Hah, thought that would get your attention ;-)
I was very fortunate to secure a place on one of the Heidi Rice workshops she is currently holding at Selfridges, so a very excited little me hotfooted it to London this morning.
My first ever writing workshop with one of my favourite authors, well it doesn't get much better than that! I was the first to arrive, so had a few precious minutes chatting with Heidi on my own :-D Did I mention I'm a huge fan...
If you have ever read a Heidi Rice, then her voice is very much like she is in person, funny, warm and very bubbly. It was a bit like talking to an old friend.
There were only six of us round a tiny table in the Wonder room, right in front of those gorgeous M&B covers through the ages - still giggling at the one entitled Brittle Bondage - so it was very intimate and we could all have a good chat. It was more of a question and answer session and really informative.
One of the things we discussed was voice. Heidi explained that voice comes through really strongly in your dialogue and it's what defines you as a writer and makes you stand out from the rest of the slush pile. As a new writer the only way you can find your voice is by writing and refining your craft and of course lots and lots of reading. She warned of the dangers of imitating authors that you like - something she did herself when she first started out. If you find yourself repeating things that you have read, then that is not your voice. You need to find something unique and fresh to you.
On the subject of reading, she reiterated the importance of knowing the line that you're targeting and of reading new books, as M&B evolves with its readers, so what was published several years ago, will not be needed or wanted now. Know your guidelines, but do not let them define you as a writer. Guidelines can be broken by a skilled writer and sometimes need to be to create the new, exciting voice that the editors are looking for, but they are there for a reason and you need to be aware of them.
We also discussed the good old Alpha Male. Heidi had a nice sheet of eye candy for us to oggle, research can be such a chore ;-) It is important to not make him too alpha though. If your reader wants to slap him and wonders why your heroine puts up with him, then you may need to turn him down a tad. Heidi said that all of her heroines were her, a more glamorous, younger sassier version of her, who said all the things that she would like to say to her hero, but essentially her. It's important to like your H/H and to make their journey believable so that the reader can identify with them.
One thing I personally found very reassuring was Heidi sharing the way she writes. She is a seat of the pants writer, who starts off with the hook, or an idea and lets the characters evolve from there. She writes a rough draft and then goes back to edit, sometimes a lot of revisions are needed, for the finished product, but she does not like plotting in advance and is not very good at writing a synopsis! Music to my ears, even if I didn't get an answer as to how to make synopsis writing easier. Oh well, drat!
She did stress, that even once you are published it doesn't get any easier, though her editor doesn't ask her for a synopsis any more, just a first chapter, as in the past her synopsis had very little to do with the finished manuscript! Something that is familiar territory to many I am sure, though personally I write the story first then write the synopsis and bore myself to tears over the first few attempts, lol.
Heidi also shared some interesting figures. M&B receives something like two thousand manuscripts a year and out of that they may get ten new authors. So the slush pile really is huge. She stressed the fact that M&B buy authors, not a book, so if they do buy your book, you need to be prepared to carry on writing. One book is not good enough, so to speak, you have to turn it into a career.
One way to break through the slush pile is by entering first chapter competitions. If you do make it through the finals then you know your work will be looked at by the people in the know. It is important though to enter competitions that are relevant to you, which is common sense really.
Heidi recommended the New Writer's scheme with the RNA which she found incredibly helpful, when she first started out, but it is extremely difficult to get into. The other one she recommended was the RWA There is an on-line chapter for overseas members, so I will have to check that out myself :-)
I could witter on for hours, really and I'm sure I've left something out, but it really was a lovely way to spend one and a half hours and it went far too quickly.
Heidi kindly signed two books for me and we also received a goody bag, which contained Heidi's latest book Surf, Sea and the Sexy Stranger, re-launched as a Riva - if you haven't read it yet, then DO! I could not put that book down, when I read it :-) The other book was Barbara Hannay's Molly Cooper's Dream Date, which I started reading on the train on the way home. My chuckling out loud caused a few raised eyebrows I tell you. It's very funny and original. And the facial mask will come in very handy next time I have a soak in the bath.
