THE BOY TOY cover reveal

Thrilled to reveal the cover for my multicultural romantic comedy releasing this November with Penguin Random House Berkley in the USA.

You can pre-order now!

AMAZON

iBOOKS

KOBO

BARNES & NOBLE

Secret project revealed: GAME ON.

Several months ago I had a call from Kate Cuthbert, managing editor at Harlequin Escape, asking me to be part of the Women's Aussie Rules series because she'd heard I was crazy about AFL.
She's not wrong!
Anyone who knows me will testify that I'm a mad, passionate North Melbourne Kangaroos fan.
So writing a novel about a female Aussie Rules player was super exciting for me!

Here's the blurb for GAME ON:

Are they playing to win…or playing for keeps?

Angelica Bryant has a dream. The only child of a soccer legend, she pays her bills by working at her father’s bar while pursuing her goals: a role in sports management and a place in the newly established Women’s Aussie Rules league. Football is her passion, and she won’t let anything get in her way: including an ill-advised one-night-stand with one of Australia’s most successful agents.

Jaxon Flint thrives on success. His workaholic lifestyle keeps his agency and the athletes he represents at the top of their game – and all of his emotions at bay. Until he meets Angie, W.A.R.’s newest star, who undermines his carefully laid plans and gets under his skin. Is he willing to relinquish his careful control both in and out of the bedroom?

When Angie and Jaxon end up working together, it’s game on!

GAME ON is the first book in the W.A.R. series and I've had a ball working with Catherine Evans and Amy Andrews. 

You can pre-order these fab books from all retailers HERE.

Kiss pitch contest!

It's time for the celebrations of my 10 year anniversary in the publishing industry to begin!

Flo Nicoll, my fab editor from Mills & Boon UK is taking pitches here starting now.

Flo will choose 3 lucky winners and critique their Kiss partials within 1 week!

That's a super-fast turnaround from an extremely busy editor at a major publishing house.

Before posting your pitch, you may want to check out the imprint Guidelines below:

KISS is sharply contemporary, glossy and chic, attracting readers who enjoy a short hit of romantic excitement with a thoroughly modern twist! Smart and stylish, sweet or sexy, these stories offer fun, flirty reads featuring smart, sassy heroines, equally matched by 21st century alpha heroes!

KISS Key Elements

• Contemporary romance series with a range of sensuality – we're looking for authors who can convey that young urban feel with sparkling characters and simmering tension - either with or without the hot sex!
• This series is all about the 21st century alpha male hero!
• Vibrant, sexy, spirited, fun – but still offering a strong emotional pay off and happy ever after.
• 50,000 words.

Featured in KISS:

Sparky, spirited heroines in control of their own destinies and with friends to help them through – these ladies are more than a match for their men.

Flirty, cheeky, alpha heroes, who expect their partners to be their equals - these guys are absolutely irresistible!

KISS is: all around you! Just look out for edgy, modern-day characters, sometimes struggling, sometimes knocked sideways by love, but finding their happy endings with plenty of laughter and attitude along the way…

• TV: Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, New Girl for their fab, witty dialogue
• Films: What to Expect When You're Expecting, Bridesmaids, 500 Days of Summer, 27 Dresses, No Strings Attached, The Holiday, Friends With Kids, Crazy Stupid Love.
• Authors: if you enjoy authors such as Kristin Higgins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Tasmina Perry, Jennifer Cruisie or Meg Cabot you'll love KISS!

To enter the contest, leave the following in the comments of this post. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on May 14th.

Title
1-3 line pitch
Email address

-Entries preferred for a completed manuscript but partials accepted.
-Contest open to unpublished & published writers.

Winners will be announced by end of this week- keep an eye out on the blog here and on my Twitter & Facebook accounts for the announcement.

You can post up to two different pitches, but each pitch must be written in a separate comment.

*Editor reserves the right to not choose winners, based on quality and quantity of submissions.

So what are you waiting for?
Let the pitching games begin!

10 year anniversary book launch!

This week sees my 10 year anniversary since I got 'The Call' from Kimberly Young at Harlequin Mills and Boon that launched my publishing career.

To celebrate, I'm launching DO IT WRITE, a little reference book packed with gems I've picked up over the years, as well as some easy 'how-to' stuff with sample synopses, etc...

It's at a special introductory price of $0.99!

Currently available on AMAZON but with all retailers by the end of the week.

Happy writing!

