Author Spotlight - Judy Jarvie

We're delighted to welcome lovely Judy Jarvie to our spotlight today. Here are Judy's answers to our minxy questions...

What is your writing process?

I'm wincing to admit I don't have a process as such. I just write when I can because my youngest child is only just about to start school so I've grabbed time whenever I can do it and I continue that way. I've found NaNoWriMo a very helpful process - it made me appreciate the value of just getting a dirty draft done (and lovely Harlequin author Natalie Anderson introduced me to NaNoWriMo first). I find now that I have to dip in and out of projects in order to refill the well and keep momentum.

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 like to give myself a words quota to get done though again it's just not possible every day - it's all about taking control a bit like my recent dieting! So if it's not a good day - just being in control by making some notes in my pad is a tick for progress. You just keep doing what works and moves you forward is my motto.

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

As indicated above I've been dieting (so far lost 18lbs (yey but there have been good days and bad!). So I've taken up new activities (walking and zumba). Ironically they also provide essential time to think/time to drift off. I am finding I come up with lightbulb moments in 'active time' so it's all good. Plus it's nice to know it's shaving inches off my behind too!

Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe you can put too much pressure on yourself. A lovely writer friend told me once that it's absolutely vital to refill the well and I heartily buy into that. Sometimes I just need a break so I won't force it. I need to do all the other things I love - e.g. family time, reading, crafts, baking and having a life! Though I love writing with a passion I guess it's all about balance and I try not to get too het up about taking time away. Being able to return refreshed and fired up again is worth the break. If I am finding it too hard going I either switch project or take some time out - I usually end up back at the computer pretty soon.

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

I have 'fictionalised' real life situations. I did have to admit to my mum's friend that I'd taken her 'embarrassing incident' and used it in a published short story. She took it very well and requested a copy - even when it involved a rather garish comedy picture of the  heroine lying on the payement on a hen night! She's still my mother's friend and I'd tweaked the story and upped the stakes anyway and nobody would ever guess the identity of the woman who started it all.

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

I knew from secondary school age that I loved writing, especially fiction. At the time I figured that meant becoming a journalist. I went into PR and then turned to fiction writing later because I still had the urge. I always knew I wanted to write stories and romances. I feel very privileged that I can do what I love so much.

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

Despite doing marketing qualifications in the past there's a tiny part of of me that doesn't want to get all promo pushy because writing still feels personal. But I agree that promo is vital. I think web and social media presence help as well as cultivating a network of writing buddies. It's just about good pre-planning and using opportunities well. A willingness to keep trying new things is vital too.

What is your top promo tip for other authors? 

Take yourself seriously from an early point even if it feels like the only person who might look at your website and WIP is your Granny. Having a professional facade will feed into everything else and it shows you have it all under control and you're serious and committed to driving your aims forward. It's all about having a positive attitude!

What did you learn while writing this book?

Pitched Into Love was published this year by My Weekly Pocket Novels. It's now being published by E-scape Press as Falling For The Laird in e-format in their brand new exciting imprint Ballgown Books which is due to be launched imminently. Coincidentally it is the first book I ever tried to write. It sat in a cupboard for a long time as I knew I had work to do to bring it up to standard. Last year I realised what I had to do (which basically amounted to cutting for pace and adding more drama to keep pages turning better plus giving the heroine and hero more of a growing relationship as friends besides the attraction!) I'm very glad I finally sat down and started over. It showed me that I wasn't a million miles away, I've just learned to tweak the fine points better!

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I love this book because it reminds me of an old favourite BBC programme - Monarch of the Glen. It's set on a highland estate in Scotland and there are quirky local characters. It's the kind of story that appeals to me and I still watch old episodes of the show.

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

Hot Scot Jack McGregor is a very modern highland laird and he's also a multi-tasker - he runs an estate and he's a doctor plus he's refurbished his castle hotel! He's no stranger to hard work so I think he'd take a well earned break somewhere indulgent so he could be pampered for a change - let's go for Mauritius! Let's face it we Scots deserve a bit of sunshine and a beachy paradise and Jack and Steph deserve a sun-drenches get-away retreat.



Falling For The Laird will be published soon by exciting new book line venture Ballgown Books (part of E-Scape Press). If you like an escapist read that's intense and brimming with romance and glamour, Ballgown Books is a perfect destination for the read of your dreams. More information soon from E-Scape Press at escapewithabook.com. This title will also be released as Pitched Into Love large print from Ulverscroft in December 2012.

