Author Spotlight - Scarlet Wilson

Today we welcome Minxy friend Scarlet Wilson, making her debut this month with Mills & Boon Medical. We love Scarlet and all we can say is: go out and buy her book!

Thanks for joining us here today, Scarlet.

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What is your writing process?
I work full-time and have two young sons with numerous evening activities, so my main writing process is doing as much as possible, in as little time as possible! I write 1000 words a day, mainly in my half hour lunch break. Writing everyday keeps me focused. Any research I need to do for my book I’ll do at night when I’ve got a bit more time for surfing the net. Any medical research I need to do I can generally do in a phone call. I’ve worked in hospitals, community and public health and I’ll generally know someone who can give me the answer to the question I’m looking for.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?
 It’s got to be a priority that fits into my life. As long as I meet my word count every day then I’m happy. Even if what I write is crap – I can edit crap the next day!

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
No I don’t. I’m inherently lazy and I’m starting to get fat!

Do you believe in writer's block?
Can I be controversial and say no? I think you can write your way through it. Even if you don’t like what you’re writing or think that it’s wrong. Even when I’m hideously stuck and have no idea what happens next in the manuscript I keep writing. If I do that, the characters tell me what happens next.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble? 

No. My imagination is much better than real life. I’ve yet to meet a George Clooney or Patrick Dempsey in real life. When I first found out I was going to be published, lots of people I worked with asked, “Am I in your book?” I resisted the temptation to tell them they weren’t interesting enough!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be? 

There are still loads of things I don’t know. For some reason I thought being published would give me whole host of information that would mean I knew exactly what I was doing. It hasn’t happened. Sometimes I feel as if I find things out by accident. The medical authors have a group e-mail loop and they’ve been great when I’ve had any queries.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers? 

I’ve built a website and a Facebook author page prior to my release. I’ve been blogging for the last 18 months on my own page and now have a spot on the eharlequin medical author blog every month. I like to join in the chats on the some of the online forums and comment on other people’s blogs. But I’m not a “in their face” girl. I’ve lined up a few spots on blogs for my first book launch but that’s it.

What is your top promo tip for other authors? 

Get online and speak to others!

What did you learn while writing this book?
That revisions are hard, really hard. I got the third set and wanted to give up. I felt as if I couldn’t deliver what they wanted. But I got two pep talks – one from my editor Sally Williamson, who must have sensed I was struggling and phoned me to talk me through them, and the other from Kate Hardy, another Mills and Boon medical author who gave me some really good advice.

What was the most fun part of writing this book? 

Seeing the story come to life. I could see scenes playing in my head like a Hallmark movie and wanted to get them down on paper.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
Cooper would take Missy and their lovely baby to a beach front bungalow in St Lucia, with an inbuilt cook, nanny and masseuse!

The Blurb:
After one hot date…. Dr Cooper Roberts has a new job and the chance to begin a new life. What’s most definitely not in his plans? Waking up with his new colleague, Melissa Bell…And having to hold his head up above the dropped jaws of his fellow docs as he escorts Missy to buy a pregnancy test!

It Started with a Pregnancy is available to buy on Amazon and from Mills and Boon 

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Scarlet will be giving away a book to one non-Minxy commenter - so get commenting!

Revenge is sweet

Following on from Suzanne Minx's post last week on Writing vs Real Life, I'd like to add my own reason why I love to write: Revenge is sweet, but being happy is the sweetest revenge of all.

I'm pretty sure this happens for every writer and I'm not unique, but I love when I've had a hard day at the day job, and I'm feeling stressed out about some issue, then I sit at the laptop and start to write ... and next thing I know, I'm sucked into the story.

When I'm writing I forget all the bad stuff that happens outside my novel, and get so into the head space of my characters that nothing else matters. After a while, I even find I'm smiling (unless it's a tear jerker scene, in which case I'm smiling through tears).

