The RNA Conference - Julie Cohen

This week we're delighted to welcome our first guest blogger, and firm Minx favourite - Julie Cohen. Her Harlequin Mills and Boon and Little Black Dress titles have a guaranteed place on our keepers' shelf and 'GIRL FROM MARS' Recently won an Award of Merit in the HOLT Medallion. Come back to the Minx blog on 13th of October to hear about her new release coming out with Headline - 'GETTING AWAY WITH IT'

(Check out the photograph with Jo Eustace if you want to pick out Julie from the shoe line-up on the RNA blog!)

The RNA conference
Every time I’ve gone to a Romantic Novelists’ Association conference, it’s changed my life. Take the first one, for example, in Durham in 2002. Though I’d been chatting with some other RNA members on the net, and made good friends with some of them that way, I’d never met any of the people there in person. I’m pretty sure I’d never even met a published romance writer in person. And yet there I was, arriving late, halfway through dinner on the first night, into a room full of loudly chattering writers. I was terrified. What if they were all so brilliant they wouldn’t talk with me? Who was I to say I could write at all? I was unpublished, clueless, and had only ever been rejected.

I was greeted by cheers and waves and hugs from my online friends. And it got even better from there: I met published writers, experienced writers, other newbies, all of them friendly and generous. I got down on my knees and asked my online buddy to be my critique partner. I walked along the river and saw the cathedral. I drank too much wine.

It was wonderful.
The following year, in 2003, I was drying my hands in the ladies’ room when the organiser of the New Writers’ Scheme came up to me and said, “I hear your manuscript submission this year was really good. You should send it to this agent.” Then she gave me a card. I had never, ever been told by an impartial stranger that my work was any good. I nearly cried. Then I drank too much wine.

By the time of the Leicester conference in 2004, I’d acquired an agent, but I was still unpublished. But, basically because I am unembarrassable, I was giving the first workshop on writing sex scenes that the RNA had ever hosted. I’d done two interviews with national newspapers because of it, and another national profile piece and a television appearance would follow. And me, still an unpublished writer. Because of the RNA. That evening, after the workshop was over, I drank too much wine.

Two weeks later, I’d sold my first novel.
Then there was the first conference as a published author. The first where I actually got to sign books. The time where we all cried because our friend was told by an editor that her book had been bought; the time where we all cheered because a dear friend had placed in the Elizabeth Gouge award and then walked across a field barefoot, swigging champagne. The times when someone tells me I’ve managed to help them in some way, which is the best feeling ever. There were the shoes and the toasts and the workshops and the naughty kitchens and the meetings with editors and agents and the chance conversations with people whose books I love, and people whose books I am going to love, just as soon as they get published so I can read them.

This year, in Kate Harrison’s workshop, she told us to set ourselves three achievable goals to improve our writing life. I started work on them the day after I got home. Other members helped me with research questions, with inspiration, with encouragement, with finding direction. And oh yes—I believe I drank too much wine.Mostly, I’ve made friends, and friends are what you need in this business, to fight the crows of doubt and the solitude and to celebrate the successes. Oh, and also shoes. And maybe just a teensy tiny little bit of wine...

Julie’s latest book is NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM, available with free shipping here:http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780755341412/Nina-Jones-and-the-Temple-of-Gloom

Her website is http://www.julie-cohen.com, she’s on Facebook as julie.cohen.author an

d her Twitter ID is @julie_cohen.

Author Spotlight: Lucy King

This week the Minx spotlight is on Lucy King, winner of the Mills and Boon Feel the Heat competition in 2008 and the Joan Hessayon award. Two of the Minxes were lucky enough to meet Lucy when she picked up her award at the RNA conference in Greenwich and are pleased to report that she's every bit as nice as she seems on her blog :-)

So, on with the questions...

Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?
Right at the beginning. I’d written one story and had sent it off to Mills & Boon in Richmond. My first ever rejection letter came back in August 2005 saying that while my material was competently written my story didn’t focus strongly enough on the relationship between the hero and heroine. It also suggested I read as many current titles as I could, which given that I foolishly hadn’t read any in the previous twenty years, was excellent advice. So I read as many as I could lay my hands on and decided to keep on trying.

Where did you get the idea for this particular book?

A year or so ago I read somewhere that PR was one of the few industries not to suffer in a recession, and it got me thinking. Modern Heat is about glamour and what better excuse to write about parties? I then decided to give my heroine her own PR company and an over-achieving family and focused on what would be her worst nightmare. Everything else sort of slotted into place. Eventually.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
Geographically, in a beautiful farmhouse in rural southern Spain. Personally, 10 years younger. Professionally, writing my 30th novel for Mills and Boon. Hopelessly wishful thinking on all fronts!