Falling For The Laird by Judy Jarvie

Steph Baxter goes to the highlands to help out her pregnant friend  Ally and her husband. She doesn't expect to end up battling to help save  their stunning movie-style castle hotel. Or  to wind up assisting and  falling for its equally impressive part-owner Jack McGregor! Steph's  highland adventure brings a tough mission, a hot man and a massive  challenge for a woman who likes to give every task 100%.



Go to judyj.blogspot.com - buy links to follow soon and the launch of Ballgown Books is just around the corner and will be fully flagged.

Feeling the magic

Living in South Africa is an amazing privilege. I get to enjoy wide blue skies and year round sunshine. I love the people and I love the lifestyle. But at heart I’m an Anglophile. My mother is an English teacher with a passion for Shakespeare and English history, and she passed on to me the the idea that the British Isles was a mystical, magical place.

At the tender age of 23 I travelled to England for the first time. 20th century London didn’t disappoint. When you come from a city where the oldest building is 100 years old, London with its thousand years of tangible history is truly spell-binding. The architecture, the theatre shows, the diversity of people, and above all the stories that abound behind every door. Long before I ever thought of becoming a writer, those stories bewitched me.

Over the years, I’ve re-visited the UK many times, and every time I feel that magic.

So on Saturday, when my flight touched down at Heathrow, I didn’t expect it to feel like just another day. I was almost saddened that sitting on the tube, then on a train out into Essex, I didn’t feel the usual magic.

It was only on Sunday night, while sitting in my friends’ living room watching the telly, that the magic rekindled. And all it took to light the spark was a simple TV advert. An ad for a book.

TV advertising is expensive. In South Africa I think I can safely say we’ve never had a TV ad for a book. Then this morning, the local breakfast TV show featured an interview with an author.
TV ads for books, authors interviewed on TV ... this is Utopia!

It is so easy to be sucked into the doom and gloom. Book sales are down! The eBook market is flooded! Book stores are closing! Libraries are closing! It’s the end of the world!

I’m here to tell you now that this is the best time to be a writer, and the future is GOLDEN. Books are alive, and people are reading.

Let’s feel the magic.

How much of you is in your characters?

I keep thinking about this question as I'm trying to get a good grip on the heroine in my current WIP.

In real life, and by that I mean, the life in which I have a double Masters in Engineering, have a day job I'm good at, and have always passed classes with better than average grades, I'm a confident, self-assured person, in contrast to the insecure, whiny mess that I'm as a writer. :-) and as a mother....
Growing up in a conservative culture in India( even though my dad was the most open minded, awesomesauce dad among our friends and families), I've been called arrogant, outspoken, and many more things by some small minded family members. I was the first in both my dad's and mom's family to come to USA alone (in contrast to being married and arriving as someone's wife or just migrating with your whole family), and I had done it at 20 and with a full scholarship to a university.

The point of this self-indulgent, biographical rambling is that I have opinions, and I realized at a very young age that usually these opinions, more often than not, were on the opposing side of the general consensus that family and sometimes, my friends came to. But I've never cared, though I taught myself that it was ok to have a different opinion.

And this is mostly reflected in the heroines I write. They might not have it all together like I do (cue hysterical laughing here :-)), but they are confident women who won't take crap from anyone. Even if they might not do it in a stick-my-face-in-yours kind of way. The heroine in my last wip, Olivia, who will remain my favorite for a long time to come, did just that.

Not so with my latest heroine, Lexi. 

I wouldn't call her a pushover as my hero has just done, but she's close to being one. Especially when it comes to her two friends who are all she has in the world.

I think (think being the operative word here) it works as to why she's like that, what has prevented her to stop taking crap from these said friends, and the growth she has to undergo after she realizes what she has become is of course, aided by our hero. But I'm having the hardest time writing her.

I keep wanting to make her more ballsy, and have flashes of her being just that, here and there, which makes for a very inconsistent character.

So I started to wonder: How can I be a good writer if I couldn't write more than one type of heroine? Will every heroine I write be a sum total of the same character traits in new packaging? Not everyone in the world is confrontational, or gutsy. And, personally, gutsy heroines who are nothing but gutsy drive me up the wall.

Does this happen to you? Do you find that you bestow your characters with traits that might be your own? How much of you is in your characters?

