elements. I even have a rough chapter breakdown. It makes writing the first draft so much easier, and quicker.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

I plan my story from start to finish. I know the plot points, the characters, the conflicts and what happens in each chapter before I start writing. Then I sit down and writing the first draft. This usually takes about a month, maybe two, depending on the length of the novel. I write and try not to edit too much. It stops my momentum and if that happens, it takes a while to get back into the right train of thought again. Then I spend another month or two re-writing, ironing out any issues, spicing up the love scenes and adding in elements here and there, but mostly I just focus on improving the writing.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

If I’m self-publishing I hire a professional editor. You cannot underestimate the importance of a polished manuscript. Readers are brutally honest in their reviews, and any mistakes will be highlighted. If it’s with a publisher, then that’s all taken care of.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Keep writing. It’s only after about the third book that you come into your own style and find your rhythm. I’ve written five books now and I finally feel like I’ve got my own definitive “voice” and my writing feels like it flows better than it ever did. With every book your writing will improve, as will your process and your technique.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

a. Personal Assistance – A woman with a deadly secret is trapped in a country in the midst of a revolution. (Entangled Ignite – 2014)

Available from online retailers like Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Assistance-Entangled-Ignite-Rose-Innes-ebook/dp/B00M65OFKS

b. The New Year Resolution – A single mother struggles to find love, and then bites off more than she can chew. (Self-published - 2013)

Available from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7HXMDU/

c. The Italian Inheritance – A young woman travels to Italy in search of a father she never knew. (Self-published - 2012)

Available from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VJ1M44

d. Antarctic Affair – A journalist interviews an intrepid photographer on board a vessel bound for the Antarctic. (Self-published - 2010)

Available from various online retailers :Amazon.com

Where can we find you on social media?

a. Twitter: @LouiseRoseInnes
b. Facebook: www.facebook.com/louiseroseinnes/
c. Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/louisenovelist/

d. Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4720289.Louise_Rose_Innes

About Louise Rose-Innes

Louise Rose-Innes writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Born in sunny South Africa, Louise is a lover of sunshine and the sea, and this is often reflected in her novels. After completing a post graduate in Marketing Management, Louise headed off to the United Kingdom to gain work experience and travel. She now lives in leafy Surry with her family, and when she's not writing, is traipsing through the beautiful countryside, or kayaking on the river Thames.

Visit Louise at www.louiseroseinnes.com.

Thank you for sharing your processes on the blog today. Seems like most of the authors do some form of plotting. So, are you a plotter or a pantser—or maybe a little bit of both?

Novel Writing—Character Creation for Beginners

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 22:00:00 +0000

A couple of years ago I posted about getting to know you characters by using the free YWriter5 software. The problem is, you still have to really get inside the character’s head to stay true with writing the character’s reactions, thoughts and decisions. Please bear in mind that I’m no expert and can only share what appears to work for me.

There is loads of information available on the internet and in “How-to” books, but not everything will work for you—and that’s all right. Every writer is different just like every character is different.

Some characters you create will be like a succulent flower ...

Some characters are like succulent flowers while others will resemble a prickly cactus. Over the years I’ve gathered character sheets from many different people and took what worked for me from each one. Some character sheets were just too detailed for my liking while others had very few points that I thought was pertinent to the character I wanted to create.

Depending on how I came up with the idea for a character, I’ll either work backwards to his or her history or forwards from the history to get to the character I wanted. Let me explain.

Let us start with a character named Brenda. The first question I ask is: What must Brenda learn through this story? In other words, what is the theme of the story? In this story, Brenda must learn that she deserves to be happy. Now we know a couple of things straight away—she is unhappy at the start of the story and that she thinks she doesn’t deserve to be happy. This leads to why she is unhappy now and why does she think she doesn’t deserve to be happy. In other words, something in her past had such an impact on her, that she still bears the guilt thereof.

Now we get to flesh out the character’s history. Brenda grew up in a middle class family with slightly over-protective parents. Before going off to college, she wanted to take a year off to ‘find’ herself. Her parents had saved for most of her childhood to be able to offer her a good education and an argument erupted while Brenda was driving the family to a restaurant. She lost concentration on the road and caused an accident that led to the death of her parents. She only learned afterwards that her parents had mortgaged the house and sold some of their property to raise enough funds to meet ends meet and send her to college as well. According to Brenda’s thinking, her parents had sacrificed their own happiness to allow Brenda to be happy and Brenda thanked them by killing them. And just because she was selfish. So, to her own mind, Brenda didn’t deserve to be happy—ever. This is a melodramatic example, but it illustrates that by asking why, you get to the history of the character without a lot of questions.

