Saturday Spotlight: Interview with Julie Stock

It’s a great pleasure to welcome indie author, Julie Stock to the blog today.  Her first novel From Here to Nashville was published earlier this year and she’s here to tell us all about her debut success and her forthcoming second novel (several of the Write Romantics are particularly interested in that one as its set on a vineyard!) I’ll hand over to Julie to tell us more…

Thanks so much for inviting me to be on The Write Romantics blog. It really has been a pleasure to answer these questions for you and your readers.

The settings of your books are obviously important to you. How do you go about choosing them?

With my first book From Here to Nashville, I had a clear idea of the story already formed when I started writing and I knew that if Rachel, my main character, really wanted to make it as a country music singer, Nashville was the only place for her to go.  That was an easy decision for me although at the time of writing my début, I’d never been to Nashville myself! Writing it made me really want to go there though and it was definitely worth it when I visited earlier this year.

For my second novel, Where My Heart Belongs, I knew I wanted to set it in France from the outset but it took me a long while to settle on where exactly. Originally, the story was about a British girl going to France to find her family but it is now quite different. I studied French for my degree many moons ago and I also have French family living in the Bordeaux area so this seemed the natural place but I have travelled to so many parts of France and in the end, I chose Alsace in the east of France mainly because it is a region that is a bit less well-known to British travellers and I felt that would make it more appealing.

Are you a fan of country music?  Did any particular songs inspire you while you were writing?

It was definitely my love of country music that inspired me to write From Here to Nashville. I had also been watching the TV series Nashville at the time and it gave me the idea for my story. While I was writing, many favourite songs inspired me, so much so that I created a playlist on Spotify for readers to listen to if they wanted. You can find it here. I love all these songs but my real favourites are Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, Here You Come Again by the great Dolly Parton and I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack.

How would you describe the hero and heroine of ‘From Here to Nashville’?

Rachel lost both her parents prematurely and she has decided that now is the time for her to pursue her dream of a musical career at last. She is very determined about giving it her all. She’s also been let down in love so although she’d love to meet someone again, she won’t settle for the easy option.

Jackson is also a strong-minded character and has worked hard to rise to the top of his profession but after being cheated on by his fiancée, he has a weakness for alcohol and he fears the hold it has over him. He’s looking for someone he can trust completely before he gives his heart again.

We’re really impressed with your website, did you make it all yourself or did you have help with it?

Thank you! I have done it all myself amazingly, although I have asked my husband a million techie questions along the way. I love WordPress though and although I flirted with a paid WordPress.org site briefly, I have come back to the free version because it’s more than enough for my needs and my understanding! There are things I’d like to do to develop it further but I’m happy with it for now.

Have you published to all of the e-publishing platforms?  How did you go about doing that?

Yes, I have. Once From Here to Nashville had been out for three months, I decided to expand to all the other platforms to see how that would go. I wrote about it on my blog here. After a bit of research, I decided to use an aggregator called Draft2Digital, which is a bit easier because they do all the hard work for you. I uploaded an ePub file to them and then they uploaded it everywhere else, including the other main platforms like Apple, Nook and Kobo. I also uploaded to Smashwords, which you have to do yourself but again, all they needed was an ePub file. I have had particular success with iBooks on Apple so I’m glad I did this and it was relatively easy.

Why did you decide to self publish ‘From Here to Nashville’?

I think the main reason was that I didn’t want to wait around for agents and publishers to get back to me with inevitable rejections. I was impatient to get on with publishing, especially as I’m not getting any younger! When I realised how easy it would be to self-publish and that I could do it myself, I thought, why not? I made sure to have my manuscript edited professionally and I rewrote it at least a thousand times (!). I then organised a professional cover to be designed and finished with a professional proofread. I don’t regret self-publishing for a minute but there is no doubt that it is very hard to get and then keep the momentum going as an indie author.

Would you be interested in a publishing deal if one came along?

Now that I have self-published and I have had more experience in the whole publishing world, I can see more clearly what a good publisher does to help its authors so I would be interested if the right deal came along.

What comes first for you, setting or story?

The story definitely but the setting follows on very closely. I’m not sure if it’s only my mind that works that way but settings are very important to me and I find that the two things go hand-in-hand when I’m coming up with story ideas.

We know your second novel is set in a vineyard in France.  How much research has been involved and how did you go about doing it?

Well, in a former life, I worked for a mail-order wine merchant and as part of my job in their marketing department, I studied for all the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s exams right up to diploma level. Although I left that job some time ago, I have always had an interest in wine (especially drinking it!) so for me, a lot of the research was already done. I have still done a lot in connection with the Alsace region and its particular wines because my male character owns a vineyard and I wanted to write in a bit of detail about growing the vines and harvesting the grapes so it was important to get that detail right.

