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This
month [December 2002] we celebrate with New Zealand author, Nalini Singh on her
very first acceptance. In 1998, Nalini placed second in the Emma
Darcy Award, and has consistently finalled in RWNZ’s Clendon
(winning the Reader’s Trophy and the Jane Porter award for
highest placing M&B). Coaxing the Shiekh was a 2001
Clendon finalist and has been renamed Desert Warrior.
Firstly congratulations on your recent acceptance by
Silhouette books for their Desire line. You must be over the
moon. Tell us about "the call".
I'm
not only over the moon; I'm way over on the other side of the
galaxy. 'The Call' came on a Friday morning the day before my
birthday - talk about a birthday present! I then had to go to
work and pretend to concentrate for a whole day (was not very
successful).
What motivated you to write this particular story and why do
you think it attracted such strong interest from the editorial
department in New York?
I
can't tell you why I wrote this story other than to say it was
inside me and kept knocking to get out. Obviously, I'm very new
so I have so much to learn about what editors in NY like but
personally, I could always see a passion in this story that was
very powerful. It came from the heart and I think that intensity
translated onto the page. I cried when I wrote parts of it and
it wasn’t a story I could stop writing.
You’ve submitted to Harlequin Mills & Boon Presents in
the past. When did you realise you were writing for
Desire?
Um...when
I got accepted? I'm just kidding. I started to aim for
Silhouette in NY rather than M&B in London because I enjoyed
the Desires and Romances that were coming out, more than the new
M&Bs. I felt my stories were closer to the American lines.
You’ve done really well in the Clendon and the Emma Darcy
Award in the past few years. What drives you to write and how
much time do you spend writing?
I’ve
always wanted to be a writer. Always. So, the drive has been
there from a very early age. I wrote through high school,
through University and after starting work - it is my passion.
I'm quite ruthless about cutting out things that take time from
my writing - thankfully for me, my friends all understand and
don't abuse me too much when I miss yet another dinner. Hours
wise, I guess I get in 10-20 hours a week, though I can push
well past that sometimes.
Do
ideas for stories come easily to you?
The
characters come to me with just a hint of their story and then I
work at them to get the story out. I find that working from the
character up provides me with the best ideas – what drives my
hero to act as he does? Why does the heroine react in a
particular way?
Are you a ‘seat of the pants’ writer, or a plotter?
Seat
of the pants. I don't write from start to finish either. I've
been known to write the last chapter before the first.
When you do this do you find that knowing where your story
will ultimately end helps you to get there faster?
If
I have a scene in my head, then I want to get it down, even
thought it's not in sequence. It might be the start, the middle
or the end, depending on the story.
Do you find that the last chapter then changes in the writing
of the body?
I
love writing a powerful scene and then working towards it - it
makes me think about why the character would act that way,
what's led up to that point? Of course if I have written such a
scene (whether it's the last chapter or not) like everything
else, I'll change it (if needed) as I write more of the story.
Which writers most influenced your writing, or at least your
desire to write?
Every
word I've ever read has influenced me. Some a great deal, some
not so much, but all of them have strengthened my love of story
and of writing.
What was the best advice you ever received, and what advice
would you give to a wanna-be author?
I’ve
received so many tips from so many generous people that I
hesitate to pick one out, but I think one of the most powerful
was to just always believe in my writing. I don’t remember who
said that to me first or even if only one person said it, but it
was and is, a powerful message. That’s what I’d say to
anyone who wants to be an author – believe in your story and
yourself. Don’t let anyone undermine that belief.
Will you be writing under your own name?
Yup.
When can we see Desert Warrior on the shelves and what
can readers expect from you in the future?
I
haven't got a firm release date yet but it may possibly be as
early as August next year. In the future - lots of wonderful
stories!
Thank you, Nalini. I’m sure I speak for all down-under
romance writers and readers when I wish you all the very best
for a long and successful writing career.
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