Suzanne's Minxy Guide to dealing with the dreaded R

After more than 700 rejections (and 107 sales in various guises - thank you very much), I have perhaps had a bit more experience than most of dealing with my work being hurled back at me. Sometimes with a speed that leaves me reeling. (Actually, I'm exaggerating with the 700 Rs - but only because some people don't reply and about half of the submissions were never heard of again.)

Just now, as I celebrate the thirteenth month anniversary of my partial - which was REQUESTED by a big publisher - I'm bracing myself for another big R. They say it's still under consideration, but the cynic in me suspects this is their way of saying it hasn't been looked at yet.

In my vast and varied experience of these things, a reply after this length of time can only have one outcome: Even if they might have been interested had they looked at it when it was submitted over a year ago, by now times have moved on and they will be looking for something completely different.

So, how to cope with that number of knock-backs without going completely bonkers?

1. The chocolate cupboard. Everyone knows chocolate makes things better. Even good days can be enhanced by its consumption. Dedicating a cupboard to it will ensure your supplies never run out and there will always be some sweet stuff to hand when it seems the world doesn't love your writing.

2. Have lots of stories in lots of baskets. If all your hopes are chained to one submission, then if it's sent home with a 'no thank you' letter, it will break your heart. But, if you have other stories under consideration, then only a fraction of your dreams will be tied to each one, so it stands to reason the Rs will sting a little less.

3. Try different kinds of writing. For years, I only wrote category romances. But when I tried short stories, I was astonished to find that not only where they quicker to write (what an idiot) but I also managed to sell a few. I then tried writing other things - such as articles and fillers. My only rule was (and is) that the market I'm aiming for pays. The thrill of seeing your name in print is hard to beat - and sometimes it doesn't matter how you get there. And once you've sold a piece of work, and you realise an editor likes your words enough to pay, it will give you confidence in all your other writing.

4. Never use rejection as a reason to give up writing. If that's what you truly want to and love to do, then carry on regardless. Accept that there are any number of reasons why an editor might decide a project wasn't right for them - and some of them will have nothing to do with your writing.

5. Target your work. There are some markets I'm pretty sure I'll never break into. But that's okay, because there are others who buy a very high percentage of everything I send them. (Can it be a coincidence that these are the stories I like to write best?) So now I make sure most of what I write is targeted to these markets. But I'm also aware market forces and tastes are apt to change, so if these markets start to reject, I'll widen my net again until I find somewhere else my work's suited to.

6. Make plans. My highly anticipated R won't be the end of the world when it arrives, as I'm already planning to tweak and rewrite it for another market.

7. Find a support network - join critique groups and make contact with people who understand. Step forward lovely Minxes and other writing friends - who have held my hand and offered encouragement and advice (and sometimes cake).

It's taken me a very long time to reach this level of acceptance and to view rejections as just another part of the writing/submitting/getting published process. Those of you who've known me a while will probably remember I submitted my first romance for consideration when I was 16. It was written on an antiquated typewriter, over many, many months and returned in the blink of an eye. Even the lovely and encouraging two page rejection letter didn't help. I cried for weeks and went off in a huff for two years.

My giant sulk after the second rejection lasted another two years - during which I wrote nothing. In a parallel universe, where the middle-aged me was around to offer my teen self advice, I'd have gone straight back to the typewriter and be world famous by now. Well, a middle-aged girl can dream.

The waiting though, that's still very hard to deal with, because, despite deep down expecting that R, until it actually arrives that glimmer of hope still lives in my heart, making it impossible to move on properly. And getting on with other things doesn't make you forget your baby's still out in the world awaiting it's fate.

Look out for that invitation to my partial's thirteen month anniversary party.

Writing Inspiration Straight From Your TV

For today's post I'd planned to write something on craft but then I started “researching” and it all went horrible wrong... or horribly right. It depends on how you look at.

