What A Girl Wants

I was tidying up the office the other day and I found a box that had gone on holidays with us and I had dumped it in my office. It contained a note book from my summer holiday where I had scribbled down some story ideas for “The Surgeon’s Surprise Family”, along with pictures from a couple of magazines. 

At the bottom, next to some batteries, was a scummy bit of paper with blue writng on it. I remember my teenage son coming back from the beach saying, ‘I found this and you might find it useful.’ (bless him!)

As I read the scrawl of (and I am guessing here) a 15/16 year old girl I was stunned by how she had written down what every woman wants and what every ROMANCE AUTHOR puts into her hero.

Here is the double sided list…. Has strength, is gentle, has integrity, is trustworthy, is flexible, has spontaneity, is patient, is reliable, is loyal, has initiative,  is honest.  And on the other side she’d written ..dark hair, olive skin, sense of humour, funny, has respect for self and others, knows himself, comfortable in his own skin, jenerous (sic) giving, we understand each other.

And isn’t this the perfect Hero list? Now for some pictures to match this list head over to Nicola Marsh’s blog

Over The Hump

You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t blogged all that much about my current story. This has mostly been because I have been stressing a LOT about it. The idea seemed good but I couldn’t’start it. I never start books well but this one seemed particulary hard. This book has a big ’secret’ and I have never written a secret story before. You can’t reveal too much too soon and that has caused me a lot of angst. But I hit chapter seven last week and now this story is steaming ahead and I am really enjoying writing it.  Words are (for me) pouring out and I’ve started to sleep at night again rather than waking up at 4am in a hot sweat of panic.

So right now I am plunging Flynn, here, into his worst nightmare. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it

AWOL

I have revisions, two meetings, a play to see, laundry to do, packing for a week at the snow, cooking for a week at the snow, car overhaul for a week at the snow and it all has to happen by days end Saturday.

I’m not coping so this is why the blog has been vacant.

Leaving you with some pretty pictures to fill the gap while I quietly or not-so-quietly go mad.

Getting into Character

It’s cold and I’ve spent the weekend getting around in my jeans, my Aaron jumper and my RM Williams boots.

Every time I pull on my books I find myself thinking about Emily, the heroine of my current book. Raised on a sheep and cattle station in north central NSW, the Australian outback, she can muster cattle, drench sheep and shoot pool with the best of them. Raised by a father and four brothers, she hasn’t really had a lot of time to be a girly-girl or even been allowed to be one. She found being ‘one of the lads’ was the easiest way to get by. But life is getting complicated now she’s met Linton. She’s always been everyone’s mate but being Linton’s friend is causing her a lot of grief.

Putting on my boots helps me get into the groove of writing outback books. It is so very cold here today though that perhaps I should think about writing a Sheik book and turn the heater up to 38C! and warm up

Warragurra’s Reluctant Groom

Many authors adore starting a new book. Words fly from their fingers in excitement as a story pours forth. Is that how I start a new book? Oh, how I wish!

No, new stories for me start slowly as I try to get to know my characters. Right now, Emily and Linton are revealing themselves at a snail’s pace but I am pleased to say chapter one is written. Whew! This book will be a tough write not only because all books are tough but added into the mix between now and the deadline date is three weeks school holidays which includes a trip to Darwin ), my and the boy’s birthdays AND RWA Aust conference. So it must be a chapter a week and at the start of a book, that is tough for me.

I have slowly come around to the idea of collages and here are images to inspire me to write Warragurra’s Reluctant Groom.

Australian Romantic Book of the Year (R*BY)

I am so very excited to announce that Her Miracle Baby…my snow book, is a finalist in the short book section of the Australian Romantic Book of the Year award! (R*BY)

It was officially announced yesterday but three weeks ago all the finalists were asked for photos and to sit on the news until yesterday. It almost killed me!

There are six books nominated in the short book category and four of them happen to be Medicals which is super exciting!

The full list is SHORT ROMANCE
Marion Lennox The Doctor’s Proposal

Marion Lennox Rescue at Cradle Lake

Yvonne Lindsay The Boss’s Christmas Seduction

Fiona Lowe Her Miracle Baby

Carol Marinelli Needed: Full Time Father

Anne Oliver Behind Closed Doors

Long Romance

Karina Bliss Mr Imperfect

Fran Cusworth The Love Child

Anna Jacobs Bright Day Dawning

Anna Jacobs The Corrigan Legacy

Helen Kirkman A Fragile Trust

Margaret Way The Horseman

I have read a lot of these books and it is an honour to be recognised by readers and to be listed among them. Congratulations to all the finalists!

Finished!

  

The WIP has electronically winged its way to the UK. I finally finished her and she came in over 50,000 words, my longest book ever. But then again, it was my biggest ‘cast’ ever and all the ends had to be tied up.

To celebrate, I popped a cork, had Chinese Food and cuddled up on the couch to watch The Devil Wears Prada All very enjoyable.

So no work for me this weekend. Yippeee!!!

The Book That Won’t End

Wedding in Warragurra refuses to end! I keep thinking it is over and something else happens and now my final chapter has turned into the penultimate chapter.

I entered the deadline book cave on Sunday saying, ‘today I will finish the book.’  Nope.No way. Then DS2 came home from school with a note. Staff PD for two days. Add in a public holiday tomorrow and bam he is home for FIVE DAYS. I love him dearly but home for five days with a deadline,  I am going spare.

I dream of the deadline cave,  if only I was allowed to get into it!!  I have dreamed the ending of this book, I have talked the ending of this book and in my head i’s written.  But my editor isn’t going to be impressed when she can’t actually read the words! Emily and Linton from my next book are starting to say, ‘ditch Kate and Baden, it’s our turn now.’

So role on Wednesday. DH can take DS2 to the movies and I will finish the book.  I will, honest…I better or my sanity could be in question.

Hey, I heard that!