sarahantz

A New Home

2007-03-18T09:14:00.000+12:00

I have moved. If you're not automatically redirected to my blog, you can find me at my new website.

www.sarahantz.com

See you there!

Cover Love

2007-03-17T08:57:00.000+13:00

I'm very excited because I've just seen the mock-up for my cover. And I love it. And as one of the witches said to me 'you've got everything you wanted'. Which is true. So watch this space, because soon I'll be able to post it.

Pick 'n Mix

2007-03-13T16:37:00.000+13:00

This is a bit of everything blog:

I heard from my web designer today and we're aiming to go live with my new site at the end of the week. WOO HOOOOOO I'm so excited. Because in my mind it means my book is nearer to being pubbed. And I'll have a new blog (one that behaves, I hope).

What else.... oh yes we've just booked a weeks holiday in Fiji. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about that too. Running a motel takes up your time 24/7 and by the time we go we won't have had a single day off in 7 months. I hope we miss the rains, but even if we do get some rain it will be hot and sunny... picture me on the golden sands, reading, not having to answer the phone, being able to go to the bathroom without having to stop mid-flow because the phone or door bell rings (tma? Sorry).

Fellow witch Amanda will be arriving in NZ from UK in about a month. Check out her blog for pics of her leaving party.

At the weekend I'm going to Palmerston North (about 2 hours drive away) to have a farewell lunch with writing friend Abby Gaines (she's moving back to Auckland) and my bf Kate (fab writer who hopefully will sell very soon).

Check out the new blog Teen Fiction Cafe. Twelve Young Adult authors (including me) have got together to blog about all things teen related. It's so cool to be with these authors.

Ummmm.... anything else.... I'm writing up a storm on my latest book Dating The Megan Russell Way.... ok, ok before any of my CPs chip in.... I'm writing up a drizzle...

Oh yes, American Idol... omg... we're a couple of weeks behind USA. I just hope the public vote off the right people, because if they do are we in for one helluva contest....

That's it for now. Anyone got any news to share.....

Presenting...... Yvonne Eve Walus

2007-03-12T07:32:00.000+13:00

It gives me great pleasure to present New Zealand author Yvonne Eve Walus.

Please will you tell us about your latest book
My latest published books are both murder mysteries: "Murder @ Work" (Echelon Press 2004) and "Murder @ A Little Bead Shop" (Echelon Press 2006).

How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I wrote my first rhyming poem when I was 4, and my first proper short story at 10. It wasn't something I'd set out to do: words would just come to me when I was bored and I'd write them down (ok, when I was 4 my parents wrote them down for me). My biggest problem was and always has always been ideas: whenever a teacher suggested I might like to become a writer when I grow up, I'd panic: "But I have nothing to write about!!!"

Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?
I approached many agents with my first book "The butler did it" (unpublished, and I can now see why). Most of them never bothered to reply, or sent a standard rejection slip. One agent was kind enough to read the book twice before telling me exactly why she couldn't see herself selling it to a publisher. Meanwhile, though, my second book, "Murder @ Work", was doing the rounds and what was then a small press USA publisher picked it out from the slush pile. Of course, Echelon Press had grown heaps since then, but they take submissions directly from their existing authors, so I still don't have an agent.

Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
One night, shortly after my son was born, I was looking at the budget to figure out how to cope on a single income. Then the phone rang: a kind person from Australia wanted to tell me in person that I'd won their short story competition. I was ecstatic, particularly as I barely even remembered having entered. So I opened my records to check exactly which story I had sent in... and discovered that the prize was $1000! It may not sound like a lot to J. K. Rowling, but it made a difference to me.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read Mat Coward's hilarious book "Success... and how to avoid it". It tells you exactly why you shouldn't give up your day job.

Can you tell us about what you're working on now and what books are coming out in the future? Look out for "Atlantic Pacific Indian - The Three Oceans" (a collection of contemporary short stories) and "S3X Lies and Here Be Dragons" (a collection of science fiction short stories), both from Pipers' Ash in the UK. They should appear on Amazon within the next few weeks and they are already on the publisher's website (http://www.supamasu.com/durham.html).

Bio: I live in New Zealand and am a published author of over 100 short stories, 5 short story anthologies, 2 novels and 2 novellas. Please feel free to visit my website on http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/index.html.

Thanks for the interview, Yvonne it's been awesome.

Presenting..... Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2007-03-04T12:02:00.000+13:00

My latest interview is with the fabulous Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I can't wait to get my hands on her new book Tattoo, I just know I'm going to love it.

Please will you tell us about your latest book?

My latest release is TATTOO, a teen novel that blends supernatural adventure with a contemporary high school setting. When four friends apply the temporary tattoos they bought at the mall, they each receive a psychic power and must use their powers- and their friendship- to stop an ancient evil from attacking their school dance. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

How long have you been writing and what made you start?

I’ve been writing for pretty much as long as I can remember, but until my senior year of high school, I had this habit of writing the first twenty pages of a book and then moving onto a new one the second I got a fresh idea. My senior year, I finished my first book-length work (a middle grade spy novel), which NOBODY will ever be allowed to read. After that, I discovered that finishing a book is even more addicting than starting one, so I just kept writing, and eventually, I wrote Golden (my first published book), the summer I was nineteen.

Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?

I actually didn’t have much of an agent hunt. Golden was the seventh book I wrote and the first I sold, and for the three and a half years prior to selling Golden, I spent most of my time sending queries to publishers. By my fifth and sixth books, I’d managed to get requests from five or six houses- many of them closed- and at that point, when I was handling submissions with a bunch of different editors, a good friend suggested that I really needed an agent so that I could spend less time worrying about the business end of things, and more time writing. Since I was doing pretty well on my own, I wanted to be very careful about submitting to agents, to ensure that I found the perfect fit, and eventually, I decided on submitting to my agent, because she came very highly recommended. I sent her a query, sample chapters, and an index of my works (which started with the fifth book I’d written, since by then, I’d permanently shelved the first four). The agent wrote back and requested three of my books- two of which were already in requested at a variety of houses, and one of which nobody had ever seen. The latter was Golden, and after revising it with my agent, I ended up signing with her. She submitted Golden, and it sold in just under three weeks. My agent has been fabulous, but I’m glad I didn’t try to start out in this business by submitting to agents. If I’d submitted to her any earlier, I wouldn’t have been ready, and she probably wouldn’t have signed me.

Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?

I was in baby lab (the infant cognition lab at Yale), in a meeting with a graduate student, talking about one of the child cognition experiments we were running, when my cell phone rang. It was one of those things where my heart started pounded the moment I heard the ring tone, and after I checked caller ID and saw the 310 area code, I quickly excused myself from the meeting, walked out of the room, and took the call from my agent that Delacorte had made an offer. There was a ton of shrieking involved before I went back to my meeting.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

I have two pieces of advice I usually give people. The first is targeted specifically to teens, but I think it works for everybody, and that’s this: if you want to be a writer, there are three things you need to do: read, write, and do stuff that’s not reading or writing. Sometimes- especially since now is kind of the heyday of young authors- it’s easy for teens to get really wrapped up in pursuing writing as a career, and I think it’s easy for people, especially young people, to forget that if you’re not out there DOING stuff and living your life, pretty soon, you won’t have anything to write about. This is something I have to remind myself about all the time! And the second piece of advice is for writers who are already at the stage in their careers when they’re submitting, and it’s basically the writerly version of don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Write a project, let it sit, revise it, tear it apart, and then some, but at the same time, once you’ve made a piece all it can be, don’t be afraid to move on, and don’t feel like the first book you write HAS to be the first you publish. Sometimes, it takes a few tries (*cough* seven cough cough) to get things right.

Can you tell us about what you're working on now and what books are coming out in the future?

Right now, I’m working on the sequel to TATTOO, which will be out in the Fall of 2008. Between then and now, I have three more YA releases: PLATINUM (which is the sequel to my first book, GOLDEN, told from the POV of the school’s Queen Bee, who just happens to be developing a supernatural power that involves hot ghost boys), and the first two books in a new series about a group of teenage secret agents whose secret is that they’re their school’s varsity cheerleading squad. I like to think of it as “Charlie’s Angels” meets “Bring It On.” PLATINUM will be out this September, and THE SQUAD and THE SQUAD: KILLER SPIRIT will both be out in early 2008.

Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed. It's been such a pleasure.

BIO: A Native Oklahoman, Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a recent graduate of Yale University, where she studied cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought). Jennifer is a 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholar in the United Kingdom, where she is currently doing autism research at Cambridge University. She wrote her first book, Golden, when she was a teenager and wrote several others - including Tattoo- while still in college. Her next book, Platinum (a sequel to Golden), will be released in September of 2007. You can visit Jen on the web at http://www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com.

Are we there yet????

2007-03-02T14:14:00.000+13:00

Yes.... I'm just in the process of finalising the design of my new website with Emily my fab web designer... and I'm so excited. I can't wait to have it up and running. I've written the blurb for each page... and will no doubt want to change it... but that's ok because I can update the site myself.

And my blog will be part of it, so I'm not sure what happens to this one, I guess it gets redirected (too complicated for me to think about).

So... watch this space for a web announcement.....

Presenting..... Nalini Singh

2007-02-25T08:10:00.000+13:00

I couldn't believe my luck when award winning, best-selling author Nalini Singh agreed to be interviewed. And checkout her cover...wow

Please can you tell us about your latest book?

Visions of Heat is my second paranormal, and is set in the same world as Slave to Sensation, a world of Psy who have amazing mental talents but no emotions, humans, and changelings (who can shapeshift into different animal forms). Visions of Heat focuses on an Faith, an F-Psy who can see the future, and Vaughn, a jaguar changeling brought up among leopards.

Faith has been trained to see business visions, but suddenly she's seeing blood and murder. The emotions these visions arouse—emotions which are forbidden to the Psy on threat of having their minds wiped and their personalities destroyed,—have her thinking she's going insane. In desperation, she reaches for help from the only people who haven't bowed down to the Psy Council: the changelings. But what she finds in Vaughn is a changeling whose animal is very close to the skin. He's less civilized than his brethren and less willing to pretend to be civlized.

How long have you been writing, and what made you start?

I've been writing forever, seriously writing toward publication for ten years I'd say. What made me start is probably what makes any writer start – the urge to tell my own stories, to write things I wanted to read about but couldn't find. Or maybe it was the magic of story itself. I love the act of writing, of losing myself in the worlds of my imagination.

Many people spend a long time searching for an agent. Can you tell us about your agent hunt?

I was a little unusual in that I'd already published several bestselling books with Sil Desire by the time I decided to search for an agent. I was also unusual because I had a complete single title manuscript ready to go (Slave to Sensation). I actually signed with the first agency I queried, which was the agency at the top of my list.

Before you all start sending me hate mail *grin* I want to say that before I sent out a single query, I spent a lot of time doing my homework. I knew exactly which agencies were representing which authors. That way, I knew what agent/agency might be a fit for me and vice versa – that homework stacked the odds in my favor and now I'm delighted to be with Nephele Tempest of the Knight Agency.

Everyone loves a good call story. What was yours?

Oh mine's a goodie. To make up for my lack of agent-hunting pain, I'll tell you that I had a whole stack of rejections before I sold. I even had one of those infamous copied-too-many times form letters the size of a compliments slip. With Desert Warrior, my first sale, I'd already racked up more than one rejection. But each rejection was for a slightly different book because I was trying to figure out where it fit.

I loved the Sil Desire line but didn't initially submit to it because at that time, the guidelines said American heroines and my heroine was a New Zealander. But, I had had a couple of very nice rejections (with personal comments!) from an editor (Diane Dietz) at Sil Romance, so I took a chance and sent Desert Warrior to her. I got a two page revision letter back saying something along the lines of, this is definitely not a Romance…but you know, it might be a Desire. I hyperventilated, did the revisions and sent them off.

The call came the day before my 25^th birthday. I was sitting at the breakfast table, about to eat cereal when the phone rang. Because of the NY/New Zealand time difference, I knew it was an editor. The rest of that day is a blur of happiness and cake (birthday cake turned celebration cake!).

