Writing & Other Assorted Forms Of Insanity

Creating Trouble For Tyler

2012-01-18T19:05:00.006Z

Do we remember this pretty picture by any chance? Yes, thought you might. It's currently brightening the noticeboard in my office...Writing Tyler Brannigan’s story as the next in the series was my editor’s idea. Although some of the scenes featuring him didn’t make it to the final cut of New York’s Finest Rebel, he stood out enough during revisions for her to want to see him get his comeuppance.

Cover Glee!

2012-01-16T21:53:00.004Z

Just a quick fly by with the cover for New York's Finest Rebel (see last post for story info). Think this may possibly be my fav cover since my firefighter...Back in a day or two with an actual blog. Promise!

The Most Fun I've Ever Had Sitting At A Keyboard...

2012-01-10T12:35:00.017Z

I promised I'd come back to chat about New York's Finest Rebel and here I am. I may have mentioned a time or two how much I love this story. I really can't remember the last time I laughed out loud the way I did when writing it, which is probably a little sad considering-technically speaking-I was laughing at my own jokes. By now you know it's the second in a series of books based around the

Starting The New Year With A Little Reflection (and a pretty picture)

2012-01-05T14:58:00.006Z

Like always as we bid goodbye to another year, I find myself looking back on the past and hoping for good things in the future. Last year my biggest hope was to be able to write again. Simply finishing a book felt like a huge hurdle so I took it chapter by chapter and after a long uphill battle eventually achieved my goal. I still had to reach out to my new editor, discover what had happened

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

2011-12-24T22:19:00.002Z

It's going to be a pretty quiet Christmas at ye olde homestead this year so in between cooking and feeding 900 animals I'll be making an attempt to increase the wordcount on the book which is due mid-February. In the meantime I wanted to drop in and wish everyone a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!! I hope you were all very good children this year and get lots of lovely things.See you next year!

Liv & The Start Of A Mini-Series

2011-12-13T17:57:00.007Z

Everyone's Christmas plans going well? I can't believe how close it's getting. This weekend past I dug out the decorations and even if my living room now resembles Santa's grotto, I have to not-so-humbly say my tree is particularly spectacular this year. The twinkling lights have the same calming effect as watching fish in a tank, but sitting watching them isn't helping my writing any. Since my

Book Release Time!

2011-12-05T09:00:00.001Z

After an eighteen month gap (and a week when I've been fighting with both a cold and a stubborn new hero) we FINALLY have a new book on the shelves! In the next couple of weeks I'll be blogging both here and in a couple of other places about the journey back to writing, the story behind The Inconvenient Laws Of Attraction and how excited I am about it being the first in a mini-series.First up,

Getting Ready For Re-Launch!

2011-11-24T18:09:00.004Z

It's been a long, loooonnngggg time since I last blogged here, but with the launch of a BRAND NEW BOOK next week it's time to dust off the cobwebs and start anew!With that in mind you may notice a bit of a redesign here on ye olde Blog. If there is anything you miss from the old version or any of the older posts which you can no longer read thanks to the change in text colour, let me know and I

Bumps In The Road: A Writers Learning Curve...

2010-05-13T06:06:00.011+01:00

This Blog is terribly neglected these days. I'm sorry about that. To be honest, while I'm still trying to find a balance between real life stuff and trying to write, I've found Twitter easier to deal with. 160 characters takes less thinking/time I suppose ;) (Please feel free to come say 'Hi' to me if you have a Twitter account!) But for those of you struggling with your writing out there, I

Why Mills & Boon still make the ladies swoon (according to the Irish Independent website)...

2010-04-05T19:38:00.019+01:00

There's nothing that makes my day as a Mill & Boon author quite the same as an article filled with falsehoods and a blatant lack of research on the part of the person writing said article. The fact that the article is written under the banner of a respected newspaper in my own country, making the writer but two CHEAP phone calls away from authors who KNOW what they're talking about, makes it

To CP Or Not To CP, That Is The Question...

2010-02-18T18:13:00.004Z

Carrying on from my last post, I said I'd answer any questions that came my way in the comments. I'm gonna take them one at a time and if you've got any questions, fire them into the comments or email me through the website and I'll do my absolute bestest to answer them on here in case anyone else finds what I have to say useful (no guarantees the 'useful' part will happen, you understand).So,

External Versus Internal.

2010-02-11T03:30:00.011Z

Every now and again I'll get a comment here at the Blog that requires the kind of discussion that both reminds me what I should be doing and is worth dragging out of the comments section into the light. So hopefully Janet won't mind if I take her questions from the comments of the last Blog as my subject for this one...For those of you who don't read the comments or may have missed it, Janet said

Internal Movies, Chaos Theories, Seasonal Vegetables, Twitter talk and Vanessa Carlton...

