Celebrating Life!

Today is Earth Day, that one day a year when we celebrate the planet that gives up all life, and hopefully do a little something to preserve it so we can keep on living here. (I don't really fancy Mars, do you?)

My passion is rain forests, the lungs that keep us all breathing. I love treed places, and that almost spiritual quiet you can hear when walking in a wood or forest.

Tsitsikamma Forest, Knysna, South Africa

I'd like to know what aspect of this amazing planet holds special meaning for you. A serene garden you love to sit in? A beach you visited as a child? The Antarctic?

Finally, I'd like to recommend a great way we can all give back to the environment, at very little cost to ourselves. Greater Good is a charity organisation with an online store that offers some really great products, made from sustainable materials, benefitting local communities, and the money goes to worthy causes. So next time you're looking for a gift for a friend, or just looking to spoil yourself, take a wander through their store.

Let's make every day Earth Day!

Author Spotlight - Nikki Logan

I recently reviewed Nikki Logan's Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong over on my own blog because the book moved me so deeply, and so I am particularly excited to be interviewing Nikki here on the Minxes today. As I said in my review, this book is very poignant and will stay with you long after you've read the last page.

Welcome, Nikki.

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

Hmmm… can I answer for four years ago, instead? Here’s why… Four years ago, practically to the day of this blog I walked out of my day-job to begin six-months of long-service-leave on full pay. I decided that I would go mad with six months off and nothing to do and so I determined to write a book—a non-fiction about my crazy, cross-dressing Grandfather, lol—but I thought that I should probably start with something easier. Fiction. Romantic fiction.

Bwahahaaa… ‘Easier’….

In short, four years ago I was full of the passion of wanting to write, full of years of experience with other kinds of writing, but had absolutely no idea how the industry worked, how competitive it was, or how steep a learning curve I was about to embark on.

My own personal Everest.

Those six months were life-changing. I gave myself tendonitis because I was spending hours and hours without break fully immersed in the wonderful world I was creating, I hardly left the house (was great for the bank balance!), my dogs were the happiest I’d ever seen them, and I decided in the middle of it that writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In fact I couldn’t believe I’d gone forty years without realizing that.

But you know what…? Just one year before that I was neck-deep in a job I thought I loved, living with unhealthy amounts of stress as though it was normal, had given up my more creative, fulfilling role for a higher-paying management position, and I think I was slowly dying there.

So much can change in six months…

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

My books always come from things I observe or experience. Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong came from two places – one happy, one devastating.

I live in a coastal suburb and for a couple of years I watched a DIY motor-boat slowly taking shape on the verge of a nearby house—the guy was building it by hand. Then one day I saw that very distinctive boat on the TV news being hauled to shore after being found floating empty out at sea. Turns out the family went boating and got into some trouble and only one of them survived—the woman. I felt such a personal connection to her (though we’d never met) and I obsessed about how a woman would survive losing both her children and the man she loves…what that kind of loss would drive you to. And how you would ever, ever let yourself love again.

And so my emotionally and physically scarred heroine was born and I gave her a stranger’s past. And her island sanctuary (which is where I imagined the poor woman must surely have retreated to—away from life, away from all the reminders).

Then I needed a good reason for a hero to be thousands of miles out to sea and come across her island. Years ago I did a brief stint I did at the WA Maritime Museum where I worked alongside scientists who used to go diving every week along Western Australia’s ‘Shipwreck Coast’. I always thought it was so incredibly cool that they got to hang ‘gone diving’ signs on their doors. While working there I learned about the wreck of the SMS Emden which conveniently lies on the reef edge of the island that I set my book on. Australia’s most remote, uninhabited island…

Perfect!