So, summing up, I had a fantastic day, even if I was completely wiped out by the time I got home. I consider myself very lucky to belong to this amazingly supportive romance writing community.
And last but by no means least, a huge Thank You! to Heidi for sharing her time and knowledge so generously and in such a glamorous setting :-D
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Friday, 28 January 2011
So, a rejection
Following on from my other post, I finally received that e-mail and it was a rejection. However, it was a very positive rejection and I had a huge smile on my face reading it. I received some personalised and very detailed feedback, a whole paragraph worth, no less.
Comments like- a sympathetic heroine and a strong, appealing alpha hero, The attraction between Sylvia and Sven is believable and compelling, and the situation they find themselves in tugs at the heartstrings - are pretty good for my first ever attempt at writing a romance novel :-)
So I will take that feed back on board and rewrite their meet. At the moment it does rely heavily on coincidences and whilst there are aspects that I will definitely keep, others will go. It was the one thing that had been niggling at me anyway, so will get off my backside and work at it to make the start stronger. Sylvia and Sven were strangers when I wrote that first chapter, but they are very dear friends now and Sven is far too sexy to not make it into a book ;-)
Onwards and upwards :-D
Comments like- a sympathetic heroine and a strong, appealing alpha hero, The attraction between Sylvia and Sven is believable and compelling, and the situation they find themselves in tugs at the heartstrings - are pretty good for my first ever attempt at writing a romance novel :-)
So I will take that feed back on board and rewrite their meet. At the moment it does rely heavily on coincidences and whilst there are aspects that I will definitely keep, others will go. It was the one thing that had been niggling at me anyway, so will get off my backside and work at it to make the start stronger. Sylvia and Sven were strangers when I wrote that first chapter, but they are very dear friends now and Sven is far too sexy to not make it into a book ;-)
Onwards and upwards :-D
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Argh, I hate waiting...
I really, really do hate waiting. I am the most impatient person ever, when it comes to waiting, lol. Back in November I entered the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write Challenge, which involved sending in a first chapter and a Synopsis. We were guaranteed a reply by January 31st.
Now yesterday, several of my writing friends received a rejection reply, so they are obviously started replying to entrants. I am still waiting to hear and I'm sure my e-mail is going to go belly up in disgust at my constant refreshing ;-)
I just want to know! No news is good news I suppose, but some of the stuff that was rejected was really good in my humble opinion, so goodness only knows what's going on over at Harlequin. Guess only they know what they are looking for.
In other, much more pleasant news, I can go public and announce that we are expecting again. :-D I found out Boxing Day, with no idea how far along I was, which was a tad disconcerting to say the least. You'd think after eight kids I 'd know the signs eh, but I think I must have been in complete denial. Put all the symptoms down to stress with worry over Marcel etc.
So it was with huge relief, we had a private scan on Saturday and I now have a due date of August 13th or thereabouts. My ten year old is mega excited at the prospect of a brother or sister possibly sharing her birthday, hers is August 6th. In fact the whole brood is in a state of excitement. The eldest four have known for a while, but not the younger ones. We took Gabs (6) and Tj (3) with us to the scan and their face was such a picture when they saw the baby on screen!
Tj has talked of little else but the baby in Mummy's big belly. In fact he had me in stitches on Saturday when he watched me getting in the bath. "Baby having a bath too, baby in your tummy, Mummy!"
A very cute baby, if I say so myself.
Tj was most taken with baby waving at him :-D
Having gazed some more at that pic, I will now resume refreshing my e-mail...
Did I say I HATE waiting ;-)
Now yesterday, several of my writing friends received a rejection reply, so they are obviously started replying to entrants. I am still waiting to hear and I'm sure my e-mail is going to go belly up in disgust at my constant refreshing ;-)
I just want to know! No news is good news I suppose, but some of the stuff that was rejected was really good in my humble opinion, so goodness only knows what's going on over at Harlequin. Guess only they know what they are looking for.
