COVER TO COVER: The final result

From this (last September)

To this: THE BILLIONAIRE'S BABY (yay, I now have a title!) a Harlequin Romance, out in May 09.

Way too long to wait considering I think this is the best book I've written and I absolutely love it! I hope you will too.

If you want to follow the creation of this book from start to finish, click on the Cover to Cover link in the sidebar.

And if you want to see all the 'under the covers' action and read a brand new excerpt, head on over to my website.

COVER TO COVER: When the SOLD sign goes up!

We now have the final instalment in the Cover to Cover series, where I mapped out the process of writing a Harlequin Romance novel from beginning to end.

And yes, a big 'woo-hoo' as WISH UPON A VALENTINE has sold!
My 17th book and every bit as exciting as my first. :)
It's such a mix of feelings when the sold sign goes up on a book: relief (I can still do this), exaltation (yes! another sale!) planning (what can I spend the advance on? Oh, that's right, school fees) but mostly, satisfaction. A huge amount of satisfiction that another of my babies will see the light of day on a book shelf in a store near you.
I'm especially proud of this book because I think it's a turning point for me.
I really, really invested a lot of time into these characters, into their emotions, into making them come alive and I think it has paid off. It was the first time ever I teared up while writing, and I made my editor cry, twice!
I can't wait for you to meet Camryn and Blane too. Probably around April or May next year. Will let you know as soon as I do.
If you like your heroes seriously gorgeous, laid-back and totally lovable, Blane is the man for you. Little wonder Cam gave him a second chance...I love reunion stories :)

COVER TO COVER: Keeping the faith

Yes, the COVER TO COVER series is still going, following COURTING CUPID from its inception hopefully to its sale!

For a quick recap, this is a Harlequin Romance. I finished it last year, handed in to my editor but have had a few editor changes since so it was recently read.
My editor loved Blane, my laid back hero, but thought Camryn, my cynical heroine, needed some work!

So what did I do?
Revamped the whole story!

I went back to my original title, WISH UPON A VALENTINE and changed it back to a Valentine's Day story.
Not only that, I changed the whole plot!
From 2 strangers meeting, it became a second-chance marriage story.
Blane is still utterly gorgeous and now, Camryn is a softer heroine willing to take a chance on love again.

I worked really hard at this story and finished it Friday. I am thrilled with the results and I hope my editor is too!
So why am I rambling on about this?
To encourage you to keep the faith.

If a story isn't working for you, don't be afraid to change it. Maybe a character, maybe the whole plot! It's often difficult to slash words/scenes/chapters but if the story is stronger as a result, go for it!

If a character isn't working as you'd like, perhaps reconsider their motivation.
Are they behaving to type?
Are they truly likeable?
Will a reader want to support this person no matter what?
If their motivation is true, all their actions will be believable so don't be afraid to shake things up a little if your character isn't doing what you want.

If you can see the end of the story but the scenes leading up to it are a blur, resort to my old favourite: plotting on paper. Even a single sentence outlining the next scene/chapter can work wonders.

And as with any revisions, jot down the key points to look out for. I do this before I start the revisions, after the first read through, even the second, because it's amazing the things you miss.

So that's Blane and Camryn's rewrite.
I'll keep you posted!

COVER TO COVER: Out with the old, in with the new

I could title this post Revisions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, for it's a follow-on to my last revision post.
Which was all good.
This one will be brutally honest.

Remember how I said revisions tighten the story, make it so much better, make the book really sparkle and shine?
Well, all that still stands. But what if the revisions seem so huge you have nowhere to go? What if the story you wrote needs a total revamp and not just the occasional tweak here and there?

With my Modern Heat TOYING WITH THE BILLIONAIRE BOSS I revised all of last week, the revisions were clear. I could see exactly what needed to be done. Here's a brief summary:

The plot device bringing Beth and Aidan into contact wasn't wholly believable. She's standing in for a her cousin as curator at Melbourne Museum. This had to be tweaked. Easy.

Aidan had to struggle more with getting involved with an employee. Done.

Beth needed to tone down her personality. She was coming across as a bit too confident, too flirty. Done.

Plus, as what usually happens, once a few changes are made here and there, I ended up layering in a few more lovely dialogue exchanges, ramping up the sexual tension in one scene in particular.

So that was Beth and Aidan done and dusted.