What did she do after the accident? Where did she go? Why? How did this influence her choices leading up to the start of the story? Where does she work when you start the narrative? What caused her to choose this particular employment? Is she happy in her job? Is she good in her job?

The job a person has, often explains their way of dress. If Brenda is an accountant, she is going to dress differently than someone selling beauty products, a cash clerk or a mechanic. Her choice of employment often influences how she speaks and thinks. Does she choose her words carefully, weighing the consequences like a good accountant or is she a blabbermouth? Does she socialize with her co-workers or mostly keep business and pleasure separate?

At the start of the story, you need to know what your character’s greatest wish and greatest fear is because you will use this knowledge to put your character to the test. Every test must be in essense a failure until the last one where the character triumphs to come to the realization that she deserves to be happy. Notice I it has to be a failure in essence—not a complete failure. The character must learn something about herself with each test so although she sees it as a monumental failure, it actually takes her closer to reaching the end goal.

Now that you know what type of person your protagonist is, you can decide on physical appearance. You have to decide if the way that your character looks is going to play a major or minor part in the development of the character. Brenda might be beautiful with a face unmarred by the accident and that could increase her feelings of guilt. Or she could bear a scar from the accident that serves as a permanent reminder of the horrible thing she had done.

This is usually enough background on a character for me, but the final step is to ask my character a direct question and let him/her answer in their own voice. This sounds stupid, but it helps to establish the character and his/her speech patterns firmly in my mind.

As the story progresses numerous other things usually come to mind that adds depth to the character, but at least I know that at the start of the story, I had the basic facts sorted.

This method works for me, but like I said at the start of this post, it might not work for you. Maybe other writers will share their methods of creating real characters with us as well.

Author Interview: Elsa Winckler

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Today I'm pleased to welcome our first author, Elsa Winckler to the interview room. Elsa is a well-known author in South Africa and has several Afrikaans novels published as well two novels with Escape Publishing, the Australian division of Harlequin.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romances. I do like the odd shape shifter story and maybe I’ll write one of those some day. But I prefer to write about the present and colour reality with a little bit of fairy dust.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

It varies. I’ll hear or see something that triggers the famous ‘what if’ question. For instance, I read an article about a horse whisperer a while ago. The idea fascinated me so I spent hours on the internet, found someone weird and wonderful to talk to and the story was born. I then decide on characters (or they decide to be in the story) and I start writing.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

Probably more of a pantser, I’d say. I mainly start with an idea, then decide on the characters and maybe write down one or two things. But I mostly make up the story as I go along. And it mostly tells me how it should be written.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

I edit as I write. And when I’m finished with the first draft, I edit the whole thing again. Normally I’d start each day reading what I’ve written the day before and edit it as I go along. This helps me to remember what I’ve written and also gives me a chance to do the first round of editing.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

I’d say character. Characters take the reader on the journey, so you should make sure the readers care about them.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

If you’re a writer, write.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

Love, in writing (Escape Publishing) 2013

A hardcore Science Fiction writer and a soft-hearted romance novelist clash on the sunny South African coast...

Margaret Parker is a hopeless romantic whose fantasies fuel her writing. For Graham Connelly, science fiction is the perfect genre to express his cynical world view. A chance meeting in a lift leaves them both interested and aroused — with no clue as to the other's identity.

Margaret has been looking for a face to match her new fictional hero — and Graham's is it. Graham has been looking for proof that innocence and optimism still exist — and he's found it in Margaret. But fantasy isn't reality, and both Margaret and Graham are used to controlling their fictional worlds. Can they step off the pages long enough to find their own happy-ever-after?

Amazon US Amazon UK All Romance Ebooks

Touched to the heart (Escape Publishing) July 2014

Discover beautiful South Africa in this sweet, heart-warming Cinderella story about a blogger, a billionaire, and one chance meeting. When it comes to men, if physiotherapist Caitlin Sutherland didn't have bad luck, she would have no luck at all. To help cope, Caitlin starts blogging in her spare time, about the types of men she meets and the bad dates she goes on. While on duty during the annual Wines to Whales bicycle race, a gorgeous, sweaty cyclist walks in and sets her hormones dancing. But he is Don Cavallo; one of the four Cavallo brothers — hotel tycoons, famous as much for their business skills as for the number of beauties regularly seen on their arms. Don Cavallo has his own issues with the other sex. He has yet to find one who is interested in him and not in his money or hotels. But when this sexy physio puts her hands on his back she not only touches his body, but also his heart. They've both been burned before, but neither of them can stop themselves from playing with fire.