2010-02-01T12:04:00.002Z

...aka: The ingredients of an ordinary writing day...And hopefully you'll get why all those things are related to my story as we go along...Let's start at the beginning of the list, shall we? I always know when a story is starting to come together. How do I know? Because it starts to play like a movie in my head. I can see the characters. I can hear their voices, see their facial expressions,

Back To Work: Categorizing Characters...

2010-01-19T13:37:00.009Z

So. Sometimes when things aren't going well, a writer has to use the recluse clause until they can sort out the problem, wrestle with it, swear at it, tie its hands behind its back and slap it in the face, then feed it cake until it behaves itself and toes the line for further cake-shaped rewards. That's pretty much where I've been, barring a few interruptions from real life. Again.Let me just

Back To Work Day Five...

2010-01-08T06:06:00.018Z

Chapter three took more adjustment than I'd thought it would. What was I thinking when I wrote that chapter the first time?! Apart from the fact my heroine was changing personalities faster than I refresh my coffee supply when writing (which is fast during the wee small hours - trust me!), my hero pretty much launched himself at her like some kind of rampant rabbit. No wonder my editor thought

Back To Work Day Three/Four...

2010-01-07T03:33:00.003Z

So. As you can probably tell, day three didn't exactly go according to plan. If I tell you that most of our days here at the minute involve a stream of visitors to my place to fill canisters, tubs, buckets and bottles with water because the horses water drinkers are still frozen solid (as are the pipes), then maybe it will give you an indication of how much more work this flipping cold spell is

Back To Work Day Two...

2010-01-05T16:16:00.011Z

So. Added 104 words to Chapter One and am now determined to leave it the heck alone. Chapter Two added to the wordcount now and it's gonna need a little more work as it's one of the chapters my lovely Editor felt needed a few changes. It all comes down to a personality flaw I seem to have when it comes to my heroes. I did the same thing in the first version of One Night With The Rebel Billionaire

Back To Work...

2010-01-04T05:27:00.007Z

There's a part of me that really wishes I was starting a brand shiny new book, but since that's not the case, here we are. I've added the wordcount for the first chapter because I know the first chapter is fine. I know this because in the last year I have edited it... oh, I dunno... about a gazillion times? Having said that, I'll re-read it just to be sure and to get me back into the story since

Looking Backwards & Forwards (as one does at this time of year...)

2009-12-30T19:51:00.007Z

Yes, I'm alive. Despite any rumors to the contrary. As you can probably tell from the distinct lack of any Blog posts, Tweets or - more importantly - new book release dates in a long while, 2009 hasn't been the easiest of years for me. I guess it's the same dilemma all writers face at some time or another during their career. Real life has this horrible tendency to get in the way of creating

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 16.

2009-08-14T01:08:00.008+01:00

No, I haven't forgotten about this. Almost done folks! Bear with me...Missed Part Fifteen of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it hereGetting ready to Submit.“It stands to reason that you want to get your editor to read your story. Therefore, it's obvious that you want to present her with as attractive a package as possible. How

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 15.

2009-07-26T01:04:00.013+01:00

Life has been getting in the way somewhat, and this subject has ended up a LOT longer than I'd thought it would, so apologies again for the delay, and for the fact we might end up with a post or two more than I thought we would. A big THANKS to everyone who has commented to say they're finding the Mini-Workshop useful! It makes doing it worthwhile!!! Once we're done I'll run a Q&A for anyone who

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 14.

2009-07-20T10:27:00.009+01:00

Missed Part Thirteen of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it hereWasted Plots:This part of The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes didn't mean what I thought it was going to mean. To me, this subject has more to do with those stories in an authors head that battle hard for attention, even though you're currently working on

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 13.

2009-07-20T04:19:00.013+01:00

(Apologies for how late this is! My Sunday didn't fit into it's allotted 24hrs. Roughly three parts left to go before we're done - not including this one...)Missed Part Twelve of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it hereChasing The Market:This lesson and the chapter in The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes deals with trying to predict what editors and publishing houses are looking for six

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 12.

2009-07-19T04:44:00.002+01:00

Missed Part Eleven of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it hereToo Many Cooks:“Usually it’s a mistake to seek advice from other amateurs at writer’s clubs. I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask family or friends to read and ‘criticize’ your manuscript either.” That’s what The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes says. And it flies in the face of something the romance writing community relies

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 11.

2009-07-18T15:21:00.007+01:00

Missed Part Ten of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it hereWorrying What Mother Might Think:"Shame can kill the imagination. It's hard to keep writing in the face of cultural derision." -Eloisa James (From her RWA Keynote Speech 2009) "Some say writing is its own reward. I write for money, but writing for money is not so bad, especially when that writing brings you joy."This chapter in The 38

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 10.

2009-07-18T12:44:00.006+01:00

Missed Part Nine of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Making It Obvious:Just as we can be tempted to fall into the traps of back-story dumps or long passages of exposition to explain things to our reader, on the flip-side it can be tempting to be too subtle. Simple fact is if you’re too obvious or give something away too soon, an eagle-eyed editor who is good at their job will spot it and

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 9.

