Welcome Party for Clare Connelly (with giveaways)!

Today is a special day for the LoveCats DownUnder. First we need to bid a very fond adieu to dear Melanie Milburne, who has been such an active LoveCat. Melanie, thank you for being such a big part of the group. We'll miss you, but we're so glad you'll be popping back from time to time even though now you're technically 'In the Wild'! We wish you everything good.

Today also marks the arrival of our newest LoveCat, Clare Connelly. Welcome Clare! That means it's party time, so relax, pour yourself a glass of bubbly or a cup of tea or whatever takes your fancy and help us celebrate.

Clare grew up in an Australian country town where she says stories and story telling were a huge part of her childhood. She styles herself a romance devotee, reading everything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, and from Mills and Boon to the Fifty Shades trilogy. She wrote her first romance at the age of fifteen! More recently she's become a highly successful category romance author with 43 self published titles and seven anthologies published since 2014. Clare has recently signed a contract with Harlequin Mills and Boon (you can buy her first book now!) and will be busy writing for Harlequin while continuing her indie career. And we're all exhausted just thinking of so many books published in such a short space of time! 

Clare kindly participated in an interview so you can get to know her better:

Can you recall the first category romance you read? Is there a book (romance or otherwise) that made you want to become a writer?

I read Harlequin Series voraciously growing up, and a lot of them were older ones. My mum is an antique dealer and, as children, my sisters and I were trotted around to all the antique markets and garage sales and charity shops, and we would spend the time it took her to browse out treasures selecting books. I was always drawn to Mills & Boons, and particularly loved the powerful stories of the eighties and nineties. I was, and remain, a devoted reader of Emma Darcy, Penny Jordan, Sarah Morgan, Valerie Parv, amongst about a billion others! In terms of wanting to write, it wasn't a conscious decision, so much as an ever-present desire to meddle in the worlds of the characters' that I was reading about. I suppose I have that control-freak gene that likes to take hold of the narrative and move it in the direction I want! I began writing romance novels at thirteen, and finished my first full manuscript at fifteen. I found then, and still find now, that I am never happier than when diving into the world of my people, layering a story onto their lives, and steering them towards their happily ever after.

Do you have a favourite romance trope?

I love sexy contemporary romance novels, and read almost all tropes. I need well-drawn characters and convincing motivation, and am a sucker for a really, really 'how the hell are they going to work this out?' angsty conflict. I think second-chance-at-love books are very compelling because there can be such a strong history of hurt and pain which brings the tension into it right from the first page. I love marriage of convenience books too, and who doesn't love a secret baby!?

What do you most enjoy about writing category books? What’s the hardest part?

Writing category is an art form. There's a huge emotional journey to pack into a relatively modest word count, and romance readers are discerning! They want to know their characters, to get their motivations, to be moved by their story. I love the pace of a category – there's no room for fluff. You need to tell a great story without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. I also love the guaranteed happily ever after. Life, real life, can be such a dark and gloomy place at times. There is always happiness to be found in the pages of a category romance – it's my favourite part about writing these stories.

What category romance are you hoping to read next?

I buy most of the Mills & Boon Sexy titles each month and am really looking forward to the current selection, in particularly Michelle Conder's THE ITALIAN'S VIRGIN ACQUISITION. The cover is so pretty!

Do you share your life with anyone furred, feathered or scaled? If so we’d love to hear about them.

My husband wouldn't really appreciate the description but, speaking of furry, he is sporting a phenomenal beard at the moment! He's growing it to raise funds for SHAVE-FREE FOR CALVING, a charitable initiative started by our Kiwi farming family, who raise funds each year for the NZ Rural Farming Trust – which helps farmers dealing with the hardships of life on the land during the really tough times (including with much-needed psychological support). I know that's not what you meant but I'm so proud of the good work my Kiwi family is doing... and they have about two hundred cows. I'd love to get a Labrador one day, but my little human puppies take up most of my spare time at present. Full-time school for both next year and then we'll see!

Finally, can you share one fact about yourself we might not already know?