Which was the last book you read that you wish you’d written?
‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, but only for the royalty cheques and the film rights.

Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?
No. I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I sat down and typed Chapter 1. I started writing more to see if I could do it rather than out of any pressing creative urge. Now I’m strangely addicted.

Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?
Neither. At least not if they happen in the right place at the right time. I have to get into the zone and then they (hopefully) write themselves. However I find it really hard to re-read my love scenes as they tend to make me blush.

What’s the most romantic moment of your life so far?
I’ve been trying to think of an answer to this question ever since you invited me here. And tragically I really can’t think of anything. I’d like to think that the most romantic moment of my life is still to come.

What do you wish you’d known about being an author before you were published?
The discipline it requires sometimes to get words down and hit deadlines. This is still a work in progress.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?
Me: ‘Oooh, iheartpresents.com is running another contest.’
My husband: ‘You should give it a go.’

Tell us about your latest release?
Propositioned by the Billionaire is about a PR executive who comes from a high-achieving family, has a fear of failure and hair that tends to frizz, and a venture capitalist with his own island and serious trust issues. It also features a flamingo, parties and exploding handbags.

What’s next for you?
I’m working on revising my third Modern Heat and trying not to get too distracted by my ideas for book number 4.

Keep up to date with Lucy's news via her blog Pick up your own copy of 'Propositioned by the Billionaire' at the Book Depository, the Mills and Boon Website or Amazon

World Cup review

While some of us are going through RNA conference recovery, I thought it would be fun to blog about two of my favourite things -- buff men and football :-)

So, for those who have somehow managed to miss the hype -- what's it all about? TheWorld Cup is 14.2 inches high and made from 18 carat gold and weighs in at 13.6lb so is a relatively little thing that footballers have put their heart and soul into winning over the last 6 weeks. And who among us doesn't love a man who will put their all into something they are passionate about?


So perhaps we should look at some of those men? For purely research purposes only -- to examine the type of man who spends hours training his body into a fine machine all in the name of football.

Of course, it is important that the men who take part in the beautiful game are fine physical specimens. Our first study is Uruguay's Diego Forlan. I'm sure you'll agree, he looks as though he trains very hard for his sport :-)

Next is one of England's most hated men, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. For those who don't know, he rolled around on the floor as though he'd been sniper shot in the last European Championships and tried to get his then Manchester United team mate, England's Wayne Rooney sent off. It worked. The Englishman was sent from the field of play and English hearts were once again broken as the team crashed out of the tournament. Hence general dislike for Cristiano who the lovely Maisey Yates assures me is still well worth looking at!

Next for your viewing delight we have a few hand picked members of the Italian World Cup team. Unfortunately, they did not hang around the tournament for too long this year. But they did manage to leave a pretty lasting impression on some female fans. Can anyone see why?!

It's only fair my own nation is featured in this blog post. I've chosen one of the lesser known members of the English squad. We've all seen pictures of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard so let me introduce, for those who haven't seen/heard of him, Liverpool and England's Glen Johnson. He's incredibly pretty but unfortunately it seems he's a little shy as I couldn't find an image of him unclothed. I do apologise, blog readers, must try harder ... I know!

There's been some chatter on Twitter regarding the teams and their players. Whilst I've favoured the Spanish, some have grumbled that they are a little short. So, especially for those who prefer tall men, Jackie Ashenden, here we have Holland's Wesley Sneijder. Again, he seems a little shy and there were no easy to find 'shirt swapping' pictures so I hope this one will do!

Next is Portugal's Nuno Gomes. For those who saw the 'Presents Hero' picture Maisey had on her blog a week or so back, I'm fairly certain this is one of the men featured.

Finally, it wouldn't be fair if we didn't finish with a player from the winning team and arguably the player of the tournament. Well, I think he was the best player in the last 6 weeks and it isn't just because he's incredibly cute ... honestly, it's not! Spain's David Villa.

While I'm devastated the World Cup has now finished, it may mean better things for my WIP. I'm thinking now I don't have the distraction on the football and Wimbledon my word count will start to soar. Let's hope so ... I have a requested partial to submit!

Not at Conference? (and gossip)

Well this weekend is the RNA conference, and romance writers everywhere are flocking to London to meet, greet and network. It's a great opportunity for everyone to go to talks and workshops and half of the Minxes are on their way there right now - all dressed up in their conference dresses and super shoes. But half of the Minxes can't go, for one reason or another, and this blog post is for the rest of us!

Here are some things those not at conference can do this weekend.