In other, much more pleasant news, I can go public and announce that we are expecting again. :-D I found out Boxing Day, with no idea how far along I was, which was a tad disconcerting to say the least. You'd think after eight kids I 'd know the signs eh, but I think I must have been in complete denial. Put all the symptoms down to stress with worry over Marcel etc.
So it was with huge relief, we had a private scan on Saturday and I now have a due date of August 13th or thereabouts. My ten year old is mega excited at the prospect of a brother or sister possibly sharing her birthday, hers is August 6th. In fact the whole brood is in a state of excitement. The eldest four have known for a while, but not the younger ones. We took Gabs (6) and Tj (3) with us to the scan and their face was such a picture when they saw the baby on screen!
Tj has talked of little else but the baby in Mummy's big belly. In fact he had me in stitches on Saturday when he watched me getting in the bath. "Baby having a bath too, baby in your tummy, Mummy!"
A very cute baby, if I say so myself.
Tj was most taken with baby waving at him :-D
Having gazed some more at that pic, I will now resume refreshing my e-mail...
Did I say I HATE waiting ;-)
Friday, 7 January 2011
A happy post
After my rather emotional blog about Christmas, thought it was about high time I posted something happy.
I'm rather pleased with myself today, as I have this afternoon typed those marvellous two words THE END under my latest manuscript Too Cold To Love. It has been at times a hard slog, my H/H not making it easy for me to get them to their happy place, but hey I did it! :-D
Of course that means I now have to try and write the dreaded synopsis, but am putting that off for now. I would seriously rather gnaw on my foot then write one of them!
But this is a happy post, not a moany one and whilst I'm on the subject of synopsis (what is the plural for those?), I am finally happy with the one for Too Hot To Handle and will send it off to the powers that be next week. It would have been this week, had I managed to get hold of an International Reply Coupon, which seem to be gold dust. At least you'd be forgiven for thinking so, when I asked for one in our local post office.
It still makes me giggle, recalling the blank looks from the folks behind the counter.
"A what?"
"An International Reply Coupon?"
"Urm, what's it for?"
"To send abroad, so things can be send back to me, without them having to pay the postage."
More blank looks...
"Right.....we have gift cards!"
Cue, me barely holding back the giggles at the relieved look on their faces, when I said: “Never mind, I will ask at the big post office in town, shall I?"
The above is the short version; I spare you the many times I had to say International Reply Coupon veeeeeerryyyy slowly ;-)
I suppose, in fairness to them, it does state on the website that they are available from big post offices, but still. You'd think they'd at least have heard of them!
To further put me into my happy place tonight, my parcel arrived from Amazon the other day, containing all of Heidi Rice's back novels and well I just LOVE her! Nothing quite like a well written, funny, sexy, sassy romance that makes you literally go Aw at the ending :-D
This was the one I read tonight!
I'm rather pleased with myself today, as I have this afternoon typed those marvellous two words THE END under my latest manuscript Too Cold To Love. It has been at times a hard slog, my H/H not making it easy for me to get them to their happy place, but hey I did it! :-D
Of course that means I now have to try and write the dreaded synopsis, but am putting that off for now. I would seriously rather gnaw on my foot then write one of them!
But this is a happy post, not a moany one and whilst I'm on the subject of synopsis (what is the plural for those?), I am finally happy with the one for Too Hot To Handle and will send it off to the powers that be next week. It would have been this week, had I managed to get hold of an International Reply Coupon, which seem to be gold dust. At least you'd be forgiven for thinking so, when I asked for one in our local post office.
It still makes me giggle, recalling the blank looks from the folks behind the counter.
"A what?"
"An International Reply Coupon?"
"Urm, what's it for?"
"To send abroad, so things can be send back to me, without them having to pay the postage."
More blank looks...
"Right.....we have gift cards!"
