Should you keep a secret?

If a friend told you something in confidence, something that would make a terrific starting point for a story, would it be okay to write about it? If that friend had no interest in your writing, never read your work, and you could change the name and details, weave the secret in around a fictional world so nobody knew it was her, would you?

That's my current writing dilemma. I want to be a good friend, I really, really do. I want to keep my lips tightly sealed and, in real life, I wouldn't dream of telling. But this secret is so juicy I'm itching to get started on a story around it.

None of my non-writing friends ever read anything I write - not even the published pieces. In fact, I've never seen most of them read anything at all. So you could say it would serve them right if I did write about them.

And I've used conversations in the past - those with my own friends, those I've overheard - without a single moral twinge. I've written about a friend who was fed up of being treated as the baby of the family. Another who was prepared to leap into a fast flowing river to save the family pet. And yet another who moved into a new house to find the dog next door shared the same name as her baby daughter.

But these stories weren't secrets. And they certainly weren't scandalous.

What if I let time pass before I use it? A year? Two years? Would it be okay then?

Sadly, even if the friend never found out and nobody was hurt, it would still be a betrayal - and I'd know. So I think I must let this one go.

But I'm thinking I might write about a writer who betrays a confidence in one of her stories...if only I can think up an interesting fictitious secret.

Author Spotlight - Kate Hewitt

The Minxes are pleased to host the talented and very lovely Kate Hewitt on the blog today. Kate writes wonderfully passionate Harlequin Presents stories and can often be found on Twitter cheering on us unpublished writers (thanks, Kate!).

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

Five years ago I had given up on writing romance and was writing short stories for women’s magazines in England and Australia. Sounds funny now, but I really felt like the Mills & Boon ship had already sailed for me at that point!

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

Ideas are strange things. Rarely do they fall fully-formed into my head, alas! This book started with the germ of an idea: a woman who agrees to a marriage of convenience fully believing the hero will never be attracted to her... and then of course I had to figure out how and why the hero changed his mind.

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

Well, firstly I’d love to be doing just what I’m doing now, writing 4 books a year for Harlequin Presents. Secondly, and it is a far second, I’d like to be published in mainstream/women’s fiction.

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

Oh, so many! The very last one was probably The Other Side of The Bridge by Mary Lawson. Such beautiful writing.

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

Anne of Green Gables! I love that series with my whole heart, and it made me realize how books can plunge you into a wonderful fictional world--I wanted to create my own.

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

Neither, hopefully! If they’re really working I find them intense and moving. If not... cringe!

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

I think the little, unexpected things are the most romantic. My husband buying me lingerie when I’m nine months pregnant, or bringing me a cup of coffee without being asked. Just last week I came home right before dinner with the kids and he’d set the table even though he had to be out. Thoughtfulness, to me, is romantic.

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

I wish I’d known that insecurity and self-doubt do not magically disappear when you get a publishing contract or see your book in print. In some ways they get worse.

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

Write everyday. Write what you love, from the heart.

10. Tell us about your latest release

The Man Who Could Never Love is a Cinderella story, as well as a marriage of convenience. The heroine, Anamaria Viale, really had a mind of her own in this book--I kept wanting to write one thing and she demanded another. Vittorio falls in love with her strength and stubbornness! I love when the characters take over.

11. What’s next for you?

My retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, The Matchmaker Bride, will be a Harlequin Presents release in August. I am also self-publishing a historical novel, Down Jasper Lane, as an ebook, available on Amazon, Smashwords, and other e-retailers in July. This book is sort of a cross between Anne of Green Gables (I told you I loved that book!) and Little Women. It is the first in a trilogy and was originally published in hardcover. I’m excited to give it a new lease on life, and have revised and expanded it as well.

You can buy The Man Who Could Never Love or any of my other books through Amazon, Eharlequin, or my website. Thanks for having me, Minxes!

Unpredictability

It's the latest buzz word at Romance HQ and everyone's talking about it: unpredictability.

Lorraine Minx brought this to our attention last week, and Maisey Yates has also added further sights, but it was really brought home to me just how important it is for aspiring writers to be fresh and innovative when I got a rejection last week from an editor at Romance HQ for exactly that - my conflict was too predictable.

It's a fine line we need to tread between fulfilling the promise of the line we're targeting and yet still bringing something original to the party. I have no deep insights, but I thought I'd share with you a little example that struck me this weekend.

I re-watched 27 Dresses on Saturday. This is the perfect example of a fresh spin on an old story. Katherine Heigl is the modern day Cinderella, who spends her life working to make everyone else happy. She watches all her friends, and her baby sister, get to be the belles of the ball while she sits on the sidelines. It takes the right prince to show her that she's worth putting herself first.

I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't love this movie. It's an old story, and we know exactly how it will end, but it feels fresh and original.