2009-07-18T00:15:00.008+01:00

Missed Part Eight of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Characters Thoughts:This is something I think romance writers are extremely good at, because we deal with an emotional journey we have to delve beneath the surface and show how our characters feel and what they think. It’s a massive part of the story. But it’s worth remembering why we do it…Remember when we talked about scene structure

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 8.

2009-07-18T00:05:00.003+01:00

Missed Part Seven of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Scene Structure:The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes starts this chapter with the nitty-gritty of it; “The tense, conflictive sections of your story are the parts that most intrigue your readers. For that reason you should play out these parts of your story for all they’re worth.”What we’re talking about here is dealing with

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 7.

2009-07-17T20:31:00.004+01:00

Missed Part Six of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Know Your Stuff:Google is the writer’s best friend. Just as we discussed the fact that too much information can drag a reader out of the story, so can information that is just plain wrong. You can’t assume you know how to do something, you have to research it, because there will always be a reader out there who knows everything about the

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 6.

2009-07-17T15:36:00.003+01:00

Missed Part Five of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Mangling Dialogue:Remember that Harlequin (if that’s the publisher you’re aiming for) is a world wide publisher. Even if Harlequin isn’t your publisher of choice, think about the kind of people who will be reading your story. Will they all be the same age, have the same amount of time to read a book and most importantly of all, will

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 5.

2009-07-17T11:17:00.006+01:00

Missed Part Four of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Lecturing The Reader:This goes back to the subject of not being a smart aleck. Say you’re well into your story and all of a sudden you bring up something like a medical procedure or stock market shares or a wonderful meal one of your characters is preparing. You’ll have done your research if you’re not an expert on the subject already.

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 4.

2009-07-16T17:52:00.003+01:00

Missed Part Three of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Stimulus And Response:More commonly known as ACTION AND REACTION, this follows on from everything making sense and the characters not being wimps leading to the action that drives your story. Think of action and reaction as the ‘push me/pull me’ of a romance novel.In this case The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes says; “Readers

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt 3

2009-07-16T16:26:00.005+01:00

Missed Part Two of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.No Place For Wimps:Blatantly obvious when it comes to the hero of a romance novel, but there’s more to it than that. On the subject of wimps The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes says;“You know what a wimp is.He’s the one who wouldn’t fight under any circumstances.Ask him what he wants and he just sighs.Poke him, and he just

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes Pt. 2.

2009-07-16T12:53:00.005+01:00

Missed Part One of this Mini-Workshop? You can find it here.Describing Sunsets:This is another common trap. But to me, it can fall into two extremes; too much, or too little. The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (which you can order from Amazon here or here) deals with the former in the opening paragraph of the chapter that deals with this topic by saying:“Readers need description in the

Not At Nationals - Common Romance Writing Mistakes

2009-07-16T10:14:00.006+01:00

Not At Nationals? Well here's the first of my Blogs to help you have your own version of a conference talk at home. I'd been reading a book about writing (as so many of us often do) called The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes and it occurred to me as I read that it could be tweaked slightly for Romance writing. I think this is a common problem with books on fiction/Screen-writing, etc. as

What To Do When You're NOT At Nationals...

2009-07-15T23:10:00.008+01:00

The Interweb is alive with Conference talk. Twitter, Blogs, Facebook - there's no escaping the authors, editors, agents and soon-to-be-published's who have been preparing for weeks and are now full of updates about the friends they've met up with and the things to come. Which is great - I've been there and I know what a great time they're all having - but what do you do if you're NOT at Nationals

It's Miraculous I Ever Sold (Part One).

2009-06-23T10:53:00.008+01:00

Soooo... following on from the last post, where I admitted I'd made the discovery of my original manuscript, synopsis, etc during the great clear out of 2009 - here I am back again with the first of your requests for what you'd like to see. It's miraculous I ever sold. And reading back through some of these things makes me realize how ill prepared I really was for submitting compared to some of

Ahhhhh Memories...

2009-06-18T16:39:00.006+01:00

Yes. Am still doing the great clear out in an effort to get myself office space. Apparently drooling over nice office furniture, chairs and bookcases online doesn't count as clear up time...Anyhoo. While clearing up, guess what I just found? I found copies of the submission for my first book along with the synopsis, accompanying letter and revisions letters from the editor. How cool is that? I'm

Taking Reposession Of My Life

2009-06-05T14:22:00.010+01:00

A few years back the Queen coined the phrase Annus Horriblus. I've been having one of those. But now that the sun is shining and all my horses and ponies are out, I'm taking steps to repossess my life. So this is a quick flyby to do a bit of a catch up while I have my sleeves rolled up and am sporting what I call my 'determined face'. No. It's not scowl. And yes. I do have wrinkle cream on

Life Lessons Galore In This Years Britains Got Talent...