We also decided to go back to Alsace on holiday this summer to refresh our memories about all the little things we have forgotten since we were last there. I couldn’t believe that it has been nearly eighteen years since we last went! It is still a beautiful region with lots to see and do, and the people are very special. I particularly wanted to visit the village of Hunawihr, which features heavily in my novel. It has a medieval fortified church and it was wonderful to see it in real life and to go inside.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given and what’s the worst?

Ooh, this is a hard one. I like the advice to just write your first draft until it’s done and not to get too hung up with trying to make it perfect. Finishing that first draft is the important thing and once you have that, you can get started on the lovely job of rewriting!

The worst piece of writing advice I think I’ve heard is that writers are born and can’t be taught. As a teacher, I find that quite crushing. Everyone can write, maybe not all to a publishable standard but we’re all capable of writing something. I see many children blossom to become good writers with some practical advice along the way and I’d like to think that that applies to everyone.

What are your future writing plans?

I am waiting to get on with rewriting my second book once it comes back from the RNA and while I’m waiting, I’m busy writing a novella about one of the characters in From Here to Nashville. I hope to publish my second novel early next year and the novella shortly afterwards if I can.

Blurb for From Here to Nashville

 Two worlds, 4,000 miles apart. Can music unite them?

Rachel Hardy dreams of being a successful country music singer in Nashville’s Music City, four thousand miles away from her lonely life in Dorset.

When Jackson Phillips, an independent record label owner, encourages her band to audition for a nationwide competition, she decides they have nothing to lose.

But the stakes get higher when Rachel starts to fall in love with Jackson, who has demons of his own. Now she has a dilemma on her hands – to abandon her dream and take the easy way out or gamble on Jackson and leave the life she has always known behind.

Follow Rachel and Jackson as they learn to trust in love again and to see whether music really can bring them together.

From Here to Nashville is available here:

Amazon

Smashwords

Kobo

Nook

iBooks

Julie’s Bio

Julie Stock is an author of contemporary romance from around the world: novels, novellas and short stories. She is a proud member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and of The Alliance of Independent Authors.

Saturday Spotlight: Adrienne Vaughan

It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome Adrienne Vaughan to the blog today. Author of the romantic suspense ‘Heartfelt’ series, editor of Romance Matters and aspiring Bond Girl, Adrienne is also one of New Romantics Press, an  inspirational group of self published authors  who have recently taken part in an author showcase at Waterstone’s Kensington branch.  With her being such an amazing lady the Write Romantics had lots and lots of questions for Adrienne… 

We know you’re a journalist and editor of Romance Matters as well as a writer. How hard is it to find time to write? 

I was given a turquoise Petite Typewriter when I was seven and my fate was sealed. I used to sit at the kitchen table and cut out articles and pictures, then paste them onto pages, making my own magazines. My mother would often sit down with a nice cup of tea and Woman’s Own, only to find I’d snipped out half the magazine when she wasn’t looking! I run a busy PR practice, and Romance Matters is just one of the magazines I work on, the others are more corporate, featuring architecture, construction and property. My creative writing is what I do when I’m not at my ‘official desk’. I write long hand – so my first typescript is an edit – usually very early in the morning,  or when I’m on holiday, in an aeroplane, on a train, anywhere really. I think you have to make time to write, I know I do.

How has being a member of the New Romantics benefitted you? 

Being a founder member of the New Romantics Press was, and still is, totally inspirational. Four very different writers, with distinct styles and voices, yet  I now have three buddies I just can’t imagine being without. We support each other, nag each other, admire each other and love each other. I say unreservedly, I would not be a published writer without  Lizzie Lamb, June Kearns and Mags Cullingford. They’ve helped my dream come true. End of.

June, Adrienne and Lizzie at the Waterstones Author Showcase (Unfortunately Mags Cullingford was recovering from knee surgery and couldn’t join them)

How big a help has social media and the New Romantics blog been in promoting your books?

Social media – particularly for an independent – is the main route to our audience, our readers. Without it I wouldn’t have readers who have both enjoyed my books and written some great reviews too. My first novel, The Hollow Heart has been downloaded by over 30,000 people, how else would I have reached even 300 without social media, Amazon and the internet.

We know you’re lucky enough to own a horse (Sharon Booth will be so jealous!) When did you get it? Does riding influence your writing at all?