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was twenty six years old. My husband and I had been travelling through Europe and both picked up a really nasty virus. The theory is that my immune system fought the virus off and then attacked the beta cells in my pancreas, meaning I don’t make insulin of my own. I now wear an insulin pump 24/7 which does a fairly decent job of simulating the real deal. It’s far more common to develop the disease when you’re under ten years old, so I think I was pretty lucky to make it so far into my twenties ‘unscathed’. Although I’m on insulin, I still try to make the disease easier to manage by sticking to a relatively healthy diet – though wine and chocolate are two of my vices I always have to guard against!

Also, I’m completely Christmas mad. I love it. I start listening to carols around September, and we put our tree up on the 1st of November each year, so that we get about six weeks of it in the lounge. BUT I have to pull it straight down on Boxing day or it depresses me too much. The kids and I make gingerbread houses together each year – as they’ve got older they’ve had more interest in the creative process which has resulted in some, interesting, constructions, but it’s always good fun!

Thanks so much, Clare! How terrific to end with a photo of Santa's helpers with the gingerbread!

Now for our traditional mega-giveaway to celebrate the arrival of a new LoveCat.

Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in the prize draws. Winners will be announced in our Sunday Smooch post on Sunday 1 October.

ONE WINNER will receive a fabulous bundle of Mills and Boon paperbacks direct from Mills and Boon Australia!  Note, this prize is for delivery in Australia. Please mention in your comment if you're in Australia so you can go in this draw.

TWO WINNERS (from anywhere in the world!) will EACH receive from:

• Michelle Douglas, a signed copy of ‘Sarah and the Secret Sheikh’

• Shannon Curtis, a signed copy of ‘Warrior Untamed’

• Bronwyn Jameson, a London Love Cats Treat 

• Stefanie London, a signed copiy of ‘Mr Dangerously Sexy’ 

• Rachel Bailey. an ecopy of ‘The Finn Factor’ 

• Amy Andrews, a signed copy of ‘A Christmas Miracle’ 

Clare's newest title!

• Annie West, a signed copy of ‘His Majesty’s Temporary Bride’ 

• Kandy Shepherd, a signed copy of ‘Conveniently Wed to the Greek’

• Helen Lacey, a signed copy of ‘The Rancher’s Unexpected Family’ 

• Ally Blake, an ecopy of ‘Kiss Me Quick’

• Sue Mackay, a signed copy of ‘Falling For Her Fake Fiancee’ 

• Jennifer St George, an ecopy of 'Wild for You'.

So, here's to our newest LoveCat! And good luck to all of you in our giveaways. Don't forget to come back on Sunday to find out who won.

Celebration time

Launch day is always special and unnerving and scary...we send our 'babies' out into the world after much navel gazing and worrying and second-guessing and editing.

So when Wednesday came around and my book, Something About You launched I was on tenterhooks. This is my second full self-published book so the buck stops with me. I chose the cover, I chose the editor, I wrote the blurb...which is all so very different from working with a traditional publisher. There's no one to hold my hand and no one else to take the blame.

But, I loved writing this book so much. Jenna and Nick are perfect for each other but both have been hurt in the past so they try very, very hard not to fall in love. I also love the setting of Portobello Market, Notting Hill where I lived for a few years--it's a crazy melting pot of cultures and sounds and scents and has a small community feel although it's in a big city.

Here's the blurb:

Will they risk their friendship for a night of unbridled passion?

A broken heart …
Widow Jenna Cassidy-Pearce has had her one love of a lifetime. Now she’s fine being single and focusing on her new floristry business, raising her daughter and spending time with her friends. On top of all that she’s also organizing a very secret wedding for her sister, the wedding-shy wedding planner. Jenna’s life is a whirlwind of busy-but-in-control, and that’s just how she likes it – it keeps the loneliness and the longing at bay. So when old friend Nick Welsh comes back into her life she's not prepared for the onslaught of emotions and unwelcome lust she feels for him.

A damaged soldier …
After surviving bombs and bombshells that damaged his life and destroyed all trust, ex army officer Nick Welsh has returned to London for a quiet life. He definitely does not want to get embroiled in Jenna's chaotic one, but there's something about the spirited redhead with the sparkling blue eyes and complete inability to sit still that makes him keep seeking her out, and there’s a whole lot of chemistry he just can't deny.

