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 When Mills and Boon Sexy senior editor Tessa Shapcott contracted THE ITALIAN
GROOM three years ago, American writer Jane Porter became the first new author
acquired by the hugely popular line in years. With six M&B books (plus several
special projects) already on the shelves, the personable RITA-nominee and rising
star of romance will be a keynote speaker and workshop presenter at RWA’s 2003
Passion In Paradise conference on The Gold Coast. Jane spoke to RWA member
Bronwyn Jameson for Hearts Talk.
It may seem as though you arrived on the scene in a rush of bells and
whistles but there was a lot of hard work, yes? What is the Jane Porter
pre-publication story?
Rush of bells and whistles, hmm, I like the sound of that, very old
Hollywood, but tragically, not even close to the truth. I was one of those who
really struggled to sell -- took me over 13 years of writing and submitting --
before I got that first sale. In that time I wrote 10 manuscripts, earned a
Masters degree in Writing, sold numerous magazine articles, but couldn’t find
the right home for my voice. It was pretty dang miserable. By the end of those
thirteen years I was battling for confidence. The writing actually hurt. Write
one word, hate myself, write another word, delete twenty. I didn’t know why I
wasn’t selling. I didn’t know why I couldn’t get “it” right.
What was the most important lesson from those “apprenticeship” years?
If you want to succeed at anything, you can’t give up. You have to keep trying…which in this case, means keep writing. The only way one improves at anything is
by doing it -- over and over, again and again. And of course, I learned that
writing isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes courage to write… courage to lay
it all out on the page for everyone to see.
As the first new author to sell to Mills & Boon Sexy in many years, your books
were intensely studied and spotlighted – did you feel extra pressure from this?
Initially I was stunned by Romantic Times’ harsh reviews. Those first three
reviews really hurt, but Tessa Shapcott assured me I was delivering what she
wanted to see from me -- and told me my books were selling wonderfully -- so I
tried to ignore the critics, which wasn’t all that hard after a while since I’m
a lone wolf. I don’t agree with peer pressure, and I don’t like following a
pack, so ultimately it wasn’t that hard to plug my ears, put on blinders, and
focus on my voice, my work, and my deadlines. Looking back, I think the pressure
was good. It made me understand that this is my career, and my success (or
failure) hinged on… me. I could only be as good as I wanted to be. I could only succeed if I was willing to take risks. And
the only thing limiting me was my attitude -- and that, happily, is within my
control.
What do you enjoy about writing for Mills & Boon Sexy? What is it about Jane
Porter’s writing/stories/voice that suits the line?
I love the scope of the Sexy line. I love the sense of drama, the passion, the
intensity. I love that I can be really emotional and can just lay all the hopes
and wants and dreams out there and not be shy about what we want as women… or
what we need as people. I also love how the editors at HM&B really let an
author’s voice shine through. I don’t want to sound like anyone else and my
editors don’t line edit me to death. They let my stories be my stories and I’m
grateful to them for that.
Your heroes are mega-alpha – what is it about those guys that makes them such
perfect romance heroes? What do you like about writing them?
You know, I never really thought my heroes were all that alpha. I just wrote men
the way I’ve known them. I come from a very strong family. My mother’s father,
and her two brothers, make some of my heroes look like milk-toast, and then
there’s my husband, Joe, who is an honest-to-God miracle man. I think he
survived his terrible accident by sheer will alone. So the heroes in my first
three books were all rather “real” -- inspired by real men, and real cultures --
and it worked at one level. My first three books sold very well, but this is
business, and I knew that I could pick up even more readers if I could deliver a
more heroic hero, one that answered the fantasy wish-fulfilment needs (i.e. to
be taken care of, to be cherished, to be respected, to be truly desired, etc).
My first real change in style came while writing book 4, IN DANTE’S DEBT. I was
trying hard to make Dante behave. My heroes had never been particularly
civilized before and I felt like I was sending Dante to emotional boot camp… he
kept wanting to be bad, but I wouldn’t let him, and eventually all that pent up
badness became Lazaro, the angry half-brother bent on revenge in book #5
LAZARO’S REVENGE. So yes, Lazaro is a bit of a throw back to my cave men heroes,
but women love the challenge of taming the beast… and maybe that’s the rest of
the fantasy… we love strong men, but we need to know we have control, too.
Your latest release, THE SECRETARY’S SEDUCTION, has a different, lighter touch
than your earlier books – is that a new direction or just one of several you are
exploring?
Okay, you’re finding out all my secrets. :-) I didn’t consciously decide to make
it lighter (or that different) from my previous books. I just wrote the story
the way it came to me. LAZARO’S REVENGE was quite dark and intense and when I
finished that manuscript, I felt the need to write something more playful, and
Morgan and Winnie were born. But their story wasn’t easy for me to write. I
really struggled with the whole boss/secretary thing because I was a
secretary/administrative assistant right out of college and it felt odd to me to
write about a boss/secretary relationship becoming romantic. I couldn’t seem to
find the right “note”-- and the story flip-flopped, light, heavy, light, heavy,
until finally around chapter six (I wrote 20 versions of chapter six!!) I
realised that the story was a fairy tale, not a morality tale, and that
realisation changed the book for the better. It let me create softer, more
fantasy-based characters who wanted -- needed -- a happy ending.
Tell us about your average writing day, if there is any such animal. How do you
balance writing with a young family?
