Great Article on Harlequin Romances

I seldom just repeat other people's posts or refer my readers to them, but today I found an article that is well worth mentioning. Kelly Faircloth wrote an article on ​How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance that every reader of romance should read. (Please read it and take the time to let me know if you also found it highly informative.) 

This article is well-researched and offers loads of information—and inspiration—to readers and writers of romance alike. What I like most about Kelly's approach is that the article is balanced with informed opinions.

She starts the article with: "For the average person, romance novels bring to mind one word: Harlequin." This is true whether you read romance or not. For most romance writers their biggest aspiration is to be able to one day state: "I write for Harlequin." So to read where it all began was a wonderful experience for me.

This really is one article you should make time to read.

Author Interview: Romy Sommer

Today I have the privilege of welcoming the talented author Romy Sommer to my blog. Romy has graciously agreed to provide some insight into her writing processes and help aspiring authors any way she can. Romy is the founder of ROSA (Romance Writers Organization of South Africa) and I'm pleased to say, also the organizer of the first ROSA conference in Johannesburg in October 2014.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romance. My books started as straightforward romances and gradually have grown a little more humorous and a little more like fairy tales over the years. I love to write light-hearted, modern stories that are upbeat.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

Ideas are everywhere. I’ve had stories spring from a song, a dream, a headline at the side of the road, a blog post that got me thinking about something… and the ideas keep coming as I’m writing and researching. Usually when I get a new idea, I jot it down in a notebook then let it sit for a while so it can grow, rising like yeasty bread. Once the idea has substance I start to add other ideas to it. Again, songs, other books I read, movies I watch all help me to flesh out the characters and the plot, right up until I type The End.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

A bit of both. I love Blake Snyder’s beatsheet, and I tend to plot my story around the turning points at 25, 50% and 75% of the story, but the rest is subject to change without notice as I’m writing.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

In my earlier days of writing I used to plan meticulously, even down to how many chapters and what would happen in each. These days I let my instincts guide me and I plot a lot less. But I absolutely have to know my characters inside and out before I start the first draft.

Do you use any specific software to outline/plot your novel? If yes, could you give us a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the software or method you use?

Until now I’ve only worked in Word, but I couldn’t do it without the incredibly amazing Document Map feature. I recently viewed a Webinar on Scrivener and I might give that program a shot for my next book.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

Without a doubt, character. These are the people through whom the readers experience the story, and whether they’re likable and relatable is the difference between a reader turning the pages or throwing the book against the wall. Also, the characters’ journeys are what determine the conflicts and the plot, so for me character is always the starting place.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

I spend quite a bit of time up front doing biographies of my characters, and finding pictures of celebrities who might match the images in my head. I also research where they live, their jobs, any major experiences they might have had in their lives. Then I decorate the pinboard next to my desk with pictures, maps, inspiration for the characters and their surroundings, any pertinent props etc. (check out my Pinterest boards to see the kind of pictures I assemble). This can take a good few weeks before I start writing their story.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

As I’ve said above, I think the writer should know their characters, their world view and their GMC (goals, motivation and conflicts) before starting the first draft.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

In the past I have written fast, but very, very rough first drafts and gone back to edit them later. These days I follow a very slow, linear process, editing as I write. I start at page 1, chapter 1, and move slowly forward, occasionally going back to add in a line or two that supports what I’m writing now. By the end I tend to have a very clean first draft. I then get one of my CPs or a beta reader to do a quick once over, then I do another complete pass (all in one go if I can so I can view the book as a whole) and then I send it off to my editor.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I am a pretty ruthless self-editor, but there is no way I would publish anything without professional eyes first taking a look. It is way too easy for the writer to miss stuff because they’re too close to the story. Also, professional editors not only see the story objectively, but bring a wealth of knowledge and market understanding to the table.

If you hire a professional editor, can you recommend anyone and state the reason/s why this person is recommendable?

I’ve worked with two freelance editors and loved the experience of working with both of them. Cindy Davis, the Fiction Doctor, is a wonderful editor who has worked with a few of my CPs as well, and Nan Swanson (who was my editor at The Wild Rose Press) has also been tremendously helpful and encouraging.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

These days my first draft is pretty close to the final draft, but I try to do at least one or two more passes over it before submitting. For a newbie submitting to the slush pile though, I’d recommend at least 2 rounds of editing, with long breaks in between so you can gain distance and objectivity.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

When I first started submitting I only submitted to one at a time, since those were the accepted rules. Also, there were fewer romance publishers in the game back then.

These days I think publishers have become less rigid, so uncontracted authors can get away with submitting to a couple of publishers at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend blanket submitting, though. Choose the one or two publishers you really want to work with and target them first.

I now write under contract for my publisher, Harper Impulse, so at least I’m saved the worry of wondering where to submit and whether they’ll want me. The wait times are still a killer, though!

What is your greatest consideration when selecting a publisher? 

