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When and why did you start writing?
While on holidays at the Gold Coast about ten
years ago, and in need of some escapism at the time, I read my
first romance novel - My Gallant Enemy, by Rexanne Becnel.
I was intrigued, by the story, the characters, the medieval
setting, the sense of adventure and suspense, and of course, the
romance itself. From that moment, I was hooked and became an
avid reader of historical romance novels.
I thought how wonderful it would be to write
such stories, but felt that was out of my reach. Other people
wrote books. Not me. A couple of years later, I enrolled in a
six week freelance writing course, one night a week, at the
local evening college; but as the course progressed, I realised
freelance writing of the kind proposed, wasn’t what I wanted
to do. One evening, the teacher spoke briefly about romance
novels - bodice rippers she called them - and in general, she
was more than a little derisive about romance writing. But the
more she spoke about writing romance, the more my interest grew.
A few days after that, I was browsing through
an old Womens' Weekly which I’d borrowed from the
library for an assignment and came across an article by
multi-published romance author, Valerie Parv. A similar article
by Valerie also appeared in an English writers’ magazine which
I’d bought about the same time. Again I considered writing
romance, latching onto the idea that the articles were a sign
this was the direction my writing was meant to take. Nothing
else appealed as much, and I did enjoy reading romance novels. I
decided that writing historical romance wasn’t for me and that’s
when I turned to the category romance books.
I wasn’t in the least deterred by the fact
that Valerie’s articles mentioned that, at that time, Mills
and Boon received about 5000-6000 submissions per year, and
accepted only a handful of new writers per year, if any.
 So
I wrote my first book, A Perfect Stranger, with no idea of what I was about and sent off the
whole manuscript to Mills and Boon. Of course they rejected it
which was a bit disappointing at the time, but perfectly
understandable. That novel is still tucked away in a box. On a
positive note, I knew I could at least finish a book and set
about writing the next one - Sapphire Summer, which has
just been released by Treble Heart Books.
Of course, the manuscript had many revisions before my initial
submission to Treble Hearts.
How did becoming a writer change your
life?
When I wrote
A Perfect Stranger, I was
a writer in isolation. My greatest wish was to be able to
discuss writing with other writers, share my thoughts and
feelings about writing romance. I needed advice, wondered if I
was doing things right. I’ve realised since then there’s no
right or wrong way. My aim was to prove to myself I could finish
the book, so I soldiered on, feeling a great sense of
achievement on completing the manuscript. A few months later, I
discovered the online Romance Writers List - RWL. The group had
been running about a year at that time and I found the posts on
writing tips most helpful. There was so much I didn’t know, so
much to learn! Not long after that, I joined an online critique
group and that proved to be a wonderful training ground. While
writing that first book, I had an idea brewing for another
story, but it was a year or two before I got around to writing A
Time for Love, the first of my books to be accepted. The
book was released as an ebook in March 1999 by New Concepts
Publishing and has
recently become available in print.
Writing provided me with the opportunity to do
something for me; it was and still is a challenge, and one which
I enjoy; and there’s always something to learn. I wanted my
family to take my writing as seriously as I did. I wasn't
writing solely for the fun of it. All along, my goal was to be
published, that writing romance wasn’t going to be just a
hobby to dabble in when I felt like it. And I believed that if I
put in the time and effort to learn the craft of romance
writing, that eventually I would be published. After all, as a
mature age student, I'd juggled university study with the birth
of three babies. But that's another story. Another life.
Joining the online writers' lists changed my
life, opened up the world in more ways than one, gave me access
to up-to-date information about overseas markets, editor
expectations and all those other aspects of writing that I
wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. I discovered there was
such a thing as Point of View. Now that was a tricky aspect to
grasp. My life changed as I made new friends across the world. I
had to post my work for comment - that was a huge step outside
my comfort zone.
In the process of learning, I forged some
lasting friendships and the online groups proved to be a very
pleasant experience. However, I still felt isolated, a world
away from the real action. That sense of frustration did fade
eventually as online facilities expanded. Today, there are a
wide variety of lists to choose from. When I joined RWL, the
only other list that I’d heard of at the time was RRL - the
Romance Readers List. I’m not sure if it’s still around.
How did becoming a published author change
your life?
I had to think about self promotion, look for
opportunities to promote my books. This is hard for me. I’m
not an outgoing person. However, I’ve come out of my shell to
a certain extent. Being published is good for the self esteem.
It’s an affirmation that my books are publishable. It’s a
good thing to remember that a rejection by one publisher doesn’t
necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your writing or
its style, only that it’s not right for that particular
publisher. It’s worth giving other publishers a try.
What is your philosophy of writing,
i.e. do you believe anyone can write, be taught to write, or
does it take innate talent or something else?
Some people seem to have a natural flair for
telling a story to a group of people. Others are better at
putting words on paper than telling a story orally. Everyone has
strengths in different fields, some have to work harder at
achieving a goal than others. If a person wants to write, is
willing to learn the craft, applies herself/himself to the task,
strives to improve and sticks with it, that person can achieve.