Now, onto COURTING CUPID, my Harlequin Romance.
These revisions aren't so easy.
My lovely new ed adores the hero Blane. He's delish.
But the heroine Camryn is another matter entirely!

She's cynical. I deliberately wrote her like that. But in trying to create a character so opposite to the hero, I've gone too far. I've made the reader wonder why Blane persists with someone like her. Ouch!

In order to make this story work, it will require some major changes.
Camryn's personality stems from her conflict...which also requires major changes.

So I sat down and posed the 'What if' question.
What if Camryn does A instead of B?
What if Camryn had A happen to her in the past instead of B?

The first scenarios I came up with were close to my original plot...and my ed said they still weren't working. She posed loads of questions of her own which made me realise the plot as I had it wouldn't work.
Or more specifically, the heroine as I had her wouldn't work.

So back to the drawing board.
This time, when I posed the 'what if' questions, I let my imagination really take flight.
And came up with a scenario I wouldn't have contemplated first time around. This plot wouldn't have entered my head but I really didn't want to ditch Blane the way he is so thought around 'what would make this heroine take a chance on a guy like this?'

Now, it's a totally new plot. Blane will remain unchanged. Many of the scenes will stay.
But boy, will they have a major overhaul.
Because now, Camryn has a whole new conflict. She will be softer. More vulnerable. More likeable.
Which will make the story fly. Hopefully :)

I guess the moral of this story is never get too attached to your plot or characters.
If they aren't working, and you want to make your story the best it can be, you may need to do some major slashing.
I'm about to.
Let's hope it works. Stay tuned...

COVER TO COVER: As time goes by.

In an earlier COVER TO COVER post, I talked about "Letting your manuscript stew."

At that point, I'd just finished writing my last Harlequin Romance and had forced myself to walk away from it for a week before getting back into the layering and editing process.

It's tough walking away from your story.

At least, it is for me.

The minute I finish I want to go back over it, read it again, see how far my characters have come, refresh my memory of plot points I may have missed or loopholes that need to be closed.

But I don't. I let it stew. Fresh eyes are essential for picking up all sorts of bit and pieces.

So imagine how surprised I was when I recently re-read my next Modern Heat, TOYING WITH THE BILLIONAIRE BOSS. Why surprised?

Well, I finished this one in August and it was one of those lovely books that flew off my fingertips.

I thought it was pretty special at the time.

Then deadlines changed and this one is getting to sit a while longer so I threw myself into writing my next Romance, secure in the knowledge I had a first draft sitting there just waiting for me.

Well, 4 months definitely brings perspective, more than I could've ever thought possible.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the story and think it's pretty spot on but on the first read through, quite a few things leapt out at me.

I needed to layer much more.

I needed to alpha up the hero in a few places to be consistent with his behaviour in the rest of the book.

I needed to qualify the heroine's crazy scheme which is the crux of the book.

It all seems so crystal clear with the benefit of time, even the perfect words falling into place to replace my green highlighted ones.

It's rare to get this much time if you're published, as deadlines loom consistently for all of us. But here's a tip if you're on the road to publication.

Make a pitstop. The longer the better.

Leave your manuscript for as long as you can. (Work on your next while you wait!)

Trust me, you'll see it in a new light with time on your side.

COVER TO COVER: How much is too much

Rach asked a great question in response to my layering/editing post:

Just wondering about how long your mss are when you finish your first draft! And whether that means adding words or taking them away.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist so my first draft is pretty much close to the finished product.
What I mean by this is that I write the book consecutively, from start to finish, without jumping around to various scenes.
I try to make it the best it can be, without getting stuck on the exact word or making sure a description is spot on.
For these, I highlight in bright green so when I start the layering and editing process, my eyes are instantly drawn to the word that needs to be tweaked or the paragraph that needs more description.
Then I go through a rough mental checklist (many of the points I listed in the previous post) to really tighten the story.

So my first draft tends to be pretty much spot on with word count. And it usually means adding words with the layering.

Please remember this is only one person's viewpoint.
I know authors who move from scene to scene, who might write the end of the book before the middle, who get inspired by a particular scene and will write that first before the beginning.

I'm a bit of a plotter and like to have the book roughly outlined while I'm writing, sometimes before I start (see earlier Cover to Cover post) so for me, writing in chronological order and having the book pretty close to my outline tends to make the book flow and not need a lot of tweaking.