Writers are spoilt for choice these days, but I’d say the most important thing any writer should look for is a good reputation. Check out the Absolute Write website, contact authors already published by that publisher – are they legit, do they treat their authors with respect, do they pay on time?

After that, the next most important thing is the relationship between you and your editor. If the editor understands you and your books, and believes in you, that’ already half the battle won right there.

Lastly, what can the publisher do for you that you can’t do for yourself? If it’s editorial support, or marketing, or getting your name into a new market, then pick a publisher that is strong in that area and will offer you what you need.

These days you don’t need to be locked into one publisher for life, so it is also important to re-look your relationship with your publisher every few years. Is it time to move on to a new publisher with a different skill set, are you ready now to venture into self publishing, or are you still happy with your current publisher?

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Don’t give up.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

I have two contemporary romances published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins, with a third out soon.

Waking up in Vegas was published in May 2013The Trouble with Mojitos in October 2013To Catch a Star releases on 25 September 2014.

What happens in Vegas…

Waking up to the bright lights of Vegas in an unfamiliar penthouse suite, cocktail waitress Phoenix Montgomery finds she’s covered from head to foot in gold glitter and not alone – aside from the empty bottle of champagne, there’s a mystery man in the shower and a huge sparkly ring on her finger!

Stays in Vegas?

There’s no denying Max Waldburg’s demi-god sex appeal but commitment-phobic Phoenix doesn’t do relationships. Only it seems her new husband (agh!) has other ideas…he’s trying to keep that ring on her finger and his wife firmly back in his bed. The only question on her lips is – why? Or maybe, why not?

Waking up in Vegas is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

Turquoise blue waters. Sandy white beaches. Mojitos... Film location scout Kenzie Cole has found herself in paradise. Working in the Caribbean for a week is just what she needs to escape the long line of exes in her closet. Though the last thing she expects is to be picked up at the resort bar by a disgraced former Prince!

Luckily for Kenzie, exile is suiting the man formerly known as Prince Fredrik very well. And it’s not long before his rugged, pirate charm is proving hard to resist.

But Rik’s been spending his time in paradise exorcising demons of his own and he has danger written all over him. If Kenzie was sensible she’d run a mile instead of lose herself to lust - although, they do say sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found....

The Trouble with Mojitos is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

‘A fairy-tale romance to warm even the coldest of hearts.’ Chloe’s Chick Lit Reviews

Teresa Adler is the ultimate Ice Princess, with a heart as frozen as the winter landscape of her beloved home, Westerwald. All her life, she’s belonged to the ‘inner circle’ of wealth, privilege and position.

Christian Taylor: Heartthrob. Movie Star. Bad boy. The mischievous actor sets temperatures soaring in the picturesque baroque principality – and with a wicked glint in his eye and a chip on his shoulder he sets his sights on the one thing he’s told he can’t have. Teresa.

While Tessa holds the ultimate clue to the secret of Christian’s parentage, it is the heat of his touch that will make this Ice Princess feel more alive than she ever has before…

To Catch a Star is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon Smart URL , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

About Romy Sommer

I’ve always written stories for myself, but didn’t even think of being an author until I realised that being over thirty and living in a fantasy world was a little odd. Writing those same stories for other people makes it a lot more acceptable!

By day I dress in cargo pants and boots for my not-so-glamorous job of making movies but at night I come home to my two little Princesses, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I live, and I get to write Happy Ever Afters. Since I believe every girl is a princess, and every princess deserves a happy ending, what could be more perfect?

You can follow Romy on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads or on her website/blog.

The Other Side - by Zee Monodee

Today I have the great honor of featuring a brand new book by author Zee Monodee. Zee writes Stories about love, life, relationships... in a melting-pot of culture.

Zee is an author who grew up on a fence – on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she'd stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.

From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.

This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing – her heroines all sit 'on a fence', whether cultural or societal, in today's world or in times past, and face dilemmas about life and love.

Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee is a degree holder in Communications Science. She is a head-over-heels wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween son, best-buddy-stepmum to a teenage lad, an incompetent domestic goddess, eternal dreamer, and an absolute, shameless bookholic. When she isn’t penning more stories and/or managing the Ubuntu line at Decadent Publishing, you can bet you’ll find her with her nose in her tablet, ‘drinking in’ a good book.

The theme of Second Chances is very prominent in Zee’s stories, because she herself, as a divorcee, found a second chance with a wonderful man she has now called her husband for over a decade.

Zee started penning this story after reading the epic novel ‘A Suitable Boy’ by Vikram Seth. She wanted to write a magnum opus; something to showcase ‘her’ world in Mauritius the same way Mr. Seth chronicled ‘his’ India. Alas, she found she was totally fluffy and did not do well at all with a literary bent. The result was The Other Side, a popular romantic comedy that had notes of Zee TV/Bollywood dramas with an island vibe.

Zee’s initial plan was to write this one book and then be finished. Over the course of the story, Lara’s two sisters – Diya and Neha – started whispering their own tales...and the trilogy was born.