THE WRITE WHISPER: Sales rankings

Due to deadline craziness (that will continue into this year!) I haven't done a writing craft post for a while.

So here's a link to an article that all authors will find fascinating.

Which author doesn't check their sales rankings on Amazon or Barnes & Noble?
But what do those numbers mean?

Here's a great post by author Christine Bell that demystifies rankings.

Be Here Now

What is "BE HERE NOW?"

“Be Here Now” is an inspiring documentary about the actor Andy Whitfield, who put the same determination and dedication that he brought to his lead role in the hit television show, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” into fighting life-threatening cancer.

It was Andy’s hope that by opening his story up to a documentary, he might help or inspire others facing similar challenges, while pushing to accelerate the pace of cancer research around the world.

“When Andy was told his lymphoma had returned and that without treatment he had 3 – 6 months to live, he was compelled to share his exploration into the unknown. He selflessly invited a film crew into our lives, who followed us through out the last year of Andy’s magnificent and courageous journey. We now need your support to finish the documentary and fulfill Andy’s legacy.”

~ Vashti Whitfield (www.maybemcqueen.com)

What are "BE HERE NOW" Critiques?

“Be Here Now” needs funding for additional filming and editing, else the documentary will not be completed.

As a writer/fan of Andy Whitfield/despiser of cancer, Kathy Bradey has rallied some wonderfully generous authors to offer various manuscript, chapter and query critiques in exchange for your pledge/donation to the “Be Here Now” Kickstarter campaign.

For more information, see Kathy’s blog.

• If you would like to pledge without partaking in the auction, do so here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/426354716/be-here-now-the-andy-whitfield-story

Thank you for your interest and support! Please retweet, blog, spread the word!

The Write Tools

Today I'm visiting DAMON YOUNG'S blog.

I met Damon via Twitter and he invited me to take part in his Write Tools series. I love hearing about the processes of other writers so check it out in the sidebar of his blog!

Damon is an Australian author, philosopher and commentator. He has published features in the The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Herald, The Australian Literary review and BBC. He's a regular columnist for the ABC and Canberra Times.
Check out his impressive credentials.

And yes, I'm his first romance writer guest!

Want to write for Harlequin Romance?

Want to write for Harlequin Romance?

Here's your chance.

The Mills and Boon UK team are fast-tracking submissions!

"...we’ll be launching a fast track submission period! Anyone who sends us their first chapter and synopsis between 14th March and 23rd April will hear back from us less than ONE MONTH after the closing date, before the 18th May.


"The email address to send your submission to is romancefasttrack@hqnuk.co.uk.

"Please attach your first chapter and short synopsis to the email as well as a short query letter, letting us know how much of the manuscript is complete. Please note, we’ll be looking at only one submission per person."
 
So there you have it.
What are you waiting for?

Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart winners!

Thanks to everyone for entering the Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart contest.

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce the winners:

LORI WILDE'S winner (critique of a partial & synopsis): Bronwyn Stuart's Mixing Business with Pleasure.


LIZ PELLETIER'S winner (Partial critique): Mustang Sassy by DL Snow
(and a bonus! A full request for A Quirkey Affair by Michelle Stuart)


LIBBY MURPHY'S winner: (critique first chapter) Live to Tell by Marisa (Winner)
(and another bonus request: Head Over Wheels by Danielle Dreger)

ALETHEA SPIRIDON HOPSON'S winner: (a full manuscript request) Julie Rowe's Molly Gets Her Man

KERRI-LEIGH GRADY'S winner: (5 page critique) Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts – Heather Massey 
(and a bonus request Project Shadow – Rachel K)

NINA BRUHN'S winner: Eve's The Waiting Game
(Nina has also emailed several participants inviting them to submit with the idea that she can bring them closer to the word count during revisions!)

A HUGE thanks to the wonderful editors from ENTANGLED PUBLISHING who generously offered their time in this contest. Much appreciated.

For the winners, you can find editor email addresses here at EP's website.

Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart contest!

It's time for the VALENTINE'S DAY PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest to begin!

I have 6 editors from Entangled Publishing taking pitches here from today to the 10th February.

Winners will be announced on Valentine's Day!

Pitches can be for any age-range, any genre, and lengths from 10k to 120k words.

"Entangled is a boutique publisher of romance fiction. We pride ourselves on quality stories and commercial covers, and our innovative business model offers our authors the best of indie and traditional publishing. To find out more, see our website. And don't forget to look through our current open submission calls."