The boss, the deadlines, the stresses of the day, don't mean a thing beside that incredible feeling when the words are flowing, and you're in tune with your characters and your story. You know what I mean, don't you?

I'm a big fan of The Secret, and one of the principles taught by Rhonda Byrne in The Secret is that you need to get yourself into a happy state of being before you can change your life and get what you want. And just as I write this blog post, an email pops into my inbox:

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power 

When you find your purpose, it is like your heart has been set alight with passion. You know it absolutely, without any doubt.

So to everyone out there in my Real Life, this is my revenge: my heart has been "set alight with passion", and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it!

(Though it'd still be nice to get the ultimate in revenge by selling so many books that I can give up the day job stresses and enjoy the stresses of being fabulously successful instead.)

Man of the Month Poll - Athletes

Somehow I have managed to snag another Man of the Month post. I could brag that it's my superior researching skills *ahem* but I think it's more to do with me screaming on our email group "me, me! I can do an athlete post to tie in with the World Championships!" and then I begged a little. Ok, a lot. And the lovely Minxes let me find more droolworthy sporting men *happy smile*.

To start with, the fastest man on two legs--Jamaica's Usain Bolt. Of course, all of those athletics fans out there will know that he didn't do too well in the 100m. Although I was sad not to see him at his best, I very much appreciated him taking his top off!

Next is the so called "fastest man on no legs" South Africa's Oscar Pistorius. Amazingly, he had both legs amputated as a child and has fought to be allowed to run in the World Championships this year, against able bodied athletes. That he's had to fight to be able to run is incredibly sad, but I'm so glad he was able to compete and he is a true inspiration.




This is Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen who competes in the javelin. Just look at the size of those arms!!

 Next is Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi. You can't really tell from this picture but this man is an absolute mountain! And has the most amazing dimples too!






This guy has my undying love {probably only for a few weeks because I am fickle that way} as he performed in 10 events which is done over two days. The pain etched on his face as he finished the last event, the 1500m was amazing. Got to love a tortured hero! Decathlete Trey Hardee is my last choice.




The poll is at the top left, you know what to do, ladies! And please don't hesitate to share any of your fave athletes I've left out, we love extra research over at the Minxes!!

Author Spotlight - Fiona Harper

Thanks so much to wonderful Riva author Fiona Harper who has agreed to join us today. Thanks so much for being with us today, Fiona!

What is your writing process?

Once I’ve had the initial idea for a story, I start fleshing out the characters. Usually, one character will be stronger in my mind, so I start with them. These days I don’t bother so much with minor details, such as where they went to school or what their hobbies are, but I try and dig as deep as I can to find out what makes them tick. What are the things they won’t compromise on, no matter what? What is their deepest fear? What do they long for in their heart of hearts? If you could get inside their heads, what would be running on a loop in the background – e.g. “I must be perfect” or “I can’t lose control”.

I find script-writing consultant, Michael Hauge’s questions and theories really helpful at this stage (http://storymastery.com). Then, once I know my characters well, I start to devise a plot that will push them to grow and change and learn their lessons. Essentially, I start with inner motivation and inner conflict first, and then I use the outer motivation and conflict to force them into facing their demons.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

This might seem a bit strange but I get away from the computer and out of the house. It’s so easy to be distracted by not only all the things that need to be done but emails and social media! I often write a first draft longhand, so I will take myself off to a café (or somewhere else where I have nothing else to do but write) and get on with it.