Whether you have to cut words or add them to your first draft, it doesn't matter. Making the story the best it can be is what it's all about :)

COVER TO COVER: Life Happens

I should be busy trying to get this guy, Blane Andrews, and this girl, Camryn Henderson, together.

Well, okay, they are together considering I've finished the first draft of COURTING CUPID but in my mind, they won't officially be together till the book is polished, edited, done, dusted and sitting in my editor's inbox waiting for a read!

I had grand plans to start the layering process this week.

But like all grand plans, they suffer setbacks when life gets in the way...

I have a household of sick boys (and yes, including hubby in this because I think men tend to regress to boys when they're sick...not being mean here, just truthful!!)

Boys who are coughing all night, boys who need their noses blown, boys who are teething and scratching because their eczema is out of control...yes, I love my boys but right now, I could do with a moment (or ten!) to myself.

The interesting thing when 'life happens' is that writing is my saviour.

Writing keeps me sane.

Writing keeps me focussed.

Writing gives me a distraction from the everyday stuff.

Writing gives me an escape.

And life does happen.

No matter how well you plan, how much time you set aside for your writing, something will always pop up.

So deal with it.

But keep your mind fine tuned by thinking about your characters/story/next plot.

Jot down a word or two between baby feeds and nose blowing.

Look forward to that peaceful hour next week when you can dive back into your story.

Most of all, dose up on Vitamin C and garlic.

Those boys have a happy habit of sharing their germs around ;)

COVER TO COVER: Letting your manuscript stew

Take one first draft.
Well done.
Leave to stew for a week, minimum.
Then take one pair of fresh eyes, one pair of eager hands with itchy fingers to type and a fresh perspective, re-open and start the editing process.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Wrong! If you're like me, it's hard to walk away from a manuscript, especially one just finished. Though exhausted, your mind is still buzzing with ideas, you're still in the characters' heads, the setting is still vivid and you want to get this baby off to your editor ASAP.
Instead, let it stew. The longer the better. There's nothing like tackling a first draft with a completely fresh outlook, and with the benefit of time away from the story.
It's too easy to get caught up in your plot or too close to your characters and after a while you can't see the pitfalls, the holes and the glaring mistakes. This is why time away is essential, especially if you don't have a critique partner to pick up a lot of this stuff for you in later drafts.
Fresh eyes brings fresh perspective, an eagerness to layer, and the all important clarity to make your story the best it can be.
So do what I do. Immerse yourself in the rest of your life. Keep busy. (You can give the sleepless nights a miss!) Read. Have fun.
And then take those itching fingers back to the keyboard and start the writing process all over again!!
(More on layering next week, when I actually get stuck back into COURTING CUPID.)

COVER TO COVER: Reaching 'The End'

With the bulk of my books, once I'm heading towards the end scene, the words are tumbling out so fast my fingers can barely keep up.
My characters are aching to get their happily-ever-after.
They need resolution.
And I want to tie up all those niggly loose ends I've created throughout the book.

So what's happening with COURTING CUPID?
Strangely enough, after writing half the book in a fortnight, the end is coming slowly. Very slowly. Try 2500 words all week when I usually write that in a night.
Now I'll explain why.

Ever had that feeling right before an important exam where you've studied your heart out, know everything there is to know, yet just before you enter the exam hall or turn the exam over, your mind goes blank?
Well, that's what has happened to me this week.

I've been so wrapped up in maintaining tension throughout this book, upping the stakes with each scene, that now I've reached the end and Blane and Camryn have the opportunity to resolve their differences, my mind has blanked.
There is so much that needs to be tied up all nice and tidily in one neat book that my brain is refusing to co-operate.
So how to get around it?

Step 1: Write.
May sound simplistic but that's exactly what I have to do: write. Let the words flow. Do what I've done for the rest of the book. I can always go back and fix and layer later. Can't fix a blank page, huh?

Step 2: Focus on obvious resolution.
Work on one problem at a time. Don't stress about tying up the rest of the loose ends. Leave this for the first revision pass, where you can jot down the threads that need tying as you re-read the book and follow up at the end.