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Write. Just write. Studying other writers, going to classes, all that is good – everyone should try to develop their skills – but in the end, to learn to write, you must write and write consistently.

Can you tell us what you're working on now and what books will be out in the future?

I'm currently working on book 4 of the Psy/Changeling series. In the near future, I have Caressed By Ice coming out in September, which has an icy and incredibly sexy Psy hero. Then in October, I have a novella in an anthology called An Enchanted Season (the fabulous Maggie Shayne is also one of the contributing authors!).

Thank you so much, Nalini. It's been a great pleasure. If anyone has any questions to for Nalini please put them in the comments section.

BIO

Born on the island of Fiji and raised in beautiful New Zealand, former lawyer Nalini Singh has traveled as far afield as the deserts of China and the plains of Inner Mongolia. Yet, much as she loves traveling to new and exciting places, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her the most. She's delighted to be able to share this journey with her readers. You can find out more about Nalini, her books and her travels by visiting her website (http://www.nalinisingh.com).

So.... what do you know???

2007-02-23T08:47:00.000+13:00

The sky is blue, the sun is shining and I'm in love..... with an inanimate object.

I want... need.... am craving for.... one of those small laptops that's about 10" by 8". I've no idea how much they are... but I've got to have one. It could slip in my purse. I could go online anywhere there's a wireless network, and I'd be able to write in the garden or where I please.

I've got a laptop but the battery is dead and it has to be plugged in. Plus, it's heavy.

I don't want an Alphie because it won't suit the way I write - I edit as I go - I've tried it the other way and it just doesn't work.

See what I mean..... it's a necessity. I wonder if someone will buy it for my birthday (July 18, if that someone is you - I guess you'll be wanting my postal address).

What about you? Is there anything you're totally desperate for?

Presenting...... Melissa James

2007-02-18T07:43:00.000+13:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my latest interview is with Australian author Melissa James.

Please will you tell us about your latest book?
Outback Baby Miracle began as a story requested by readers of my first book - Her Galahad; Duncan's story. Unfortunately it didn't sell there - but when I pitched a similar story to Romance, they loved it. It's the story about a man who feels responsible for the deaths of his wife and child, and the woman who doesn't know the meaning of the word "distance". Her pregnancy forces him to come close; her giving heart and soul make him yearn to be more - a better man. It was a very emotional journey for me, as my beloved critique partner Maryanne suddenly passed away in the middle of writing it, and the grief overwhelmed me. My dear friend, and now critique partner, Rachel helped me through, as well as my other dear friends.

How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I started in 1991, when my husband brought home an article on romance writers and encouraged me to try it. I was soon hooked! It was kind of surreal, really.

Many people spend a long time finding an agent. Can you tell us about your agent hunt?
Through a friend's recommendation one agent offered representation, and I was about to sign with them when I got an email. I'd finalled in the Romance Junkies contest and the final judge, Deidre Knight, asked me for the rest of the book, she loved it that much. I emailed the agent I was in negotiations with, and let her know what was happening (she'd said historicals weren't her thing, and if I found an agent who loved them, quickly, I had her blessing). I sent the full to Deidre and she offered representation 3 days later. It was totally amazing and a bit intimidating, really, but I feel I made the right decision. Deidre and I mesh well personally and professionally! She's fantastic to work with.

Everyone loves a good call story. Can you tell us yours?
My call story...hmmm. I won the RWNZ Clendon Award in 2000 with a book then called Dark Knight, and Leslie Wainger asked for revisions to buy it for Intimate Moments. I did them, sent it in, got an agent in the interim and he called me on Dec 1, 2000. I danced around the house with my mother while my then agent was still on the phone! He told my former editor, who was quite sad - her dream is to get someone who doesn't care about being cool and professional when she calls. :-))))

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Don't be the next so-and-so who's already at the top of her game - be yourself, the best YOU that you can be, and don't be afraid to write something others say won't sell. I think about 27 people said that about Her Galahad...:-)))

Can you tell us what you're working on now and what books you have coming out in the future?
I've sent in 3 ideas to my editor in London via my agent, and in the meantime I'm working on revisions to my historical - it's a Georgian historical set in 1803, just before the resumption of war. It's the first in a series I'm planning, about the spies that risked their lives to save England from Napoleon's planned invasion, and the men and women who bring them to their knees.

Thank you so much, Melissa, for sparing the time to be interviewed. I really appreciate it.

Melissa James is a born-and-bred Sydneysider now living about an hour north of the city with her husband and three kids, in a small bayside suburb not far from some of the best beaches in the country. She started writing when her husband brought home an article on what a local romance author earned and she thought, “I can do that!” 7 years and 2 genre-switching attempts later she returned to romance, won the Romance Writers of New Zealand’s Clendon Award in 2000, picked up an agent and within three months got her first call, selling to Intimate Moments (now Silhouette Romantic Suspense). Two years later, feeling tired of dark stories, she re-wrote a goofy comedy she had on file, sent it in and sold to Silhouette Romance. It was the best career move of her life. From that her career changed direction to Mills & Boon/Harlequin Romance, writing deeply emotional stories, and she’s never been happier. A full-time writer, she spends her days working out character motivations and the unusual storylines that are her byword at Romance. In between times, she’s writing dark, lush, sexy historical romances set in the pre-war days of Georgian England, about a group of spies who give their all to save their country from Bonaparte’s coming invasion. Jumping genres and time zones suits her frustrated time-travel nature perfectly!

Morning or night.....

2007-02-17T08:41:00.000+13:00

What's your preference?

I'm an absolute morning person. I get up early (usually by 5.45 - but I've been awake longer) and I'm bright and cheerful and drive all my night time (don't talk to me until at least 10am) friends crazy.

And it dawned on me the other day, while talking to someone on the other side of the world who was working through the night, that I've never pulled an all nighter (not counting partying, obviously).

Even when studying for exams at Uni, I would get up and start at 7am, work through until 7pm (with lots of breaks) and then relax. Whereas, some of my friends wouldn't get up and start work until 2pm and work until 2 the following morning. Arrggh, the thought of it sends shivers up and down my spine.

I guess it helps that I don't need a lot of sleep. I probably average about 5 hours a night (unfortunately not all in one go, as I never sleep right through).

So, what about you - what's your best time of day?

Yes...... it's happened again

2007-02-12T19:23:00.000+13:00

What is it about me, that every few weeks I get tagged. This time, my very good friend and crit partner, Amanda, has tagged me to write 10 quirky things/facts/strange facts about myself, then tag 10 friends. Okay... here goes:

1. Despite having owned a dishwasher for over fifteen years, I still get a flutter of excitement when I open it and see everything is clean and sparkling (I'm writing this thinking omg what a weirdo!!!).

2. I regularly put something on the hob to cook, forget about it and go out (in fact I did this again today when I went out for a blood test).

3. When I was 13 during sewing lessons, I finished what I was making and said to the teacher: 'What shall I make next?' and she said to me: 'Bring a book and don't waste your parents money'.

4. Both times I was pregnant I ate 3 kingsize Mars Bars a day (and I don't even like Mars Bars).

5. I said my first word when I was 6 months (hello was the word) and I haven't stopped talking since!

6. My sporting claim to fame was beating the best tennis player in the school (and she also played for the county). The fact that I only won because of her errors, and not my skill, has nothing to do with it.

7. I have danced on the West End stage at the London Palladium - okay... I'll own up, I was on a tour of the theatre and we were allowed on the stage!

8. I stopped swearing in front of the children when my daughter at age 18 months sat up in her cot and said: 'for fuck's sake'.

9. I am such a list freak that I add things to my list after I've done them just so I cross them off.

10. I'm still trying to think of another one.... I'll update later - Desperate Housewives is just about to start

UPDATE

I still haven't thought of a number 10..... I also forgot to tag anyone.... rather than name names I'll let you decide, but don't forget to tell me.....

Presenting..... Bev Katz Rosenbaum

2007-02-10T09:58:00.000+13:00

I was so excited when Bev agreed to be interviewed. I think the premise for her book is awesome..... and isn't the cover to die for???

Please tell us about your latest book:

I Was a Teenage Pospicle features Floe Ryan, a cryonically preserved Venice Beach teen and the first human to be 'thawed', who is forced to go live with her younger (now older) sister. (Payback's a beyotch.) It's a super-fun (IMHO!) mix of sci-fi, teen chick lit, romantic comedy and action adventure. (Re the latter: Floe has to keep the cryonics center, where her parents are still, um, chilling, from being shut down.)

How long have you been writing and what made you start?

I've always written stories, just never thought real people could write for a living. So I didn't--until I worked as an editor at a publishing house and saw that writers were real people. I began to think, Hey, maybe I should give it a shot...

Many people spend a long time finding an agent. Can you tell us about your agent hunt?

I'd had a couple of romance novels published without an agent, but I wanted to submit my YA novels through an agent. I got my first agent fairly quickly--probably too quickly. Didn't do enough research. I'm on my second agent now. Even after I Was a Teenage Popsicle was published, it wasn't easy. I only approached four, though. This time I did a lot of research and had a short list. My current agent is one of the four who were on that list. (The other three liked my writing but turned me down anyway! Gotta love this business...)

Everyone loves a good call story. What was yours?

When my first romance novel was published, I was still working as an editor, so it wasn't a call, it was a knock on my office door! I remember practically floating home. There's something really special about getting that first book deal. After my second romance novel was published, in 2004, I decided I really wanted to concentrate on YA, my true love. I had never worked with YA books, so there was a big learning curve. When I got the call from my first agent, with his offer of representation, I was thrilled. I was starting over, and it was great to know a YA specialist thought he could sell my book!

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Don't give up after a few rejections. Even multi-published authors get ideas and books rejected. (You just don't hear about this--it's all about the spin, baby!)

Can you tell us about what you're working on now and what books are coming out in the future?

Right now I'm slammed with revisions on Beyond Cool, which is due to be released in August of this year. I'm waiting to hear from Berkley about another book, also a funny (light) paranormal, and I'm also working on a proposal for a tween series.

Thank you so much, Bev, for taking the time to be interviewed. It's been such a pleasure.

Bio:

Bev Katz Rosenbaum is the author of I Was a Teenage Popsicle and the upcoming Beyond Cool. A former fiction and magazine editor, Bev hopes to channel her inner sixteen-year-old for many years to come. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

Please visit Bev at her web site, www.bevkatzrosenbaum.com, or her myspace page, www.myspace.com/bevkatzrosenbaum.

Thought for the day....

2007-02-09T08:26:00.000+13:00

What goes around, comes around.

Or does it?

And do we really want it to?

Okay, enough philosophical thought, it's not good for me.

Except.... I got to thinking, after going through 18 months when we've been screwed in separate instances by both our lawyer and accountant (or should I say ex-lawyer and ex-accountant), and consoling myself with the view that 'what goes around comes around', do I really believe that and what exactly do I want to happen?

If the saying is true, then I don't think you can be discerning when it comes to specifying what 'comes around'. As much as I feel nothing but bad thoughts for our ex-accountant, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him and his family - like serious illness. So, what do I want to happen??? A bit of financial hardship, maybe.... losing his clients..... but then that impacts on his family.... see what I mean?

Then, of course, there is the nagging thought at the back of my mind... what did we do that meant things like this 'came around' to us? Well, I can't think of anything....

So.... what do you think? Truth in the saying, or something we say to make ourselves feel better?

And while we're on deep thinking..... I have a theory about glass half full/empty and trust... but I'll save that for another post... I need to lie down in a darkened room and allow my intellect to recover from over exertion.

Presenting..... Abby Gaines

2007-02-02T16:50:00.000+13:00

It gives me great pleasure to introduce this weeks author, Abby Gaines. I have just finished her debut book Whose Lie Is It Anyway, and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a totally fab read, and kept me glued to my seat.

Tell us about your latest book 'Whose Lie Is It Anyway?'

