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!!!

I'm an Aunty!

Just got the phone call to say I have a brand new baby niece!!
Her name's Zoe (which I love and was going to use for a heroine one day) and she's 6 lb 1 oz and that's about all I know for now!

Ooh...I love babies :)

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!)

The Desert Prince is sold!

Remember this guy?

He was my sheikh who morphed into a prince and needed to be 'tweaked' even after he morphed!
Well, had a chat with my lovely ed tonight and the book is SOLD!!
Yay!!!!
Number 14 for me and I still can't believe it. I swear it feels like I've only just sold my first yesterday...

No title as yet but I've given her a whole heap all with 'Desert Prince' in them just because I love it. And she said the oasis scene was so fab she really wants that on the cover!
A tentative June 08 release so will have that confirmed over the next few days.

So time to rest up, right?
Wrong!
Next Romance deadline has been moved up so I needed to have new proposal to her like yesterday (just did it and emailed off), write the book in 9 weeks, AFTER I do the revisions for PICTURE PERFECT she just sent through and wants back shortly.

Yes, I'm feeling a tad flustered, stressed but exhilirated. I tend to thrive under pressure but that's usually with more than 4 hours broken sleep a night. Hmm...could be an interesting few months ahead.

And what am I going to do about Beth and Aidan? Their story was flowing so beautifully and know I'll have to leave it aside. What I'd really like to do is finish it before I start the next but I'm just not going to have time.

So, anyone invented a 48 hour day yet?

I'm a Presents girl!

Aren't the Harlequin Presents covers gorgeous?
So dramatic, so bold, so passionate...and I'm getting some of my very own!!!
Yes! For those readers who have contacted me asking when my Modern Extra books will be released in the US, I now have a few dates for you.
First up we have PURCHASED FOR PLEASURE (coming to the UK in Oct, Aust Dec) featuring my sexy SEAL will be out in April 08, followed by MISTRESS TO THE TYCOON (released as BIG-SHOT BACHELOR in the UK and Aust) out in July 08.
I really, really can't wait to see my covers for both these books but I guess I'll have to...rest assured, I'll pop them up as soon as I get them! :)

Fearless, feisty and proud of it

Some great comments posted in relation to my question about feisty and how much is too much.

Suzy gave a great example in J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas, who I also enjoy, especially because she does have a softer side. And Margaret raised an interesting point about our personalities possibly reflecting that of our heroines. Hmm...am I as fearless and feisty as Beth?

I'd like to be but unfortunately I'm one of those people who think up the great come-back line to say about ten minutes after the opportunity has passed! And even if it did come to me on the spot in a flash of inspiration, I'm the shy and retiring type who hates to rock the boat ;)

For me, I think one of the great things about writing romance is being able to create characters with little bits of personality we may long for ourselves, and to put ourselves out there, to do things we'd never do or only dream of doing. That's why I love feisty heroines, the type of gals who know what they want and go out there and grab it with both hands.

So watch out, Aidan Voss. Beth Walker wants YOU!

The definition of feisty

This ModEx story is scooting along, another 3000 words last night. Mind you, writing was the last thing I felt like doing when finally sat down at the computer at 9pm last night but it's like I always say, even if you can only write a page or so a day, make yourself do it for the more you write, the easier it becomes. I hadn't written for a few days, hence the difficulty in getting back into it but once I started the words flowed. And before I heard the baby crying for a feed, I'd clocked up the words.
Hmm...now to my dilemma. Well, not actually a dilemma but something I'm a tad concerned about.
Beth, the heroine in this book, is way too feisty. Even when she should be quaking in her boots at getting fired-in fact, even after getting fired last night-she has a quick come-back for her boss. Sure, he can more than handle it but she gives him heaps...all the time! I love that about her but in reality would someone be that much of a smarty pants? Mind you, there is a reason for her behaviour, all tied up to her motivation, but what do you think?
Do you like feisty heroines? And if so, where do you draw the line? All opinions appreciated :)

Next week's mystery guest

Okay, by taking one look at this stunning cover, it's no mystery as to who my guest is next week.

It's Margaret Mayo, a fabulously talented author who has written...wait for it...over 70 books for Mills and Boon over 30 years!!! How incredible is that?

I love hearing from readers, it's such a thrill, so imagine my smile when Margaret took the time to contact me a few weeks ago saying she'd read and enjoyed TWO-WEEK MISTRESS, my 2nd Modern Extra.

It's slightly scary writing a book and having it 'out there' for everyone to read, let alone fellow authors, hence the big smile :)

So to get the low-down on what it's like writing for Modern/Presents, what romance means, Margaret's favourite book and what she's currently working on, make sure to pop back early next week.

A fab book!

