Author Spotlight: Nyla Rose

Today the Minxes are excited to welcome Nyla Rose to the blog. We hope you had a great Christmas, Nyla. Now we look forward to getting to know you better.

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Five years ago, I’d just returned to work from maternity leave with Child No.2. I missed him dreadfully. To help alleviate that, I started to write at my desk when the boss was away. I got my first book (which shall remain unnamed) written that way. So you could I’d just began my writing journey.

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

I started writing Yuletide Fire on a whim really. A few of my then crit partners were writing stories for their various houses centered around the Christmas theme and I enjoyed reading what they wrote so I started writing one too. I had other projects occupying my time but when I could I’d go back and add a paragraph here and a paragraph there. Before I knew it, I had a complete book!

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Hopefully still writing. Hopefully published with a more established house. Penguin or Simon & Shuster would be great! I can dream, right?

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

Anything by Michelle Reid or India Grey! Although I couldn’t possibly have written any of Stieg Larsson’s books, they blew me away completely!

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

I've always enjoyed reading, but it wasn't until I read my first Mills & Boon at age 13 that I really thought of writing. I wrote my very first (unpublishable) story not long after that.

6. Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?

I love writing love scenes and most of my books tend to be on the (very) sensual side, so I’d say neither. I think they’re a key part of a character’s emotional development. I tend to peel back another layer of my characters’ emotions during these scenes so it’s a part I always look forward to ;)

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

Oh dear, I don’t think I can reveal too much without getting into trouble. Let’s just say anything that involves “the little things in life” touches me romantically.

8. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That it’s not only about the writing. That promoting your work is a huge time-suck. The publishing world is a huge business machine that never stops turning. You have to keep up or risk falling by the wayside. That was certainly an eye-opener.

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

Don’t compare yourself to another writer. And just keep writing no matter what because writing is a skill which develops only by constant application.

10. Tell us about your latest release.

Yuletide Fire is a Christmas themed story. Maxine Gray is on the verge of bankruptcy after her ex-fiancé cleans her out and runs off with another woman. At any time this would frighten most people, but when it happens just before Christmas, she’s even more desperate because she had employees with families depending on her. When she turns to her eccentric grandfather for a loan against her Trust, he gives her an ultimatum - marry by Christmas Day or lose her inheritance.

As a last resort, Maxine gets in touch with her ex-lover, Gabe Fenton, an attorney, to find out if there’s any way around the Trust Deed. Gabe agrees to help her… but only if they re-enact the steamy nights they spent in Vegas five years ago.

11. What’s next for you?

I have a few projects I’m waiting to hear back on so watch this space.

You can keep in touch with me via my Twitter page - www.twitter.com/nylaroseauthor
My books are for sale via Amazon, Cobblestone Press or Wild Rose Press.

Thank you so much to all the Minxes for inviting me here today. Hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a happy, published and fruitful 2011.

Author Spotlight - Liz Fielding

Today the Minxes are pleased and super excited to feature RITA winning Romance author, Liz Fielding.

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Five years? I had just written my second Rita® winning book, THE MARRIAGE MIRACLE, so I was on a bit of a career high.

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

It’s always difficult to pinpoint the moment when an idea gels in the mind. At some point I got caught up in the whole idea of a Santa’s Grotto story, with my heroine hiding out – and in my head it will always be Santa’s Secret Elf. MISTLETOE & THE LOST STILETTO is, as the shoe connection suggests, pure Cinderella!

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Well, another Rita® would be great but I hope I’ll still be writing the kind of books that readers want to buy. And who knows, maybe I’ll have finished one of the longer books tucked up in the dustier corners of my computer’s memory.

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

Well, pretty much anything that Barbara O’Neal has written in the last year or two. Julie Cohen’s “Girl From Mars”, Susanna Kearsley’s “Sophia’s Secret” – not that I’ll ever write an historical.

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

Not unless you’re prepared to go back as far as Enid Blyton, Noel Streatfield and Pamela Brown. Although I think Noel and Pamela were more responsible for firing my desire to be an actress. I always loved to read and I always wanted to write. It took me a while, but I finally got there. (The acting career was strictly amateur!)

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

Oh, golly gosh. It was over forty years ago when the best beloved took me to Victoria Falls for our first date. It would seem pathetic if nothing more romantic than that had happened to me since. Takes some beating though. :)

7. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That it’s hard work. That it doesn’t get any easier. How much fun it was being with other authors – romance novelists know how to party! I really wished I’d joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association while I was still trying to get published, for the support and help they give new writers. I wish I’d never bought that size larger skirt when sitting at the keyboard began to take its toll on my waistline and had gone on a diet instead.

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

Make a scene of it. I’d underplayed a scene where jealousy flared up in my poor heroine’s heart and my editor told me to always make a scene of it. Use the feelings. Dig deep for the emotion.

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you?

It’s always exciting to be involved in a new venture. The Romance/Cherish series has always be filled with great writers, great stories with a very wide appeal, but that sweet/pink image tends to suggest the books your grandmother might have read. This is very far from the case, but the Riva series will present these books to the younger audience who loved Bridget Jones and the Shopaholic books.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

My first RIVA book is TEMPTED BY TROUBLE. My heroine, Elle, is struggling to hold hearth and home together for her sisters and her grandmother and the last thing she needs is to be lumbered with a superannuated ice cream van. The lumberer – the very fit, Sean – is another matter altogether. She’s tempted. And he’s trouble.

11. What’s next for you?

I’m in the middle of writing a book set in Rome at the moment, somewhat hampered by the fact that my research trip was cancelled due to volcanic ash earlier in the year. I’ll just have to rely on my memory! After that, I might just write a book about Elle’s sister – the one who plans to be a millionaire by the time she’s twenty-five.