The heroine, Holly, is a squeaky-clean accountant who's accused of fraud and is forced to take a job working for Jared, a man who'll break every rule in the book. They're total opposites, both very strong-willed, and both live by their own codes of honor - which gives plenty of scope for humor in the story. it's a fun read, but I like to think there's also quite a lot of emotional depth! The book is published by Harlequin Superromance (Mills & Boon Superromance in Aus/NZ), and is available now.

How long have you been writing and what made you start?

I've been writing, um (counting on fingers), nearly six and a half years. Yikes! Actually, I wrote my first romance novel when I was a teenager. I sent it to Mills & Boon, where I imagine some poor assistant editor probably died laughing at my efforts. Years later, after I had my first child, I began working as a freelance business journalist. After a while I started to think about other ways to use my writing abilities, and remembered my former love of romance novels. I went to a romance conference, bought the how-to books, and started from there.

Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?

I queried a lot of agents after I finished my first book, and had a little bit of interest...but no actual offer of representation. Every so often I tried again with my favored few, to no avail. They I struck gold - an offer of representation from a junior agent at a top agency. I was over the moon!

Sadly, I realized in less than a year that the situation wasn't working. I think the agent and I just didn't click in terms of our expectations. I ended the relationship, and although it left me agentless, felt very relieved. Since then, I've found that most of the writers I've talked to have felt that for whatever reason they made the wrong choice with their first agent, and it took a second go to get it right. The same applied to me. When I had an offer of publication from Superromance, I emailed five agents to see if they were interested. Two weren't, one was but it became clear she wouldn't have time to respond within my timeframe, and I began discussions with the other two. I quickly settled on my final choice, we both made our expectations clear, and it's working very well.

Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?

I'd had revisions requested from Superromance, and I'd submitted those and was waiting with great hope...I felt as if I was getting encouraging noises from the editorial team. Then I finaled in the Golden Heart, so I emailed the editor to tell her the good news. That was on the weekend, so I was hopeful I'd get The Call early the next week...some might say foolishly optimistic...

On Monday, my 10-year-old daughter asked me, "When do you think you'll sell a book?" My usual answer to this question was either "I don't know" or "Probably never". But this time said, "I think it'll be this week." Well...it wasn't.

But the next week, the phone rang about 6:30pm Monday New York time, and my brain automatically calculated it couldn't possibly be an editor calling...but...it was!

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Never believe that you can't write anything better than the book you've just finished, because you can - you'll be amazed by how much better you'll get, if you're willing to work at it. Which brings me to my next point: never, ever, ever give up.

Can you tell us about what you're working on now and what books are coming out in the future?

I have another Superromance out in April (USA and Aus/NZ), called Married by Mistake. It's about a bride who's jilted on a reality TV show, and an unexpected groom steps in...

In May, my first release from Harlequin NASCAR, Back on Track, is out in the USA, and it should be in NZ a month or two later. That's a fun book about a charming, playboy NASCAR driver and the sport psychologist who's hired to whip him into shape out on the track. She gets into his head and his heart way more than he ever wanted...

Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed, Abby. I know you're going to have a long and successful career.

Abby Gaines writes funny, tender romances for Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin NASCAR. She sold her first book in 2006, after nearly six years of trying...it really was a dream come true. www.abbygaines.com

Tagged.....

2007-02-02T10:16:00.000+13:00

Alyssa, tagged me. And, of course, I couldn't refuse even though it's a weird one!!!

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Sara

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first three letters of your name, plus izzle)
Sarzzle.

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three of your last)
Shan.

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Pink Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, Street you live on):
Dani Havelock

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom’s maiden name)
Hansajaf

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (favorite color, favorite drink)
Pink Ginger

8. YOUR STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/body spray)
Dior

9. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle name)
Mryna Martin

Anyone else feel like taking the challenge?

This is a test.....

2007-01-30T09:26:00.000+13:00

Hands up all of you who remember the movie 'Angels With Dirty Faces' . I'll give you a clue, it had James Cagney in it.

I can't believe that everyone I asked yesterday didn't know it (guys as well as girls). It might be an old black and white movie, and clearly made before I was born... but even so.... it's a classic.

The reason this came up was because I was saying about how his character was bad but he redeemed himself in the end.... and I won't say how, just yet.

Of course, I guess no one will remember him in Yankee Doodle Dandy. Did you know he was rated a better dancer than Fred Astaire?

Smile please.......

2007-01-29T15:58:00.000+13:00

Today was a tad on the traumatic side. Because, today I had my author pics taken. I'd sort of planned in advance what to wear, but when it came to it I wasn't sure, so a few minutes before leaving I took something else with me.... and lucky I did because they were the best shots.

I had a detailed brief regarding what was required... head and shoulders, neutral background, no hands.... and then details about the size and other technical things that luckily the photographer understood. They also suggested a professional hair and make-up job.... but I didn't want to risk it.

He took over 50 shots and I needed three to send to my editor. Well, it took longer choosing than it did taking them. Finally, we came up with these three:

I wanted to load this one for my blogger pic, but for some reason I can't:

Presenting........ Erica Orloff

2007-01-26T07:19:00.000+13:00

This is the first in a series of author interviews I'm planning. And what better way to start than with the superbly talented and highly prolific Erica Orloff, who also writes young adult fiction as Liza Conrad. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I was when Erica agreed to the interview. I love her adult and young adult fiction. Her books are always a 'must buy' for me. So, here goes:

Please will you tell us about your latest book:
The Poker Diaries, which I wrote under my YA pen name Liza Conrad, is about Tallulah "Lulu" King, a 15-year-old girl who lives between two worlds--her mother's on Central Park West, wealthy, cultured, and her father's in Hell's Kitchen, where she plays illegal back room poker in her grandfather's bar. When she is blackmailed into playing a high-stakes game, the streetsmart Lulu may, for the first time, be in over her head.

How long have you been writing, and what made you start?
I've been writing since the second grade, I think. Basically since I could conceive of short stories. When I was 21, I formed a writers' group, and continue to be in one today, and I worked as a book editor and ghostwriter for a while--and then came into my own as a novelist four years ago. I've always wanted to write. It's just a part of me. I don't think I can NOT write.

Many people spend a long time searching for an agent. What was your agent hunt like?
It was more like an agent accident. I didn't hunt. I was consulting for a publishing house at the BEA in L.A. and was standing next to another booth, and an agent. We chatted and I was so impressed by his inherent class and decency in a business that has its share of divas and difficult people. We kept in touch--Christmas cards. Then in a calamity-filled weekend when I was traveling, I ran into him in New Jersey of all places, at a conference. And by then I had finished my quirky little novel, Spanish Disco. I off-handedly asked if he would read it. He did . . . and I had a deal within three months at Red Dress Ink. I know. Kind of sickening.

Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
Well, I really am so in awe of people who never give up despite years of rejection, so I always feel like people want to throw things at me when they hear mine. Basically, I found my agent through serendipity, and then he sent out Spanish Disco to a couple of big houses and was getting really great feedback--except everyone was a little leery of a pill-popping, tequila-swilling b-word of a heroine. But one editor said, "I wish I could buy something so edgy, but I can't--my list plays it safe. But send it to my friend at Red Dress Ink." My editor read it in a weekend and bought it--so I sold my first novel in just a short time--and how amazing is that for an editor at one house to insist my agent send it to her friend at another house? When I did get the actual "call," I have to say, I was numb for three days.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Hone your craft. As an editor, I have read a lot of manuscripts that truly weren't ready--they were so far from ready that I knew these writers were going to get a lot of rejection. And yet the aspiring writers behind them loved writing and clearly poured their hearts into their work, but I felt like they should take a writing class, join a writers' group, go to some conferences . . . Then, when you are ready, never give up. Ever.

What are you working on at the moment and what books you have coming out in the future?
I am knee-deep in a trilogy, writing as Erica Orloff, for Nocturne, the paranormal romance line. My first stand-alone Nocturne comes out February 1st and is called BLOOD SON. And, like all working novelists, I'm honing a couple of proposals and always writing!

Thank you so much, Erica. It's been a pleasure interviewing you.

Bio:
Erica Orloff (writing as Liza Conrad) is a writer living in Virginia with her family and insane assortment of pets, including a python that she really doesn't like but her son loves. She's multi-published across several genres from romantic comedies to suspense to YA. In her ridiculously little free time, she hunts for Buddha statues for her collection, knits very lopsided scarves, and plays poker while drinking martinis.Visit her at www.ericaorloff.com.

Yay, for me!!!!

2007-01-23T13:45:00.000+13:00

I'm sooooooo excited because today I signed with uber-agent Rachel Vater. I've been a fan of hers since forever, and am totally addicted to her blog. And I just know she's going to do great things for my writing career.

Other news..... you want other news??? Okay... American Idol is starting on Friday (much sooner than I'd anticipated). And I'm going to be running a series of author interviews with people whose books are coming out this year.

Where there's a will........

2007-01-21T07:44:00.000+13:00

If you've been reading my blog you'll know about my continual battle with Blogger.... not any more, honey!!!!

I've cracked it..... and quite by accident. When I was having problems staying in chats I was taking part in Diana suggested I use a different browser instead of Internet Explorer. So, I now have Firefox. And what do you know.... I can get into dashboard with very little difficulty. Yay, for me!

I'm still getting kicked out of chats, but a small price to pay...

What else to report???? Not a lot. Though I may have a little bit of news soon. I also have to confess to not keeping all my hundreds of resolutions. Blogging twice a week seems to have passed me by, as has walking 5 times a week. But I am writing at least 5 times a week - though my CPs are taking issue with the times it only amounts to a sentence. Buy, hey... did I mention quantity???? I don't think so.

What about your resolutions..... are you still keeping to them????

Btw... TV is looking good these days. Ugly Betty has just started and I LOVE it. House is coming back, as is Greys and Desperate Housewives ... and I'm desperately waiting for American Idol - that won't be for a while but the best thing for me is it's on 5 days a week (Mon-Fri) at 5.30pm...

How was it for you?

2007-01-11T08:15:00.006+13:00

Something that really fascinates me is how I can read the same book or see the same movie as someone else and have a totally different reaction.

And this reaction can be extreme, to say the least. And I don't just mean the difference between guys and girls. I understand perfectly that a chick flick or chick lit might not be so enjoyable to guys. But between girls. And girls who are my friends.

So, it got me thinking. What is it about a book that makes me love it? That makes me want to pick it up every hour of the day, at the expense of everything else - much to the annoyance of my family.

Is it just the characters? I don't think so. As much as I relate to characters.... clearly, otherwise there would be no incentive to see what happens to them... it's plot. I love action. I like my books fast paced, with elements that keep me guessing, and lots of different things happening. And I hate description... I always flick past those pages. In fact if there's too much won't continue reading.

Movies, it's more balanced. I have to love the characters, but I still want the action. If I take my favourite movie 'Love Actually'. Definitely character driven, but so much more. There's always something happening. And they cut away from the action just at the right time, so I'm left wondering for a while what's going to happen next. And, of course, let's not forget the emotional pull of a movie like this. The characters make you laugh, cry, angry, frustrated.....

How about you. What is it about a book/movie that gets you hooked?

Quick, before they move the goalposts again..

2007-01-09T16:44:00.000+13:00

All day I have been trying to get into my blogger dashboard. First of all, I could get in but this blog totally disappeared and all I could get was a group blog I'm part of. Then later, I couldn't get in at all... and that was the situation ALL DAY. Then, suddenly I did a test post on my friend's blog and then I tried to get back on and I could........

Does blogger not realise I have better things to do with my day? That I have resolutions to keep, one of which is to blog twice a week????

While we're talking resultions, how are mine going? Well, so far so good. Okay, some of them might have fallen by the wayside (not forever, just for the moment), but the important ones I'm more or less sticking to. And because I've scheduled monthly reviews on my calendar then it will remind me what I'm meant to be doing. Well, that's the plan....

Oh no, not again...

2007-01-08T09:05:00.000+13:00

I was celebrating my daughter's birthday with her at the weekend and she commented about my 'stupid genes'. Excuse me. Stupid. Me? Hadn't I spent all her formative years explaining why you never call people stupid???