The healing power of love
Is he ready to trust again? And can he teach Jenna that everyone deserves another chance at love?
A fun story about family, second chances, old friends and new love.

What are you celebrating this week/month? I'm hoping to share some bubbles with my writing friends this weekend as I send this baby out into the wild (a bit like wetting the baby's head! LOL). What's your preferred way to celebrate? 

Welcome Party for Our New LoveCat - Shannon Curtis

WELCOME EVERYONE to a very special LoveCats DownUnder post. We’re welcoming new LoveCat Shannon Curtis to the fold! 

But as always in life, there’s a give and take here. Sadly we’re saying goodbye to long term LoveCat Yvonne Lindsay who’s been active here while writing so many terrific books for Harlequin Desire. We’re sorry to see you go into the wild, Yvonne, but we know the time is right for you. We’ll hope to hear from you in the future when you have time.

Now to our newest Cat. Shannon lives in Sydney and is published in suspense, thrillers, paranormals and contemporary romance – what a spread. Her books have been finalists for Favourite Romantic Suspense every year from 2011 to 2016, as well as Favourite Continuing Romance Series, with the Australian Romance Readers' Association. Her work has consistently received four-star reviews from RT Book Reviews, and in 2016 she won the Australian Romance Readers' Favourite Paranormal Romance Award! 

As we’re welcoming Shannon, and giving away some mammoth prizes too (more on that below) we thought it only right to begin with an interview so you learn more about our newest LoveCat.

How long have you been writing?

I actually penned my first ‘novella’ when I was fifteen. Alas, that will never see the light of day. I started writing in earnest when I was home on maternity leave with my first baby. I tried to write children’s books, but realised after the birth of my second baby that romance fiction was where my heart really was, and so in 2007 celebrated my first short story release. It took me another four years to get my first full length novel published.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy most?

I am a plotter. I love plotting, and structure, and any other anal-retentive preparation you can think of. I will spend a lot of time figuring out just how to best torture my characters. Mwhahahahaha! I tried to ‘write by the seat of my pants’ once, and it was the most uncomfortable, frightening writing experience. I prefer to spend a lot of time thinking up pitfalls and twists for my stories. J

Does one of your books stand out from the rest – because it’s your favourite or maybe because it was tough to write?

I would have to say the books I wrote for The Bold and The Beautiful franchise were amongst the most difficult and challenging. Prior to that, I wrote romantic suspense, and I was under strict instructions not to kill off anyone in these novels. No crime, no violence. No bombs, guns or poisons, etc. For the first time I had to remove the suspense element from a novel, and solely focus on teasing out the nuances of a developing relationship. To say it was emotionally draining is an understatement. I understand, now, that authors who write those books on a regular basis pretty much open up a vein and bleed out their story. It’s a really personal, emotional journey to write that type of novel, and my utmost respect to those who do it.

Can you recall the first category romance you read? Is there a book (romance or otherwise) that made you want to become a writer?

My first category romance was definitely a Betty Neels book (I think the title was ‘The Girl with the Green Eyes.’ My mother LOVED Betty Neels, and I’d ‘borrow’ (creep in and remove, read, then creep in and return) the books from beneath her bed. She would receive a little parcel of books each month, and I’m not sure who was more excited when they arrived. Then I was introduced to Robyn Donald novels, via a schoolmate (yes, we’d open the book to THOSE pages and gasp and giggle over lunch). I would have to say, though, that Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Jayne Ann Krentz and ‘Amanda Quick’ can be blamed for my desire to become a writer. I was introduced to their books in my late teenage years, and I was HOOKED. So we can blame them. J

What category romance are you hoping to read next?

I hear Kandy Shepherd has yet ANOTHER book out (Conveniently Wed to the Greek, due out May 2017), so looking forward to that one, and Their One Night Baby, by Carol Marinelli, due out in April 2017.

Do you share your life with anyone furred, feathered or scaled? If so we’d love to hear about them.

Yes, I do. We have a cat who I believe is just a tad psycho with me, but just fine with my daughter. Her name is Lily Rose, and she has cattitude. I also have a groodle (golden retriever x poodle), who needs to be shorn every 8 weeks or so, and who has the sweetest disposition, generally keeps me company while I write, and displays the appropriate level of caution around the cat. My dog’s name is Whiskey – on account that when we got her as a pup she had a beautiful whiskey-coloured coat. She’s sweet company. Okay, so I’m definitely a dog person, but that’s because our cat is a shrew. And she scares me.

