Author Spotlight - Natalie Anderson

Today the Minxes are excited to welcome USA TODAY bestselling author Natalie Anderson!


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

I’d just sent off my first submission to Mills & Boon at Christmas. I’d only started writing in the six months prior to that having found the NANOWRIMO book, NO PLOT NO PROBLEM – it kick started my old dream. I was very lucky. M&B got back to me in April asking for the full, asked for revisions in September and bought it in October – so Oct 2011 will be my 5-years-since-selling anniversary. It’s scary how fast it’s gone.

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

The idea for the opening scene was triggered by my own combing-hair-while-driving incident. I was at a red light and my foot slipped while I was vigorously trying to sort my wet, tangled hair and I remember thinking thank goodness there wasn’t a car or pedestrian in front of me when I accidentally slid forward… hmmmmm. Bingo!

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

I’d love to be doing what I’m doing now – writing and selling! I love writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon, it is a dream come true and an honour. I really, really, really want to get my 25-book-pin (HMB celebrate milestone book numbers, 25 is the first biggie). So that’s within my 5-year plan! I’m looking forward to the next five years – my youngest two start school in October so my writing routine is going to change somewhat as I get day time to write. I’m going to cry my eyes out on their first day at school, but it is an exciting time as well.

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

That’s just an impossible question!!! Honestly, there are so many books I just adore and think damn, wish I could write like that! I think Susan Elizabeth Phillips is fantastic – love her humour and tone.

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

None particularly leap out as being the one to make me want to be a writer. I’ve just always wanted to since as far back as I can remember. I’ve always had an active imagination and making up stories has always been part of what I’ve done. Both my parents were journalists (before both changed careers) and I married a journalist. Writing for a living is very normal in my world.

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

Oh! There are a couple of incidents I couldn’t share… but I remember a week or so before my gorgeous-one proposed, we had a long weekend in Rome. That entire weekend was deliciously romantic. There were so many special moments. I remember sitting at a bar in the lovely autumnal afternoon sun, eating some divine antipasto with a glass of wine… and just being with him. It was perfect. It’s our 11th anniversary next week. I’m thinking that sometime (when the kids are old enough to abandon), he and I are going to have to recreate that weekend in Rome – only this time, perhaps make it a month :)

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

Everyone says that some things get harder not easier once you’re published. It’s true. You definitely feel more pressure – and you have to learn to cope with that. Plus there are those reviews and sales figures and all kinds of things out of your control. I recommend ignoring all those things and just focus on loving writing! It is a rollercoaster – but what a ride!

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

Just do it. I like the ‘do it every day’ requirement. You have to be disciplined if you want to succeed. And it has to come from within you – no one else is going to make you do it. So it’s all up to you.

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

I think it’s an exciting time. I love writing very contemporary, city set stories – with a fair amount of sensational sex and fun… with an edge. I’ve been having some real fun with my heroines recently – and then finding the very strong, confident guys capable of matching them! I think Riva is great because it’s giving us a chance to push those edgier characters and themes.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

Well, mine is a February release – but you can get it online already – and from that gorgeous pop-up shop in Selfridges if you happen to be in London! It’s a tale about two non-conformists – he’s a champion snowboarder who’s happiest literally up in the air, and she’s an IT geek person who hides behind crazy hair and coloured contacts. They have an accident – well, a couple of them actually – and then have to deal with it. It’s February’s Book of the Month in the UK and here’s the editorial comment on the M&B website:

"With edgy, opposites-attract characters plus electric chemistry that will make your skin tingle, this book brings an original twist to the classic pregnancy story – a fabulous read! "

11. What’s next for you?

It’s gearing up to be a busy year – I’ve got REBEL WITH A CAUSE out in the US in February, while WALK ON THE WILD SIDE is in the US in April.

My first M&B, ALL NIGHT WITH THE BOSS is being reprinted in a 3-in-1 in March in the UK – titled: MY TALL, SEXY, HANDSOME BOSS.

After that I’ve a couple more Riva’s coming:

THE END OF FAKING IT– out April UK - and yes, in part we’re talking about her faking that!

And

DATING AND OTHER DANGERS – in July UK – which is a total Girl vs. Boy story involving a dating reputation website and a dare!

I’m currently revising another story and brainstorming the next. I love brainstorming – so many possibilities!

Thanks so much for having me along today!

* * *

Natalie’s debut RIVA is available now at Mills & Boon and will be available in the US in April and in Australia and New Zealand in March.

You can find out more about Natalie on her website.

Thanks so much for blogging with us today Natalie!

The Call

The Minxes are celebrating a Call today! Minxy friend Susan Wilson has sold to Mills & Boon Medicals and we are super-excited for her. You can read Susan's call story here.

Three of us Minxes had the pleasure of meeting Susan at the RNA conference last July, and we can honestly say that this couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving person. Susan has persevered through four sets of revisions and some lengthy waits on this one, so all aspiring writers can take heart. Don't ever give up! It really could happen to you too.