Amazon Kindle US Amazon UK All Romance Ebooks

Where can we find you on social media?

Website Personal Facebook page Author Facebook page

Twitter: @elsawinckler Goodreads Pinterest Wattpad Google+

Elsa has been reading love stories for as long as she can remember and when she ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my studies, she was hooked for life.

She married her college boyfriend and soul mate and after 38 years, 3 beautiful children and three grandchildren, he still makes her weak in the knees. They are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty’s Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind them. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exciting and interesting one!

She likes the heroines in her stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! Her stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.

She won an award for her first Afrikaans romance in 2010.

Elsa, thank you very much for sharing your insights with us today. If you're a reader, you should get yourself one of Elsa's books for the pure enjoyment thereof and if you're a writer, read one of her books to see how she develops the characters. And above all, heed her advice: If you're a writer, write.

Learning From Published Authors

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Isn't she just gorgeous?

I have sorely neglected this blog for quite some time. The excuse I could use is that I've been extremely busy, but that is flimsy as everyone leads a hectic lifestyle in modern times. We have to if we aim to survive, don't we? In my defense I must reveal that I had two erotic romances accepted for publication under a pseudonym in the year (yes, it has been a year) since I last posted here, self-published an Afrikaans novel and became a grandmother (I refuse to reveal my age) of a beautiful baby girl.

However, I'm thrilled to announce that starting next week Wednesday, several published authors have agreed to give us some insight into the way they write. You can read ten self-help books on how to write and the rules that apply, but you still have to sort out how to do the practical stuff. Methods that work for some, others find completely impractical to use. So I decided to ask a few successful authors how they do it.

If you've ever tried your hand at writing fiction, you would have heard the advise that you have to read what you like to write and try to discover what exactly about the book made you enjoy it so much. You have to pay attention to the way the novel was structured (took me a while to get the hang of this one, but luckily we seem to do most of it by instinct), the writing style and most of all, what about the writer's voice captured your attention.

The authors who agreed to share their methods are all published authors, each with an unique voice and writing style. Different publishers contracted their books, so we'll get a general idea what works and what doesn't.

I hope you will join me as we try to discover what made these talented writers so successful.

The Other Side - by Zee Monodee

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 14:29:00 +0000

Today I have the great honor of featuring a brand new book by author Zee Monodee. Zee writes Stories about love, life, relationships... in a melting-pot of culture.

Zee is an author who grew up on a fence – on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she'd stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.

From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.

This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing – her heroines all sit 'on a fence', whether cultural or societal, in today's world or in times past, and face dilemmas about life and love.

Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee is a degree holder in Communications Science. She is a head-over-heels wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween son, best-buddy-stepmum to a teenage lad, an incompetent domestic goddess, eternal dreamer, and an absolute, shameless bookholic. When she isn’t penning more stories and/or managing the Ubuntu line at Decadent Publishing, you can bet you’ll find her with her nose in her tablet, ‘drinking in’ a good book.

The theme of Second Chances is very prominent in Zee’s stories, because she herself, as a divorcee, found a second chance with a wonderful man she has now called her husband for over a decade.

Zee started penning this story after reading the epic novel ‘A Suitable Boy’ by Vikram Seth. She wanted to write a magnum opus; something to showcase ‘her’ world in Mauritius the same way Mr. Seth chronicled ‘his’ India. Alas, she found she was totally fluffy and did not do well at all with a literary bent. The result was The Other Side, a popular romantic comedy that had notes of Zee TV/Bollywood dramas with an island vibe.

Zee’s initial plan was to write this one book and then be finished. Over the course of the story, Lara’s two sisters – Diya and Neha – started whispering their own tales...and the trilogy was born.

The Other Side is Zee’s first-ever penned novel, written in the year 2005, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and thus decided to live her dream of writing a book. She drafted this book mostly during sleepless nights between chemotherapy sessions, the outpouring of this tale becoming her therapy to cope with her treatments.

From the Back Cover:-

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, the homeland of her parents, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once there, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again. Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

Here's a little taste of what you can expect inside the book :-

Lost in her thoughts, she rounded a dead corner of the hall, slamming into someone’s side. Disoriented and dizzy with confusion at the jolting oomph of impact against a solid form, she stumbled, losing control over her legs. She saw the walls moving up rapidly, but a strong pair of hands grabbed her under the arms before the back of her head hit the floor.