Finally, can you share one fact about yourself we might not already know.

I used to do martial arts. Two disciplines; ninjutsu and karate. My darling heart husband and I used to spar in the backyard with sparring mitts. Until one of us was knocked unconscious. The crazy things you do for love… (note: I was not the unconscious one). Then life got very busy, and now we prefer to sit and watch a good action flick.

We're so pleased to have you with the LoveCats!

So excited to be here, and thank you all so much!

Please feel free to leave a comment here to welcome Shannon. 

Can you also please mention if you live in Australia? You’ll find out why in a moment.

All those who comment on our party post will go in the draw to win one of three prizes!

2 winners (from anywhere in the world!) will EACH win:

·         Michelle Douglas’s April paperback release ‘The Spanish Tycoon’s Takeover’,

·         Annie West’s April paperback release ‘The Desert King’s Captive Bride’,

·         Kandy Shepherd’s May paperback release ‘Conveniently Wed to the Greek’,

·         Amy Andrew’s paperback release ‘Playing by Her Rules’,

·         Bronwyn’s Jameson’s recent retro duo paperback (which includes another Michelle Douglas story),

·         Stefanie Little’s paperback release ‘Mr Dangerously Sexy,

·         A backlist paperback of your choice from Melanie Milburne,

·         Louisa George’s ebook ‘Something Borrowed’,

·         Jennifer St George’s ebook ‘Wild For You’,

·         Ally Blake’s ebook ‘Kiss Me Quick’,

·         Helen Lacey’s paperback ‘Married to the Mom-to-Be’, and

·         Sue MacKay’s paperback ‘Resisting Her Army Doc Rival’.

How is that for some amazing reading? PLUS

1 winner (who must be in Australia) will win a fabulous bundle of category books courtesy of Harlequin Mills and Boon Australia!

The three winners will be announced in the ‘Sunday Smooch’ post on Sunday 9 March. That gives you over a week to comment and to share with your friends who love romance. Don’t forget to check back on the 9^th to see if you’ve won!

Focusing on the Positive - a Year's Blessings - Annie West

 Almost the end of 2015 and I decided it was time to think about the year almost gone and wave it goodbye in style. 2015 has been a mixed year for our family with joys and fun and sadness and crises all mixed together. That's life of course but some years seem a little more 'lively' than others. My initial instinct is to wish the year farewell as soon as possible as there were events I know I won't want to reminisce about. But then I stopped to take stock of the many truly wonderful things we'd been blessed with in that time and how very lucky I am.

First up I live in a democratic, free, peaceful place where I can pursue the work I love, have enough to eat (far too much in fact), get top quality healthcare, education services, and whatever community support I need. We have a comfy home in a quiet setting and if the kookaburras or channel-billed cuckoos choose to wake me in the early hours with their raucous noise, so what? All those things I take for granted every day are enough to make me grateful. Then there are the extra bonuses. Far too many to share here, but believe me, I've been thinking about them. Here are just a couple at random:

1) My garden. Stepping outside and seeing how the tree ferns are faring in the summer heat, saying good morning to the blue tongue lizard who guards our vege patch, or enjoying the green space, is enough to rejuvenate me.

2) Friends. Those I see often and those I only catch up with at conferences. Or those I connect with only via social media or emails because we live on the opposite sides of the world.

Michelle Douglas and Rachel Bailey at the RWA Conference

3) My first gondola ride! I first visited Venice when I was a skint student and my eyes watered at the cost of a gondola trip. This year my daughter and I had a very short but very special stay in Venice and I finally found out what it was like to float around the city in my own private barge for an hour.

4) Winning a Romantic Book of the Year Award. Romance Writers of Australia is a very special organisation for me and probably the reason I ended up as a published author. You can see by the smile on my face how wonderful it felt discovering 'Damaso Claims His Heir' had not only finalled but won!

5) Visiting the UK and (very, very briefly, Ireland) to catch up with very special family and friends and also the Harlequin Mills and Boon team who look after me and my books. There were some indelible memories made, new books plotted, new experiences, places and faces and catching up with 'old' friends who are very dear.