And so my damaged heroine and my shipwreck hunting hero were born…

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

Celebrating my 25th Harlequin Romance and maybe writing other things on the side. I’d still love to write that non-Fiction about my grandfather… and I have this idea about my dog…
So many ideas… so few fingers…
Oh and I’d love to be in a timber house deep in a forest somewhere… my partner making timber furniture and me writing books… *sigh* That might take ten…

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

I’m on a bit of a M.L.N Hanover binge right now (the ‘Black Sun’s Daughter’ series). I really resent having to put it down to go write or clean or to the day job… I just get so engaged. I do hope to write paranormal one day and I just love the ease with which Hanover handles exposition, world-building and action.
And I love how pointlessly determined he is NOT to make it a romance but the romance between his heroine and the man who’s not supposed to be her hero just keeps leaking through… heh…

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

All the books that sucked me into their pages..?
My father was an original ‘MadMen’ type. He came through the ad trade in the 50s/60s and was one of the leading creative directors on the west coast. He always said that he was going to write a book when he retired…’one day’… But he died at 53 and he never got to do it. So me deciding to take the risk and really focus my efforts on getting published (and staying published) is partly about not wanting to be sitting on my cloud in thirty years regretting that I hadn’t.

6. Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy – or neither?
I love to write sex scenes and I’m always having to shoulder that bedroom door closed in my books. Sex scenes flow as naturally for me as any other ‘action’ sequence, I think because I’m very visual. So no, I don’t cringe or giggle. I enjoy.

I write for both RIVA and Cherish in the UK but I always have to be conscious that the RIVAs still need to sell as ‘Romance’ in the US (in the all important bible belt) so even my RIVAs aren’t as sizzling as some others.

‘Shipwrecked’ was originally full of ‘monkey-sex’ because I wanted Honor’s sexual re-awakening to be a metaphor for her emotional re-awakening, but Kim Young (at the time Snr Editor for London’s M&B office) said ‘Nikki, this is romance, we WANT the emotional re-awakening’. After I finished a *forehead desk* moment I rewrote it without the sex but the steaminess is still right through it. Especially the underwater scene….

(Maybe I could sell the un-cut original of that scene on eBay!)

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

I have very ‘earthy’ views about what constitutes romance. Romantic dinners, flowers, jewellery just don’t excite me at all because I don’t really care about those things. But when my other half does something for me that shows that he KNOWS me, or he does something simply because he knows I’ll love it…. That’s romantic.

When I first sold to Harlequin he immediately went out and designed me the most awesome vertical picture frame which my books can be mounted in so that they seem to float behind glass. To me that’s romantic because it meant that he wanted to share what was so special to me…. And he gave me the gift of his talent and his time, not just some dosh dropped on a nice bunch of flowers.

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

You know that learning curve on the yet-to-be-pubbed side of the fence….? The really steep, frustrating, infuriating, confusing one…? The moment you scrabble to the top of that and get ‘the call’ there’s another one EXACTLY LIKE IT on the other side.

You start from the beginning all over again, and your two-book deal looks pretty paltry against authors writing their 50/60th novels and New York Times bestsellers and people with movie deals. Ugh. And so fighting those doubt-demons never ever ends because there’s always something you don’t know.

Being an author is a commitment to continuing education… It’s not a destination.

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

A Peter deVries (Writers’ Schedule) quote: “I write when I’m inspired. And I see to it that I’m inspired at 9am every morning.”

Writing is a business. Not a right. Not a reward. And Lord knows it’s not fair. But it’s worth it.

10. Tell us about your latest release.

Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong is my April RIVA release (not yet scheduled in US as far as I know). This was the first category/series romance I ever wrote and so it holds an extra special place in my heart.

It’s about a damaged woman hiding out from the world and the sexy, younger, whirling-dervish hero who lures her back to life.

11. What’s next for you?

It’s been a crazy 2011 for me with five books released between January and July. Look out in July for Rapunzel in New York (Riva) and A Kiss to Seal the Deal (Cherish). One’s set in the high-rises of Manhattan and the other amongst the seal poop and salt water of the rocky Australian coast.

Personally I think my Cherish books and my Rivas are pretty similar so if you were thinking about popping a toe into the Cherish waters… Why not try one FREE over at M&B’s www.everyonesreading.com – my Cherish ebook Their Newborn Gift is there 100% free (don’t be put off by the ultra pink baby! Hot rodeo hero, reclusive heroine, outback Australia)

Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong is available direct from Mills & Boon, and also from Amazon UK. Buy links are also available on Nikki's website at www.nikkilogan.com.au

My first Frenchman!