The Other Side is Zee’s first-ever penned novel, written in the year 2005, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and thus decided to live her dream of writing a book. She drafted this book mostly during sleepless nights between chemotherapy sessions, the outpouring of this tale becoming her therapy to cope with her treatments.

From the Back Cover:-

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, the homeland of her parents, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once there, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again. Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

 

Here's a little taste of what you can expect inside the book :-

Lost in her thoughts, she rounded a dead corner of the hall, slamming into someone’s side. Disoriented and dizzy with confusion at the jolting oomph of impact against a solid form, she stumbled, losing control over her legs. She saw the walls moving up rapidly, but a strong pair of hands grabbed her under the arms before the back of her head hit the floor.

“Bon sang, mademoiselle! Où courez-vous comme ça?” a rich, deep masculine voice asked on the sharp yet lilting accent of white Mauritian natives.

Where are you running to, miss? he’d asked, from what her rusty French could figure out.

Away from you. Something inside her acknowledged the danger before she could process his words. She knew that voice. Her head spun again, yet her mind was very alert.

Could it be…? No, it couldn’t. Her brain had to be playing tricks on her. The sound with its particular accent belonged to the very distant past. How was she hearing it at this moment? Had she fainted? That’s it. She wasn’t conscious, and since she’d probably worked herself to exhaustion, the condition had triggered all sorts of switches in her muddled consciousness.

The image of the man from the airport burned itself into her mind, and she gasped. No!

“Is everything okay?” The chuckle had gone from the tone, replaced by worry.

Solid strength still held her ribcage, the back of the hands warm and smooth where they touched her arms. The heat from them went to her head, churning all coherent thought into a jumble.

Her mind had to be playing a trick on her. He couldn’t be who she was imagining. When, after a few seconds, it didn’t appear like she’d come around, doubt invaded her heart.

Your eyes won’t betray you, they’ll see the truth.

She risked a glance up beneath her lashes. She had to be certain if this was real or not. To know this was all a trick of her imagination….

Lara encountered a tall form with broad shoulders outlined in a short-sleeved shirt. The lapels of the opened collar framed a strong jaw and a wide, full, and sensual mouth was set in a worried line above a square chin. A fine, straight nose sent faint shadows over his lips.

She had to gulp back the ominous lump wedged in her throat. Her heart beat a hammering throb in her chest, and her mouth went dry. Her suspicions looked dangerously close to being confirmed, and the nagging notion played havoc with her thoughts. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself staring into a pair of blue irises. A blinding flash went through her head, plunging her heart to her knees. She’d recognize those irises anywhere. Deep-set, bright, and laughing eyes the colour of the deepest ocean. The heavy, golden locks brushing his forehead accentuated the frown knitting his eyebrows.

Locks that had somehow broken free from the thick, smoothed-back hair. She itched to sweep them back, to run the tips of her fingers along his smooth skin, like she used to in the past, onto the soft buzz of hair he used to keep so short….

Her mind went into a crazy spin, and all her senses reeled as everything became a vivid kaleidoscope of colours. Her stomach heaved, and her knees went weak as her body became limp. But the man’s strong grip was still on her, and he kept her steady on her feet.

“Are you okay? I think you better sit down here,” he said.

The voice made its way into her perception, and she couldn’t suppress the relief that flooded her. His voice had always had such power over her.

He still hasn’t recognised me.

She’d changed a lot in the past decade, and with her head still bent forward, her hair shielded her face. She wanted to escape. She wanted to close her eyes, and then open them to find it had all been a dream. Or a nightmare.

But this was real, and how long could she remain incognito? Lara swallowed painfully. Of all the people from her past, fate had had to choose that precise person to shove along her path.

All of this battled inside her mind as she allowed him to lead her to a sofa. After having lowered her into her seat with extreme care and gentleness, her saviour sat down next to her, turning to face her profile. The movement triggered the air to move around him, and the smell of his aftershave—fresh, spicy, and very elusive—filled her nostrils and made its way into her foggy mind.

He still smells the same. Like a cool sea breeze wafting through the unique musk of a man’s warm skin.

Lara took a deep breath and gathered her courage. She would have to face him sooner or later. A part of her had always known she ran the risk of coming across him on the island. She’d preferred to hide from the probability, but she couldn’t run anymore.

So she lifted her head. A frown marred the wide forehead on the face she encountered. As devastatingly handsome as ever. Or maybe, even more than ever. His features were arresting, masculine, adult. No longer those of a teenager.

Her mouth went dry again, and her heart beat faster when the straight line of his lips broke into a large smile a few seconds later. His eyes lit up as well, and widened.

“I’ll be damned! Lara? Is it really you?” he asked, switching effortlessly to English.

She forced a smile and took a deep breath. “Hello, Eric. How are you?”

Available from:

Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=817&osCsid=uk690a1muqacdt8v6csmtuo7d2

Amazon (available at the discounted price of $2.99) http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Island-Girls-ebook/dp/B00E77XHG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375035073&sr=8-1&keywords=the+other+side+zee+monodee