Not only a welcome sign but bubbly too at the editorial office in London!

 6) Time out with family. Perhaps the best thing of all.

Family picnic spot in the Hunter Valley.

There are so many other things I could add here but this isn't the place for an exhaustive list - just a taste.

How about you? Did you have a fabulous year in 2015? What are your top 6 things for the year, or your top 3? Or are you already looking ahead to something special in 2016?

Welcome Party for New LoveCat Claire Baxter!

Today the LoveCats DownUnder are in party mode as we welcome the lovely Claire Baxter to our group. Yay! Claire is a firm favourite both with the LoveCats and with other lovers of romance fiction and we’re so excited she’s agreed to join us. To celebrate we’re posting an exclusive interview with Claire and giving away some wonderful party prizes.

Claire’s novels have been translated into 20 languages and have finalled in the Romance Writers of Australia's Romantic Book of the Year Award, the Booksellers' Best Awards, the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards and the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Awards. She has also branched out into novellas and her short stories have been published in commercial women's magazines around the world. First published by Harlequin (Mills and Boon Romance), her publishers now include Entangled (Bliss and soon Ignite as well with an upcoming romantic suspense) and Random House Australia. She’s one busy lady! If you want to find out more about her you can visit her website but in the meantime here’s Claire, answering some ‘getting to know you’ questions:

Monty and Phoebe

Does anyone with fur, feathers or scales share your life now, or have you had a pet in the past? If so, tell us a bit about them. 

We had two gorgeous dogs who were a huge part of our lives for sixteen years, Monty and Phoebe. Monty was a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross and a big boy who thought he should be a lap dog, a sweet, gentle giant. Phoebe was a Gordon Setter cross and was always on the go, keeping the garden free of pigeons, and generally being busy. We lost Monty over a year ago, and Phoebe a year before that, but I still look for them when I come home. It will take a long time for the memory to fade. 

 

Our garden has now been claimed by the neighbours’ cat. She spends the whole day in our garden and I have no idea why she prefers it to her own. She stands on the outdoor table watching me work in my office.
 

Where Claire spends a lot of her summer!

Even though you're now a Cat, if you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be? Why?

 

 Well, I did once go to a fancy dress party as Medusa with my hair full of (jelly) snakes and that was fun. Not sure that I’d fancy the whole turning-people-to-stone thing, though.

What was the first category book you read?
 

The first one I remember reading is A Bride At Birralee by Barbara Hannay. I loved it, and it made me want to write sweet category romance.

 

What do you like about writing category stories?

 

It’s the romance, the whole romance, and nothing but the romance. There’s no room for distractions and sub-plots that take the focus away from the developing relationship.

 

What's something we wouldn't know about you?

 

 Hmm...I had to think about this question. I guess not many people know that I used to drive trucks around France. Not big trucks. I worked for a hire company and delivered the vehicles to customers. That was only part of the job, but it was the fun part.
 



Claire's newest book

 Can you share one goal for 2014 with us?
 

That’s easy. I intend to be more productive and stop spending so much time on the internet when I should be writing. I WILL be more productive in 2014.

To celebrate having Claire join us at the LoveCats  we're giving away to fantastic prize packages. To be in the draw just leave a comment on this post. To get you started Claire's asking:

 Do you see the new year as a chance to wipe the slate clean and start again with new goals? Or do you avoid setting goals in January, preferring to set them at different times throughout the year?

Check back at the end of the week when we'll post the names of the two winners. Here's a list of the 'Sweet Somethings' on offer, donated by the LoveCats. 

One winner will receive:

'From Duty to Daddy' from Sue Mackay,
A cosmetic bag from Yvonne Lindsay,
'Last Chance Proposal' from Barbara DeLeo,
A surprise gift from Louisa George,
A signed book of the winner's choice from Annie West,
'The Redemption of Rico D'Angelo' from Michelle Douglas,
A book of the winner's choice from Sharon Archer,
An ebook of 'Taming the Tycoon' by Amy Andrews,
An ebook of 'Flirting with Danger' from Claire Baxter (Amazon or Kobo),
A book of the winner's choice from Rachel Bailey,
Something sweet from Bronwyn Jameson,
A backlist book from Helen Lacey, and
An ebook of 'The Billionaire's Pursuit of Love' from Jennifer St George.