Okay, so occasionally I might do silly things. In fact there's one thing I do with monotonous regularity and, you guessed it, I did it again at the weekend.

I stopped at McDonalds to use the bathroom. Being desperate to go, I charged in, quickly scanned the room and thought this doesn't seem familiar (this is one of my regular stops, so I know it well), then suddenly realised I was in the men's. I made a hasty exit and went into the, more familiar, women's. Lucky for me there was no one in there.

I have barged into the men's bathroom and seen men standing there before, but the worst time must be about ten years ago.

I was at college and went into the bathroom. It was empty and I remember fleetingly thinking it strange there was only one cubicle, but it didn't deter me. Anyway, after I'd finished, I picked up my bag, unlocked the door and walked into a room of guys. OMG it's the sort of stuff nightmares are made of. So, I did the only thing I could... put my head down, held on tightly to the bag on my shoulder, pushed my way through and shot out of the door.

And in case you're wondering, no I didn't stop to wash my hands......

How about you? Tell me some embarrassing things you've done.

Bring it on.......

2007-01-02T09:14:00.000+13:00

New year.... new resolutions.... and new blogger!

I accepted the invite to move to Beta Blogger.... like I dare do anything else after the last time!

I love the start of a new year. I'm full of good intentions and have a list of resolutions that I've actually written down and will monitor as the year progresses.

And so far, day two, everything is going to plan. I did some writing (yay, for me), did some exercise, and after day one of the diet lost 2 pounds (yes, I know you shouldn't weigh yourself every day, but I can't help myself... I get withdrawal symptoms if I don't step on the scales in the morning).

And talking of withdrawal, it's been nearly 4 weeks without diet coke... and I don't miss it. Okay, I'm probably the supermarket's biggest customer of Light Ginger Beer and Zero Sprite now, but it's not DC. The one thing putting me off drinking DC again is the week long headache I endured after stopping. OMG I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

So, here's to a great 2007. One of my resolutions is to blog twice a week.... see, something else I'm sticking to....

Happy Holidays

2006-12-23T08:41:00.000+13:00

I'm shamelessly copying my fellow witch Amanda and using my last post of the year to say have a very happy holiday - eat and drink lots of yummy things, and don't worry about the clothes which no longer fasten until way into the new year.

Thanks to everyone who drops by and posts. This year has been totally fab..... selling my first book is something I'll never forget.

Here's to 2007 bringing you everything you wish for.

Oh no.... not tagged again..

2006-12-17T16:17:00.000+13:00

Yeah, it's clearly tagging season. Actually, I don't mind. I love reading about people, and tagging is a cool way to do it. So here goes:

Four jobs I've had: retail, bar work, Lecturer, Head of R&D

Four places I've lived: Northampton (UK), London (UK), Palmerston North (NZ), Havelock North (NZ)

Four favorite foods: Chips (fries), Apple Crumble, Marshmallows, Chocolate gingers

Four movies I could watch over and over: Notting Hill, Love Actually, Miss Congeniality, Pretty Woman

Four places I've traveled: Portugal, Hawaii, Israel, Bulgaria

Four places I'd like to visit: New York, New Caledonia, Hollywood, Austria

Four websites I go to daily: All the ones down the side of my blog, VeraKay, Backspace, AbsoluteWrite

Your turn.....

Btw, what do you think about tagging?

What the......

2006-12-13T14:19:00.000+13:00

In its infinite wisdom, Blogger has decided I'm persona non gratis when it comes to being allowed to post comments on other people's blogs. Yesterday, I could. Today, I can't. And what's happened in the intervening time??? How do I know. All I did was turn off the computer....

The only thing I can think of, is it's retribution for ignoring the message to change to Beta Blogger.... Ok... I give in..... I'll do it.....

Well, I would if the invite was still there. But, it seems they've retracted it...... there isn't an invite to be found.......

So, in the meantime.... please don't think I'm ignoring you...... I keep wanting to post on your blog, but unless you allow anonymous posts I can't.......

But, I'll be having the last laugh...... I'm having a new website designed and I'll have an integral blog .... so, HA..... I win!

I nearly forgot, Alyssa has tagged me: My top five christmas songs (in no particular order):

Happy Xmas - John Lennon
All I Want For Christmas (Is You) - Mariah Carey
Do They Know It's Christmas Time - Band Aid
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
White Christmas - Bing Crosby

Over to you Amanda, Christina, Nalini and Swishy

Whatever floats your boat....

2006-12-07T16:46:00.000+13:00

Today, I went to a Naturopath to checkout how my intolerances are doing - for those of you who don't know me I can't eat anything dairy (yes, that does mean chocolate).

Well.... here's me thinking he'll do a few tests, recommend a few supplements... but NO!!!!!! He doesn't want to do any tests yet.... including the hair test, which if you dye your hair has to be done on hair 'down there' OMG gross, or what. He said he won't do anything until I've been on this hypoallergenic diet for 4-6 weeks.... and what I have to avoid absolutely, altogether, no negotiation is.... diet coke and all other fizzy drinks. WTF. And no bananas, pineapple or any sweets and sugar.... YIKES.

I could my feel my face dropping when he said about the DC and I tried to keep a smile plastered on it, but believe me I was ready to bop him one. I sort of got a brief respite when I mentioned I might get headaches if I stop so he said I could cut down gradually. Phew.

So, over the next few days I've got to demolish my sweet supply, dc supply and anything else tempting. Oh and yay, because I'm allowed a whole half a teaspoon of honey (got to be manuka) on my porridge in the morning. I love honey, I eat at least three or four spoonfuls a day, yum.

I am allowed to eat and drink 'normally' over christmas though.....he also tried to convince me that I could eat butter even though I can't drink milk, something to do with the sugars... the jury's out on that one

Divided by a common language...

2006-12-03T17:12:00.001+13:00

I'm a Brit living in New Zealand and writing books for an American publisher.....

And your point is, you may be asking. Well, my point is we all speak English... Or do we????

Moving to NZ meant learning a whole new language. Who knew flip flops were called jandels? Or swimming costumes were now togs. Or trousers, pants.... vests, singlets... sweets, lollies.......

Okay, you get the picture. And of course in America there are a whole host of words that I don't understand, or don't mean the same in the US as they do to me.... I'm sure we all know about 'fanny'.... you don't??? Think front bottom and back bottom hahahahaha (UK it's the front).

I'd love to set some of my books in the USA but it bothers me that it will be obvious I don't come from there. At the moment, I'm setting them in Australia or New Zealand because even though I've only been here for 5 years I'm getting to grips with the style of speech.... courtesy of my children and their friends.

So, what words have you come across that had you stumped when you first heard/read them?

Tagged...

2006-11-30T14:25:00.000+13:00

Maureen has tagged me with the Holiday Get To Know You Questionnaire

So here goes.... 20 questions:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? As I've never tasted egg nog it's definitely hot chocolate.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Are you telling me people put presents under the tree unwrapped?????? Nah...
3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white? Hmmmm, white if I'm trying to be sophisticated.... otherwise lots of gawdy colours.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put your decorations up? Depends on when the kids nag me.
6. What is your favourite holiday dish? Only one????? Stuffing, mince pies, roast potatoes, xmas pudding... okay so that's four, sue me....
7. Favourite holiday memory as a child? Getting up at 4 in the morning and creeping into my brothers bedrooms to wake them up so we could open our pressies, which were at the bottom of our beds in pillow cases.
8. When did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth?????
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? One big glittery mess
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it when I'm inside looking through a window. Dread driving in it.
12. Can you ice skate? No
13. Do you remember your favourite gift? A batmobile with an ejector seat!
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Family getting together
15. What is your favourite holiday dessert? Chocolate biscuit cake, mince pies, apple crumble, xmas pudding..... ooops done it again, I just can't stick to one!
16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? Don't have one.
17. What tops your tree? Fairy.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving.
19. What is your favourite Christmas song? And So This Is Christmas
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Like you need to ask..... yum, of course....

I tag: Amanda, Christina, Alyssa, Erica, Nell... you go girls....

What's the plan, Stan????

2006-11-28T09:44:00.000+13:00

Recently, fab bestselling NZ author Nalini Singh posted about planning blogs, after reading about it on Alison Kent's blog. And it got me thinking that maybe I ought to try it.

Planning certainly suits my anal nature.... as I've mentioned in the past I'm list obsessed. And if I knew, say, that Monday would be about writing, Wednesday about more personal stuff and Friday would be interviewing other authors then not only would I regularly have items to cross off my list, but also I wouldn't have to worry about what to write..... it's not that I don't do spontaneous, I just prefer my spontaneity planned, lol!

So, what do you reckon? Planning blogs.... good or bad thing.....

Btw, Nalini is having a blog party this week and I'm one the participants.... so head on over there. Lots of prizes up for grabs.

You've Gotta Be In To Win....

2006-11-25T17:04:00.000+13:00

So they tell us on the adverts for the NZ lottery - which is now on twice a week.

But just suppose I actually won.... then what..... I must admit I think through this scenario with monotonous regularity.

What would I do with a few million dollars... well, it needs to be about ten million for me to buy the house I want, put some in trust for my children, travel, totally revamp my wardrobe, donate to various charities... you get the picture.

Then what..... I can't do nothing all day long, I'd go totally barking. And though I want to travel I'm also a home bod, so I can't travel all the time.... And then, of course, there's my writing.... with earning not being one of the motivating forces would I still be happy doing it (I think yes, but it's still something to consider).

See, there's a lot to think about. I'm not saying I don't want to win. I do. But it's bound to throw up as many issues as it resolves.

Your turn. What will you do when you win the lottery.....

To diet coke... or not to diet coke???????

2006-11-20T10:10:00.000+13:00

Recently, I've been suffering from an ongoing tummy upset (sorry, TMI, but needs must) and I wondered if it was because of all the diet coke I drink. Not that I did anything about it, initially, other than wonder.

Anyway, yesterday I thought okay this has gone on too long I'll see what happens if I don't drink any. Well, by the time I went to bed I had a splitting headache, which sleep did nothing to relieve.

Ah ah.... withdrawal symptoms... I don't drink coffee, but dc I sometimes drink 3 or 4 600ml bottles of a day (for those of you not on metric, that's the next size up from the small bottle but not the large or the very large).

I've now decided that maybe dh was right and it's a virus - it does seem to be getting better, I'm just getting cramps now (oops... there I go again.... trouble is I do enjoy discussing this sort of thing, as my friends will attest).

So, it's now 10.30am and I've just started my second bottle and the headache has almost gone....

It looks like I've answered my question.... the DC stays!!!!

Some good news......

2006-11-17T09:22:00.000+13:00

I'm sooooooo excited because my editor told me they're bringing forward the publication date for The Second Virginity of Suzy Green. It's now going to be September 2007. So, watch this space for announcements about my cover.....

AND, this new publication date means I might even have some copies to take with me to the RWNZ conference next year. AND it means my fellow witch Amanda Ashby and I will be release buddies. Amanda's book You Had Me At Halo is due out in August. AND she'll be back in NZ by then.... so watch out world.... there's going to be one helluva party in the Northern Hemisphere...... and if a butterfly flapping it's wings can affect what's going on..... well...... I'll leave it to your imagination....

AND..... yes, lots of 'ands' in this post.... my publisher, Flux, is now RWA recognised which means I'll be able to enter the RITAs - which is exciting enough, but even more so because I'm planning to go to the RWA conference in San Fransisco in 2008 when they'll be announcing the winners.

The End of An Era

2006-11-15T07:03:00.000+13:00

My son has provided me with some fab ideas for incidents in my books..... Who knew the staple gun incident was true? Or crashing a friends quad-bike and having to find a way to pay for it? Or breaking his leg on a skiing trip? Or keeping up with school tradition and running naked around the perimeter at 2.30 in the morning? Or dressing up in a bikini for the town's 'round the river' race. Or dressing up in fishnets and a purple glittery tailcoat when performing from the Rocky Horror Show (looks totally fetching on a strapping boy of over 6 foot) .... Or.... Or..... As you can see the list is endless.