Cue, me barely holding back the giggles at the relieved look on their faces, when I said: “Never mind, I will ask at the big post office in town, shall I?"
The above is the short version; I spare you the many times I had to say International Reply Coupon veeeeeerryyyy slowly ;-)
I suppose, in fairness to them, it does state on the website that they are available from big post offices, but still. You'd think they'd at least have heard of them!
To further put me into my happy place tonight, my parcel arrived from Amazon the other day, containing all of Heidi Rice's back novels and well I just LOVE her! Nothing quite like a well written, funny, sexy, sassy romance that makes you literally go Aw at the ending :-D
This was the one I read tonight!
Friday, 24 December 2010
Merry Christmas
A friend's blog entry got me thinking, well crying actually, so I thought I would put my thoughts down here.My friends will know that Christmas is an emotional time for me and that I spend a large chunk of the run up to Christmas in tears every year.
I grew up in Germany and over there we clebrate Christmas very differently to here. For one I do not remember it ever being this commercialised. Christmas adverts in September for instance!
Christmas for me, as for most people I dare say is all about family and whilst Tony and I have a wonderful brood of eight, that is it for Christmas, just us. For reasons I cannot go into here, we do not see Tony's parents, Tony's sister does come and see us just before Christmas, armed with toys for the kids - always a highlight for them - and we usually have a phone call from his brother, but really it is just our little family unit.
My parents passed away some time ago, well my dad did. I have not seen my biological mother since I was three, so have no idea whether she still lives. I have no siblings, so to all intents and purposes I'm an orphan and never do I feel this more acutely then at Christmas time.
Growing up, Christmas was a magical time, made special by one truly beautiful lady, my gran or Omi, as I used to call her. We never had much money, but that never mattered, because she always managed to pull the most fantastic food out of nowhere and I always somehow got the presents I really wanted. But it wasn't even about that, it was the way she used to make me feel loved and protected and no matter what trauma went on in my child's or later teenage mind (and there were plenty I tell you, I was a *very* dramatic child!) curling up on her lap, or later sitting by her feet, my head in her lap, just pouring it all out to her, made everything better. She wouldn't always have the answers and sometimes the answers she did have were not what I wanted to hear, but she was a very wise and special lady and if I can be half the mother to my own children that she was to me, then I'll be happy.
Christmas to me will always be the excitment of the Christmas Market, Dortmund has a very good one! The smells, the sounds, the stalls, we never used to buy a lot, but a walk through the Christmas Market always signified the start of Christmas.
Singing Christmas carols very off key, usually, the once a year trip to Church (my gran was an atheist, yet every Christmas we went to church, because that is what you did!) still makes me smile now. Her stories about Christmases gone by, the way she used to lock me out the living room on Christmas Eve and I was only allowed in at 6.00 pm, after the bells announced that Santa had been.
She kept that up right through my teenage years bless her.
The goose or duck we used to have for Christmas day, that left us so stuffed we couldn't move for days and just simply being together. It was a special, special time and try as I might since she passed on, Christmas just hasn't been the same for *me*.
Tony and I have made our traditions with the children of course and they love Christmas, but a little part of me always feels that they are missing out. I like to think that my Omi is watching over us wherever she may be now and I hope I have made her proud. She never met any of the children, passing away the year we got married, but at least she got to meet my mad husband. My decision to move to England was hard on her and I'm not sure she really understood why I had to, but she accepted it nonetheless.
She was a very special lady, so this year, like every year, I will shed a few tears and raise a glass or two to my wonderful Omi.
Frohe Weihnachten Omilein!!!
I grew up in Germany and over there we clebrate Christmas very differently to here. For one I do not remember it ever being this commercialised. Christmas adverts in September for instance!
Christmas for me, as for most people I dare say is all about family and whilst Tony and I have a wonderful brood of eight, that is it for Christmas, just us. For reasons I cannot go into here, we do not see Tony's parents, Tony's sister does come and see us just before Christmas, armed with toys for the kids - always a highlight for them - and we usually have a phone call from his brother, but really it is just our little family unit.