2009-04-20T23:40:00.007+01:00

Anyone else watching Britain's Got Talent? I'll admit I'm a sucker for shows like this. Pop Idol, X Factor, choosing Joseph and Maria for West End Stage productions - I'm there for them all. Yup, me and millions of others. But Britain's Got Talent can sometimes be hit and miss for me. Maybe there's a little too much weird amongst the wonderful. There are times when I end up cringing for people.

My Continuing Crush On Nathan Fillion..

2009-04-14T11:07:00.009+01:00

It's no secret among my friends (and thanks to a small online wrestling match with Ally Blake a couple of years back), that I have a bit of a crush on Nathan Fillion. Okay, it's a big crush. But I'm not stalker material. There are laws against that kind of thing...So in answer to the MSN message I got last night from the lovely Jenna Bayley-Burke I would just like to publicly answer - Yes hun, I

Rant Of The Day - ILLEGAL Downloads

2009-04-11T05:43:00.006+01:00

This is me:Because when you're fighting your way out of months worth of writer's block, the last thing you want to find on a Google search is your books available for ILLEGAL DOWNLOAD on the internet! I've just discovered a site that had one of my books and when I automatically searched my name I found... are you ready for this? 14 ENTRIES. On ONE SITE. And do you know what I have to do now? I

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T00:02:00.006Z

Yep folks - it's that time of year again!And if you're not wearing something green then I'm highly disappointed in you! Are you sure you're entering into the spirit of things...hmmmm???So let's see what I can tell you about St. Patrick's Day to get you to join the rest of the world as we celebrate all things Irish!Shall we look at the man himself to begin with? Seems only fair, what with it being

Mills & Boon Fights The Kissing Ban!

2009-02-19T15:26:00.004Z

Well here's a protest we can get behind! The ban imposed by Virgin trains made the news nationwide this week and Mills & Boon have launched a protest. Rightly so too! The world is a bleak enough place without banning the right to show affection!!! It's the most ridiculous ban I've ever heard of frankly...Even the Guardian newspaper has picked up on the protest and you can read what they had to

The Joys Of "Research"

2009-02-17T17:09:00.001Z

Sigh. It's a tough job... but someone has to do it, right?So this time next week Natasha Oakley and I are packing our bags and suffering for our craft by tramping across Europe on a 'research trip' to Rome. I see an Italian hero in my editor's future in the next year or so...It's a trip we've threatened to take for several years now, but for one varying reason or another we've never quite got

Joining Fellow Authors in Saying: SNOW

2009-02-08T12:28:00.007Z

Just thought I'd sympathize with fellow authors in the UK who blogged about snow last week. Up until now we'd had the white stuff, but not to the same extent as some places. *insert laughter* Cos we're catching up now... and my poor horses who got a nice haircut and tidy up to make them all pretty yesterday, are now snuggled under huge duvet-like layers of rugs and tucked safely in their stables

FREE Online Read and My New Hero's Character Profile

2009-02-03T05:35:00.002Z

Well, just as we waved goodbye to Mills & Boon's Centenary year - hot on it's heels comes Harlequin's Diamond Anniversary! As part of the celebrations, each month Harlequin is spotlighting one of the lines and in February, it's the turn of the Romance line... I'm lucky enough to be one of the Diamond Brides collection with Manhattan Boss, Diamond Proposal that's out RIGHT NOW (hint, hint) in

Bad Writing and Why It IRKS ME! (A long Rant)

2009-01-30T20:11:00.008Z

I don't tend to blog on here about my Superman/Smallville obsession because:a/ You'll all find out how much of a geek I am...andb/ I'd probably bore you senseless...But since this is my blog and you all know how much I like a good rant from time to time, I'm about to go off on one...Hold onto your hats. Baton down the hatches. Cover the children's ears. I'm mad!!!Here's the thing. I'm a full time

I Suck At Synopses

2009-01-25T14:46:00.006Z

A few posts back the lovely Nina in Ohio *waves at Nina* asked about the stuff I send to my editor when I'm pitching a book and I said I'd come back and post something on it. So here I am! Now in fairness I should start out by saying I SUCK at synopses or synopiss as I like to call them. I always have a clear idea of what I want to do in a story before I set out but when it comes to describing

My ITunes Addiction Is Growing

2009-01-14T04:30:00.007Z

I'm placing ITunes right up there with Youtube on my internet Spawn of Satan addictions list. Music at my fingertips day or night? I hear a song I like and I can have it in a matter of seconds?! I can download episodes of Smallville!!! Dear god. How's a gal supposed to get anything done...The least they could have done is make it complicated. But oh no.Did I mention I got an IPod Nano for

Free Online Writing Workshop Avec Moi

2009-01-11T23:11:00.003Z

Been a while since I've done a series of Writer's Tips blogs and gosh knows they were always popular. But as part of my shake things up scheme for 2009 I'm gonna do something a little bit different...I'm gonna do a kind of mini Writer's Workshop online at my Friends Forum based around one of the books on writing that I've read recently. You see it occurred to me when reading this book based on

A Place For My Friends

2009-01-06T22:19:00.003Z

As part of my list of things I'm trying in 2009 I've put together what I call a Friends Forum, where we can all get together and chat about anything and everything and you can all talk amongst yourselves when I get buried in the deadline cave and the Blog gets quiet...I'm still building it, but my dream would be that it's a fun place for everyone - sorta like coming to visit at my house ;) So if

Sssshhhh I Think It's Falling Into Place.