Sadly, this story has already been done (very well!) by India Grey in her Powerful Italian, Penniless Housekeeper, so you're going to have to come up with your own fresh spin!

How fast do you write?

Thanks to my daughter, I've recently become hooked on this test. For a minute of your time, it will reveal your typing speed.

When I put my mind to it, I can reach a fairly consistent and comfortable typing speed of 70 words per minute - which puts me some way off the top score, but also a long way from the bottom. So I'm happy.

This means, in an hour of typing (allowing for a ten minute break - I don't want to risk a repetitive strain injury), I should be able to write 3,500 words. So I should, in theory, be able to manage the first draft of a 50,000 word romance in a little over two working days.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you I can't write a first draft anywhere near this quickly. In fact, my output on the writing front can be pretty dismal: I missed my 35,000 word target in our Minxy April Word Count Challenge. And I failed the 50,000 word requirement of Nano a couple of years back, which is shocking when you think that, going by my theory, if I'd written for 7 hours every day for 30 days I should have produced an impressive 735,000 words. Honestly - I've double checked - 70 words a minute x 50 minutes out of every hour x 7 hours in every day x 30 days in November is equal to 735,000 words.

Of course, I have a day job. But, if I maximised output every writing hour, the Minxy Challenge and Nano should have posed no problem.

So, why can't I write a faster first draft? The best I've ever managed is 1,200 words in 55 minutes - a long way off what should be my personal best.

I know you have to factor in thinking time, but surely I should be able to think faster than I can type? And generally the idea is fully formed by the time I sit down at my keyboard, so those words should surely fly onto the screen. Perhaps if I didn't waste so much time on novelty websites I might be able to get more work done.

Did I tempt you to check up on your typing speed? Let us know how you got on. And, how quickly can you write a first draft?

PS: Last week's spotlighted author, Wendy Marcus, has announced her contest winner as Jennifer Probst. Jennifer please contact Wendy through her blog.

Author Spotlight - Cat Schield

Today, we have a debut Harlequin Desire author joining us in the spotlight.

Please welcome Cat Schield!

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

In February, 2006 I had written a travel article about sailing in the British Virgin Islands that was being published by International Yacht Charters Magazine. Seeing my name in print gave me the confidence to write a book aimed at publication.

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

The original idea was for two strangers to meet at a party and get overwhelmed by passion only to discover the next morning that they had a connection neither expected. The fun was in how they dealt with the complication of that one night.

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

Writing full time. Hitting a couple bestsellers lists would be amazing.

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

There’s a YA author I love by the name of Tamora Pierce. Her Bloodhound book is the sort of thing I’d love to try my hand at.

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

I’ve been writing since I was in high school and at the time I was a huge fan of Janet Daily’s Harlequin Presents and Phyllis Whitney’s mysteries.

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

I’m giggling as I type this. My editor tells me I’m on the higher end of Desire’s sensuality scale and he regularly has to tell me to tone things down so I’m definitely in the giggle-worthy category.

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

Since I’m not married, I don’t have a lot to draw from. But there was a guy I dated that drove through a snow storm so we could spend Christmas Eve together. That was pretty amazing.

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

Promotion is a huge time suck. I knew that, but I didn’t KNOW that. Write like crazy before you sell. Even if it’s not perfect, having books under the bed that you can pull out and polish will make your life easier.

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

Learn to love revisions. You need to believe in your writing, but you also must be willing to make changes. Sounds easier than it is, and I know a lot of people who struggle to let in someone else’s opinions on their book.

10. Tell us about your latest release.

No Man’s Bargaining Chip

Emma Montgomery wouldn’t be manipulated into marriage as part of Daddy’s business deal—even if he cut off access to her trust fund until she complied. The talented jewelry designer would just make her own way. Or go down trying. Too bad her intended groom--maverick businessman and former crush Nathan Case--made her stubborn stance so difficult. The heat of his touch had her nearly betraying herself at every turn. Resisting Nathan and regaining her money were the name of the game—but meddling with this millionaire might land her right back in his arms!

 11. What’s next for you?

My second book for Harlequin Desire--A Win-Win Proposition--comes out in October 2011. In between writing short contemporaries, my agent has encouraged me to try my hand at single title. I’m busy writing one set on a fictional island in southwest Florida.

To celebrate my debut I wrote a novella that ties into Meddling With A Millionaire. Her Secret Millionaire is the story of how Emma’s brother and Nathan’s best friend, Cody, meets the girl of his dreams and journeys to his happily ever after. It’s available as a free read on my website.

I'd like to offer a copy of Meddling With A Millionaire to one commenter. My heroine designs fine jewelry. Which do you wear more often, yellow or white gold?

Cat Schield lives in Minnesota with her daughter and their Burmese cat. Winner of the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® for series contemporary romance, when she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Harlequin Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River or more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe.

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You can purchase Cat's debut Desire, Meddling With A Millionaire, right here.