I write pretty much Monday to Friday, half days when I just start a book, and
all day/all night the last two-three weeks before a book is due. Most of my
books are written in six to eight weeks after I agonize for four weeks wondering
what in God’s name am I going to say this time. I do need long breaks after I
turn in a book just to cuddle with the kids. I miss them so much when I’m on a
deadline and love my long weekends and evenings when I can just sit and read and
play with them. I am not a fast writer. I struggle. And pace. And panic. But I
don’t give up. I just keep sitting back down and forcing myself to get the words
out, and eventually the words do come.
You do a fabulous job with promotion -- how important is this to a category
writer? How do you balance the creative part of your job with the
business / promotional side?
Promotion is part of business. I was lucky to have had one half of my family be
in education, and the other in business, because it showed me that we need
diversity in our world and no two people are alike. And I do like promotion
because I can tap my old marketing skills where I designed and implemented
programs, built relationships with customers, and worked to ensure customer
satisfaction. Having that background makes me understand how important
booksellers and readers are -- they’re my customer base. I care about their
needs, and if I can improve on customer satisfaction, I want to. In terms of
promo and category writers… well, that’s a personal call.
Personally, I cannot not promote my books. It’d be like designing a great new product and then not
telling anyone it’s out there on the market. And balancing promo and writing
isn’t as hard as it sounds, either. I find business writing is a welcome break
from creative writing.
Set the scene where you write -- do you prefer organisation or clutter? A dark
corner or a garden view? Music or silence?
I need music! In the morning I write at my desk, facing the garden, (or rain, as
is the case in Seattle), and in the afternoon I hit a coffee shop with my CD
player, Alpha Smart and a cup of coffee and usually do another five to seven
pages while I sip my latte. My afternoon writing is my favourite time of the
day. I like getting out of the house, playing my music really loud (with
headphones on) and just escaping. During my afternoon writing I don’t edit at
all and just go for it. Lots of it is garbage, but now and then I get some
really good, intense stuff. But the fun thing is not editing and not being
critical, and just enjoying the words as they come.
In what ways has your life changed since you’ve become a published author? How
has it stayed the same?
The biggest change is that I have less free time since selling to HM&B. In the
last two years I’ve written at least four books a year for Harlequin and it’s
kept me really busy. I haven’t given up on the idea of having one more baby,
either, so I’ll need to make some changes if we do try for another little
Porter-Gaskins in the next year. What’s remained the same? The desire to write.
Oh, and the insecurity. I don’t think that ever totally goes away. :-)
Are you an avid reader? If so, who are some of your favourites? Have any
influenced your writing?
I love reading historical romances. I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Laurens. I also
love Christine Feehan. She’s fantastic. In terms of contemporary books, I buy
all the British chick lit I can by authors like Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella.
I’m not so sure about American chick lit. I don’t think it has the same snappy,
droll feel.
In terms of category romance, the Australian HM&B authors were also
a huge influence on me before I sold. I loved Emma Darcy, Susan Napier, Helen
Bianchin, Lindsay Armstrong (among others!) for years. Their stories and voices
were so dynamic and original -- as well as emotionally satisfying. I still look
for that in books today. I need stories to touch my heart. And it doesn’t hurt
if they have a sexy edge, too.
Reading aside, how else do you like to relax? What re-charges your
creativity?
I travel as much as I can. Getting away my desk breathes new life into me. I
also go to the movies, theatre and concerts whenever possible. When Joe and I go
to New York, we take in tons of Broadway shows. Lots of my “good” ideas have
come from seeing a movie or listening to a Broadway tune.
What are your upcoming releases? What are you working on right now?
I’ve just finished the fourth book in the Galván Brides mini-series for Sexy
(THE SPANIARD’S PASSION), and am about to start a three book Princess Bride
trilogy for HM&B. I’ve also agreed to write my first Blaze this year, so that’s
where I’m headed for 2003 but I’m playing with a chick lit-type of book in my
(ahem) free time.
Where do you see your writing career five years from now?
Probably still writing for HM&B, and beginning to focus on my single title
career. I’d love to write for MIRA in the next five years, but if MIRA’s not
ready, I’d look at other houses. We’ll just have to see how the market shapes up
and editorial support goes. I love my editors at HM&B -- but I know I’ve longer,
more complex stories in me and it’s a matter of finding the right home for the
stories I’m wanting to tell.
Many Hearts Talk readers will be attending our Passion in Paradise conference.
What do you hope they will take home from your workshop?
I’ll be giving several workshops in August and each one’s a bit different, but
in each workshop I’ll be encouraging authors to write from the heart, to believe
in one’s vision, and to be true to one’s voice. I’ll also advocate patience. And
growing a thick skin. I love what I do… but it’s not always smooth sailing.
Writing to sell can certainly be anxiety producing!
Finally, a last piece of advice for aspiring authors. What do you think grabs an
editor’s attention?
Honesty. Truth. I write as true as I can -- as honestly as I can. If a writer is
going to put words to paper, make them strong. Make them mean something. I’d
rather write a story that rocks the boat then write something that doesn’t get
noticed at all. Editors are looking for “fresh”. What is fresh? Words that stir
the heart and create powerful pictures in the mind. Don’t be afraid to be
yourself on paper. There’s only one you. No one views life like you do. Tell a
story your way. It’ll be original. Guaranteed.
Visit 2002 RITA (TM) nominated Jane Porter at her website,
and don’t miss her Friday workshop at Passion In Paradise on The Gold Coast in
August. |