But now, school days are over. I went to my last prize giving at the weekend (no, he didn't win any - unlike his older sister, who's his total opposite!). And though in the class the teachers find him extremely difficult (I couldn't begin to tell you the trouble he's been in), outside the class they adore him. In the speeches during house dinner, they all mentioned him - usually with a funny story attached (in fact, staff and boys make things up about him just so they can get a laugh). Women teachers were coming up and hugging him, men teachers shaking his hand. And telling me that he'll have no trouble in the 'big wide world' because of his personality.... Hmmmm.... a few qualifications wouldn't hurt though.... And it got me thinking that if he hadn't been at boarding school they would have had such a different impression of him. And one that would have stayed with them forever.

So, my point is...... not sure I have one really..... except anyone got any funny stories I can use.....

A Step Toooooo Far

2006-11-05T12:00:00.000+13:00

I'm pretty tolerant when the phone goes and on the other end is some poor person trying to sell me something, or survey me about something. It's their job. And a pretty soul destroying one at that, I suspect. So, I always politely say no thank you and would never be rude, or slam the phone down.

BUT.... now... things have gone way too far. On both our business and private lines (they're not discerning) I've been getting calls asking me if I'm interested in a mortgage. Nothing wrong with that, you might be thinking. I agree, if the voice on the end of the phone belongs to a real live person. Oh no, the voice belongs to a recording. OMG has the world gone mad? I can't believe anyone would a) listen to the whole message, b) believe they're talking to a human being, or c) be interested in buying from a recording.

The only thing in it's favour, is that I can swear loud and long down the phone when I get the call - and I get them a couple of times a week - which is somewhat satisfying.

Anyone else been getting these calls? And your response?

Is it me.....

2006-11-01T12:20:00.000+13:00

There are few things more pleasurable to me than spending time in a book store. I can spend hours and hours roaming the shelves. And I have a built-in book store detector, enabling me to spot one from a hundred paces - much to my children's annoyance!

Anyway, when I'm wandering around I really want to be left alone. I hate it if the people working there come up and ask if I need any help. No thank you. And then if they don't take the hint and want to engage me in conversaation. NO. LEAVE ME ALONE I shout (in my head, hahaha, I never actually say anything, I'm so polite it's not funny).

And then if they insist on showing me books... like they know my taste.... I don't think so...... I leave - really disgruntled at my pleasurable experience being cut short.

I seriously believe there should be 'Leave The Customer Alone, Unless They Ask for Help' training for all book store workers (actually that would work for fashion stores too).

What about you? Do you want to be left alone when you're in a book store?

I bet you're all going to tell me that it's my problem......

Opening Lines

2006-10-29T07:36:00.000+13:00

Julie Cohen is challenging people to post the opening paragraphs of their book and comment on how they create character and conflict right away.

So, here goes. This is from The Second Virginity of Suzy Green. I have a prologue that shows how Suzy was in the past, but I decided to start with chapter one.

“Bye Dad,” I say, opening the car door and swinging my legs round to ease myself out.

New state, new school, new start.
New state, new school, new start.
New state, new school, new start.

It really helped when Maddie (aka best friend and person who knows nearly all my innermost secrets) and I were singing it the other night on the phone, but now it’s doing absolutely nothing to quell the nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn’t sleep a wink last night worrying my butt off about today. What if they all hate me and won’t talk to me? I’ll be a right Larry Loner. Or what if everyone there is really weird? I mean, if the uniform is anything to go by I’m in serious trouble. I glance down at my way-too-long green and grey checked skirt, which no-one at my old school would be seen dead in, and shudder. And having to wear a tie really sucks. It feels like I’m choking.

This is a fish out of water story. Having Suzy talk about a new start indicates something's happened in her past. I also wanted to show with this opening that Suzy is an outgoing teen and she's confident in familiar situations, but can lack confidence when she's out of her comfort zone. But she needs to fit in, and will do what it takes.

Anyone else going to take up Julie's challenge?

Reality TV..... love it

2006-10-28T15:15:00.000+13:00

I love reality TV. Always have done. But even I was shocked when I realised how much I do watch at the moment: NZ Idol, 10 years younger in 10 days, Extreme Makeover, Amazing Race, America's Next Top model, Dragon's Den, Strictly Come Dancing.... I think you get the picture, - and that's just the shows which are on at the moment (and I can remember). Every week there seems to be another show to add to the list.

So, what is it that makes Reality TV so compelling? Seeing ordinary people doing extraordinary things? Seeing ordinary people doing dumb things? Seeing ordinary people doing what you'd give anything to do, given the opportunity? For me it's a mixture of all of them.

What do you reckon?

Tagged

2006-10-25T08:26:00.000+13:00

I've just been tagged by Alyssa Goodnight, and have to write 5 interesting or unique things about me.... yikes!!!!

Here goes:

1. As a teenager, on Saturdays and school holidays, I used to work for my father in his shop - he sold children's clothes. On a regular basis I would stand in the shop window like a mannequin (when he was out, obviously) and suddenly move when people were staring in the shop window - it kept me amused for hours!!

2. When I was 6 I broke my leg and had plaster on it from top to bottom. To this day, one of my calves is thinner than the other.

3. As a student I worked in a pub during the holidays. One evening, to celebrate the landlord's birthday, a group of us (including his wife) dressed up and did the can-can for him (yes, we did get totally wasted before doing it). When we bent over at the end, the writing on all our knickers spelt out 'happy birthday' (I was 'bir'). That was the evening I met my dh!!

4. I have such a bad memory, it's not unusual for me to put something on to cook and then go out. I also have no recollection of the time my children were born, how much they weighed, when they cut their first teeth, took their first step etc.

5. I'm such an anal list writer that I put things on my list AFTER I've done them, just so I can cross them off my list!

I tag: Amanda Ashby, Christina Phillips, Erica Orloff, Maureen McGowan and Allison Winn Scotch

We're off on the road to......

2006-10-25T06:55:00.000+13:00

Seriously, I am NOT old enough to remember the Road To films with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby....... (okay, I might have seen them on TV, when they showed old b/w movies...).

Anyway, despite that I keep singing the theme tune, because FINALLY I have started my next ms. (Hands up anyone who's singing too). Those closest to me have been bombarded with different outlines as I try to come up with something that has sufficient hook/plot to sustain it.

I'd really set my heart on writing a YA paranormal mystery, the trouble is I suck at developing the sort of intricacies needed for a mystery. The top and bottom of it is I write 'normal' best. Normal with a twist is good. My new one (that feels good to write) involves a girl who does have an undeveloped gift to see into the future which she tries to harness... but that's as far as it goes.

Are there genres you'd like to write in, but struggle with?

I write because.... um......

2006-10-21T20:12:00.000+13:00

Now here's the thing. I've come across two types of writers. Those who love everything about writing. And those who love writing once they have the finished product in their hot little hands.

Actually... now I'm thinking about it, there are those in between. Those who enjoy the planning and the writing of the first draft. And those (and I'm seriously struggling to empathise here) who love the revision process more than anything.

So when my father asked me today if I enjoyed writing... I said... of course, or I wouldn't do it.

But, whether I enjoy the whole process is debatable. Wherever I am in the process, I'm anxious to get to the next bit because I think I'll enjoy that more. So, when I'm planning I can't wait to write. When I'm writing, I can't wait to get to the end and go through and revise. When I'm revising I can't wait to start my next one.... and so it goes on.

And now I've sold, I can't wait for my cover, and I guess then it will be the publication date, then the royalties.....

I suspect this says more about me than anything else. I'm an impatient, short attention spanned person - a perfect fit for someone wanting a career as a writer, hahahaha.

How do you feel about writing????

The wanderer has returned....

2006-10-17T14:20:00.000+13:00

I'm back, fully revitalised and raring to go...... okay, make that sort of rested and would love a few more days (weeks) in the sunshine!!! Noosa was a totally fab place and our apartment overlooked the beach.... AND we saw two koalas when walking in the National Park. Unfortunately, the kangaroos and dolphins avoided us... but there's always next time. And there most definitely will be a next time.

I even managed to make some notes for my new book - the outline is really taking shape and I can't wait to start writing it.

I have a question for you. When on the plane I got really excited (sad, I know), because on the arrival documentation where it asks occupation I decided that as I've sold I can put writer.... or author. What? In the end I put writer, but dh thought it should be author. What do you reckon?

I'm gonna get on my horse, and get the %$@* out of here.....

2006-10-05T09:03:00.000+13:00

Yes, guys..... in 4 days time I'll be on a plane to the SUNNY, HOT, BLUE SKIES of Noosa, on the East Coast of Australia. And I can't wait. 6 days of doing nothing but reading, sunbathing, walking up and down the beach and eating..... is it any wonder I'm getting the warm fuzzies just thinking about it....

At times, owning a motel is an experience not to wish on your worst enemy. When they say a job is 24/7 this truly is! I could eat my breakfast at 4 in the morning and still get disturbed.

The day starts when we get up, at 5.45, and ends when we go to bed 11pm - apart from when customers try knocking the door down in the middle of the night when they've lost their key, partner, way, marbles......

Having said that, it does give me the chance to write - only because I'm good at writing in five minute bursts and don't mind constant telephone/reception interruptions. And it does give us plenty of laughs - like when this woman came to the door when dh took her breakfast and she'd just got out of the shower and was holding a towel in front of her, not realising that the wardrobe door was open behind her and it had a full length mirror!

Of course, along with the laughs are the times you want to reach for the nearest bucket, but I guess you won't want to hear about some of the disgusting things people do to rooms/towels/bedlinen.....

Anyway, I probably won't have time to blog again before I go, but rest assured I'll be thinking of you all when I'm away (yeah, right). And I look forward to starting on my new ms on my return.... if only I can think of a plot......

Self-deprecation rules ok!

2006-09-28T17:52:00.000+12:00

For as long as I remember I've always been the one to make the quips and crack the one-liners - as my school reports will attest. And it dawned on me recently that a lot of the time the jokes are made at my own expense.

So why do we poke fun at ourselves? Is it a form of self-preservation? If I say it then others won't say it, or think it, behind my back. Or is it because I can say these things without fear of upsetting anyone, because I'm the only one who could take offence?

And what I've also noticed, is that there's always at least one character in my ms with the same trait.....

What about you? Do you regularly give your characters a trait of yours?

Stop the world, I want to get off...

2006-09-26T15:35:00.000+12:00

Or just slow down a bit. This year is disappearing faster than a speeding train. I was minding my own business earlier, when the guy on the radio starts to tell me how many shopping days til christmas. WTF.... that's impossible. Christmas was only yesterday. I know because I've just put away all the wrapping paper and stuff.

Is it an age thing? Is that why time is totally out of control? I remember when a child it would seem forever between one Christmas and the next, or one birthday and the next. And now.... birthdays creep up what seems like monthly. So much so, I've had to instruct the children to start lying about their age, because no way am I old enough to have kids of their age...... that's what I tell them... they just roll their eyes towards the ceiling and mutter something about mum having lost it...

Amanda's Cover

2006-09-23T09:59:00.000+12:00

Check out this cover for Amanda's (great friend and crit partner) debut book:

COOL, or what!!!!

The end is nigh....

2006-09-22T16:59:00.000+12:00

I'm torn between excitement and dismay, at being close to the end of my current ms. It's exciting because it's the culmination of months of work... on the other hand...... I know my characters, I know the setting and it sort of feels safe.

I still haven't decided what to do next... and once I start something new, how do I know I'll fall in love with it... and hate it half way through (which goes without saying)? And what if turns out to be a duff idea, or I can't make a good idea work?

See, it's hard........ and this probably explains why I'm not some intrepid explorer or doing something really adventurous!!!!!

How do you feel when you get to the end of a ms?

Deja Vu..... To You Too

2006-09-20T19:44:00.000+12:00

I'm so excited because on Friday the computer man is coming round with my new computer....... What? Some of you may be saying. You have a new computer. We know that because you told us all about it.