One of Claire's hand made necklaces

A second winner will receive:

'How to Resist a Heartbreaker' by Louisa George,
A book of the winner's choice from Rachel Bailey,
An ebook of 'The Billionaire's Pursuit of Love' from Jennifer St George,
A backlist book from Helen Lacey,
A surprise gift from Barbara DeLeo,
A signed book of the winner's choice by Annie West,
A manicure set in a kitty-cat case from Michelle Douglas,
'From Duty to Daddy' from Sue Mackay,
A book of the winner's choice from Yvonne Lindsay,
Harlequin Australia's Valentine's Day Collection from Bronwyn Jameson,
A book of the winner's choice from Sharon Archer,
A personally-made charm necklace from Claire Baxter, and
An ebook of 'Holding Out for a Hero' from Amy Andrews.

Celebrating Twenty One Today

I've just reached a major milestone. Well, not today but recently, in fact since my last post to the LoveCats. That's right - I'm twenty one!  Well...strictly speaking I'm not twenty one, that happened a while back. But I do have a twenty first to celebrate and it's making me smile. I recently hit the 21 books milestone and still don't quite believe it. I'm not a fast writer and I've never set myself goals of reaching 50 or 60 books. To do that I'd either need to increase my pace enormously or have started writing much earlier. I'd even reached the point of almost forgetting how many books I'd written. I recall them all as individuals, you understand, but keeping track of the number is a different matter.

 

Then there's the fact that the book on the shelf is several books behind the one you're working on, the one most recently accepted and (argh) the one on which your waiting revisions.

 

So it was fantastic to see how the total had grown when my husband recently asked how many books I'd had accepted for publication. That total had just crept up on me somehow after the first few that seemed to creep along so slowly.

 

You know what that total means, don't you? I'm a fully fledged adult at last! Yay! Of course that meant a celebration, complete with French bubbly, thanks to said husband. No, this photo wasn't taken on that day, but I so love my friend's cupid champagne flutes it seemed fitting to include it here - very romance writerish.

 

What's so great about reaching 21 books?

 

First up I have a back list. I love that! So often now I have reader mail from people who've read a recent book of mine then gone back to read previously published books.

 

It makes me feel like I've been productive. Look, I can say, waving an expansive arm. I've achieved something.

 

I'm already on my way to 25 or even 30 (when I finish wrestling with the current wip that's hit a little glitch, that is).

 

I've learned that, yes, I can achieve when I really try. Believing you can create something from nothing (or close enough given the tangle that is my brain) is incredibly empowering.

 

In the process of writing 21 books I've joined both writer and reader groups and made stacks of writer and reader friends who have change my life enormously. Yay!

 

If I've written 21 then surely it means I've learned enough along the way to make the next one a little easier. Surely? Maybe? Fingers crossed, though I suspect that may be wishful thinking.

 

And of course, this milestone meant the chance for a celebration. I've learned how important that is, and enjoyed myself to the full.

 

How about you? Do you have something to celebrate now or soon? If not yet, what achievement would you like to celebrate down the track?

 

I'm so chuffed about my 21 that I'll give away a copy of my new book AN ENTICING DEBT TO PAY to someone who leaves a comment. Just pop back at the end of the day to see the winner's name.

After the Deadline... Annie West

As I write this I'm existing in that rare state that authors so look forward to, known as 'after the deadline'. I handed a book in just recently after an enormous push to finish that's left me feeling a bit zombie-like. No blood around the mouth but I'm feeling unco-ordinated and I find it easier to groan than make rational conversation. I suspect my brain may have gone on holiday for a short time, but that's fine because I'm 'after the deadline'. Yippee!

What to do after deadline #1: celebrate!



I remember the days when I dreamed of being a published writer. Obviously (because it was a lovely daydream) I focused on the good things. Tossing off a few chapters before lunch with friends, opening glowing letters from fans and editors, reaping in royalties, research in exotic locations, you know the sort of thing. What I didn't think about was the reality of delivering a book, make that several books a year at a time that suits your publisher.