2009-01-04T15:45:00.003Z

Well, tomorrow's the day we pitch my friends. So think good thoughts for me, won't you? I've tentatively given it the working title of The Reluctant Billionaire - for now - and our heroine is Olivia Brannigan, our hero Blake Clayton... Locations are Manhattan, The Hamptons, with possible (small) appearances of places like Yonkers and Queens.And what I'm gonna take as a good sign is the fact that

The Thought Process For A New Book...

2009-01-01T23:28:00.016Z

Happy New Year Gang!!!So now that 2008 and all it's bad karma is gone, it's time to look forward. Some of your ideas in the comments of the last post have really helped get my muse thinking again so a BIG THANK YOU for that! Am thinking an Idea Repository is a great idea for the future as there's more than one book in there ;) So I'll have a think about where to put it (stop sniggering in the

Kick Starting Muses for 2009

2008-12-28T22:34:00.006Z

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday! I'm taking some much needed time off. I'm reading, spending time with my horse, watching Movies, playing with my new WII (Spyro the Dragon sucks hours of your life away before you notice btw) and generally I've been lazing about in a way I haven't in... erm... yeah, anyhoo...As the New Year approaches I've been doing what everyone does and looking back

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T11:25:00.005Z

A friend sent me this...*note to self: socialize more in 2009 and extend circle of friends...*So I've almost finished updating my website, I've gotten three great RT Reviews in a row and I've finished my first ever short story for serialization as a free read on EHarlequin in the new year. Have I finally left the gremlins behind me? MAN I HOPE SO!!!On the subject of His Mistress, His Terms (out

The Yin and Yang of Writing. Pt 1.

2008-12-09T16:29:00.000Z

Thanks again guys for all the comments welcoming me back and cheering me on!!! I've missed you all more than you know and it really does feel AMAZING to gradually come out the other side of this. But I said I'd come talk about it some, so here I am. And if the clouds come visit your house after this my SINCERE apologies. I just think sometimes it helps to know we're not alone on the dark days.

Repossession Of My Life

2008-12-02T05:52:00.002Z

Is gradually taking effect...Having come back from the States with an all new flattening disease and fighting my way through the worst case of writer's block/absense of muse in my life I then progressed to a laptop that played up. Then it crashed. Then it DIED. With all my files inside it. One frantic dash to computer doctor later and we had the file we were working on while he tried to get the

Update

2008-10-22T17:48:00.002+01:00

Today I sold the book that was originally due on the 1st August.I think that gives you an idea of how much of a hole I've been in...NOW I have to try and put my life back in order. Lemme know if you want me to start up the blog again, otherwise it may land on the long, long list of things I'm trimming back in my life ;)Website should be back up soon. Once I have my comp de-virused.

I Dunno Why It Is...

2008-09-14T11:15:00.004+01:00

That some foreign book covers just appeal to me more than others...I'm sure it'll come to me... Answers on a postcard please...Meanwhile yes I am buried deep, deep, deeeeeppp in the cave. With dire warnings to FOCUS and NOT to show my cyber face on the internet. I can remember a time when I used to be able to write you know. Sigh.So I thought I'd leave you with the scenery instead.You're welcome!

Me In Various Different Locations

2008-09-05T17:20:00.006+01:00

I'm all over the place this week. In more ways than one. So if anyone has a coffee in their hands and a few minutes procrastination time then why not come blog hopping avec moi???As part of the celebrations for her year of her 50th Book I'm over at the VERY LOVELY Liz Fielding's blog and you can be in it to win it for a signed copy of The Millionaire's Proposal if you like too (if you already

Review Of A Review For The Millionaire’s Proposal

2008-09-02T22:27:00.007+01:00

Okay here we go. And before I even get started I wanna point out once again that EVERYONE has differing perceptions and they are all ENTIRELY ENTITLED to their opinion. Does that mean we all have to agree with those opinions? Work with me here. Read the line about perceptions and opinions again. Yuh huh? Okay - we’re good to go then. And yes, its gonna be loooonnnggggg…No really. It is.Prepare

Hugh Jackman Tour 2008!

2008-09-01T15:10:00.007+01:00

The little pink dancing guy is TWO YEARS OLD today and if you think the medicine is still getting to me then you can find out what I mean HERE.And that naturally means that today is Hugh Jackman appreciation day! So to add to the fun I naturally am FORCED to place a picture of this lovely man on my blog... Oh the stress of it all ;) Rather appropriate for me this year though cos as of today The

Modern Heat Q&A Pt 3.