Step 3: Think happy thoughts.
My characters have waited all book for this, all 50 000 words to get their HEA. Don't cheat them. Make this scene a cracker so you leave your readers craving more (and rushing out to the bookstore when your next release hits the shelves!)

Step 4: The fantasy of romance.
We all love sigh-worthy romantic endings but if you've had a strong conflict throughout the book, resolving differences isn't always easy. Therefore, concentrate on making this final scene real. If all can be solved with a simple conversation, then the odds are your conflict throughout the book hasn't been strong enough. Hence my difficulty in getting Blane and Camryn on the same page here...a good thing with regards to conflict, a frustrating thing when I want this book finished!

Step 5: Finish at all costs.
I like my books to flow in one, cohesive block. I don't jump around from scene to scene (though many writers do.) I write the first draft in one go then go back and layer.
With COURTING CUPID, now that I'm a tad 'stuck', I want to go back and read the whole lot again before finishing the book, but I won't. Why?

I want the ending to be instinctive, like the rest of the book has been. I want it flow on from the last scene, and not be contrived from something I've written earlier. I want it to be a natural resolution of everything that has happened before.
Plenty of time to tweak later.

Hoping to put all this into practice and finish the book tonight. But don't worry, that's not the end of this series. Plenty more to come!

COVER TO COVER: Reality versus imagination

In this series I've already done a post on setting, so consider this an adjunct to it.

In COURTING CUPID, Blane takes a leave of absence from his high flying career to build his own house.

He wants a sea change. It's the first step in his dream.

I needed a small town about an hour or so drive from Melbourne(essential to tying in with city girl Camryn's conflict) and it had to be coastal.

My initial choice was Torquay, closely followed by Cape Schank, then Inverloch.

As fate would have it, I couldn't book accommodation at any of those places so I did a search on quickbeds and came up with Barwon Heads.

I knew Barwon Heads was down near Torquay somewhere so it would be perfect. (Little did I know how exactly right it would be!)

Now, I won't bore you with the details of a nightmare trip down there yesterday which took 4 hours instead of 1.5 (babies with eczema do NOT travel well!!!) or how totally drained I was when we finally arrived, but the place was perfect.

Stayed in a condo on a golf course but did the bulk of the research this morning in town...snapped many mental images, got a feel for what Camryn and Blane see, took a drive along the ocean coastal road, immersed myself in the ambience...perfect for the layering process I will commence in the next few weeks.

So my point behind all this?

When I was having accommodation hassles ages ago, I almost gave up and decided I could always create a fictitious coastal town. (After creating a fictitious Arabian desert country Adhara in THE DESERT PRINCE'S PROPOSAL out June 08, I knew how much fun it can be!)

While using creative licence is fabulous (just ask the great paranormal authors out there at the moment, or the talented authors creating wonderful sheikh and royalty books), in some cases nothing beats placing yourself in the setting of your book.

For me, the setting is interwoven with the conflict so I really needed to make it a focal point of the book, therefore walking a mile in my heroine/hero's shoes was crucial and very productive. I'm pleased to say that Barwon Heads proved a gold mine and my characters will be eternally grateful!

And the spooky bit?

After I booked the condo and checked out the town on line, I learned it was the place where they filmed the TV show...Seachange!

Had to be fate that Blane chose it for his very own seachange...

COVER TO COVER: Staying motivated

Marcy asked a great question in answer to my previous post on Motivation.

How do you keep motivated when you hit a section that is just not working for you?

This is when staying motivated is crucial to finishing the book.

We all know the feeling well: the first chapters fly, maybe the whole first half of the book, then we get hit by the sagging middle (and no, I'm not just talking about my post-baby belly!!)
So how do you stay on top of it?
How do you get past the roadblock to creativity?

For me, I focus on that last word: creativity.
I sit with a blank sheet of paper and pen, and let the ideas flow.

Where can my characters go from here?
What can up the stakes?
Why are they behaving this way?
What will propel them towards the happily-ever-after they deserve?
Who has the most to lose?
What events can conspire against them?
What events can bring them closer together and up the tension?

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking.

I always find pen and paper extremely useful for 'unblocking'.
When I use this method, I also tend to end up outlining the rest of the book, even if it's only a line or two for each chapter and you'd be amazed how much easier it is to finish the book with something solid to refer to when your mind (or characters!) start wandering again.