My parents passed away some time ago, well my dad did. I have not seen my biological mother since I was three, so have no idea whether she still lives. I have no siblings, so to all intents and purposes I'm an orphan and never do I feel this more acutely then at Christmas time.
Growing up, Christmas was a magical time, made special by one truly beautiful lady, my gran or Omi, as I used to call her. We never had much money, but that never mattered, because she always managed to pull the most fantastic food out of nowhere and I always somehow got the presents I really wanted. But it wasn't even about that, it was the way she used to make me feel loved and protected and no matter what trauma went on in my child's or later teenage mind (and there were plenty I tell you, I was a *very* dramatic child!) curling up on her lap, or later sitting by her feet, my head in her lap, just pouring it all out to her, made everything better. She wouldn't always have the answers and sometimes the answers she did have were not what I wanted to hear, but she was a very wise and special lady and if I can be half the mother to my own children that she was to me, then I'll be happy.
Christmas to me will always be the excitment of the Christmas Market, Dortmund has a very good one! The smells, the sounds, the stalls, we never used to buy a lot, but a walk through the Christmas Market always signified the start of Christmas.
Singing Christmas carols very off key, usually, the once a year trip to Church (my gran was an atheist, yet every Christmas we went to church, because that is what you did!) still makes me smile now. Her stories about Christmases gone by, the way she used to lock me out the living room on Christmas Eve and I was only allowed in at 6.00 pm, after the bells announced that Santa had been.
She kept that up right through my teenage years bless her.
The goose or duck we used to have for Christmas day, that left us so stuffed we couldn't move for days and just simply being together. It was a special, special time and try as I might since she passed on, Christmas just hasn't been the same for *me*.
Tony and I have made our traditions with the children of course and they love Christmas, but a little part of me always feels that they are missing out. I like to think that my Omi is watching over us wherever she may be now and I hope I have made her proud. She never met any of the children, passing away the year we got married, but at least she got to meet my mad husband. My decision to move to England was hard on her and I'm not sure she really understood why I had to, but she accepted it nonetheless.
She was a very special lady, so this year, like every year, I will shed a few tears and raise a glass or two to my wonderful Omi.
Frohe Weihnachten Omilein!!!
Sunday, 5 December 2010
A bit of a rant and a thank you
As you may remember I entered Scandinavian Scandal into the Circalit competition which seemed a good idea at the time. It is sitting at the top of the ratings, much to my surprise. However recent comments have left me reeling with the sheer vitriol expressed. I must have ruffled some feathers and I shall not be commenting again, but I must admit to being stunned. It really rankles to be accused like this, when all the reviews I have received have been genuine. Needless to say I will not be posting anything else to that site.
Maybe I have been spoiled by the writing friends I have made. They have all been supportive and given constructive criticism, when needed and I thank all of you, you know who you are :-)
This whole thing has done one thing though. It has made me more determined to carry on writing to perfect my skills and hopefully one day be published. I will be submitting Too hot To Handle to Blaze come the New Year and the sequel Too cold to love is taking shape slowly.
We recently had some bad news concerning our eldest son, who is going into hospital on Tuesday for a biopsy on an aggressive mass, which is eating away at his jawbone. They are pretty sure it is benign, but they are not sure what exactly it is or how best to treat it and he will almost certainly need reconstructive surgery, as his jaw is so weak now, he could break it just by eating :-S
Writing has been my way of keeping my sanity through all this and again my writing buddies have been invaluable in jollying me along. I'm sure I will be leaning heavily on them and my friends to see me through this. I don't know where I would be without all of you, so a heart felt THANK YOU!
Maybe I have been spoiled by the writing friends I have made. They have all been supportive and given constructive criticism, when needed and I thank all of you, you know who you are :-)
This whole thing has done one thing though. It has made me more determined to carry on writing to perfect my skills and hopefully one day be published. I will be submitting Too hot To Handle to Blaze come the New Year and the sequel Too cold to love is taking shape slowly.