“Bon sang, mademoiselle! Où courez-vous comme ça?” a rich, deep masculine voice asked on the sharp yet lilting accent of white Mauritian natives.

Where are you running to, miss? he’d asked, from what her rusty French could figure out.

Away from you. Something inside her acknowledged the danger before she could process his words. She knew that voice. Her head spun again, yet her mind was very alert.

Could it be…? No, it couldn’t. Her brain had to be playing tricks on her. The sound with its particular accent belonged to the very distant past. How was she hearing it at this moment? Had she fainted? That’s it. She wasn’t conscious, and since she’d probably worked herself to exhaustion, the condition had triggered all sorts of switches in her muddled consciousness.

The image of the man from the airport burned itself into her mind, and she gasped. No!

“Is everything okay?” The chuckle had gone from the tone, replaced by worry.

Solid strength still held her ribcage, the back of the hands warm and smooth where they touched her arms. The heat from them went to her head, churning all coherent thought into a jumble.

Her mind had to be playing a trick on her. He couldn’t be who she was imagining. When, after a few seconds, it didn’t appear like she’d come around, doubt invaded her heart.

Your eyes won’t betray you, they’ll see the truth.

She risked a glance up beneath her lashes. She had to be certain if this was real or not. To know this was all a trick of her imagination….

Lara encountered a tall form with broad shoulders outlined in a short-sleeved shirt. The lapels of the opened collar framed a strong jaw and a wide, full, and sensual mouth was set in a worried line above a square chin. A fine, straight nose sent faint shadows over his lips.

She had to gulp back the ominous lump wedged in her throat. Her heart beat a hammering throb in her chest, and her mouth went dry. Her suspicions looked dangerously close to being confirmed, and the nagging notion played havoc with her thoughts. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself staring into a pair of blue irises. A blinding flash went through her head, plunging her heart to her knees. She’d recognize those irises anywhere. Deep-set, bright, and laughing eyes the colour of the deepest ocean. The heavy, golden locks brushing his forehead accentuated the frown knitting his eyebrows.

Locks that had somehow broken free from the thick, smoothed-back hair. She itched to sweep them back, to run the tips of her fingers along his smooth skin, like she used to in the past, onto the soft buzz of hair he used to keep so short….

Her mind went into a crazy spin, and all her senses reeled as everything became a vivid kaleidoscope of colours. Her stomach heaved, and her knees went weak as her body became limp. But the man’s strong grip was still on her, and he kept her steady on her feet.

“Are you okay? I think you better sit down here,” he said.

The voice made its way into her perception, and she couldn’t suppress the relief that flooded her. His voice had always had such power over her.

He still hasn’t recognised me.

She’d changed a lot in the past decade, and with her head still bent forward, her hair shielded her face. She wanted to escape. She wanted to close her eyes, and then open them to find it had all been a dream. Or a nightmare.

But this was real, and how long could she remain incognito? Lara swallowed painfully. Of all the people from her past, fate had had to choose that precise person to shove along her path.

All of this battled inside her mind as she allowed him to lead her to a sofa. After having lowered her into her seat with extreme care and gentleness, her saviour sat down next to her, turning to face her profile. The movement triggered the air to move around him, and the smell of his aftershave—fresh, spicy, and very elusive—filled her nostrils and made its way into her foggy mind.

He still smells the same. Like a cool sea breeze wafting through the unique musk of a man’s warm skin.

Lara took a deep breath and gathered her courage. She would have to face him sooner or later. A part of her had always known she ran the risk of coming across him on the island. She’d preferred to hide from the probability, but she couldn’t run anymore.

So she lifted her head. A frown marred the wide forehead on the face she encountered. As devastatingly handsome as ever. Or maybe, even more than ever. His features were arresting, masculine, adult. No longer those of a teenager.

Her mouth went dry again, and her heart beat faster when the straight line of his lips broke into a large smile a few seconds later. His eyes lit up as well, and widened.

“I’ll be damned! Lara? Is it really you?” he asked, switching effortlessly to English.

She forced a smile and took a deep breath. “Hello, Eric. How are you?”

Available from:

Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=817&osCsid=uk690a1muqacdt8v6csmtuo7d2

Amazon (available at the discounted price of $2.99) http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Island-Girls-ebook/dp/B00E77XHG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375035073&sr=8-1&keywords=the+other+side+zee+monodee

FREE Erotic Romance on Amazon

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 06:19:00 +0000

From the website of Ylette Pearson today:

Accounting for Lust is free on all Amazon sites from 5 November to 8 November 2012.