 

I'm not complaining. I love being a published author and the positives are fantastic, but I've learned that the deadline cave is a place I'd prefer not to be in. Give me the wide open spaces, the sense of freedom, the creaky movement in limbs that have cramped from too long sitting at the computer. Give me 'after the deadline'.

What to do after deadline #2: treat yourself to goodies.

I'm finding that this time, 'after the deadline' is not quite as relaxed as I'd hoped. Life at the moment is full of demands - some things I put off till that magic 'after the deadline' time and some that have crept up on me and just cannot be ignored.

 

So, while I'm sorting out these things that need attention, I'm planning what I'll do to make the most of this down time as soon as the coast is clear.

 

First up comes celebrating. Any achievement deserves celebration and finishing a book is a fine excuse to treat yourself whether it be with bubbly, high tea, a visit to a day spa, a shopping outing with mates, or a visit to the movies. Maybe it's a serve of churros and hot chocolate or a long leisurely brunch with friends.

 

What to do after deadline #3 - exercise - you need it after the treats and all that sitting.

After being tied to the computer while writing, my body is definitely stiff and sort. I need to get moving again. I've tried to keep fit while writing but facing a deadline the exercise wanes. Even if you have an exercise regime most of the time, getting out and breathing fresh air is a must.

 

What else? I'm tossing up between a reading a squillion of the unread books on my shelves or a marathon DVD session with 'North and South' and Richard Armitage. Sigh - books or Richard? Maybe both!

What to do after deadline #4: read!

And of course, how could I forget? Coming out to blink at the family and get reacquainted with them is always a good thing! After all, they've put up with you while you've been immersed in that other world and if you're lucky they'll do it again when you dive into the next book.

 

How about you? Do you have any suggestions on what to do 'after the deadline'? What do you most look forward to when you've finished a big job and finally have some time to breathe?

 

(Note, I'm away from my computer today but will be back as soon as I can to chat).

A month of celebration

This is me with my Blush version
of Cassie's Grand Plan in Big W!

July has been a big month for me! Please excuse me taking a moment to review all the amazing things that have been going on, but I feel like celebrating! And to help make the celebrations even better, I've got a book giveaway too -- so read on!

1. The first exciting thing for July was that my first SuperRomance, "Cassie's Grand Plan" came out this month in Australia under the "Blush" imprint.

It first appeared in North America in March, and I was lucky enough to be in the US then and I got to see my book on the shelves there. But there's something quite special about seeing your book on the shelves in your home town. I can't explain what the difference is. Maybe it's not a different feeling at all, just a new kind of excitement at seeing your book is really real.

2. I received the advance author copies of my second SuperRomance "In His Eyes" which is out in North America in August and Australia in September. (And having just gone to Amazon to find that link, I've just discovered it's number 5 on the SuperRomance best sellers list -- yippee!) I am absolutely in love with this cover -- it's so atmospheric and dramatic.

I worked so hard on this book and I can't even tell you how many boxes of tissues I went through when I was writing it. I'm hoping that effort and emotional energy comes through to readers. I've already had someone "complain" about me making them cry! I guess authors are kind of unique in taking that sort of thing as a compliment...

The book has obviously been blessed by the cover fairies, because I've also received the cover of the Blush release of "In His Eyes" when it comes out in September -- isn't it gorgeous? I'm thinking the art department at Mills and Boon Australia decided to take the title of the book literally and went to find a cover model with the most amazing eyes ever. I think they succeeded!

3. Last, but certainly not least, I sold book number three to SuperRomance! It's untitled as yet, but for the moment it's going by the name of "Dean and Jess's story". I can give you a very sneaky previeiw and say that it involves weddings, dogs, vampires, Twitter, muscle cars and comic books. Intrigued? I hope so.

The rest of my July is going to be filled with writing as I get stuck into Dean and Jess and get their story ready to submit. It's exciting to have a deadline. I wonder if authors are unique in liking deadlines, too?

I hope July has been an exciting month for you. Please leave me a comment to let me know about anything fun or exciting that's happened for you this month. I'll choose a commenter at random to receive signed copies of both the Blush version of Cassie's Grand Plan and an advance copy of In His Eyes.