Before posting your pitch, you may want to check out the Imprint Guidelines on their website.You can also check out each editor's current wish-list over the last week right here on this blog.

To enter the contest, leave the following in the comments of this post. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on Feb 10th.

Title
Genre/Sub-genre
Word Count
1-3 line pitch
Email address

-Entries must be for a completed manuscript (novellas included.)
-Contest open to unpublished & published writers.

You do not have to indicate which editor you are pitching to; all the editors will read all of the entries. Each editor will choose at least one winner.
Winners will be announced Valentine's Day- keep an eye out on the blog here and on my Twitter account for the announcement.

You can post up to two different pitches, but each pitch must be written in a separate comment.

*Editors reserve the right to not choose a winner, based on quality and quantity of submissions.

So what are you waiting for?
Let the pitching games begin!

Editor's wish-list: Liz Pelletier

First up we have Liz Pelletier, senior editor at Entangled Publishing.

Liz judged my first pitch contest a few months ago and from that contest one of the winners is now published with Entangled!

So what are Entangled acquiring and interested in seeing during this contest?

Novels in the following subgenres of romantic fiction for our Entangled Books, Entangled Select, and Entangled Teen imprints:


•Contemporary

•Upper YA/New Adult (17-22 yo protags) that will appeal to crossover audiences

•Historical

•Romantic Thrillers

•Science Fiction

•Paranormal and Urban Fantasy

•Fantasy

-Manuscripts must have strong romantic elements.

-Adult and New Adult novels should be 70k to 120k words in length for all genres except contemporary romance, which should remain under 90k.

-YA novels should be 50k to 100k words in length.

What's on Liz's Indulgence (category romance series) wishlist:
 
Best friends, misunderstood heroines, ugly ducklings, revenge plots, CEOs and secretaries, really just about any common category trope except sheiks and royalty-related. Personal preference is for heroines with snarky voices, but a sweet-natured heroine who makes a cold millionaire smile can win me over.
 
You can also pitch for their Ever-After & Flirt imprints.
 
For all submission guidelines, check here
 
Liz is generously donating the same prize as last time, a partial request!
(Though last time, she ended up requesting 3 from pitches that caught her attention!)
Thanks Liz.
 
Stay tuned for another editor's wishlist and prize on offer tomorrow.

Pitch the Book of your Heart!

It's that time of year again, when the hearts and flowers are out in force.
Yep, Valentine's Day is almost upon us and this year, I'm doing something different to celebrate.

I'm giving you the warm and fuzzies by running another pitch contest!

I have 5 fabulous editors from Entangled Publishing offering requests for full manuscripts, partials and critiques.

Last time I ran this contest a few months ago, one of the winners sold her manuscript and is now published!

So what are you waiting for?
Go polish those pitches now!

I'll be introducing you to each editor over the next 5 days so you can get a feel for their wish-lists.
The VALENTINE'S DAY PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest will start Feb 7th, run until Feb 10th, with the winners announced on Valentine's Day!

Here's what you'll need:

-a completed manuscript
-a one to three sentence pitch that wows
-title, genre, wordcount, email address

The last contest was only open to unpublished writers but I've had several emails from published writers wanting to participate, so this time the contest is open to both!

For more information about what Entangled Publishing acquires, go here.

Stay tuned to meet the editors and get your pitch ready for the 7th!

And please spread the word: on your blog, Facebook, Twitter.

Thanks!

Digital Book World Conference

The Digital Book World conference is happening right now in NYC and the information coming from it is fantastic!

If you're on Twitter, follow #dbw and #dbw12

And BOB MAYER is providing great wrap-ups and excellent insights as always on his blog.

WEEKEND BOOK CLUB: Liz Fielding's Little Book of Romance Writing

Welcome Liz Fielding to give us a brief insight into her brand new writing reference book, LIZ FIELDING'S LITTLE BOOK OF WRITING ROMANCE.

Begin your story at a moment of crisis, a point in time when your character’s life is about to change for ever.



— Mollie Blake’s Writing Workshop Notes from Secret Wedding by Liz Fielding

Mollie Blake is a woman who knows what’s she’s talking about. Well, obviously, I created her back in 2000 for my novella, The Secret Wedding.