Correct. But my new computer was a duff computer........ Did I break a mirror recently and someone forgot to tell me..... aside over....... My old new computer kept coming up with some very strange error messages regarding the memory. And in the end, after disabling the motel' s broadband and taking out the network cards, to make it a standalone computer, they've established that I need a new one.

So having just got my old new one right, entering all the passwords for all the different groups I belong to blah, blah.... now I've got to do it again...... as if I need another excuse not to get on with my writing.

Hey, ho...... ain't life grand!!!!

You shall go to the ball, Cinders....

2006-09-18T19:20:00.000+12:00

School balls... got to love them. DS had his at the weekend. And, oh joy, parents were invited!! So, we dutifully got a motel minder and took off.

Now, the thing with the ball is that the kids have a great time getting ready; drinking at the pre-pre-ball drinks in their motel room (kids away from their parents); mingling at the pre-ball drinks.... and by the time they get to the actual ball all they are interested in is the after-ball function. Which this year took place at a farm close by and they were taken by coach at 12.30am and dropped back at 5am (security on the door, food provided, DJ ....).

So, not only didn't we see much of DS but at the ball this woman chose to talk AT me for what seemed like hours all about how wonderful her kids were. Now, as a parent, I know what it's like to be proud of ones offspring.... but there are limits.........

Anyway, that's the last ball for us.... phew! DD had hers last year.

Back to reality now...... and to another hot water problem (this time the pump had gone.... )

These things are sent to try us.....

2006-09-09T14:33:00.000+12:00

Without wanting to launch into a poor me pity fest, why is it that if something's going to go wrong, then lots of things decide to go wrong?

These past eighteen months have been trying, to say the least. Not only have we had to move twice, we've also been shafted by a real- estate agent, let down by our lawyer and dumped on from a very great height by our (now-ex) accountant. So, we've sorted it all out...... and today the freakin' hot water tank erupted (lots of water and steam) and we've had to close the motel for the weekend, until the new tank can be delivered on Monday. I spent ages trying to place our guests in other motels.... Arrrrggghhhhhh

Luckily, the hot water for our house is from a different tank, or this would have been a very smelly post!!!

So, rant over. Tomorrow we're going to have a day out in Napier - we'll visit the open-air spa overlooking the beach and then go to lunch at our favourite place, and worry about no income later. I even spent time on the job sites thinking maybe I'll have to get a job (other than doing all the admin/front of house stuff at the motel). I did find one but, really, do I want to go back into the corporate world?????? I don't think so....

Rebel Without A Cause

2006-09-06T15:37:00.000+12:00

Something I was reading on Erica Orloff's blog the other day (don't ask me what because I can't remember) got me thinking about things our parents do or say that we strongly react against, and make a conscious decision not to do when we're older.

The trouble is, doing the total opposite to what our parents did can have it's own problems. As I found out.

I'm the oldest of four children and when we were young my mother would get me to do everything for the others - only 5 years between the four of us, and I'm the only girl. So, in the mornings she'd stay in bed while I got the breakfast. She'd direct traffic from her arm chair - and we'd have to fetch and carry for her (I hope none of my family are reading this. I love my mother dearly, but she's a bit lazy!).

SO.... I resolved not to order my children about in that way. And what happened??? You guessed it. I spent all my time waiting on them hand and foot, not asking them to fetch and carry for me........ Hmmmmmm. Not only that, I NEVER stay in bed, I'm up very early every day (whether I'm working or not) and am always there to wake them up in the mornings (when they're here).

I've also been accused of being too soft with my children, but I don't regret that. I reckon they're kind and compassionate towards others, which is really important to me.

What are you doing that's different from the way you were raised?

The Big 'E'

2006-09-02T07:48:00.000+12:00

For those of you who've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember me flirting, unsuccessfully, with Gym. After only a couple of months my motivation headed south - along with my goal for no wobbly underarms, filled out calves and a flatter tum!

Now I've turned to walking (easier on the back) and I've found a good 40 mins walk that takes me out of the village (they call it village but we live in small town of about 10k people) and back round by the side of the post office so I can collect the mail - perfect!

I was telling my hairdresser of my route, which does have a very tricky hill - well, very tricky for me. She said that when exerting myself I should be able to talk but not sing. So, yesterday I tried it. I was staggering up the hilly bit, legs feeling like cotton wool and gasping for breath.... yet I could sing!!!! As anyone who heard my rendition of Climb Every Mountain (what else) can testify.

I'm aiming to do this walk thing every day - apart from today as I've got to take daughter out.

So, what's your exercise routine...... and why am I one of those people who find it soooo boring? Not the walking - I do love walking in the country or along the beach..... but the other Gym stuff....

The Big Contest

2006-08-27T11:03:00.000+12:00

Check out this totally fab contest, being run by my publisher Flux:

The Big Contest is a contest where readers respond to the following:

Flux and the books we publish are generally about change, particularly the changes that happen when you're a teenager. Now, we're not just talking about "changes" in that blush-inducing 8th-grade health class way. We're interested in all kinds of change, sudden and gradual, physical and emotional, hilarious or tragic.

In 500 words or less, tell us about how change has affected your life.That's a broad topic and it's supposed to be. There aren't any wrong answers, but winning essays will probably be insightful or passionate or ironic or sarcastic or all of the above. Or maybe they'll be something we haven't even anticipated. Extra points if you can explain why it's always the football coach who teaches 8th-grade health class. Contest is open to anyone ages 11-19, one entry per person.

Essays should be pasted into body of an e-mail (no attachments, please) and sent to contests@fluxnow.com. Please note that by entering the contest, you are granting Flux the right to post your entry on our Web site. Five winners will be selected to win a complete set of signed Flux books. Entry deadline is October 11. Winners announced October 23.

Fantasy World

2006-08-24T16:11:00.000+12:00

Suspend disbelief for a few minutes, and think about this............

There's no such thing as writing or being an author or getting pubbed. What will you do with your life? What are your goals?

I've been thinking about this a lot today, and decided that I want to be a Broadway/West End musical star. As for my voice...... well it's pretty fab when I'm in the shower, if I say so myself. Anyway, I'd definitely want to do something creative/musical.

One thing's for sure, I wouldn't have an academic career again.....or management.... in fact, I love that we work for ourselves - even if motel life is pretty full on and I do have a panic attack everytime I look at the bank balance!

RWNZ Conference (Part 2)

2006-08-22T15:33:00.000+12:00

Here are a few more pics:

This is Emily, Ellie and Giovanna at one of the workshops.

Peter Clendon who, along with his wife Barbara, owns NZs best independent bookstore, specialising in romance. Any book you want, Barbara will get. I've never come across such a totally fab bookshop!!! The Clendon's also sponsor NZs top contest - The Clendon aka Finish The Damn Book. Loads of Clendon finalists have gone on to be pubbed.

With Peter is Cassandra (who goes to the Wellington meetings) and I can't remember the name of the guy she's with (sorry). This was taken at the Tickled Pink Cocktail party - did the outfits give you a clue?

Emily and Barb

Joanne and Viv (editor of the NZ mag Heart to Heart)

Giovanna talking to Lisa (one of this year's Clendon finalists). I don't know what Giovanna was saying, but it looks like Lisa's dropped off. LISA WAKE UP!

Here we are again - you can see the effort I went to with the Pink thing - I borrowed a scarf from Em - I did think that my shirt was pink (I still do) until Ellie decided it was beige!

The rest of my photos are too dark. This was meant to be of Ellie as she collected her Founders Award, but I pressed the button just as Yvonne (Yvonne Lindsey - Desire author) moved! To the right of Yvonne is Trish Morey (hi Trish).

Blog Experiment

2006-08-22T15:19:00.000+12:00

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.
$200 Amazon gift certificate
Signed copy of Slave to Sensation
New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh
ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.
SLAVE TO SENSATIONNalini Singh Berkley / September 2006
Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.
Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.
Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.
Excerpt

RWNZ Conference

2006-08-21T17:28:00.000+12:00

I've made it home - a good bit heavier, totally exhausted but motivated.....

The highlights were:

1. Meeting Nalini Singh, who is New Zealand's hottest author. I've been reliably informed her latest book Slave to Sensation totally rocks, and I can't wait to read it. When one of the conference speakers couldn't make it Nalini stepped in and did a fab workshop on writing paranormal. Here we are together:

2. The workshop with Debbie Macomber which was about building your own community. Do you know, she has 50,000 fans on her email list and a staff of three to help her? WOW!!! I picked up loads of tips for promotion.

3. Partying (I mean networking!). Here are some pics:

My roomies, Emily Gee (totally fab author, watch out for her fantasy being pubbed next year by Solaris) and Ellie Huse, who won the prestigious Founders Award for service to the Association - yay, Ellie you so deserved this award for all your hard work.

Deb Challinor, New Zealand's best selling author (and my friend, who always makes me laugh she's so funny - despite looking so serious in this pic) with Aaron. Check out the pink necklace and ear-rings borrowed for the Tickled Pink Cocktail Party.

The girls from Blenheim - looking terribly dignified, but remember this was before the Awards Dinner!!!!

4. Meeting the agent Erin Cartwright Niumata. I wouldn't swap my agent Sara Crowe for the world. But if I was agent hunting at the moment, Erin would definitely be an agent I'd love to have.

So long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehn........

2006-08-16T19:42:00.000+12:00

I'm off to the RWNZ conference. Can't wait. It's a great time to gossip, drink, eat, learn about writing, gossip, drink, eat, network, gossip, drink...........you get the picture.

And this year I'll be going as a pubbed author... I've dreamed of this moment. Sad, I know. But don't we all like to feel special? You don't? You mean it's just me????

And not only have I sold; this year has been unprecedented for the NZ girlies. My roomie has sold her fantasy (yay, Emily Gee.... look out for her, she's a class act when it comes to writing). And there have been so many newbie category sales... I'm going to attempt to name them and hope I don't forget anyone (sorry if I do): Adele, Karina, Tessa, Maxine, Anne...

I will return on Sunday evening and report back.

Btw the 3 pages a day is really working. It's even broken my internet addiction. I still go online, but not quite so obsessively. AND..... I have my new computer

Hot Bond

2006-08-15T17:03:00.000+12:00

I've just been reading Drunk Writers and the discussion is about the new Bond. So I thought I'd post a pic of him....

What do you reckon, Hot Bond or what??

Idea, Idea, My Kingdom for an Idea...

2006-08-13T10:14:00.000+12:00

So, here's the deal. In the grand plan I decided to write both YA and adult books. I thought maybe 2 YAs and 1 adult book a year would be an achieveable target, and still leave time for other things like checking page proofs, promotion, life, blah blah.

But..... I've been reading about how, for the purpose of your career, it's better for a newly pubbed author to concentrate on one genre. Fair enough, I see the sense in that, and as I want to be in the game for the long haul I'm happy to wait a while before doing adult books.

That means I'll be aiming at writing 3 or even 4 YAs a year. Which leads me to the main focus of this blog. 3 or 4 books, means 3 or 4 workable ideas. HELP!

I have an idea for the one after the one I'm currently writing.... and possibily one other. But that's it. In the past ideas have usually popped into my mind when I need them, but that isn't at the rate of 4 a year.

So, any suggestions........

A lesson well learnt

2006-08-09T19:37:00.000+12:00

Once upon a time, in the land of Make Believe, there never existed such things as computer problems. Viruses were just the product of a vivid imagination; the mouse would always work; and the memory was never sated.

Until, one day, there loomed on the horizon Mr I'll Stuff Up Your Computer Quicker Than Look At You. The poor people of Make Believe ran as fast as their legs would carry them. But to no avail. Mr Stuff Up was too quick for them.

Soon broadband wasn't working; the Anti Virus wanted action taking but no-one was able to decipher exactly what needed doing; the memory wouldn't allow important manuscripts to be saved; and all the computer operators went into total meltdown.

The only thing left for the people of Make Believe to do was buy a new computer. So, they pooled all their money, resigned themselves to eating cornflakes at every meal for the next month, and approached the local Computer Guy, hoping for a deal they couldn't refuse.