Hope this helps get you past those mini blocks :)

COVER TO COVER: Research

You’ve plotted your book.
Developed the characters.
Devised a rock-solid conflict.
Identified key scenes.
Now what?

Research!

This is the fun part where you can get to be as creative as you like, from a one-on-one personal interview with an expert in their field (wish I’d done this for my Navy SEAL!) to using the Internet.
Google will bring answers to your fingertips in a jiffy and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your desk.
Though if you’re like me and need to get a feel for a place if using it in a story, you schedule a visit.

The bulk of my books have been set in Melbourne (and yes, I’ve already raved about how it’s such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city in an earlier post) so doing first-hand research is enjoyable, accessible and fun.

With COURTING CUPID, I set the book in New Quay, Docklands, the newest hip precinct in Melbourne-and somewhere I hadn’t been yet! The Internet provided a veritable feast of information and pictures, so I had a pretty good idea of my book’s setting before I started.

However, I wanted to walk in my heroine’s shoes.

I wanted to feel what it’s like for her on a blustery Melbourne spring day as she looks out of her apartment, what would she see, what would be on her left and right as she strolled down the boardwalk.

So I made the trip into the city on Sunday. (Nice that it doubled as a family day out too!) Had breakfast in a swank hotel, followed up by a short drive to New Quay where we strolled, had a leisurely latte and soaked up the atmosphere.

(Should've taken a few more water shots!! I'm sure you'd rather see that than moi!! Was too busy snapping hubby and kids in front of the great water views.)

I have my book pretty much plotted on paper, rough as it may be, but it’s amazing how a simple stroll can spark off a fresh scene, a different point of view and best of all, give depth to the setting.
It’s all about perception, and recreating the feel of a place for the reader with words and doing first-hand research can enhance your layering, bringing your story alive.

When setting your story, it’s worth considering what’s closest to home. We often crave exotic locations or write about some place we’d like to visit when in fact, taking a look in our own backyard (figuratively!) can open up a host of research possibilities you never imagined.

(Note: I tend to do a lot of first hand research in Melbourne, especially restaurants and cafés!!)


And remember, if none of the above works for you, inventing your own stuff is part of the fun of being a writer :)

COVER TO COVER: Building

You've written the first few chapters of your book.
If you're anything like me, the first 3 chapters are a breeze: all brand-spanking new, exciting, the characters just bursting to tell their story with loads of pizazz and dazzling conversation and building attraction.

Then it hits.
Chapter FOUR!

How do you keep the pages turning when the initial buzz is starting to wear off?

First up, work out what you want to achieve from the next 3 chapters or so.

The tension must build.
There must be a turning point to galvanise the characters into action.
The stakes are upped.
The conflicts developed.

This is what Jenny Crusie refers to as ACT TWO in her Basic Linear Four Act Plot, where everything BUILDS.

We want to throw our characters off course a tad, get them thinking beyond the initial attraction, throw them a few minor curve balls but nothing to drastic yet. Plenty of time for that later!

In COURTING CUPID, there are several major revelations in the story, revelations that will bring Blane and Camryn to absolute, seemingly unsolvable conflict. He wants marriage and kids, she doesn't, she craves the excitement of city life, he craves a sea change.
Layered into these big conflicts are clues, hints given that build towards the revelations that will drive them apart.

So when you hit chapter four and your enthusiasm flags as it inevitably does, concentrate on building.
The tension, the stakes, and the wordcount will follow!

(For a full explanation of Jenny Crusie's Four Act Plot Diagram, visit her website and check out the notes under her Aussie conference.)

COVER TO COVER: Location, location, location!

Creating the perfect setting can be instrumental in bringing a story to life.


Have you ever been so swept away by a book you can see the setting in your mind? Smell the frangipanis on an island? Feel the sting of dust in a desert? Hear the vibrant voices of gondoliers?

By citing those three examples, I bet you got an instant image of a setting.

Words are powerful tools and when we use them to craft a setting we can evoke feelings, memories, sympathy, empathy…you get the picture!

I’m sure some of the attraction of sheikh stories is the setting: sweeping desert sands, lush, verdant oasis, stone palaces standing the test of time…
And royal stories: opulent palaces, marble interiors, immaculate grounds…

The beauty of being a writer is being able to create a setting to compliment your plot, to create a world the reader would love to live in, whether fictitious or otherwise.