2008-08-28T13:16:00.000+01:00

Am loving some of these questions you guys are bringing my way!!! Thank you! And so long as you keep em coming I'll keep answering em ;)Janet asked: What about character careers for this line. Can heroines be artists or have quirky jobs? And can heroes still be in normal jobs such as fire fighters or do they now need to be super wealthy?This is one of the most fun things about this brand shiny

Modern Heat Q&A Pt 2.

2008-08-27T11:32:00.000+01:00

More Modern Heat type questions to answer while the competition is running and we wait to see if anyone reads my post about dialogue when it appears on IHeart Presents ;)Soooooo...Melissa asked: How do you keep the light, fun, flirty tone throughout the whole book? I've done it once and not sure how I can recreate it. And then Aideen said: ... is the conflict in Modern Heat really a lighter

Modern Heat Q&A Pt 1.

2008-08-26T10:25:00.002+01:00

Ooooh you guys had questions!!! I LOVE IT when that happens ;) Okay here goes, and I'm gonna start with Janet's and then go to Melissa and Aideen's cos theirs are so similar... Janet said:I saw this in the guidelines: "Although conflicts should be realistic and believable, in this series it is not necessary for the hero and/or heroine to have a massive tragic and/or traumatic pasts to create

The Feel The Heat Competition

2008-08-25T10:01:00.000+01:00

As you may have heard by now - Modern Heat is having a competition to find new authors ;) This an a-m-a-z-i-n-g opportunity for aspiring writers to get their foot in the door with one of the most exciting lines out there at the moment! Exciting in what way Trish? Well you tell me how often writers have a chance to be there at the get-go of a bright shiny new line?! And the growing success and

The Millionaire's Proposal

2008-08-21T00:43:00.004+01:00

Yes I'm finally back from the States. An eventful trip this year one way or another. And naturally I'm now jet-lagged, riddled with an American cold/cough that the airplane helped incubate and so behind with work that it's not even funny...So while I battle my way through the mountain so that I can clear the decks enough to bring you the gazillion pics I have and some tales from my travels, I'll

Live Coverage from RWA Nationals

2008-07-31T00:11:00.002+01:00

HAS STARTED OVER AT THE PINK HEART SOCIETY! I'll be there ALL WEEK ;)

Off To Nationals I Go

2008-07-29T19:33:00.002+01:00

Yup time to fly again. Bought new all singing all dancing American charger for laptop so hopefully will be able to throw a few blogs up in the next week...But for now it's time to check out and say bye bye to San Diego and HELLO SAN FRANCISCO.And hopefully I can find where Abby Green is... Otherwise I'll be sleeping in the streets...Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing this

Hi from the U.S. of A!!!

2008-07-26T15:02:00.003+01:00

Nope, not dead. Having NIGHTMARE of a time with charging laptop thanks to brand new charger we invested in before we left home. It's taken three darn days to charge it up enough to do this so thats how much patience I've exerted because I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!Highlights of trip so far:New York - LOVE IT as much this time as I did last time!Walked across Brooklyn Bridge in over 90 degrees and

The Joys Of Packing...

2008-07-14T19:54:00.000+01:00

Okay. Just to prove that procrastination has equal rights in all corners of my life NOT just the writing part - I'm procrastinating about packing for my great adventure...Now you'd think having survived last summer I'd be much more relaxed about this year, and I am... BUT (you knew that was coming didn't you?!) I don't want to repeat some of last years mistakes either. One that stands out

Seemed like a good idea at the time...

2008-07-07T18:10:00.007+01:00

So the schools are out for the summer here. And that means I get to see more of my nieces and nephews before I fly away again. I kinda love that and the older ones are gradually coming out of the teenager from hell phase and into that period of their lives when they can hold a conversation without grunting. Niece number one turned EIGHTEEN at the weekend. I felt old. She had an all night fancy

Another Fly By...

2008-07-04T03:38:00.008+01:00

And if someone can PLEASE explain to me why it is I have so much fun booking my summer trips and then feel physically sick a few weeks before I go PLEASE DO! What's WITH that?!So while I swallow herbal Kalms tablets by the handful, try telling myself that I DO have enough clothes for this trip and don't actually need to buy more while angsting over the difference in baggage allowance between

Hooray For Hollywood!

2008-06-28T01:48:00.011+01:00

I hope.We're back outside the box again. Actually that's a bit too blase. Let me try and explain it better. I said to Natasha that when I was first invited to think outside the box I was nervous and excited at the same time. I'd gotten quite settled inside the box. Had it all done up nice and cozy. Even remembered to cut air holes in the lid just in the nick of time...Then outside the box became

Just For Writer's...

2008-06-27T14:38:00.002+01:00

This is one of these little clips that people who have never thought about writing a book might not understand the humour of... I find it HILARIOUS and so true in places... But what do YOU think? Anything sound at all familiar???And I'm comfortably settled into the new Romance - will come back and tell you a little about my first every Hollywood story. Am having SO much fun with the research I

Then Along Came Adam...