1. Polish that first chapter.
Every writer at conference wishing to pitch to an editor and get feedback on their WIP, has really polished the first chapter of their manuscript and sent it in to the RNA to be read by an editor prior to their pitch talk. The time pressure to get this done has forced them to work hard to make sure it's the best first chapter that it can be. Us non-conference goers (NCG's) should drag out our first chapter and do an edit and polish.
Right Now.

2. Write a kick-ass synopsis.
The conference goers had to write a one page synopsis to go with their first chapter. We're luckier, because we're not pitching to an editor at the conference, but getting a submission ready to send in by the regular route. We can write a 2 page synopsis. Scroll back through Minx posts and print out Cindy Davis' excellent 'How to do a synopsis' post and write it. This weekend, pretend we're under time pressure too!

3. Polish the next 2 chapters.
Those at conference might get a request to see the first 3 chapters. They will have polished the next 2 so they're ready when the request comes. Let's do the same.

4.  Claim your writer status.
By going to conference they're stating that they, published or unpublished, are writers. Go to vistaprint or another online printing service,  and design up some free business cards for yourself. Shout it loud!

5. The Revamp.
The conference is the perfect opportunity for reinvention. New dress, new shoes, new haircut. If the budget allows, get one or all of the above! If time and finances don't allow, at least have a diy pedicure and paint those toenails.

6. Craft up.
Workshops, talks and lectures abound at the conference, but we have it all too, online. One good place to look is at the Romance Writers of America site, they have lots of handouts that you can read through. Everyone's got their favorite craft blogs, but here's two of mine, Les Edgerton's blog for craft articles, and Laurie Schnebley Campbell's.

7. Indulge yourself.
The conference is also about having a meal out, and coffee with friends. Taking the time to talk about writing, your goals, hopes, and fears. Try and get together with a likeminded writer friend for coffee, or if not (because they're all away!) get together online. Maybe try a Skype session to brainstorm ideas, or maybe just get yourself that coffee (with cream!) and large slice of chocolate cake for next to the keyboard.
The weekend is about focusing on yourself, you're a writer, you deserve it!

I'm sure there are loads of things I've forgotten, do pop in a comment with some more suggestions!

And now for a Friday news snippet... Here's some unofficial gossip about the Romance is not dead competition from Mills and Boon.
A little bird tells us that the contest is going ahead, and the time to post the first chapter is during September. It looks like its going to be for all the UK edited lines. The first round will be judged by editors and then the next few rounds are judged by the public and the panel. The first round is the first chapter, the next is the next chapter, and the final is the pivotal moment.
Word is that Mills and Boon authors will be holding workshops about how to write a M&B, and that there will also be stuff on the website. Check the website regularly, and let us all know the moment this competition goes live!

Author Spotlight - Claire Robyns

Today we welcome one of Carina Press' launch authors, Claire Robyns. Claire's historical romance novel, Betrayed, is now available on-line here. I am especially delighted to be introducing Claire as she is a fellow South African (albeit living now in England).

Claire, thanks so much for joining us here today. Now let's get onto those Minxy questions ...

Where were you in your writing career five years ago?

I’d been concentrating on writing and submitting category romances (no luck yet), learning the craft with shorter titles and spending a lot of time in the eHarlequin forums. Interestingly, it was around 5 years ago when we moved from South Africa to the UK, I had several months off work to settle the family in and grabbed that opportunity to try my hand at a longer length book and started writing Betrayed.

Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

I’ve always loved reading historical romances. After a writing session where I was once again trying to rein in those pesky secondary characters, it struck me that historical romance is the one genre where intruding secondary characters are welcome and Betrayed was born. Literally. The title came to me first, and I built my story and characters around that. Most of my plots come to me as a title or single-line blurb, and then I weave the story and characters to fit in. My writing life would be a lot easier if the full story came first in a dream and I just had to think up a good title to match.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years' time?

My ultimate dream is to be a full-time writer. Not because I hate the day-job, but because I love writing more and there are just not enough hours in a day. That’s what I hope for, anyway. What I know for certain is that in 5 years I’ll still be writing because I cannot imagine not doing it.
Betrayed is also my debut book, so I hope to have built up a backlist of sorts in 5 years time.

Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Not the whole book, just these few lines…
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
I never even saw it coming.

I can’t get over how those lines hooked me in while I was flipping through the book in the bookstore. If I could ever have that effect on my readers, I’d be a happy gal!

Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be an author?

I could give you a long list of authors I love… Karen Marie Moning, Judith McNaught, Virginia Henley, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Liz Fielding, Trish Wylie… I’d better stop now, but the list is nowhere complete.

But I’d have to say that all authors out there made me want to be a writer, because it was my passion for reading that one day turned into a passion for writing… and that started when I was about 6 years old reading The Secret Seven and The Famous Five.

Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy - or neither?