I use a kitchen timer. I set it for either 30 or 45 minutes and I start writing, and I don’t stop until it dings. Don’t tell anyone – but sometimes I do just go shopping…

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

Sigh. I’m trying to. Sometimes I go to the gym for a workout and then sit in the on-site café and write afterwards, because then I get to feel doubly virtuous! I really need to be a bit more consistent about it, though.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Yes and no. I’ve got stuck a few times, but I’ve written enough books now to know that if I just keep going it will get better – and usually after a much shorter time period than I expect. I don’t think I’ve suffered from true writer’s block yet, but I know friends who have, and it’s just awful.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

In my book Break Up To Make Up, I had an in-car satellite navigation system that misbehaved and took the hero and heroine on a wild goose chase. All the sat nav’s crazy instructions were based on real-life experiences, unfortunately. No trouble from using it in the story, but it caused plenty of arguments in the car with my other half!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

It’s a lot less glamorous! And I don’t get to sit around and write all the time because there are plenty of other writing-related jobs that take up my time, like keeping accounts, checking proofs, updating my website and doing promotional stuff.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

To be honest, I’m not someone who loves the promotional side of things. I’m not an extrovert and I’m much happier just getting on with the writing. I think you have to find a way to promote yourself and your books in a way that you feel comfortable with, and different approaches will suit different personalities. I try to keep my website up to date, and I attempt (less successfully) to blog regularly, but I’m also active on Facebook and Twitter, although I tend to just pop on and be myself rather than have a big marketing strategy.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find really aggressive promotion (for anything) off-putting. My advice is for authors, no matter how excited we are about our latest book, is to remember that potential readers are people to engage with, not just statistics on a graph – that’s why we write in the first place, after all, isn’t it?

What did you learn while writing this book?

That I love writing in first person! It wasn’t something I’d tried before, so I was a little nervous about it. However, I loved the immediacy of it, and the way I could get right inside my character’s head and viewpoint in a way I’d never been able to do before.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Definitely my heroine, Coreen. She’d appeared as a secondary character in two other books and I was desperate to give her a story of her own. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a sexy, sassy, polka-dot wearing vintage fashion drama queen? She was such fun to write – maybe because she’s very different from me and I got to be outrageous by proxy.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Ooh, let me think… Well, Adam, the hero of Swept Off Her Stilettos, builds luxury treehouses for a living, so I think his ideal honeymoon would involve a treehouse somewhere tropical and secluded, where he could be in his own private world with his very lucky bride!


A little finger isn't properly dressed without a man wrapped around it...

Clothing connoisseur Coreen Fraser's film-star style never leaves her wanting for male attention! But sourcing for a 1930s murder-mystery weekend stops being fun when she discovers she has to wear a tweed suit and sensible shoes!

Meanwhile Coreen's best friend Adam Conrad has his own plans for the weekend... And one moonlit kiss later Coreen's blinkers fall from her eyes. Adam is the only man who knows the girl underneath the skyscraper heels and scarlet lipstick. But is she brave enough to invite him to kiss it off any time he likes...?

Swept Off Her Stilletos is available at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Mills&Boon, eHarlequin and, of course, all usual book stockists.

Writing versus Real Life

Don't you sometimes wish you could redraft real life? That clanger you dropped, written out of history? That embarrassing mistake erased from being? The unsuitable men you dallied with, gone forever?

I've lead a fairly quiet life, but my list of mistakes makes me wince nonetheless. And I frequently rewrite my past in my own head. Every incident is mentally edited so unreasonable points of view are wittily countered with word perfect arguments. And as for those unsuitable men...well, I can just tell them where to go before things get too serious.

Of course, it's too late to make a real difference. And nobody but me will ever know that, in my imagination, I've won every quarrel retrospectively. Unless I write about it in a story, of course.

And that's why, in my opinion, writing will win over real life every time. With writing, I can redraft until I present the perfect version of every event. What's more, I can wreak revenge on every single person who has ever annoyed me.

The girl who tried to bully me at school? Well, she lost her job in the very first short story I sold. The creep who tried to spike my drink at a party? I've murdered him in another short story. The best friend who had an affair with my husband? I have a lot of nasty stuff planned for her - probably enough for a full length novel.

As for the lovely people I've met (and thankfully there are many more of them), in my stories these wonderful beings are rewarded with all the terrific things they deserve.

If only it were so easy in the real world.