2008-06-22T17:42:00.011+01:00

So having struggled so badly with the book from hell you can understand how desperate I was for one that went a little more smoothly... and in the hopes of finding one I pulled out every trick in my bag...Yes, I went LOOKING for the FAIRY DUST.Now this is risky, cos fairy dust is an intangible. It's the one thing writers have no control over but we're ETERNALLY GRATEFUL for when it arrives!

Chaos And Creativity versus Expectations

2008-06-15T20:56:00.011+01:00

Now there's a heading for ya!!!Before I get started I better get some business out of the way... I'm over at The Pink Heart Society on Monday with a gorgeous lump of hero inspiration emailed to me for the Hero Database by Sally - so THANKS SALLY for sharing!!! What a GIFT of a guy! My muse is having a field day with him!What I want to know from my so called friends across the pond is - WHY WAS HE

Talking about Writer's Block...

2008-06-03T03:58:00.003+01:00

Yes, am gearing up to talking about the book from hell experience earlier this year. Having talked about Fairy Dust over at Totes (see last post) today I'm over at The Pink Heart Society giving you some of my solutions to Writer's Block. So if you're stuck or you feel the Crows Of Doubt circling or you're just about ready to throw in the towel - STOP - and GET THEE THERE!!!

Slowly But Surely...

2008-05-29T00:11:00.002+01:00

...I'm stepping out of the cave and into the light...Just got a final read through to do and then I can come out to play. And the first thing I plan on doing is a SERIOUS catch up on this flipping blog!!! I have questions from as far back as Ask Trish Almost Anything to get through - heck, even Gabe has a few to do... then there's the horrible writing experience I had that I'm pretty much ready

Gabe Looked Stunned...

2008-05-16T09:28:00.004+01:00

Okay so as you may or may not know this weekend I'm in England to visit the very lovely Kate Walker and sit on a Mills & Boon panel at the Lincoln Literary Festival with Kate, Natasha Oakley and Kate Hardy...My first day at Kate's... I spent WRITING and running around sorting out technical laptop stuff (don't ask). By last night my revisions were in (don't ask). And I have very little time to

Booksellers Best Award Finalist

2008-05-11T19:53:00.015+01:00

I've booted Gabe - with a great deal of effort I might add - long enough to bring you my latest bit of AMAZING NEWS. I'm chuffed to bits to be able to tell you that my second Modern Heat book Breathless! is a finalist in the Short Contemporary category of the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America's Booksellers Best Awards!!!This contest is judged by Booksellers and Librarian's which makes it

A Bad Boy? Me?!

2008-05-02T19:21:00.006+01:00

Yes I'm here. I've had enough of my name being taken in vain. So you can take all the girlie scatter cushions and whatever other frilly nonsense there is in here and get it gone. Things are about to change.I'm Gabriel Burke. You can call me Gabe.And the first thing we need to talk about is the title of my story. Oh yeah, it's mine. I helped blondie plenty when she was writing it. I hung around

Random Thoughts & Gabe

2008-05-01T16:50:00.007+01:00

The lovely Shirley Jump tagged me a couple weeks back and I promised I would get back to it as I'm one of the six 'its' ;) And since we seem VERY SLOWLY to be getting back a hint of why we took up writing in the first place I thought I'd chance taking a break to do it before Gabe gets here...Now the overwhelming opinion in the last post is that we should talk about the bad as well as the good so

Romantic Times Award

2008-04-21T13:48:00.005+01:00

My second secret of the year can now be revealed seeing the Romantic Times Conference is over and the news is out. Yes - we won an award! I LOVE RT! This is my second Reviewer's Choice Award (The Bridal Bet won Best First Series Romance in 2005) and this one is doubly as sweet cos it means the first one possibly wasn't a fluke ;)So this time we have won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award

Humph!!!

2008-04-10T11:40:00.008+01:00

So there I am with a comfortable lead on Jenna in the Word-count War and I go off for a wee bit of a snooze and I get up just before 5AM to get going again and I turn on the comp and make a cup of tea. When I come back with cup of tea the comp has kindly updated itself with a microsoft update and is restarting itself. Only it doesn't. It gets stuck. And eventually I turn it off. But when I turn

There is a God ...

2008-04-09T13:45:00.003+01:00

... and he loves Jenna!Natasha Oakley here to let you know Trish's laptop has died! I know all about the angst of that. Currently she's having the book 'sucked' out of the virus ridden thing. I'm sure she's swearing and I hereby promise not to raise an eyebrow in condemnation. Kinda okay today I reckon.Tip: Probably better not to leave a comment mentioning the need to save every thirty

Word Count War Day Five

2008-04-08T19:22:00.001+01:00

9790 / 50000 words. 20% done! Things I've had to research for this book so far:Kerouac QuotesVoltaire QuotesBruce Springsteen QuotesAircraft call signsMeasurement of IQ'sHistory Of Martha's VineyardBasics of flyingNewton's TheoriesHow Stock Exchanges WorkTower ID's for flights from Mass to NYDistances in miles and journey times by land and air from Chicago, Boston and NY to Martha's Vineyard...