For me, I love setting my books in Melbourne, the city I live in. It’s a hip, cosmopolitan city with a vibe all its own and I deliberately choose cultural icon areas to highlight the city’s appeal.

From Acland Street, St. Kilda (FOUND: HIS FAMILY), home of the best cakes and pastries on the planet, to Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (BIG-SHOT BACHELOR), boho central, from Lygon St, Carlton (PRINCESS AUSTRALIA) Melbourne’s ‘Little Italy’ to the thrill of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington (INHERITED: BABY), I hope to bring small pieces of this vibrant city alive.

For that very reason, I’ve set COURTING CUPID in Melbourne too, in the newest trendy area, New Quay at the Docklands.

I want my readers to get immersed in the café culture there, to feel the sea breeze on their faces as they sip a latte, to make their mouths water with the delicious food served at the many restaurants, to sit back in a cosy corner of a bar and admire the pretty night skyline.


And I briefly move the book to Southbank, another trendy spot on the banks of the Yarra River, where Blane has a penthouse on the 88th floor of the new Eureka Towers in Southbank (see pic above!) It's brand spanking new, ultra modern and the place to live!

Are you getting a picture?
If so, I’m doing my job.

So get creative. Search the Net for pictures to stimulate your imagination, whether it be of a country, a house, a garden, a room.

Use descriptions, adjectives, make the setting you choose leap off the page.

Make it the type of place any reader would want to be.

What brings a setting alive for you?
(To get a feel for some of the cultural areas of Melbourne I mentioned above, click on the title links, which will take you directly to my website pages for those books, where you'll find more pictures depicting the areas in the 'under the covers' sections.)

COVER TO COVER: Hip heroines

Writing heroines can be easy...and tricky!

I want my heroines to be the epitome of the strong, modern woman, with the world at her feet and a shoe wardrobe any of us would be proud of.

I want my heroines to have the street smarts to distinguish between a Prince and a frog.

I want my heroines to be bold, sassy, slightly flawed and human.

Quite simply? I want my heroines to have it all!

When I write my heroines, I particularly focus on that last point: make them human.

If she's too perfect, readers won't identify with her (or will want to poke her eye out with envy!) Give her a sympathetic flaw or two, a problem or conflict we all deal with or might have dealt with in our past. That way, as readers we can stand by her through the whole book, cheering her on from the sidelines along the bumpy road to her happily-ever-after.

I find casting heroines not as essential as heroes, because I 'think' like the heroine. I'm inside her head a lot more than the heroes so her words, thoughts and actions flow from fingertips to keyboard much easier.

My editor has said several times that my books are strongly heroine-driven, featuring women she'd love to be best friends with and I take that as a great compliment. This says these women are real and if you can achieve that in your writing, your reader will want to keep turning the pages to discover what happens to your heroine in the end.

In COURTING CUPID, the minute I knew my heroine would be headstrong, a tad prickly and very cynical, Sandra Bullock sprang to mind. Think Miss Congeniality: the tough, headstrong cop with prickles galore!!

However, I don't always cast an actress or someone famous in the role of heroine. I've been inspired by an expression by a model in a magazine before, by a tilt of the head, by the smile.

And there's no surprise that my heroine folder is a lot less jam-packed than my heroes. I don't go looking for heroines, whereas a gal can never have too many heroes... :)

What do you find the essential ingredient for a fab heroine?

Any particular favourite heroines?

COVER TO COVER: Hot Heroes

Choosing characters is a wonderful part of writing.

(Though sometimes the characters choose us, I think!)

It's always an absolute pleasure casting the hero in my books. As soon as I get an idea of his personality and looks, I tend to match him to an actor/model/sportsman/etc...

And then the fun really begins!

Doing a google search to find suitable images has to rank right up there with eating chocolate and reading in the bath as pleasurable activities.

Just plug in the name of the man you want to find in google images and away you go!

For COURTING CUPID, I had a fairly good idea of the type of hero I wanted. He had to be suave and gorgeous, of course, but he needed to be a little rough around the edges (eg. the stubble) which is an essential part of the story.

My first choice was David Annable (who stars in Brothers and Sisters) but he seemed a tad young for Blane and suddenly, Matthew Fox came to me in a flash of inspiration. And google images did the rest!