Here’s a little taste of what to expect:

The moment she saw him at the club, accountant Cassandra Adams knew she’d found her candidate for an anonymous one-night-stand. Pirate-like handsome, he signalled danger in capital letters - just what she needed before assuming her role as CEO of her father’s South African weapons manufacturing company.

Steaming hot sex was the last thing on Jake Pierce’s mind when he agreed to protect the new boss of Adams Armory Incorporated after someone tried to kill her. However, when Cassandra Adams walked into the office, Jake found himself battling memories of tangled sheets and sweaty bodies.

While Cassie and Jake surrendered to the passion between them and tried to keep their hearts out of the equation, someone watched from the shadows. Biding his time. Craving revenge.

Happy reading.

Novel Writing: Killing the Blank-Page Syndrome

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:25:00 +0000

Your plotting is done, the idea germinated in your mind and grew to a nearly full-length novel. Now you have to sit down and actually write the novel. Suddenly you stare at the blank sheet on your word processor. You play around with the font of the Chapter One title until you’re back to the original. You frown. The story is good, the conflict worked out and believable.

So why can’t you get the opening sentence on the screen?

I had to ask myself the same question this morning when I stared at the same Chapter One heading for the second day in a row. I played around on Facebook, checked up on my friend on Twitter and watered seedlings that didn’t need watering yet. (Hope I haven’t drowned them completely) All because the right words to start the chapter and novel eluded me.

I argue that the first sentence needs to be perfect. It has to grab the reader by the throat, introduce her to the character or place and set the tone of the novel. It must arouse an intense curiosity with the reader – so much that she had to buy the book to find out how this ends. That first sentence is a matter of life or death for your novel. You can’t just rush it.

Then it hit me. THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT. A first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. It never is. The purpose of the first draft is to get the story down on paper without worrying too much about style, grammar and the most correct word. The first draft is where your voice tells the story. You have to turn that blasted internal editor off.

With every novel I re-write the opening at least four times. But, you have to have something on paper to re-write. You can’t edit a blank page. So even if it is crap – and mine always is – the first draft is just that – a draft. Regardless if you are a plotter or a pantser, the story needs to be told.

So what if it isn’t perfect the first time around? That’s what editing is for (and I still have to develop a love for this stage of the writing process).

So my solution? Get an application like Dr Wicked’s Write or Die and force yourself to start the scene. Do it five minutes at a time or ten minutes at a time – whatever makes you comfortable. Just get the story written. Nobody gets it perfect the first time. Some of the greatest writers re-write more than ten times before they even consider submitting to a publisher. So if you have to re-write a couple of times and edit until you’re sick of the story – that’s normal.

Close the door, shut the curtains and pop on some headphones. Ignore the outside world until you have your opening down. Usually once you get past that dreaded opening scene, the words tend to find their own way onto the computer.

Hope this helped a little in curing that blank-page syndrome so many writers face every day. See you in a little while – Dr Wicked is calling.

Self-Publish Your Book

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:31:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took the plunge last year and self-published an Afrikaans romance novel on Amazon and Smashwords.com.

Like I promised, I now am in a position to provide feedback.

Although sales have not skyrocketed and I’m by no means a best-seller, the sales on Amazon were satisfactory. At least I made more than one sale a day for the past nine months and the reviews haven’t been all bad. So, will I self-publish on Amazon again? Definitely! In fact I have already. My second Afrikaans Romance novel, Katelknaap vir Carlien was published last week and like the first one, sales are slow in the beginning. But – there are some sales.

Now Smashwords.com is another matter. Although Gogga op ‘n Harley was included in the premium catalogue, I saw exactly three sales for the whole nine months. Will I publish there again? I doubt it. I’ll rather make up for the non-existent sales by selling the book directly from my website. That is once I’ve figured out how to do this.

Everyone has different experiences with these two sites, but publishing in a “foreign” language (other than English) seems to work best on Amazon. I haven’t published an English novel on Smashwords.com yet, but I’m in the process of revamping two titles that could work on Smashwords. When I’ve gone that route, I’ll let you know how it went.

I like Smashwords as publishing platform as it gives the potential buyer more options for use on different e-readers where Amazon limits usage to people with a Kindle or Kindle applications on their device. Their distribution channels seems vast, so maybe if you publish in English, sales would be better. Maybe we could get someone who has a book on Smashwords to give us some figures.