We recently had some bad news concerning our eldest son, who is going into hospital on Tuesday for a biopsy on an aggressive mass, which is eating away at his jawbone. They are pretty sure it is benign, but they are not sure what exactly it is or how best to treat it and he will almost certainly need reconstructive surgery, as his jaw is so weak now, he could break it just by eating :-S
Writing has been my way of keeping my sanity through all this and again my writing buddies have been invaluable in jollying me along. I'm sure I will be leaning heavily on them and my friends to see me through this. I don't know where I would be without all of you, so a heart felt THANK YOU!
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
So now what?
As most of you will know I have completed my very first NaNoWriMo and am very chuffed that I did, and I hope got a half decent novel out of it. I will be taking the Nano blog down after November, as I will be submitting to Blaze all being well. *Fingers firmly crossed* and all that.
Scandinavian Scandal is with the powers that be at Harlequin thanks to SYTYCW so *fingers crossed again*
Having been completely wrapped up in Nano and Too hot to handle I now find myself at a loose end with far to much time on my hands, especially as I promised hubbie to not write anything till the New Year. There is of course the beginning of another story bubbling in my head, but am managing to ignore it mostly.
The house has never been cleaner, so can't even do housework to keep myself occupied, what a shame ;-)
I do have a brand new subscription to Blaze, so am merrily reading myself through those *fans herself* but as I'm a fast reader that's not going to last long and I have other books to read, but it's not the same as getting caught up in your own story and the excitement of seeing it all come together.
I think I may be addicted to writing, which is not necessarily a bad thing I suppose.
Ah well, I shall figure it out. Am probably just trying to escape the nightmare that is potty training Tj. Unfortunately he is most keen to wear big boy pants and at the grand old age of three he should be ready, yet I have my doubts. He manages very well at nursery, yet home is another matter....
I wouldn't mind too much, but he gets himself ever so upset when he has a number two accident in particular and I do wonder whether it would not just be all much easier to leave it a while longer, for everyone's sakes. But then again he does have some successes and when he does he is so pleased with himself, bless him.
You'd think with child number eight I'd have it figured, but I never had these problems with the others, especially the other two boys were dry within two days and the last two girls never even had one accident when *they* decided to come out of nappies, so this is all new territory. It's probably Karma for writing a potty training toddler into my story right......
Ho hum and all that, this too will pass!
Scandinavian Scandal is with the powers that be at Harlequin thanks to SYTYCW so *fingers crossed again*
Having been completely wrapped up in Nano and Too hot to handle I now find myself at a loose end with far to much time on my hands, especially as I promised hubbie to not write anything till the New Year. There is of course the beginning of another story bubbling in my head, but am managing to ignore it mostly.
The house has never been cleaner, so can't even do housework to keep myself occupied, what a shame ;-)
I do have a brand new subscription to Blaze, so am merrily reading myself through those *fans herself* but as I'm a fast reader that's not going to last long and I have other books to read, but it's not the same as getting caught up in your own story and the excitement of seeing it all come together.
I think I may be addicted to writing, which is not necessarily a bad thing I suppose.
Ah well, I shall figure it out. Am probably just trying to escape the nightmare that is potty training Tj. Unfortunately he is most keen to wear big boy pants and at the grand old age of three he should be ready, yet I have my doubts. He manages very well at nursery, yet home is another matter....
I wouldn't mind too much, but he gets himself ever so upset when he has a number two accident in particular and I do wonder whether it would not just be all much easier to leave it a while longer, for everyone's sakes. But then again he does have some successes and when he does he is so pleased with himself, bless him.
You'd think with child number eight I'd have it figured, but I never had these problems with the others, especially the other two boys were dry within two days and the last two girls never even had one accident when *they* decided to come out of nappies, so this is all new territory. It's probably Karma for writing a potty training toddler into my story right......
Ho hum and all that, this too will pass!
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