How I wish I’d had someone like her around when I was starting out on my writing career. Someone to take me by the hand and ease me through the process of getting the story in my head onto paper. Explain about conflict, the importance of emotion, creating characters that the reader will care about. Alas, twenty years ago there were few “how-to” books to turn to in the UK, the internet had not been invented and I’d never heard the words “critique partner”. I didn’t actually know anyone else who was writing. I was on my own.

I learned by doing, by writing, being rejected, reading the writers I wanted to emulate. It was a long, slow and very steep learning curve but the one thing you need if you want to be a writer is single-minded determination. My fourth submission, An Image of You, was published in 1992 and, since then, I’ve had a wonderful career with more than sixty books in print.

My Little Book of Writing Romance is a straightforward writing romance primer. It’s the book I wish I’d had when I was fumbling through my first attempts at writing fiction and I launched into the world this week as a hand in the dark to new writers struggling with the stuff it took me years to learn. And when you make it into print, email me to share the joy.


Liz Fielding’s Little Book of Writing Romance is available from


PS – Molly Blake’s story, The Secret Wedding, is available as a free online read or you can download it for .99c from Amazon.

This is the kind of book I wish had been around when I first started writing ten years ago and was totally clueless!

As I turned the pages I found myself nodding often, as Liz provides excellent tips and examples for:
-dialogue
-deep emotion
-POV
-conflict
-grabbing the reader on the first page
-creating a four-dimensional world
-a satisfying ending.

This is a great writing resource, highly recommend.

Buy at Amazon US & Amazon UK

I have Liz's latest FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN lined up to read next on my TBR pile.
What are you reading this week?

Critique winners!

I'm thrilled to announce the critique winners from my pitch contest last week.

With an added bonus!

The amazingly generous Liz Pelletier (originally offering to critique the first 5 pages of one winner) has requested the FULL manuscripts of 3 entrants!

-BITERS (the winner) by Sarah Shade
-MR RIGHT NOW by Kristina Knight
-FREEFALLING by Robyn

I'd love to critique all entrants but with time constraints (I barely sleep as it is!) I've had to choose one, and that winner is:

-TOKYO DARE by Anne Van.

If you didn't win this time, please don't be disheartened.
I loved reading all the pitches and I know Liz had a really difficult time narrowing the field too.
I hope to see your books on the shelf real soon, or stay tuned for more pitch contests!

Congrats again to the winners.

Pitch & win critiques!

As most writers have discovered at some stage, synopses suck.

It's extremely difficult to take your fabulous manuscript and highlight the best bits in a succinct, cohesive way.

It's harder yet to to write a query, a 3 paragraph summary of your book.

The hardest?  A pitch, a one or two sentence summary.

So of course, that's what I'm asking you to do for a chance to win critiques.

I'm doing you a favour, honest. How can you convince someone else to read your story if you can't describe it in a snazzy, short, convincing way?

For tips, check out:

Rachelle Gardner's post on One-Sentence Summary

Nathan Bransford's post on How to Write a One Sentence Pitch

So, what's the prize?

-A critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript by LIZ PELLETIER, senior editor & co-founder of ENTANGLED PUBLISHING (What they've achieved in a short space of time is truly phenomenal. I love working with them!)

-A critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript by a USA TODAY, Waldenbooks & Bookscan bestseller with 30+ books under her belt. (Yeah, that'd be me!)

So here are the rules:

-As this is a blog contest, it's only open to followers of my blog (feel free to follow now to participate.)

-Your pitch must be 1 or 2 sentences max.

-Post your entry in the comments section here.  Your entry must include:

1. Title, genre, word count

2. Your polished 1-2 sentence pitch

3. your email address

-Entries must be for a completed manuscript (novellas included.)
-Contest open to unpublished writers only.

This contest will run for 1 week, entries closing 11.59pm Monday 16th October.

FYI
Entangled Publishing submissions: We are seeking novels and novellas in the following subgenres of romantic fiction for publication in Summer 2012 and beyond:


•Contemporary (including category series romance.)
•Upper YA/New Adult (17-22 yo protags) that will appeal to crossover audiences

•Historical

•Romantic Thrillers

•Science Fiction
•Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
•Fantasy

Their latest October 2011 wishlist is here.

Good luck!
And please spread the word: on your blog, Facebook, Twitter.
Thanks!

(Don't forget the chance to win my latest release all week here!)

Poor prose

Heard of the Bulwer-Lytton annual contest for poor prose?

If not, go check out the results for a good laugh.

Sue Fondrie won with this gem:

“Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories.”