Today we're going to be talking about the hottest men TV in 2011, and we’re talking hawt! If you're looking for a little hero inspiration this is the place to get it. Hang onto your keyboards because here we go...

source: fox8.tv

Wilson Bethel

Television Series: Hart of Dixie
Role: Wade Kinsella

source: jimhalterman.com

Tyler Hoechlin

Television Series: Teen Wolf
Role: Derek Hale

source: vampirediariesguide.com

Paul Wesley

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Stefan Salvatore

source: 24.media.tumblr.com

Patrick Dempsey

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Derek Shepherd

source: verysherry.tumblr.com

Matt Bomer

Television Series: White Collar
Role: Neal Caffrey

source: tvlistings.zap2it.com

Joseph Morgan

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Klaus

source: johnbarrowman.mypagerocks.com

John Barrowman

Television Series: Torchwood
Role: Captain Jack Harkness

source: shirtlesshollywood.blogspot.com

Jesse Williams

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Jackson Avery

source: celebrities.pl

Jesse Spencer

Television Series: House
Role: Dr. Robert Chase

source: hotguys.tumblr.com

Jared Padalecki

Television Series: Supernatural
Role: Sam Winchester

source: hotguysspam.tumblr.com

Ian Somerhalder

Television Series: The Vampire Diaries
Role: Damon Salvatore

source: squarehippies.com

Eric Dane

Television Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Role: Dr. Mark Sloan

source: faithseptember.blogspot.com

Simon Baker

Television Series: The Mentalist
Role: Patrick Jane

source: imdb.com

Dean Geyer

Television Series: Terra Nova
Role: Mark Reynolds

source: alexoloughlin.org

Alex O’Loughlin

Television Series: Hawaii Five-O
Role: Steve McGarrett

source: deviantart.net

Jensen Ackles

Television Series: Supernatural
Role: Dean Winchester

source: joji123.wordpress.com

David Boreanaz

Television Series: Bones
Role: Seeley Booth

What, oh what, will 2012 bring? And more importantly, have I missed anyone?

***

The winner of the Sarah Morgan book give away is Amanda Holly!  Congratulations, Amanda. Please contact us with your details to claim your prize.

Author Spotlight - Sharon Kendrick

The Minxes are very excited today to welcome USA Today Bestselling author Sharon Kendrick to chat with the Minxes today :-)

Thanks so much for being with us today, Sharon!



What is your writing process?

I’m not sure that I have a *process* because every book is different. Sometimes I start with a man who wants me to tell his story. Sometimes it’s a woman. Or I might have a scene which I can see very clearly in my mind. Then I need to weave some kind of compelling thread which links them all together. Having said that, sometimes the scene that I loved so much just doesn’t work – and then it ends up being deleted. I can be ruthless about ditching stuff – particularly at the beginning - because if my story isn’t writing fluidly, then I can’t continue.

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?

I have a confession. For me, buying shoes is like a trip to the dentist when you have an unexplained nagging in one of your molars. You’re screwing your face up in astonishment, right? A romantic novelist who isn’t orgasming over shoes? But let me explain my unfashionable aversion… my feet are so big that getting anything to fit takes a miracle. It they look half-way decent, it’s a bonus. I’m Cinderella in reverse! But to address the main point of your question: I consider writing to be a job, just like any other job. So, just as someone who (say) worked in a bank, wouldn’t dream of saying to a customer, “I’m really sorry, but I’m just not that into it today” – neither would I. If I’m really stuck, I might go and make a coffee or watch some trash TV – but I’m always back at my desk twenty minutes later. Whether I then choose to surf the Net or to lose myself on Twitter is up to me, but I know that if I have got a couple of thousand words down by the end of the day – I’ll feel considerably better than if I have the horror of having made no progress. And even a bad writing day will always yield something good.

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

I do. For me, exercise is imperative. It gives me ideas, clears my mind – oh, and it helps combat my natural greed by making my bottom less big than it should be (though never as small as I’d like it to be!). I run. I walk. I do one of those classes where you lift weights up and down. And since spending a week with a friend and his personal trainer in Italy, I have now (very reluctantly) started doing some interval training.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I do believe in block and for me, there’s only one reason for it. Quite simply, the story isn’t working. When dialogue between your two main protagonists is forced, then your characters aren’t real. When your story isn’t flowing, you need to go back and fix it.

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

It’s impossible not to use incidents from real life, but seen through my eyes they may bear little resemblance to the original! Gathering inspiration from the world around them is as essential to the writer as gathering grapes is to the vintner. Obviously, I’m careful!

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

You know when people say: “It was like a dream come true”? Well, that’s exactly what it’s like – and I always guessed it would feel that way.