I adore reading.
And I read a lot. About 100 books a year, 80% of those mainstream fiction so I come across a lot of authors.
I love trying new authors so picked up an Adele Parks book a few years ago and have been well and truly hooked ever since.

Now, as soon as her latest hits the shelves I'm there, so picked up my copy of Young Wives' Tales from Borders a few weeks back and devoured it in 3 days this week.

Adele is one of those gifted authors that can bring her characters to life and make them leap off the page and into your life. You feel like you know her characters intimately and are super frustrated that you have to leave their lives when you finish the book.
This one is truly fabulous and her insights into motherhood are so spot on I guarantee they'll bring a tear to your eye.

This book is a sequel to Playing Away, though you don't need to read it to appreciate this one. Though to find out about Connie and John's affair before this book, go for it!

The collage version of 'plotter vs. pantser'

This is a great question posed by Rachael in the comments to my last post so let's chat about it:

I know others have blogged about this and written articles on the like, but how do you collage. Do you start with a general idea about characters and settings and go hunt for them or do you just pick up a mag and go hell for leather? Just wondering, as I'm hoping to finish my wip soon and I've got three ideas to choose from for the next one and I thought doing some collages may help me clarify, which idea I have the most to give to at the moment. Am I making sense??

You're making perfect sense, Rachael, and in fact, you really made me think about how I go through the whole process.

I'm a plotter, so before I start a book I usually have an idea and work from there. Once I have a vague vision of what type of people my hero and heroine will be like (eg. suave, rugged, conservative, sassy, whatever) I flip through my hero/heroine file or a magazine to find an image to go with my idea.

Similarly, I always know where my book will be set so search for pics to symbolise that place or to give an ambience.

That said, once I get the main pics for hero/heroine sorted, I let my imagination run wild and flick through a magazine, cutting out anything which might suit the story. This is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, as I usually incorporate these strange/quirky/unexpected pics into the story somehow and it leads me in all sorts of new directions.

In the collage above (for PICTURE PERFECT, my 4th Modern Extra) I had a very clear idea of setting so most of the pics show it. That said, I didn't use any 'quirky' pics in this one, and I found I didn't use the collage as much when writing.

With my desert prince collage, pics like the opal, glass tea set and feet washed have all been incorporated into the story as I found myself much more immersed in the collage and thus the story.

So hope this helps, Rachael. My advice to you would be try both methods (hunting for pics to suit the story VS. going hell for leather!) and see which works best for you.

And for more 'how-to' advice, check out my interview on collaging with Barbara Hannay here.

Have fun!!

So who's a yummy mummy?

Okay, so I'm a day behind.

Isn't that normal for frazzled mums?

I blogged about being a 'yummy mummy' over at the Pink Heart Society yesterday, a post I scrambled together this week one night after changing a nappy and before indulging in a bowl of delicious 'cookies'n'cream' icecream.

It really got me thinking...what makes a yummy mummy? (read my post to find out !)

Yesterday, I took my 2 boys out for lunch at a local cafe and as I sat there with the sounds of smooth jazz playing in the background, my 3 year old happily colouring and my new baby lying fast asleep in his pram, I was overcome by one of those intensely happy feelings which pop up at the oddest of moments.

Yes, I'm tired and run off my feet and never have a spare second to myself but having these two little boys makes me the luckiest woman in the world :)

A tale of two princes

So you've met Dante Andretti, the prince of Calida in my current release PRINCESS AUSTRALIA.

No, this isn't him. This is my other prince I'm currently revising, Prince Samman al Wali, desert prince and ruler of Adhara. More about him next week...(until then, try not to drool over yet another sexy pic of Rodrigo Santoro!)

My editor loves the setting in this one. Here's a tiny taste:

Bria’s breath caught at her first glimpse of the royal residence. Nothing could’ve prepared her for the splendour of white-washed domes and spires silhouetted against the golden desert sands stretching to the horizon where the sun, a fiery purple and magenta ball, dipped and slid slowly from view.

More Than Magic

I've just received news that INHERITED: BABY was placed 2nd for Best Traditional Romance 2007 in the 'More Than Magic' contest.

Place getters were:

1st Falling for Dallas by Carolynn Carey
2nd Inherited: Baby by Nicola Marsh
3rd Rescued by Mr. Right by Shirley Jump

I've had a lot of feedback about this book from readers and it's great to find the judges liked the book too!

To celebrate my three Harlequin Romance releases finalling in competitions, I'm giving away all three books in my June Newsletter contest.

This giveaway is exclusive to my newsletter subscribers so if you'd like a chance to win all 3 books (plus a few other goodies!) make sure you sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.

(The contest only runs for a fortnight so get your entry in now!!)