My last book, Bound to Love, had a hero who was half-French, half-American, most especially so I could weave in my love affair with France into the story.
In my new book that I've just started on edits with my new editor in The Wild Rose Press, I've gone the whole way, so today is a sneak peak of this upcoming release!

Love On The Vine is my first ever book that is part of a greater whole, namely The Flower Basket series. This series is a group of books all set in the fictional town of Almendra, near San Jose in California. I sent for the guidelines, and received a matrix of information on the other books already out or contracted for the series. There were characters who appeared in other stories and were available to have their story written, various places such as restaurants and cafes, and events featuring characters in other stories.

The only thing each story has in common, is a scene set in The Flower Basket, a Flower Shop in downtown Almendra which is run by 3 female partners.

To ground myself in Almendra, I first read the other books - a great excuse to download!

I looked at the local businesses, and formed a good mental picture of what sort of work people might be doing in Almendra, then decided to set my story in a vineyard.

Enter the Frenchman! Etienne Durand has relocated from his family vineyard in Provence to run the St Clair Durand Vineyard in Almendra. The vineyard was run down, and he's determined to restore its fortunes, and is putting all hopes on the new vintage.
He wants to throw a launch party for the new vintage, and when he hears of Celebrate, the local party planning company with valuable links into the local community, he's determined to use their services.
Until, that is, he discovers that Celebrate's owner, Bella St Clair, is not only the woman he's caught skinny-dipping in his lake, but also the daughter of the previous owner of the vineyard. A man determined to ruin him.

I won't spoil the story by revealing anything more - except for the fact that of course he does employ Bella, and there are many twists and turns ahead! When it comes out, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Movie Review: Blood and Chocolate

I'm an impulse spender, but even so I've never in my life bought a DVD unless I've first seen the movie - until I stumbed across Blood and Chocolate in a sale bin.

I'd never even heard of this movie or the book it's based on. For that matter, I'd never even heard of most of the actors. But Hugh Dancy's name was on the cover and since so many of my friends rave about him, I thought "What the heck". Judging from the cover, I actually thought that French actor Olivier Martinez was the hero of this film, since he looked so gorgeous and the image of Hugh was, to say the least, unflattering.

But I am so glad I picked this up, as it's definitely a keeper. If you enjoy paranormal romance, or romance with a dark edge, then you have to watch this movie!

The story is set in Bucharest, among a secret society of mythical shape shifters known as the loup garoux. The kick-ass heroine, Vivian, is one of the shifters. She falls for a visiting artist played by Hugh Dancy, and is forced to choose between her lover and her people (A no-brainer, in my opinion). Though I was concerned at first that such a strong heroine would overpower and unman an artist hero, Hugh's artist was more than man enough to match this heroine. And I think I've just become Hugh Dancy's biggest fan.

The film kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, the romance was deliciously intense, and with two gorgeous men to ogle, Blood and Chocolate has it all.

Author Spotlight - Kate Hardy

The Minxes are pleased to greet multi talented author Kate Hardy to the blog today. Kate writes for two different Mills & Boon lines, the medical and RIVA lines. Amazingly, Kate also writes local history books. The Minxes are in awe :-)

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

I’d been writing for Mills & Boon for 5 years (OMG – that means I’ve been an M&B author for 10 years, this November!) and I’d just moved to being a two-line author – my very first Modern Extra, The Cinderella Project, came out in April 2006.