True to his reputation Mr Computer Guy, came up with the goods. He placated the good people of Make Believe, sent in an emergency order to the fairies in Auckland who make the computers, and promised to set it all up in a week - just in time for the Make Believe writers conference.

And the moral of this story......... when your subscription to Norton runs out and they won't allow you to continue with the product you have because it's out of date, and insist you upgrade, IGNORE them, especially if you have a computer coming up to 5 years old.

All about me

2006-08-06T11:17:00.000+12:00

Yesterday at my writing chapter's meeting we had a lunch to celebrate my sale. Although I don't live in the Wellington area any more I still go to the meetings whenever I can - 3 hour drive each way - because we have such fun and it's great to see my friends; especially Kate, Ellie and Giovanna. The four of us, along with Emily, who no longer goes to Welly meetings, regularly go away for girly writing weekends - lots of goss, drinking, eating and a little bit of writing.

At Wellington, we have a new tradition whereby anyone who has something to celebrate has to wear a tiara. Unfortunately, Kate couldn't find the tiara so decided to bring her wedding veil (from her first wedding, which usually resides in her daughters dressing up box). So here I am complete with veil and Kate.

Here are some more pics. In the first one there's Diane, Kate and Giovanna. The second, it may look like a serious discussion on writing, but checkout the empty bottles on the table. And the third it's Ellie, me and Kate (Ellie looks good, Kate and I look like it's the morning after the night before!)

Websites

2006-08-02T16:17:00.000+12:00

AARRGGGHHHH - okay now I've got that out my system.......

I have a website, but it's not geared to writing YA, more chick-lit. Plus, as much as I love pinks and purples (which it is), I'm sort of over it.

So, I've been looking at websites and website designers. But there is so much to consider, that my head hurts. Do I want to update it myself? Do I want my blog to link? Do I want a custom made site, or one off the shelf? Do I want to sell books or just promote myself? Do I want funky and hip? Colours, layout...... the list is endless.

And let's not forget the author photo.... so, now I've got to get some professional ones done. Which means finding a photographer who isn't too expensive but at the same time has access to good air brushing facilities and can make me look slim, young, wrinkle free and hip - no mean feat!

And if that isn't enough, I've now found a new addiction.... myspace......I love it.

Instead of checking blogs and loops once I've done my 3 pages (yes, I'm still doing it and it's really working out well) I play on myspace... finding songs, backgrounds and stuff.

Any tips on websites before I commit myself?

Contest Promo

2006-07-30T16:28:00.000+12:00

From Lauren Barnholdt's Blog

Introducing....THE REALITY CHICK BUZZ THE BOOK contest!

The PRIZES:
(1) Your choice of either an iPod Shuffle, OR a fifty dollar Amazon.com gift certificate
(2) An autographed copy of REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt
(3) A copy of the August issue of Teen People, which lists REALITY CHICK as a Can't-Miss Pick for August
(4) Free tuition to a session of Lauren's YA writing classTHE CONTEST:

STEP ONE: Simply copy and paste this whole message (including the info about the contest) into any blog, message board, email list, myspace bulletin, or anywhere a lot of people will see it!

REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt is NOW IN STORES!

Going away to college means total independence and freedom. Unless of course your freshman year is taped and televised for all the world to watch. On uncensored cable.

Sweet and normal Ally Cavanaugh is one of five freshpeople shacking upon In the House, a reality show filmed on her college campus. (As if school isn't panic-inducing enough!) The cameras stalk her like paparazzi, but they also capture the fun that is new friends, old crushes, and learning to live on your own.

Sure, the camera adds ten pounds, but with the freshman fifteen a given anyway, who cares? Ally's got bigger issues -- like how her long-distance bf can watch herloopy late-night "episode" with a certain housemate...

Freshman year on film.
It's outrageous.
It's juicy.
And like all good reality TV, it's impossible to turn off.

IN STORES NOW!

Check out Lauren on the web at www.laurenbarnholdt.com or on her myspace at www.myspace.com/laurenbarnholdt

STEP TWO --

Email Lauren at lauren (at) laurenbarnholdt.com and let her know you've posted about the contest and the book, and you'll be entered to win the prize pack! The winner will be picked at random on September 1st. The more places you post, the more entries you get. Have fun and good luck!!!

Little and Often

2006-07-29T14:45:00.000+12:00

I'm not one of those people who can sit for hours at a time writing. In fact, I can't sit for hours at a time doing anything - thanks to my 20 second attention span. Interruptions don't bother me. I can stop writing mid-sentence to answer the phone or chat - it's not unheard of for me to write while msning with friends. Also, I always work with the radio on - silence just kills me.

It's a wonder how I ever get anything done. But I do. And it gets done in a fairly timely manner. Because I adhere to the 'little and often' principle. Which means my current ms is open all day, everyday. And I dip in and out it of as the mood takes me. This principle has worked for me all through my life. When studying I would never save all day Saturday/Sunday to work (I studied a lot while working), I would do some every morning before going to work.

I have never pulled an all-nighter in my life! Not counting clubbing/partying.

How do you work best?

Crit Partner vs Blogging Buddy

2006-07-27T15:21:00.000+12:00

A comment about blogging buddies by Alyssa, on my last blog, got me thinking. Can you ever develop the type of relationship you have with your CPs with a fellow blogger? And I decided... no. At least, not if your relationship is only through blogging.

Interaction in my CP group is private - there are four of us, we have our own yahoo loop and we email and msn daily (or however often we catch each other). We don't live near each other, Christina's in Australia, Amanda and Pat (who really needs to get a blog so I can link to her) are both in different parts of the UK, but it doesn't matter. We don't just talk about writing. In fact much more of our conversation is about us. Writing figures when we're brainstorming, critting, submitting and waiting, but that probably only takes up about 40% of our time online.

Blogging, on the other hand is public. I'm not going to spill anything personal on a blog in the same way as I would with my CPs - who quite frankly deserve to listen to my moans and groans. I mean, they call them selves buddies, but one of them, on the day I started my 3 pages a day before internet regime tried to make me cheat, and another of them wanted me to up my page limit to 5 pages - which I knew would set me on the road to failure...... sorry I digress....

Anyway, what do you reckon?

Crazy Little Thing Called Blog

2006-07-25T16:02:00.000+12:00

Here's the deal. Sometime last year I was coerced into starting a blog, by she who shall remain nameless. I totally couldn't see the point. For a start, I have enough trouble getting my butt in the chair to do my proper writing, so I was hardly going to spend time blogging. Not only that, what on earth would I blog about? Although motel life can produce some amusing anecdotes, there's only so many times you can post about bare butts, towels that slip, and the famous people who stay.

What I failed to realise - so sue me, I'm not that quick on the update - is that blogging isn't just blogging. Blogging is soooooo much more. It means making visits across the globe from one blog to another - following the links, leaving a comment trail, making new buddies...... it's the total experience (and we won't mention time-consuming because I'm dealing with that already, as you know if you read the previous post).

So, come on. What does blogging mean to you???

My Name is Sara and I'm an Internet Slut

2006-07-23T16:27:00.000+12:00

I admit it, I'm addicted...... to blogs, websites, writers loops, msn.... you name it I'm there - lurking, posting, both... at the expense of my writing. And every day before getting out of bed I say to myself: 'Today will be different. Today, in between my other work, I'm going to write my butt off.'

And do I? What do you think?

So, I've decided to announce publicly that, starting tomorrow, I will not do any surfing until I've written three new pages - apart from checking my emails, there could be important stuff in my inbox, like emails from my agent or editor!!

I thought long and hard about how many pages it should be, and because I spend time editing what I did the previous writing session(s) I knew it couldn't be too many, or I'd be setting myself up to fail.

Hopefully this will work - I'll be reporting in.

How do you fight those internet demons? I'd love to hear.

The Long and the Short of It

2006-07-21T13:55:00.000+12:00

One of my CPs, Christina, has just finished her manuscript, which we've affectionately named Kill Lil. A huge worry for Christina was that the book would come in at over 100k - she feared it might even reach 110k.

This got me thinking about why some people write 'long' and others (I count myself amongst these) write 'short'. I wondered if there was a correlation between being a pantster or plotter and writing long or short. I'm a plotter - planning features heavily in all aspects of my life. When I start a book I have a full outline, but sometimes that isn't enough, as I've discovered with my new YA - I've had to stop writing and do a scene spreadsheet, so I know exactly what is happening all the time.

The reason I think this encourages me to write short is because there isn't a lot of room for me to deviate from (and maybe extend) my outline - that doesn't mean I'm inflexible, I will change things that are obviously not working.

Any thoughts on this?

The Eagle Has Landed

2006-07-19T14:57:00.000+12:00

Or in this case......... Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund has made it to the launch pad. From miles around people are flocking to get their hands on this book. The reviews have been totally awesome.

Lucky me.... I won a copy in Diana's contest!!!

Check out Diana's blog for links to all the sightings and reviews. It's truly amazing to witness the momentum.

The Joys of Parenthood...

2006-07-16T07:05:00.001+12:00

Remember that saying 'little children, little problems; big children, big problems'? Well, it's right.

Last night my sixteen year old son (I was a child bride) went out with his friends. At 1.30 I hear him call 'Mum, I'm back'. Great. So I could properly go to sleep, rather than just doze.

At 2.45 there was a knock on our window - our balcony window to be precise. We shot out of bed, convinced someone was breaking in!! Dh rushes downstairs and grabs whatever it is he keeps hidden for moments like these (I hide under the covers). A few seconds later I hear him outside talking to someone. So, I get up and peep through a gap in the curtains. It was my son's friend. He'd climbed onto the roof of our car and then lept over the rail onto our balcony. The reason: his car keys were in our house. So I let the boy into our bedroom where he proceeded to go downstairs, find his keys and leave!!!

And could I get back to sleep???? What do you think? Needless to say, today I'm knackered! Just wait til ds gets up!

I did feel a bit better, though, when I found out I'd won a prize, the prize, in Diana's contest. Yay, me!!!!!!

Check this out...

2006-07-15T12:54:00.000+12:00

This is the coolest thing ever...... my agent Sara is a very good friend of Jenny, who is Amanda's agent. And as you know Amanda and I are CPs, good friends and part of the crit group affectionately known as the 'witches'! Look at the comments in Amanda's 11th July post about my sale.

This is surely a sign...........

SOLD!

2006-07-12T12:44:00.000+12:00

You heard it here first..... actually, probably last because blogger has been down for maintenance and I couldn't get on to post. Anyway, big news........ I've sold my YA, and I know I'm not dreaming because this morning my fabbo, wonderful agent Sara posted it on Publishers Marketplace:

Sara Hantz's debut THE SECOND VIRGINITY OF SUZY GREEN, about a girl who joins a virginity club in her new town to try to make a new start, to Andrew Karre at Flux, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).

Is that cool, or is that cool????

People have been asking for my call story, so here it is. I'll try not to ramble and if you've heard it before then you have my permission to sign off, or drop off (don't worry I'll wake you later):

As some of you know, I've been writing chick-lit and hen-lit for a couple of years. Last November I decided to try a teen-lit becauseYoung Adult is so HOT at the moment. After writing 3 chapters I did what you're not meant to do and started to send it to agents, to test the water. Ooops!!! That'll teach me. The story seemed to hit the right nerve because straight away I was asked for 5 fulls and 6 partials - from some mega agents. I sent the partials and said to those requesting the full that it still needed some tweaking (aka writing) and I'd send when ready. In only a few days one of the agents had read the partial and asked for the full (and she was my dream agent, top of my wish list....).

I managed to finish the full by January and send to all those who requested it..... most of them asked for it by email which was an added bonus..... and 10 days later the agent above (as in, Sara) phoned and offered representation. I said yes pretty much straight away (I know you're meant to wait blah blah but I knew she was right for me. And this after having a bad agent experience - we parted company mid-way through last year, another story). I then let all the other agents know and withdrew the ms. So, by February I'd done some revisions for Sara and she sent it out to lots of publishers. Andrew, the editor from Flux, phoned asking if I'd be prepared to do some revisions. I said yes (obviously!!!) and he sent me a very detailed letter. I did them. He was happy and then asked me to do some more, saying if they were ok he'd take it to the acquisitions committee. And the rest is history..... I'm with with Flux, who have some FAB covers - I can't wait to see mine - and Andrew, who is great to work with.