A healthy dose of determination, dedication and discipline will
go a long way to helping an author to achieve set goals.
Do you have a favorite book, and what is
it?
More favourite authors than books. It depends
on what I feel like reading. Even then it’s hard to nominate a
favourite author or book, I like so many. Barbara Erskine is a
favourite, particularly her Lady of Hay and Kingdom of
Shadows. Oh, then there’s On the Edge of Darkness
and Midnight is a Lonely Place, for chilling suspense.
Elizabeth Chadwick writes wonderful historicals too. Her
settings are so vivid. At present I'm reading a historical
regency romance, Heart of the Diamond, from Lionhearted,
by talented new author, Carrie Brock.
Sandra Marton is one of my favourite Harlequin
Mills and Boon authors. Her characters really come alive for me
and step right off the page. However, I find myself moving away
from reading category romance. Recently I've discovered Judith
McNaught and re-read one of Tami Hoag’s romantic suspense
novels. I intend to read more novels by both authors. Sandra
Brown is another favourite. I also enjoyed Sandy Curtis’ Dance
with the Devil and am looking forward to reading Black
Ice. And for the occasional change from romance, I enjoy
reading the multi-layered mystery fiction novels by Elizabeth
George. I like books that leave me feeling satisfied, where I’ve
enjoyed the characters as well as the story; I prefer a novel
that stirs my emotions, makes me feel for the characters and
what might happen to them, a novel that leaves me feeling
enthusiastic, charged and inspired to work on my own story
ideas.
 On rethinking your question, if you mean do I
have a favourite book out of those I’ve written, then I
suppose I have a special attachment to A Sense of Duty, a re-release - new this month from DiskUs Publishing, one of my books set
in Scotland. I’d decided to set my story in Braemar after I’d
visited there, and was fortunate enough to go back a few months
later to get more of a feel for the setting. A Traditional
Affair, (DiskUs) also set in Scotland, features a more
stubborn hero that I usually write. During the writing of the
book, Galen was very demanding. A Traditional Affair was
my first attempt at writing a novel solely in the heroine’s
point of view. I prefer to read and write dual view point.
All of my stories are special to me for any
number of reasons. Take Desperate and Dateless (DiskUs)
for instance. It’s a light, romantic comedy though does have
some serious moments. I hadn’t attempted writing light romance
and wrote this story for a bit of fun. It seemed like the right
thing to do at the time. The concept was based on the Desperate
and Dateless ball which is held in capital cities in Australia
each year, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross. I saw a
leaflet advertising the ball in the bank one day, and picked it
up, thinking that there had to be a story in there somewhere. I
had been toying around with another idea and decided to merge
that one with the ideas generated from the leaflet and Desperate
and Dateless was the result.
What has been your best experience
since you've become published -- other than the original
notice of a sale?
A couple of years ago, I was invited to join
an authors' panel at the Australian Chapter of Romance Writers
of America conference in Warnambool. I suppose it’s all part
of believing in yourself and your abilities. However, it was a
very special feeling to receive the public recognition,
acknowledgment and acceptance as a published author.
If you like, are you willing to share your
worst experience?
I guess I’ve been lucky as, so far,
everything has been positive and I don't recall any unpleasant
experiences.
Where do you gain inspiration, not
ideas, but the inspiration to sit down with a computer or
pen and start creating?
Writing becomes a way of life, particularly if
you consider writing as a career and not a hobby. I work full
time and don’t write as often as I’d like, but when I’m
out and about, I’m often in writer mode, scanning for ideas
which might fit my characters or the story I’m working on at
the time, or something I’ll hear or see might suggest a new
story idea. I enjoy the challenge of writing, of weaving story
and characters. The desire is there to strengthen and improve my
writing, to write longer books, to broaden my skills, to have my
work accepted from a variety of publishers. That need to
succeed, to progress, to perfect and maybe one day earn a living
from writing, keeps me hooked. At the moment, I feel like I’m
adding strings to my bow by accepting opportunities to write
other things. I've written a short story to specific
requirements for Dream Lover Fantasies
in the UK and short stories for anthologies with a particular
theme. One of the anthologies, Crumbs in the Keyboard, Courageous Women
Juggling Life and Writing, will be released in June by
Echelon Press. At the
moment, as well as juggling study and work, I’m trying to
finish my tenth novel, and am working on an article about a
particular hero type for a new e-zine.
Anything else you would like to share?
Some thoughts for new writers maybe? Reading
all the 'how to' books won't make you a writer, won't in itself,
get you published. You have to get in there and do it. Write,
write some more, and keep on writing and submitting your work.
Don't give up when it all seems too hard. Because there will be
times when you wonder if it's worth it, you seem to be going
nowhere. Times when the rejections get you down. Why, you'll
wonder, do you bother with it all?
Remember: don’t lose sight of your goal,
take your writing seriously, don’t treat it as a hobby; know
your markets and focus on where you want to go. Remember the
three D’s: Dedication, Discipline, and Determination.
They will get you closer to your goal. Your turn will
come.
In the words of Celia Collier, award winning
author of Scottish historical romances, “The only difference
between being unpublished and published is a day.”
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