Thanks so much for being with us at such a busy time of the year, Liz! We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to blog with us. We're sure all our readers will agree that the RIVA imprint looks fabulous, the Minxes can't wait to get their hands on copies of January's releases :-)

Buy Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto here:-

Mills & Boon
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Happy Holidays!

The Minxes wish you a festive holiday season. However you celebrate the holidays, whether you're snowed in or basking in sunshine, we hope that Santa brings you whatever your heart desires.

The author spotlights will continue through the holidays, with Liz Fielding and Nyla Rose guesting here, but all other posts will shut down until 3rd January.

Author Spotlight: Anna Campbell

It's always a pleasure to welcome a personal favourite author and even though I discovered her books only a year ago, Anna Campbell has become a "must buy" author for me! Her books have been described as Regency Noir and today I'm thrilled to welcome her on The Minxes blog to tell us a little more about yourself and her books.

Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Actually I sold in 2006, so in 2005 I was still unpublished. However I’d made a couple of positive decisions that really helped me to become a published writer. One, back around the year 2000, was to join Romance Writers of Australia. Shortly after that, I started to write Regency-set romance instead of fluttering hither and yon with settings that weren’t going to sell (18th century Hungary, anyone?). I’d just won the Emma Darcy Award, our major contest for unpublished manuscripts. That came with a check for $2,000 so I guess you could say I’d started earning money with my writing ;-) I’d also got an agent. Looking back, a lot of stuff was happening that indicated I was closer to selling than I thought I was at the time!

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

The idea for MY RECKLESS SURRENDER was born back when I spent four months touring the United Kingdom in 2004. One very rainy afternoon, I visited Syon Park, the London house of the Duke of Northumberland. An old family retainer recognized my interest in the house and because it was quiet, he took me under his wing and gave me a special tour, including a lot of family gossip. I couldn’t help thinking that his sense of ownership must be strong as anything the Duke felt. I then wondered what would happen if someone offered such an old family retainer the opportunity to OWN the estate he’d served and loved all his life. A swap of gender to my heroine Diana Carrick and you have the seed of the plot of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Tahiti? Maybe not! I’d still like to be doing what I’m doing now, writing full time and sharing the stories in my head with readers all over the world.

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

A WEDDING AT LEOPARD TREE LODGE by Liz Fielding. It’s a Harlequin Sweet Romance by one of the best in the business and I was in awe at the emotional punch Liz Fielding packed into that 180 pages.

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

When I was about 14, I picked up THE WOLF AND THE DOVE by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I’d never read anything like it – and the love scenes were really hot for that time! I said to myself, “When I grow up, I want to write books like that for Avon.” (Avon were the publishers) I can hardly believe that’s what actually happened.

Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?

Actually neither! I really like writing love scenes – and not just for the reason you’re thinking! I adore how a good love scene leaves the characters not just naked physically but emotionally too.

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

Ha ha, that would be telling!

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

I wish I’d known that writing a book doesn’t get any easier.

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

You can fix a bad page, you can’t fix a blank one. I’m pretty sure that’s a Nora Roberts quote.

Tell us about your latest release.

MY RECKLESS SURRENDER is about a dangerous seduction in Regency London. I describe it as a ticking bomb story – there are so many secrets and lies and of course, the audience knows that eventually all those chickens are going to come home to roost and there will be trouble galore. In return for the chance to fulfill her every dream, widow Diana Carrick makes a devil’s bargain to seduce Tarquin Vale, the Earl of Ashcroft. But instead of the jaded, selfish rake she expects, she discovers a man who touches her emotions as no other ever has.

But what happens when Tarquin discovers the truth about Diana? You can read an excerpt on my website: http://www.annacampbell.info/recklesssurrender.html

What’s next for you?

My next book is out in May 2011 and it’s called MIDNIGHT’S WILD PLEASURE. It’s the closest I’ve yet come to classic Regency romance! Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, vows revenge on his worst enemy, only to encounter opposition from spirited and mysterious chaperone Miss Antonia Smith.

Watch Anna's interview on My Reckless Surrender:



You can visit her at her Website: http://www.annacampbell.info/

Thanks so much for visiting The Minxes today, Anna. It's been wonderful getting to know you better!

PS - Anna is offering a signed copy of My Reckless Surrender to one lucky commenter, so get commenting and good luck!!

Ogle Alert

Ogle alert is not to be mistaken for Google Alert and it’s a heck of a lot more fun.  So hold onto your fanny packs while I introduce you to the two new men in my life – that’s right two.



Paul Wesley aka Stefan Salvatore & Ian Somerhalder aka Damon Salvatore



Hello boys.

For anyone who doesn’t recognize them, they are costars on The Vampire Diaries.  I’ll admit when the series was recommended to me my first thought was “More Vampires?” and they are, but this is really something special.

The obsession with the Salvatores all started with a blog post - an educational blog post.  I can hear you all snickering!  It really was!  We were discussing the transformation of an antagonist into a protagonist (Damon is a great example of more than just being hit by the pretty stick) but then the shirts started coming off…

…what was I saying?...

There’s a heck of a storyline behind the series, but when it comes to romance both of the Salvatore brothers are in love with the same girl.  Who doesn’t love a tortured hero redeemed by love?  However only one of the brooding brothers gets the girl, so there’s also an element of forbidden, unrequited love that ramps up the tension.

Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries is out now and Season 2 isn’t far behind.  So buy it, hire it or bite someone for it because the writers are amazing and the characters are unforgettable.

But wait....

Who doesn’t love a man with a puppy?