In other incredible news, Intrigue author Paula Graves has announced on eHarlequin that she has done a six book deal with Harlequin for a five figure sum. Again, proof that perseverance pays and dreams really can come true.

Queensland Flood Appeal

By now, the Minxes are sure many of you will have seen the appeal that has been posted on many romance authors blog over the last week or so. The devastation that has been caused by the floods and the loss of life and livelihoods is just heartbreaking so we would like each and every one of you to take a moment today to think of the difference you could bring to someone's life with the gift of books :-)


Here's the appeal:

We've all seen the devastation the recent Queensland floods have wrought and have wondered how we can help. We know that for many affected families, books will not be high on their priorities list for some time to come.


But...

We also know how valuable books can be in providing time out when reality gets tough.

So…

With the aid of some wonderful volunteers, we've put together a Romance Writers of Australia Flooded Communities Book Appeal.

What we need?

FICTION BOOKS! Romance books, children's books, young adult books, genre books, whatever – either new or in sparkling condition.

Please send them to:

RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal
PO Box 1717
Noosaville Post Office
Noosaville BC
Queensland
Australia 4566

When to send them?

Now! And any time over the next few months. The books will be boxed and delivered to the appropriate libraries/schools/neighbourhood centres/community centres in batches as soon as the communities are ready to receive them. We’ll be liaising with councils, libraries and schools to ensure this is done appropriately. Feel free to pop a note inside, or if you're an author, sign it.

Questions:

If you have a question about donations, email Jess Anastasi: Jess@jessanastasi.com

If you work in a library/council/community centre/school in a flood affected area, email Rachel Bailey: rachel@rachelbailey.com.au

For up to date information on the RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal, please visit http://romanceaustralia.wordpress.com/rwa-flooded-communities-book-appeal

Author Spotlight - Jessica Hart

Today the Minxes are pleased to welcome RITA award winning author, Jessica Hart to blog with us.

The Minxes caught some hugely exciting news, announced towards the end of last year, that Jessica mentions in her interview. Read the details on Jessica's blog here.

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

Funny how long ago 5 years seems now … I had to really stop and think about this question! I know I’d written over 40 books by then. Christmas Eve Marriage won a RITA® in 2005, and in 2006 Contracted: Corporate Wife won the UK’s coveted Romance Prize, so I was feeling more established and confident as a romance writer. At the same time, I felt as if I’d reached a point of change. I’d finished my PhD at the end of 2004, and I was missing the contrast between my research (into environmental regulation in C15th and C16th York – much more interesting than it sounds, I promise!) and romance writing. It’s taken me a while to actually make that change, but I did get there eventually!

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

I usually start with a hook, but in the case of Juggling Briefcase & Baby, the idea was easy. This book is the sequel to Oh-So-Sensible Secretary in which Lex appeared as Phin’s workaholic brother. Lex was so reserved and stiff and focused on the company, he was the perfect contrast to the relaxed and charming Phin, and I started to wonder what would make two brothers so different. I’ve always had a soft spot for the gruff, reserved hero, too, and it seemed to me that Lex was just as attractive as Phin but in a very different way. Even while I was writing Oh-So-Sensible Secretary I was wondering what it would take to break down Lex’s famous reserve and reach that carefully guarded heart …

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

I’ve spent the last few years building up what I grandly call a ‘portfolio’ career, although this makes it sound a lot more grown up than it actually is! I work as a freelance editor for illustrated books about institutions like Lincoln Cathedral or York Minster – a wonderful job where I get to tell other people what to write instead of writing myself! - and I teach writing classes here in York and in Tuscany. The more I write, the more interested I am in how and why romance works, so I love teaching too.

I’ve also been writing a mainstream women’s fiction novel that has just been bought by Pan Macmillan as part of a two book deal. It’s a project that has taken me wa-a-a-ay out of my comfort zone, but the challenge has been good for me, I think. Finishing the first book and writing another 150,000 word novel is going to keep me very busy for the next couple of years, and of course I’m hoping that parallel writing career will have taken off in 5 years’ time.

Last, but absolutely not least, I’d like to continue writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon. I’ve been a Mills & Boon author for 20 years now, and it’s part of who I am. I don’t want to give that up. Romances are fun to write – or perhaps I should say fun to plot and fun to have written? The pesky business of actually writing the story can be harder work!

So in 5 years’ time I think I’d like to still be juggling all four strands of my career – and still standing!

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

Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase. What a great writer she is – warm, funny, intelligent, and very, very sexy.

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

The honest truth is that I never wanted to be a writer. I decided that I wanted to do a PhD in Medieval Studies after reading The Sunne in Splendour (about Richard III), but I had to find a way of funding a return to university, so I thought, ‘I know, I’ll write a Mills & Boon …’ I always feel a bit guilty about having stumbled into a writing career, but I suppose I owe it all to Sharon Penman!

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

Falling in love at first sight. I didn’t believe in it until it happened to me.