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

I do radio and newspaper interviews and have appeared on national television. I blog (not very consistently!) over at www.sharonkendrick.com I Tweet @Sharon-Kendrick (and would love your readers to follow me!) The main way I strive to reach more readers is by writing the very best book I can, so hopefully they will come back and read more – and tell their friends to do the same.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Always be charming to journalists and they’ll remember you. Be original. Embrace social media and get your local newspaper to do a feature on you. Be memorable. But the main tip is to be so damned proud of your book, that you’ll want to tell everyone just how great it is – and hopefully, that will snowball.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That you can never put too much emotion onto the page.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Becoming Francesca (my heroine) and falling madly in love with Zahid (the hero).

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

I think he might take her back to Morocco – because they had such a flaming row last time they were there!

Monarch of the Sands


An impossible love affair--with a Sheikh!

Francesca is shocked when family friend Zahid Al Hakam turns up on her doorstep. After all, he's now the Sheikh of Khayarzah--England's surburbia is hardly his regular stomping ground! But he is as achingly gorgeous as ever...and she's certainly tempted by his invitation to come to the desert and work for him. Zahid finds the geeky, gauche teenager he once knew is now an understated beauty. Embarking on a secret affair is bittersweet--but, however all-consuming their passion, Zahid's duty to his kingdom must surely come first?

Monarch of the Sands is still available at Amazon UK and Mills & Boon and has now released at Amazon US and if you're lucky enough to be in the UK, Sharon's latest Sheikh is available now over at Mills & Boon!!

Read or Write?

I haven't finished reading a single book yet in the new year and we're almost through January. This is because I've been concentrating on getting some writing done and I haven't yet figured out how to do both in a given day.

 Reading is a bit of a weakness for me..or a big one actually...I start reading, and if turns out to be engrossing...I can't put it down...I've slept only a couple of hours countless times and got up to go to work because I'd spent yet another night unable to stop reading....and faced the day looking like a ghoul...
And since I want to make a head start into the year and get some much needed writing done, I've been kinda scared to start reading something that I know will suck me in...

And time's really limited, so at the end of the day- it's coming down to read or write? and I've been picking write over the past three weeks..But I have no doubt the long clutches of my TBR pile will suck me in and will surrender to the reading one of these nights and pull an all nighter...

How about you? Do you read when you're in the midst of a writing binge? Or is  reading a good book your reward once you've achieved your writing goals?

PS - Don't forget you have up to Friday 27 January to win a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan. Just leave a comment in the reivew post telling us the best book you read in 2011. Good luck!

Book Review: Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan

Before I knuckle down to review this book I must warn you that I have a serious girl-crush on this author. Her writing makes me want to track her down and tackle-hug her just for being so, so, soooo brilliant!! Ahem.

Once A Ferrara Wife is a reunion/marriage-in-trouble story with a neat twist that will have you on the edge of your seat, or like me, feverishly reading but secretly hoping the story goes on and on and on…!

Cristiano Ferrara and Laurel were married for only short while before incredibly horrible circumstances drove her to leave. Now she’s back in Sicily to attend the wedding of her best friend, who also happens to be Cristiano’s sister. From the very first page sparks fly between these two. Laurel doesn’t want to be there because of heart-wrenching memories, and Cristiano’s seriously ticked off because she walked away from their marriage.

But what makes this book stand out, I hear you ask. From the very first page, it’s Cristiano who is pouring out his feelings, risking his heart and fighting desperately for the marriage to work. Laurel on the other hand is a completely closed book. Circumstances in her past have made her untrustworthy and she would rather skin herself alive than reveal even an ounce of feeling. To say this neat twist was seriously sexy is an understatement. Hearing an alpha male say, “I’m crazy about you. I’ve always been crazy about you,” (paraphrasing) in the first few scenes makes for a completely different kind of hero, in my opinion.

Laurel’s journey was equally awe-inspiring. The pain of losing her child and the difficult journey of learning to trust the husband she thought had betrayed her in the cruellest possible way made my heart melt for her. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her when I found out she was a fitness instructor with a body to die for, lol.

Seriously, this is a must-buy and definitely a must-keep. And a little bird told me (well, it was Sarah herself via the Harlequin Blog) that Cristiano’s hot brother, Santino’s getting his own story! All I can say it, I can’t wait for The Forbidden Ferrara to come out in May! In the scenes where he featured in his brother's story, my heart missed a few beats for him too ;)

Now for the even brilliant bit. I have a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife to give away to one lucky non-Minx commenter.

Just tell me the best book you read in 2011 for a chance to win, and good luck!