I used to find the idea of writing love scenes cringe-worthy, but when I eventually wrote my first one, I found that it wasn’t at all.

Currently I’m finding the idea of readers reading my love scenes cringe-worthy, friends and family in particular – hopefully once Betrayed is released and being read, I’ll discover that it isn’t at all.

What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

Ooh, this is an interesting one, because I didn’t particularly find it romantic at the time. My husband proposed by tossing the engagement ring into the deep end of the pool and suggesting we go for a swim. It was the middle of winter.

Me: Are you crazy? It’s the middle of winter.
Him: It’s refreshing.
Me: I don’t think so.
Him: Just give it a try. Come on, it’ll be fun. Don’t you trust me?
Me: Um, no!
And so it went on until he was finally forced to admit what he’d done and that this was actually a marriage proposal. I should add that we had a couple of friends around at the time for a dinner party.
Me: What? You’re asking me to marry you?
Him: If you—
I have no idea how that sentence ended. I was underwater. He joined me and we had to dive a couple of times to find the ring, lol.

Thanks to a few too many glasses of wine, afterwards I actually thought it was a pretty fun way to propose. It was only years later, once we’d been married for a while, that I started to regard that proposal as truly romantic. Because it was so typical of my husband. Everyone who’s known him in Cape Town jokes about his tendency to swim all year round, usually in the middle of the night. And he made sure our close friends been invited that evening to share the moment with us.

Now when I think back on that proposal, I get a warm smile in my heart that I would not feel had he done something totally out of character like take me to a fancy restaurant.

What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were published?

Well, this is something I’d been told many times, but never really believed it: The fear of rejection doesn’t stop once you’re published.

Now I know it’s true.

In fact, I’m dreading rejection now far more. Before, it was only a nameless face writing a form rejection slip out there somewhere. No one beside me knew about it or cared. But now I’m worried about a reviewer slamming my book on a public blog. I’m worried that readers will hate it, or worse, what if no one bothers to actually buy my book? Will my publisher realize too late that they made a huge mistake in thinking my writing had any merit? Will my editor love the next book I’m working on or will she totally hate it?

The fear of rejection doesn’t end when you’re published. Believe it!

What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Take what good you can from a rejection and then toss it aside and don’t look back. If you’re a writer, you’re going to get rejected again and again and again. It’s not easy to keep the belief in yourself and it’s important to remember that every rejection is subjective and not necessarily based on the quality of your writing and story content. I had this repeated to me many time over through the years and it really helped to keep me believing in myself.

Tell us about your latest release.

Betrayed is a medieval Scottish romance set in the reign of the first King James I, shortly after his release from England.

Two Feuding Families
Amber Jardin has no taste for the bitter feud started before her father’s banishment. But now that he’s passed, she’s had to return to Scotland and his barbaric people. After her bloodthirsty uncle kidnaps one of the family’s rivals, Amber is in turn captured by Krayne Johnstone, the enemy laird. Despite their enmity, their attraction is immediate—and unfortunate, as Amber has sworn to escape.

One Lusty Temptation
Krayne is amazed at the wildcat’s repeated attempts to flee. He should steel himself against her beguiling ways—yet with time, he is driven more witless with lust. When the ransom exchange fails and Krayne is left with Amber, he finds he cannot tolerate the thought of her with another man—and she cannot tolerate the thought of returning to her uncle’s home.

Will passion and love win out over mistrust and betrayal in time to prevent an all-out war?

Krayne Johnstone became laird of Wamphray at the age of 12. He’s a man shaped by the harsh land. His heart is for pumping blood to his sword arm and nothing else. Before he could even start to fall in love with Amber, I had to teach the poor man what love is. But he is honorable and noble, and he has excellent reasons for distrusting scheming women.

Amber Jardin has led a pampered life in England and is totally unprepared for the barbaric realities of Scotland. But she’s not one to simper and bemoan her fate. She’s determined to shape her future and use whatever means on hand to do it. In this case, it’s her body. Amber is not perfect, far from it, but then I’ve never liked my heroines flawless. I don’t necessarily approve of everything she does, but I admire her courage and determination.

You can read an excerpt at http://www.clairerobyns.com/Betrayed.html

What's next for you?

I’m currently working on another medieval Scottish romance, although this is not a sequel. Different set of characters, and set in the reign of Queen Mary of Scotland.


Well, it’s been fun and thanks again to the Minxes for having me here.

Betrayed is available now from http://ebooks.carinapress.com/026A5BD8-2831-404E-82AF-1C9903BC944C/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=9127C110-9462-4474-876C-C00F3C131E37, on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.

You can connect with Claire Robyns on
Website: http://www.clairerobyns.com/
Blog: http://www.clairerobyns.blogspot.com/