Word Count War Day Three/Four

2008-04-07T09:09:00.002+01:00

7630 / 50000 words. 15% done! Listening to: Shawn Mullins - Everywhere I go

Word Count War Day Two

2008-04-05T04:08:00.008+01:00

3109 / 50000 words. 6% done! LISTENING TO: Five For Fighting - It's Not Easy

Word Count War Day One

2008-04-04T19:52:00.011+01:00

1847 / 50000 words. 4% done!Slow start due to editorial stuff I had to do for Book from Hell that SOLD! Apparently there is a writing God... Wonder how Jenna is getting along... Each day you'll get pics from the scene I'm working on. Feel free to comment on what you think might be going on... ;) LISTENING TO: Five For Fighting - 100 Years

We Interrupt This Hiatus...

2008-04-03T18:57:00.003+01:00

To announce that to get out of the current writing slump and general depression we are going TO WAR with Jenna Bayley-Burke Two Modern Heat books~ Two authors ~ Two weeks!!!Yes you read that right. Currently my deadline for this book is two weeks away. I don't want to move it back. My current record stands at three weeks. Can I beat that record??? TIME WILL TELL. My book's working title is

Pride In A Friend's Achievement & A Bit Of A Haitus

2008-03-26T01:48:00.005Z

First up I hope you'll all pop over and see my bestest IM buddy and writing partner Natasha Oakley who is celebrating finalling in the Contemporary Romance category of this years RWA RITA Award!!! I'm INCREDIBLY PROUD of her and having watched her come bravely through a rough time in her life this last year or two I can't tell you how glad I am to see Karma finally swinging back her way! Can I

No I'm Not Dead

2008-03-24T00:39:00.005Z

I have a long, long story to tell you all about the horrors of this book I'm STILL working on the revisions for... but while you wait to share my agony you can find me over at The Pink Heart Society today sharing another potential hero from my private collection ;)I'm also over at Totes, Bags And Blogs talking about Love & Laughter - why I think it's important to have humour in my books. I mean

Happy St Patrick's - Erm... WEEKEND

2008-03-15T23:30:00.001Z

Yes it's that time of year again!!!And in honour of the world-wide party I'm over at The Pink Heart Society today talking about the great debate involving the date this year. And I've also got recipes and drink suggestions and stuff for the kids and Irish toasts and a few funnies...Basically a kit for St. Patrick's Day.Have to say. It might have been a shorter blog if I hadn't had the need to

He's BACK And He Has A COVER!

2008-03-13T17:39:00.004Z

Can you believe this guy is almost ready to come visit YOUR house??? Seems like only yesterday he was here... being...well.... being GABE..And what a merry dance he led me. Do we remember? Vaguely??? He was the most stubborn, irritating, arrogant... Any of this ringing any bells for you?Yet here he is ready to go out and tell the rest of the world what he EVENTUALLY after much FIGHTING decided to

Back To The Usual Stuff

2008-03-07T00:12:00.000Z

Yup, it's back from the land of amazing happenings and when I get back from the workshop this weekend it's revisions time and then NEW BOOK TIME. Back to the real world ;) I have everything good to go for the latter - hero and heroine all sorted out (we had an ikkle change of casting with the heroine but for the better I feel - and as for mister yum - well... the pics just keep a comin!) Really

The Sun Trish Wylie Exclusive!!!!!

2008-03-04T15:26:00.007Z

AKA THE SUPER SECRET THINGIE!!! FINALLY!!!!! ***** AND NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE TOO *****And I'd have had this up yesterday if I'd have known it was gonna be in the Monday edition...darn it!...so apologies if you're in the UK & Ireland and you missed it but some copies might still be floating around...tho not in my local vicinity cos my Mom bought them all ;)You may remember these pics I posted

Spooky Coincidences, Dublin - Oh And Colin Farrell...

2008-03-03T00:05:00.003Z

This is gonna be one of those blogs where you get to delve into my psyche a little. Be afraid. Be very afraid...Now I'm not an overly superstitious person but, and this is probably an occupational hazard; I am a tad of a romantic when it comes to certain things. And one of the things I live my life by the most is that everything happens for a reason. For me they're like little markers in time

Here I Go Again...

2008-02-27T16:07:00.006Z

Yes indeed my friends nothing like a Whitesnake song title for a Blog I feel...So - you may have been wondering what I've been at. I'd LOVE to tell you I've been cuddled up the cave with my new Italian (*cough* told ya there were more pics *cough*) - oh and Natasha Oakley is trying to claim dibs on him but that's a whole nother blog that one! - but, not that I've left him on his ownsome or