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

I had no idea just how much information and support is out there – although I don’t know how much of that was available 20 years ago when I started writing. I’m constantly impressed nowadays by how friendly and supportive romance writers are. I wish I’d known about the need for self-promotion too – I might not have been so hesitant to get involved with technology. Websites, blogs, Facebook … I’m always the last to get there, and it feels like a constant race to catch up. If I was just getting published now, I’d try and be clued up about promotion right from the start.

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

I heard the late wonderful Blake Snyder talking about his book on screenwriting, Save the Cat! and was very struck by his advice to “Embrace the formula”. Or then there’s my mother’s advice, which goes for life as well as for writing: “Just get ON with it!” (said in a Scottish accent for maximum effect!)

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

The editors at M&B have encouraged us to try something different with this new imprint, and you can see from the covers that they’re hoping to attract a new, perhaps younger, audience who might not realize that romances don’t have to be as old-fashioned as they’re often portrayed. I’ve always thought of my heroines as contemporary women with contemporary attitudes, so I have to be honest and say that Juggling Briefcase & Baby isn’t actually that different from most of my other stories. But I love knowing that there’s scope now to play around with new ideas and approaches, so while these stories will still be first and foremost romances, the new sense of editorial freedom is very exciting.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

Only once has Lex Gibson ever let his guard down, and he’s vowed never to make himself that vulnerable again. But now, 12 years later, Romy is back – and she’s not alone. Romy has a baby daughter, Freya, and between them they throw Lex’s carefully ordered world into chaos!

Juggling Briefcase & Baby is a reunion story, with a baby and an office setting thrown into the mix. I like it when the hero and heroine have to confront the problems between them in the present while still tangled up in the feelings they shared in the past. There’s something very appealing about the idea of a second chance to get things right, after you’ve made a mess of them first time round, and I really enjoyed giving Lex his own happy ending at last!

11. What’s next for you?

Convenient Engagements, a 3-in-1 re-released by Mills & Boon in their By Request series, is out in January 2011 in the UK. Later in the year, my royal duet will be out. I’ve never played with the royal theme before, so that’s been fun. Ordinary Girl in a Tiara will be out in June 2011 in North America and the UK – I was rather hoping William and Kate would opt for a classic June wedding to tie in with its release, but they have selfishly decided on April instead! - and The Secret Princess later in the year.

Jessica's debut RIVA is available at Mills & Boon & Amazon now!
 
The Minxes would like to know when on earth Jessica will have time to sleep given her commitments for the next few years, we're in awe!!
 

An awakening - part one

A blog post by my fellow Minx, Lacey Devlin, sent me scurrying to the video store to hire the first disc of The Vampire Diaries. I got so hooked by those opening episodes that I didn’t go back for more … instead I bought the entire first season on DVD.

This post is about why I think the screen writers for this TV show are so awesome.

The first thing I took away from this TV series was the structure. In age-old TV tradition, each and every episode ends on a cliffhanger and with the entire DVD set handy, the effect is akin to reading a novel: you just have to keep turning the pages. Each episode has twists and developments that keep the viewer riveted.

The next thing the screenwriters did well was to keep the show unpredictable. About half way through the series I started to think “Stefan is getting boring. He’s just the same anxious, serious, devoted character in every episode.” Immediately after I’d thought that, his character began to change and grow in interesting ways. It is a very rare skill, knowing exactly the point at which the viewer/reader’s attention is starting to drift, and being able to snatch it back again.
And they’re doing this on so many levels all the time, juggling character arcs and plot lines, bringing some to the fore, then others.

Now as a category romance writer you're probably wondering "what does this have to do with me? I don't have room to juggle secondary characters." The point isn't that you keep shifting story-lines or characters, the point is that you shouldn't be predictable. Yes, there's an expectation in romance that hero and heroine will get their Happy Ever After. But that doesn't mean you have to make it obvious. Take your reader a different route to that HEA. Reveal unexpected depths in your characters.

Another really difficult skill is getting your audience to care about your characters. There’s a certain magic in achieving this, and sadly there’s no paint by numbers manual out there that can help a writer create characters that hook your readers as deeply as these do. I believe it’s instinctive.

As Lacey’s original blog post pointed out, The Vampire Diaries is an excellent example of how an antagonist can be turned into a protagonist. Making an unsympathetic character sympathetic takes skill. Of course, creating sympathetic characters that stay sympathetic is also difficult, as any romance author can tell you!
The TV version of The Vampire Diaries does this in spades. In my opinion they achieve this by layering the characters. Every single character, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, has a history. There are no cardboard cut-outs here! No character is purely good or purely evil, and because each and every one is relatable in some way, the audience cares.

Finally, it's all about the characters. This series could have been very action or Special FX orientated, but the film-makers deliberately kept the focus on people. As the host of the bonus DVD interview states, you could take the vampire element out of this show, and it would still be worth watching.

I’m sure there are other reasons why The Vampire Diaries is such a success, but for me, as a writer, these were the elements that captured my attention.

Having run through all 22 episodes of Season One (and the bonus DVD) within 5 days, I looked around to find my next fix. What better than the books the series was based on? More next week ...