So, in publishing terms it all happened quickly: November-July (8 months) from starting to write to sale. BUT in many respects it seemed like 8 years - just ask my poor long suffering CPs!!

So much for trying not to ramble, lol.

WTG Amanda!

2006-07-06T17:33:00.000+12:00

This is what dreams are made of....... my writing buddy and very good friend Amanda has made it to Publishers Marketplace:

Fiction: Women's/Romance Amanda Ashby's YOU HAD ME AT HALO, in the vein of All of Me, about a woman who dies with unresolved issues and comes back in the body of her geeky co-worker in order to sort them out, to Anne Bohner at NAL, in a nice deal, by Jenny Bent at Trident Media Group (NA).

Is there anybody there?

2006-07-01T07:48:00.000+12:00

Just in case anyone pops by, which judging by the distinct lack of comments recently is unlikely (not counting Christina!) ........... watch this space!!!!

Like Minds

2006-06-26T17:33:00.000+12:00

Just had a fab weekend with some girly writing friends. We did nothing but drink, eat, and talk about writing........ total bliss!

Of course, today I'm suffering - having put on 4 llbs over the weekend. My fault entirely. I come off my diet and instead of being sensible I go totally mad. But it was fun. We also watched my all time fav film "Love Actually" late on Saturday night. You know, I'd forgotten what a masterpiece it is. And the others enjoyed it too - two of them han't seen it before - now, how weird is that?????

Update on my book....... there is no update...... still waiting.........

Procrastination Rules OK

2006-06-18T16:56:00.000+12:00

I have things to do: contest entries to judge; chapter 5 of my new ms to write; outline each book in a potential series I'm thinking of (based on my current ms that's with a publisher); motel bookwork to do; washing, ironing and all that stuff.

So what have I done today????????? Nothing. Nada. Zilch........ apart from sit at the pc and surf the net and check the loops I'm on every ten minutes or so. Why? F$@# knows. Other than I'm genetically predisposed to procrastinating on a grand scale. La Grande Procrastination - works well for a title, don't you think?????

The Real World

2006-06-12T15:48:00.000+12:00

As much as we dream of living in a rosy-hue lined world, where children are perfect, husbands are undemanding and find time to unwrap chocolates before dropping them lightly into our open mouths while our fingers glide over the keyboard, effortlessly keeping up with our eloquent thoughts, sometimes it just doesn't happen.

So, then what? Does one carry on writing regardless or does the writing take a nose dive? At the moment I'm in this situation. My energies are taken up with sorting out problems, not of our making, and it's hard to think of little else. And although I'm managing to write it's a bit like pushing porridge uphill. Lucky my revisions are out the way and I'm working on my new ms - another young adult.

Btw, still no news on my current YA, which is with a few publishers. Hoping to have news very soon!!!!

The Write Way

2006-06-01T08:37:00.000+12:00

One of my witchy friends told me that sometimes my obsession with the logical can be a tad annoying - though she may have revised her opinion after I helped her solve a problem the other day!!! And this logical streak means I cannot accept it when people tell me their characters do things of their own accord. That they (the writer) want to write something one way, when in fact the characters force them to write in another.

That cannot be, I want to shout. YOU are in charge. YOUR fingers are on the keyboard. If characters do things that surprise you, it's really new, previously unconsidered, ideas coming to the fore. It's all about being flexible with your thinking. I change direction all the time when I write. But that's because ideas pop into my head. I also run through conversations in my head between characters. But it's MY head and MY thoughts, I'm just playing through a scenario, to see if it works.

Now I'm proably going to alienate my best buddies, the witches, for this post. Because none of them share this view. So apologies in advance hahahaha. I also needed something to post - to test Christina who swears she won't miss another of my posts!!!!

And my excuse this time is.........

2006-05-12T17:00:00.000+12:00

I know. My attempts at blogging are next to useless. I start off with good intentions - even I can manage once a month. But no. I haven't blogged since March.

Trouble is, I think about blogging then when I start I get distracted. Anyway, I thought I'd blog this afternoon because I have just finished another round of revisions on my YA. It's winging it's way, as we speak, to my CPs and hopefully, after they've run their beady eyes over it, next week I can send back to my agent!!!!!

So, the waiting will begin again. Watch this space for any news.

My Affair With Jim

2006-03-23T13:05:00.000+12:00

Okay, that should be gym but Jim caught your attention, didn't it?

So, where to start? Once upon a time, long long ago (well, a couple of weeks before christmas) I embarked on my affair with gym. My aim was twofold: first to build up my calf muscles so the bottom of legs had more shape and didn't resemble a ruler; second to get rid of those wobbly bits under my arms before my holiday in April.

Not a huge ask, one would think. Wrong.

According to my personal trainer (well he was all mine for an hour when we sorted out my fitness level and he devised my program) I'd picked probably the two hardest things to work on. He wasn't to be detered. He put together a program for me that would've made grown men weep. But not me, because I had a goal, a reason d'etre.

At first I stuck rigidly to it, going to see gym 5 times a week. And man did I feel virtuous. After a while, however, the rosy glow began to wear off. I started to notice gym's annoying habits and resented having to share him. Soon I was deviously working out ways for my program not to take so long.... like missing out some of the cardio and doing the weights for my arms both together instead of one at a time. Then I started to miss out whole exercises. And now.......

Well, now I'm at the stage where I put on my gym clothes in the morning (as previously) except I don't actually get there more than a couple of times a week.

Anyway..... anybody heard of Oxycise..... I'm trying that next.

Are We There Yet?

2006-03-05T10:12:00.000+13:00

You know how the kids ask 'are we there yet?' before you've even reached the end of the road. Well, that's how it is between me and my email. Every 5 minutes (sometimes less.... ok, very often less) I'm checking for an email from my agent to see whether (in my wildest dreams) or whether not (as the more rational side of my brain insists will happen) an editor wants to buy my book.

And let me tell you, it's driving me crackers. You read all about the need to be patient in this business. How you should forget about it and concentrate on your new, begging to be written, latest potential bestseller (yeah, I know, I am nothing if not an optimist). Well, all I can say is:

YOU TRY IT!

It's impossible. I sit at my computer staring at the little green man on the bottom righthand side of my screen willing him to jump into life. And when he does, and a little box shoots up in the air telling me I have an email, the whole gamut of emotions charge through my head faster than a speeding bullet - ending in utter deflation when the email offers not the life-changing chance of publication but the life-changing chance of a penile enlargement. But, I don't have a penis.....

Update

2006-02-17T09:12:00.000+13:00

In case you were wondering what happened since signing with my agent, I thought I'd give an update.

Well, Sara requested some revisions and I spent some time undertaking them. I passed them to my CPs for the once over and they were not pleased - to say the least. 'Get back and do them properly,' said one. 'I think you could do with a little more on these areas,' said the less scary one. 'WTF,' thought the last one (she didn't ctually say it, but I KNOW that's what she thought). To say I was shocked was an understatement. I'd done them to the best of my ability, honest guv! Hmmmm, well clearly not. So giving them all the benefit of the doubt (because even I can be wrong sometimes) I put everything to one side, went off to see one of my best friends get married, and on my return did them again.

Okay, so I admit my CPs did have a point (but in my defence, I wasn't too well when I did them - what? That's no defence!) There were some areas I could develop further. So, not one for procrastinating (well, not in this instance) I went for it. And I have to say the book is a million times better for it.

Anyway, I sent them to Sara and as we speak at least 4 publishers are looking at it. Scary!!!

Girly Dresser

2006-01-29T11:31:00.000+13:00

I'm not normally a girly dresser - as my friends will attest, but in a couple weeks one of my closest friends is getting married and I have bought myself some shoes and bag that are girly in the extreme. And they are GORGEOUS.

Now I might be a writer but I'm hopeless when it comes to describing items of clothing so.......
these shoes have little see through wedges and are see through with a shimmering pink inside and a sort of silvery pink flower on them and have a couple of thin gold bands going down the side (I know my description is making you desperate for a pair). And they are French and tres expensive. The bag is also pink/verging on purple, beaded and definitely doesn't go with the pink wrap I'm wearing - although I didn't discover this until I got home because I don't have a good eye for colour - unlike my daughter or my mother (why did this gene miss me, as did the big boob gene and photographic memory gene). But clashing colours will not deter from wearing them.

The girl in the shop assures me I can wear the shoes with jeans after the event. I certainly hope so. I can also wear them at the writing conference I'm going to in August. So I can justify the expense to myself. Trouble is, I couldn't hide the cost from dh because when I took them out of the box to show him the price was on both shoes for the whole world to see. Though it did placate him a little (not a lot) when I said they had 25% off.

Exciting News

2006-01-24T08:07:00.000+13:00

I've just signed with agent Sara Crowe from Harvey Klinger for my young adult novel 'Virgin on the Ridiculous'. It all happened so quickly it still hasn't sunk in - lucky for me my fab crit partners are reminding me on a regular basis.

So here's how it all happened: I queried Sara mid November and two weeks later she asked me to email it to her - that had to be a sign, I just love emailing manuscripts as it takes out all the worry of posting from New Zealand. I mean, who knows what could happen to it on the way - it could be ripped open and stolen (ok, I have a vivid imagination but isn't that a writers perogative?). I could only send the partial (3 chapters) because I hadn't totally finished it (I know you should query with a complete manuscript, but I couldn't wait that long). On the 3rd January Sara asked me to send the full when it was ready (email again!!) and on the 9th Jan I sent it. Then only 10 days later (yes, 10 days) Sara emailed and asked if she could phone and discuss. OMG. I emailed back and we arranged to speak later that day (4 hours later for me, which luckily I passed on msn with my friends in the UK, who were as excited as me). I agreed to go with Sara straight away - I know people say you should wait and think about it, but Sara was top of my agent wish list - what was there to think about.

That's it so far. I'm waiting for Sara (got to love that name) to email me some revisions - only minor - and then it's being sent out. And then the worrying/waiting begins again (talk about glutton for punishment). I'll update my blog as and when anything happens. Actually I'm being nagged that much by my fellow bloggers (you know who you are) that I might have to blog more regularly anyway.

Tagged Again

2006-01-17T19:44:00.000+13:00

What is it about me??? Do I invite Taggers? If I do, it's not intentional. Anyway, I've been tagged again, this time by my 'friend' Amanda. So here goes........

Seven Things:

To do before I die:
Star in a Broadway musical
Star in a Westend musical
Conduct a symphony orchestra (are you detecting a theme here)
Buy a complete designer wardrobe
Leanr to water ski
Go to the Oscars
Learn to ski

That attracted me to my partner:
Height (I come from a short family)
Hairy chest
Smile
Eyes
Sense of humour
Kind
Laidback

Books I love most:
Pride and Prejudice
To Serve Them All My Days
My Family And Other Animals
Anything by Sophie Kinsella
Anything by Marian Keyes
Anything by Penny Vincenzi
Bridget Jones Diary/The Edge of Reason

Films I love most:
Notting Hill
Love Actually
Sound of Music
Calamity Jane
Singing in the Rain
Miss Congeniality
Sister Act

Things I can't do:
Cook
Clean
Draw
Sew
Lie
Proof read
Cut in a straight line

Words of phrases I say most often:
For fucks sake
Did you have anything from the snack bar?
How would you like to pay?
Your feet are black
Have you cleaned your teeth?
What do you want for tea?
Did you have the last diet coke?

Amanda's Sale

2005-10-30T08:39:00.000+13:00

The perfect way to ressurect my blog is by reporting Amanda Ashby's (good friend and fab crit partner) first sale. A single title to NAL. Needless to say we (that is, all her friends) are really thrilled and excited and have been celebrating in style with her. Yay Amanda - let this be the first of many.