(That's David on the left. Pretty similar to Matthew, huh?)

These are only a few of the many pics I saved of Matthew and they really do encapsulate Blane: rugged, focussed, gorgeous...I could go on and on but you get the drift.

My advice in casting heroes is to create a folder and whenever you see a guy you think is potential hero material (eg. film, TV, magazine) do a search and save the pics there and then. That way, you'll always have an inspirational hero just waiting to leap into your story!

This can also have the advantage of getting the creative juices flowing if you don't have a story: in PRINCESS AUSTRALIA, the entire story sprang from an expression on a guy I'd never heard of before (Adrian Grenier, from Entourage fame.)

So go out there and find your hot hero.

Trust me, he's ready to leap into a story coming to you soon...

Anyone have a recurring favourite potential hero? ie. pics you've saved but haven't used yet?

I have quite a few stashed away!!!

COVER TO COVER: Collaging

They say a picture paints a thousand words...
would be nice if my collage could add the odd thousands words or so to my current WIP!

So, I have my characters and my plot (divorced city girl heroine and workaholic financier hero looking for a seachange), and in order to bring the story alive for me I decided to collage it, which involved looking for specific pictures to capture the essence of both the characters and the story.
The city of Melbourne, the cappucino, the wine, the chocolate and the cafe all belong to Camryn, while the pick-up truck, the hammock, the sneakers and the bed with the killer ocean view are all Blane.
What do you think? Does it evoke the mood of the book from the brief description I've given?

This is my 4th attempt at collaging and I tend to like matching pictures to the story though I find an odd picture leaping out at me as I search and, lo and behold, that picture often finds its way into the story. Collaging doesn't have to be done this way though, and can involve sitting down, selecting random pictures, pasting them together and creating a story from there!

For a full run down on collaging, check out the interview on my website with Barbara Hannay, who conducted a workshop on this topic at a RWAus. conference. There's also loads of fab collaging info on Jenny Crusie's website (who likes to collage on computer too. Check under her notes for the Aussie conference.)

So get cutting and pasting. It's loads of fun!

COVER TO COVER: What's in a name?

For me, naming my characters is crucial.
If the name doesn't fit I struggle with 'seeing' that person as real.

I tend to go for unusual names for my heroines on the whole: Amber in THE WEDDING CONTRACT, Fleur in CONTRACT TO MARRY, Keely in IMPOSSIBLY PREGNANT, Carissa in WIFE AND MOTHER WANTED, Maya in INHERITED: BABY, Ariel in BIG-SHOT BACHELOR, Tahnee in TWO-WEEK MISTRESS. All very different names from the norm and I intended them that way because each of those heroines are unique and strong-willed and very individual in their own way.

In contrast, I tend to go with more traditional names for my heroes and once again that's deliberate, as I see my heroes as a lovely foil as well as a great match for my heroines. Some of my heroes have included Matt, Steve, Dylan, Darcy and Lachlan.
Not to take anything away from those heroes, who I like to think of as divine in their own right, for other heroes I've gone with slightly less traditional names because the characters warranted it: Brody (brooding ex cop), Riley (older brother comforting his dead brother's fiancee), Bo (Bogart-reclusive childrens' author), Cooper (go get 'em property developer)

Are you seeing a theme here?
The name fits the character and in turn, affects the names of their family and friends, depending on their motivations and upbringing.

So what's in a name? Plenty!
On a practical note, here's a fabulous site to get you started: NAMES
And if you're like me and start to forget names you've used and are at the risk of repeating them, I've made a file of index cards, where I write down first and surnames I've used, secondary characters and names I like but have yet to use. Took a bit of time at the start but worth it to avoid repetition. If I was more computer literate I'd probably put the whole lot on Excel? Maybe one day...

In COURTING CUPID, my heroine's name is Camryn. (I chose this because she's very strong-willed and I liked the thought of giving her a feminine form of a male name, which implies strength.)
My hero is Blane, a tad unusual perhaps, but it just popped out at me when looking through my index cards.
As for naming the cafe she runs, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who gave me ideas. They were fabulous! For now, I've chosen Cafe Niche (which fits in with Camryn's conflict very nicely.) My mum actually came up with that one after looking at the pics.
I say 'for now' because it's one of those things I'm still not 100% happy about and I'm hoping the perfect name will leap out at me while I write the book.