2. Your current release is a continuity, so can you give us an idea of how that works?

The editors have an idea for a mini-series (which can be anything from 4-12 books). In the series, there are a hero and heroine whose story is told over the whole series (so they appear in each book), as well as the individual stories within the series. The eds then choose the authors whose voices they think will suit each particular story. They give us a ‘bible’ for the continuity, which has the synopses and character outlines in it for all the books and the continuity characters, as well as details about the setting – so we can see exactly where our individual heroes and heroines fit in. Then the authors get together – usually on email, as you can be working with people right across the globe! – and we talk about how we’re going to bring the series to life. Generally you end up sending everyone the sections you’ve written about the “continuity” characters so we’re all “on the same page”. It’s also great fun – I can remember Caroline Anderson ringing me and saying, “Can I hurt your vet?”, and we decided to give my doctor hero the stray dog who’d bitten my vet heroine. That dog owed a lot to Margaret McDonagh’s beloved Flatcoat Retriever (including her name!) – and then, in the next series, Mags and I decided to give Bramble puppies, so they ended up in several other people’s books, too. (Funnily enough, my ed wrote a dog into the story of this one. I think she knew what would happen if she didn’t…)

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

Still writing – and heading towards my 75th M&B, I hope!

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

This is a bit of a cheat as it was a re-read of an old favourite – Susanna Kearsley’s “The Shadowy Horses”. I’m not sure what I like most about her books – the characterisation, the clever plots, the warmth, the dialogue… Anyway. It’s brilliant and I wish I’d written it!

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

No – I knew from before I started school that I wanted to write. I think my earliest influences (and this is going to sound pretentious, so I’ll apologise in advance, though it’s still true!) were Emily Bronte, Madeleine L’Engle and Victoria Holt. (So the book of my heart would probably be a bit on the Gothic side and involve timeslip, but I’ve been trying and failing for four years to persuade my ed to let me write my Regency doctor book!)

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

Walking through St Mark’s Square in Venice, hand in hand with my husband, and seeing Venus rising. Or possibly standing on the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkling on the hour (also with my husband). Actually, the children were with us both times, but it was still very romantic! (And yes, I am using both settings in a book…)

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

How much of a time-suck the internet can be… :o)

Seriously, I don’t think there’s anything, because I worked on the university newspaper as a student and was friends with people who went on to become journalists, so I was realistic before I started. I knew that publishing works slowly and isn’t a “get rich quick” industry (so when you see TV programmes about people getting their first book accepted and published within a couple of weeks AND they can afford to give up their day job… er, fiction alert!!); and also that you have to put the hours in (books sadly don’t write themselves) and be prepared to change things (i.e. do revisions, sometimes more than one set).

But I can’t think of any job I’d rather do, or where I’d have such lovely colleagues.

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

Take time to refill the well – read a lot, watch films, or just go for a long walk somewhere inspiring.

9. How do you go about researching the medical detail that needs to go into your books?

The biggest trick is to keep the detail accurate without it overwhelming the reader (I do have a habit of including too much detail, probably because I used to be a health journalist!). The Oxford Handbooks of medicine are brilliant – they’re the ones that junior doctors use. I also use http://emedicine.medscape.com/ - the only thing I would say there is that it’s US-based, so I also tend to check out Netdoctor to make sure that any treatments I’m planning to use are available in the UK, where my books are set. Plus it’s quite handy knowing medics (among the other med writers) whose brains I can pick if I’m desperate!

10. Tell us about your book.

The Fireman and Nurse Loveday is all about Tom Nichols, a firefighter who has to balance his dedication to his job with being a stand-in father to his orphaned nephew; he’s helped very much in this by one of the practice nurses, who works as a health visitor and does all the school visits and clinics. Flora Loveday’s terribly shy and thinks nobody like Tom would ever fall for her – but Tom teaches her otherwise, and finally manages to bring her out of her shell.

11. What’s next for you?

Next is a Medical Romance set partly in Capri; then a very raunchy Riva set in an ice-cream empire in Naples; and I’ve just handed in another Riva, so I’m awaiting my ed’s reaction to see if it was too much of a weepie! I’m working on the outline for my next Medical Romance, and we’re just about to go off on a research trip so I can plan my next Riva (which will hopefully be my 50th M&B) – I can’t wait!

Visit Kate's blog at here

Buy St Piran's: The Fireman and Nurse Loveday at Mills & Boon or Amazon