For those interested, here are the two books I have on Amazon.com, Amazon.uk and the other European sites.

del.icio.us Tags: amazon.com,smashwords.com,self-publishing,katelknaap vir carlien,gogga op 'n harley,ebook sales

Best Plotting Advise I Heard in Years

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:05:00 +0000

I found this post on the blog The Other Side of the Story. Being in the middle of doing a scene-by-scene plot of my next novel, this couldn't have been written at a more opportune time. Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, this advise will help you streamline the plot tremendously.

The Other Side of the Story: The Best Advice on Plotting I've Ever Heard: Two T...: But wait, there's more! I read a few pieces of plotting advice in the last few weeks I wish I'd written. They're nothing new, nothing gro...

Tips to Self-Edit a Novel

noreply@blogger.com (Yolande Pienaar) — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:38:00 +0000

For most of us, writing a novel is easy. You have the story and it’s only a matter of pounding away at the keyboard until the story magically enfolds on the pages. Right?

Wrong!

Getting the story onto the computer with a word processing program is the easy part. In previous posts I discussed the YWriter5 program, which is still free and I stand by my recommendation for first-time authors to attempt to use this program to plan their novel. The program has been updated and currently it is truly editing-friendly as well.

It allows you to break down your novel in a series of scenes and chapters, which you can export to MS Word or other program for editing. After you’re finished editing the selected chapter, you simply import the chapter back into YWriter5 and viola, everything is together again.

But, a program alone will not help you edit your work to such a fashion that you can submit to a publisher. You’ll need to work really hard before any publisher would look at your work. If you’re anything like me, editing your novel could take longer than writing the damn thing. I searched the internet for tips and advise on how to hone those sorely lacking skills in self-editing and there is a myriad of information available.

I listed only the ones I found most useful.

Tips on How to Self-Edit Your Novel

The Fiction Doctor – Cindy Davis

She lists a total of ten tips on how to improve your writing with fairly detailed examples of how to fix the problem in your writing. They are:-

1. Show don’t tell – our old favourite and one that causes the most headaches to all writers. What does it mean? How do you know when to tell and when to show? Is show always better? I found the explanation given on the website quite helpful as it contains examples of what she means.

2. Avoid Overuse of Pronouns – this speaks for itself, but check out Cindy’s example if you’re unsure.

3. Don’t Intrude as Author - I think most of us are guilty of this at some point. It goes without saying that authors shouldn’t underestimate the reader’s intelligence. If you are in the character’s head, don’t tell your reader this over and over again.

4. Less is more – don’t explain everything to death. If it doesn’t really matter where the book case is in room, don’t explain this.

5. Don’t over-describe your character – it speaks for itself. Give just enough information that the reader can form a mental picture of your character. As Cindy’s explains, these descriptions are static and slows down the narrative.

6. Limit the amount of background you give on a character – rather drivel it through the novel in small pieces.

7. Keep your point of view steady – nothing frustrates a reader more than to try figure out from whose perspective the story is told. While head-hopping can make for interesting reading, if done badly, it can alienate the reader pretty quick.

8. Use the best word to describe the action – walking carefully could be substituted with tiptoed, being nervous could be substituted with fidgeting, biting the lip, etc.

9. Avoid using passive voice – we all heard this before. It slows the action and is one of the pet peeves of editors at publishing houses. Take a look at Cindy’s examples, they’re quite insightful if you have problems with this.

10. Make sure the dialogue in your novel sounds like your characters and not yourself- this is a mayor point in writing realistic dialogue. Keep the dialogue true to the character you portray otherwise it might come across as stifled and forced.

Other points I found helpful when editing is to check for repetitive words. I use MS Word’s find function to highlight pronouns – you’d be amazed at how many you can eliminate in this way. You can also upload a section of your work to the Autocrit – program where it will give you the word-usage. YWriter5 has a function where it will tell you the word usage in a scene. The problem with seeing it only in one scene is that using the word once in a scene seems fine, until you remember that you have fifty or a hundred scenes all using the same word.

Watch out for problem words. These words are usually words you can delete without making a difference to the sentence. Words like down, around, away, back, almost, already, nearly, really, actually, quite, wanted to, started to, began to, tried to.

Another wonderful resource for writers is Bob Mayer’s 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes. You can obtain a copy of this by subscribing to the Writer’s Digest Newsletter. You could also do worse than check out their archive of articles on writing. In particular the articles pertaining to revision.

If you are stuck, the internet provides loads of useful information on writing and revising. Advise on actual editing your novel, however, seems a little harder to find. So, please share if you find a useful resource for self-editing your novel.