Are names important to you?

COVER TO COVER: Who's that shady character?

Now that I've established COURTING CUPID would be character driven, I needed to flesh out my divorced heroine and my laid-back hero.

To do this, I came up with 4 adjectives that would describe each of them:

HEROINE: headstrong, tenacious, prickly, cynical

HERO: confident, laid-back, protective, romantic

For me, this instantly evoked an image of both characters and I proceeded to match my image of the hero and heroine to pictures. As you can see, I think the pictures give off the vibe of my description too.

Sandra Bullock was the perfect choice for my headstrong heroine and Matthew Fox the laid-back hero.

I will use these pics to encapsulate what my characters are like at a glance, so as I'm writing I can take a quick look at them to get a feel for their personalities. While finding these pics, I saved loads more and there are a few of Matthew Fox which showed my hero EXACTLY as a I pictured him (on a beach, with business shirt sleeves rolled up, loosened tie-my hero is a workaholic after a sea change) but more on this when I show you the collage.

So now that I have the basics, it's time to flesh out even more. To do this I've tried a new method for me, the character interview. This involves sitting down with a piece of paper and a list of questions and doing exactly that: interviewing your characters. Discovering their greatest fear, worst thing that could happen to them, the single event that would throw their life into turmoil, etc...

I did a fair amount of research on the Internet for characterisation and made a compilation of resources I now refer to. Well worth the time invested as you get many authors' viewpoints on this broad subject. And you get to gather the info you think will be most relevant to you.

Some people use character charts (I used to when I first started writing), some people delve into the elaborate world of their characters' psyche. My advice would be find the method that works for you.

Though the character interview seems like a lot of work at the start, I'm finding it helpful to refer back to any time I need to get a handle on my characters' motivations. And to up the ante.

Next up, the names.

Which is another topic in itself for tomorrow!

COVER TO COVER: In the beginning...

Welcome to my new series COVER TO COVER, a 'how to write a novel' snapshot taking you through from start to finish of the Harlequin Romance I have just started.

I decided to blog about this process because I'm using a new technique to write this one and feel like it's my first book all over again! So bear with me...

By far, the most common question I get asked as an author is 'where do you get your ideas?'

My standard answer is everywhere! That's not being trite, it's so very true: a newspaper headline, a magazine article, a facial expression on an actor's face...ideas spring from everywhere. (They also tend to spring most often in that drowsy state between sleep and consciousness so always keep a notebook by the bed!)

Until now, my story ideas have been PLOT driven.

That is, an idea for a plot will spring to mind and I invent the characters to fit the plot.

For example, in my recent Harlequin Romance PRINCESS AUSTRALIA, I saw a newspaper article featuring concierges from major Melbourne hotels and knew I had to write a book centered around a hotel plot. Then I thought 'wouldn't it be great to have a heroine in this role...but she actually owns the hotel...and who would she meet at the hotel to really turn her head...oh, I know, a prince!'

With INHERITED: BABY, the book was written around Melbourne Cup time, the horse race that stops a nation, so I had an entire plot right there.

In BIG-SHOT BACHELOR, my first Harlequin Modern Extra, I made several trips to Brunswick Street, Melbourne's boho centre, and knew a plot featuring this amazing cultural experience was just waiting to be hatched.

So you get the idea? (no pun intended!) I choose a plot first, then match the characters to that particular plot.

With COURTING CUPID, my new work in progress, I've reversed the process and started with the characters first. Why? Because I like a challenge, I want to add depth to my characters, I want to take my writing to the next level, and because my editor suggested it! (always a good reason for a change!!)

In COURTING CUPID, I wanted 2 characters who are in such total opposition with their goals and motivations that they had no option but to be in total conflict, and a conflict which will deepen as the story progresses.

So I thought 'what could be more difficult to overcome than a cynical, divorced heroine pitted against a laid-back, romantic hero who wants a family above all else?'

From this original idea, I have fleshed out the characters, spent time interviewing them and collaged them (more about all these processes under 'characterisation' early next week.)

The characters have come alive. I can see them. I'm inside their heads. I know what they're feeling.

And the plot has developed from there.

So which method do you use? Are your stories plot or character driven?

(PS. Thanks for all your fabulous suggestions for naming my fictional cafe. I'll let you know the results early next week!)