Author Spotlight - Vanessa Fox

Vanessa Fox wears a number of different hats - and is well known to Irish writers as Vanessa O'Loughlin, the powerhouse behind Inkwell writers workshops and writing.ie. Under the name Vanessa Fox, she is the author of True Colours, her highly rated romance debut. A little bird told me she's working on another romance, so keep an eye out for it!
Without further ado, Vanessa's answering the minxy questions:
What is your writing process?
When I’m focusing on writing I get down to the computer and try and do 1000 words before I even think about opening my email – it’s the only way to get anything done! I’m a morning writer although I fill in the gaps and go over words already written in the evenings (actually in every spare minute).
Constructing each scene, I focus on what the reader needs to learn at that particular point and try and ensure that it is delivered without too much deviation. I tend to write the dialogue first, the bones of a chapter, then flesh it out with ‘stage directions’ and description.
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 wish I had time for shoe shopping! I usually have several big projects on the go at the same time, all writing related although not necessarily related to my writing! When I do sit down to write creatively, it’s tough to focus so I have to be very disciplined. Even if I only have 20 minutes I make sure I produce real words in that time – but I’ve discovered because the writing is very intense it tends to be more focused (I’ve been told since school that I have a tendency to waffle) which is actually good for me. Sometimes though, finding the words is like pulling teeth – at times like those I just try to write through it or skip on to a bit that I know I want to write, then go back and join the pieces together. I find if I know where I’m going, it’s a lot easier to get there!
Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer? No! What’s an exercise regime?! I do run up and down the stairs and when the weather’s good sporadically have evening walks up the mountain behind my house with my children…does that count?
Do you believe in writer's block?
I think you often get stuck as a writer, but it’s normally because you’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere, or a character has said something out of context. The trick is to go back to where it was working and retrace your steps.
Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
I think we all draw on true life experiences but it’s important to distance real life from fiction or you risk getting sued!
In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?
The scary bit is waiting for reviews to come in – it’s one thing spending hours writing but when people are paying for your work and have the freedom to comment on Amazon, you want to curl up and hide! Every writer has a contract with their reader to deliver the best possible work you can, but what if they hate it?!
Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
I’m a complete Twitter advocate, but I think any online forum is a fabulous opportunity for promotion. The trick is not to bore your readers/community and take creative angles on promoting your book. Every connection you make online is a possible new friend, and a friend who might be interested in buying your book. You can’t have too many friends…
What is your top promo tip for other authors?
Get out there, get a professional blog or website, connect and interact with readers through forums, organisations and sites like Goodreads.
What did you learn while writing this book?
That baddies are great fun to write! And I can’t spell, but I knew that already!
What was the most fun part of writing this book?
I love the creating the sexual tension between the male and female characters, presenting them with obstacles that frustrate their relationship. The other fun part was discovering things about my characters that I didn’t know when I started, having major events in the plot developing as I wrote, changing the balance and twisting the plot.
And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
A golden beach on a private island in the Caribbean!

ABOUT TRUE COLOURS:
Can you ever forget your first love?
Successful interior designer Alex Ryan knows going back to Dublin will be difficult, but she has no idea of the hidden dangers that await her.
With her father in hospital after a mysterious accident and a new design client demanding her attention, when Alex finds herself in the offices of Venture Capital Ireland the last person she expects to meet is Sebastian Wingfield, heir to the Wingfield fortune - the one man in Ireland she is desperate to avoid.
And the last thing on Sebastian's mind is interior decoration.
But Sebastian is to marry his best friend’s sister, Caroline Audiguet-O'Reilly, in eight weeks time. And as the wedding plans unfold, unknown to any of them, someone is set on ruining him - whatever it takes.
There is no escaping the past, and the night Alex meets Sebastian at Kilfenora House, more than just their TRUE COLOURS are finally revealed.

You can pick up True Colours on Amazon.co.uk here.

Or on Amazon.com here.

Thanks for going minxy for the day, Vanessa!

It's time for a Hotties poll

It's been way too long since we had a fresh batch of hotties up here on the Minxes blog. So thank you very much to Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler, the joint winners of our Golfers hottie poll, but it's time to move over and make way for some fresh ... um ... faces.

Unbelievably, we don't seem to have had an Aussie hotties poll here yet, so this month's selection comes from Down Under. I'll stop with the words now and let the pictures do the talking.

The obvious first choice - Hugh Jackman

Sam Worthington

For Suzanne Minx (who seems to have a thing for men who can sing): Jason Donovan.

For Sally Minx: Keith Urban. (Great choice, Sally!)

Guy Pearce, the man with the piercing blue eyes:

Eric Bana.

Bad boy Russell Crowe.

And finally, my personal favourite, Simon Baker.

So who are you going to vote for?