My beautiful horse was extremely elderly and went to heaven at the end of last year. It was his time and it was a happy ending but I do miss him. One of the most fascinating things about riding, is that you have to communicate with another animal in a way it will understand and you must always remember, the animal you have given your complete trust has a brain of its own too. When it goes right, like a fabulous hack out, or winning a competition, it’s the most amazing feeling. My latest novel, Secrets of the Heart, features riding within the story and of course, the book is dedicated to my horse, Marco, as well as my late grandfathers …all wonderful gentlemen.

 What’s next now the ‘Heart’ series of books are finished?

Tough question. I currently have two on the go. The Scandal of the Seahorse Hotel and A Most Deadly Affair – both romantic suspense and both totally different, although ‘Deadly’ will involve a lot more research, so I think that will take a back seat to ‘Scandal’ until that’s finished.

•  Why do your books have an Irish setting?

Although born in England, I was brought up in Dublin and my family are all Irish. I have lived in the UK for over thirty years now, although I flit between the two countries very regularly.

My first novel – still (unsurprisingly) unpublished – was written thirty years ago, inspired by Maeve Binchy’s, Light A Penny Candle, so maybe writing about Ireland keeps me connected. I do have to check with family and friends I don’t fall into what they call ‘Plastic Irish’ – if my ‘voice’ wasn’t authentic, they’d soon tell me about it!

Did you have anyone in mind when you created the sexy Hollywood actor Ryan?

Yes.

(And that was all she’ll say on that one, I’m afraid!)

How did you become editor of Romance Matters (the magazine of the Romantic Novelist’s Association) and what does that involve?

I’d just joined the NWS – a total godsend to me – and there was a notice in the magazine to say the lovely Myra Kersner was standing down after eight years, could anyone help. My hand shot up! The job involves all the wonderful things about being an editor, commissioning articles, planning features, interviewing really important people and making lots of new friends. What’s not to like?

What are your writing plans for the next year?

Hmm, good question. I’m hoping 2015 is the year I start on that long road to becoming recognised as a writer. With three books under my belt, two of which have been shortlisted for an award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction, I’m currently seeking an agent, so we’ll see where that leads. Plus the New Romantics Press has plans for a very special short story anthology later this year, and I also have a small collection of short stories I’m hoping to publish too. I’m hoping I can become a true hybrid, published both traditionally and independently. Although, at the heart of things, it doesn’t really matter, I’ll always write, it’s what I do.

We see that you had ambitions to be a Bond Girl. Have you based any of your heroes on James Bond?

Had? What do you mean HAD ??? Look, if Dame Judy Dench can do it, there’s hope! The character Ryan plays in his movies, Thomas Bentley is based on a sort of James Bond, but for me, Ryan is a true ‘James Bond’. Daring, single-minded, handsome and very hot – yet totally loyal to both Marianne and Joey – even when things get a bit rocky, he sticks to his guns and gets his girl in the end. Well, thanks for having me and a very happy and fruitful new year to you and all the Write Romantics …keep at it and never, never, never give up. Now, must dash …booked my first skiing lesson …well, you never know, do you?

 

You can check out Adrienne’s website at here, buy the Heartfelt series here and follow her on Twitter at @adrienneauthor. You can find the New Romantics Press here. If you’d like to read Write Romantic Sharon’s review of The Hollow Heart then click here

Huge thanks to Adrienne for joining us today. If you’d like to leave a comment or ask Adrienne a question then please click where it says ‘leave a comment’ or ‘comments’ in tiny little writing at the bottom of this post.  Have a great weekend! Alys x

 

Lizzie Lamb on teamwork, the glass ceiling, and that Waterstones event!

Today on the blog we’re talking to the fabulous Lizzie Lamb. Lizzie is a truly inspirational character – a fantastic writer and a whizz at social networking and marketing, as well as being a genuinely lovely lady. As part of the New Romantics Press (formerly the New Romantics 4), Lizzie has recently flown the flag for indie writers everywhere by hosting an author event at Waterstones, Kensington, no less! We were thrilled when she agreed to appear on our blog and had a lot of questions we wanted to put to her. So without further ado, over to Lizzie.

1. Tell us more about the New Romantics Press. How did you meet? What made you form an “indie powerhouse” together?

Originally, three of us: Mags Cullingford, June Kearns and I were members of Leicester Writers’ Club and the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. Adrienne Vaughan joined the RNA, came along to one of the chapter meetings which June and I organised at Grange Farm in Oadby. The rest – as they say, is history. As members of the NWS we were constantly polishing and re-polishing the first three chapters of our novels and synopsis with a view to sending them out to agents. Amanda Grange (RNA chapter member and author of over 25 novels) advised us to grasp the nettle and self-publish through Amazon. This we did. I think we work well as a team because we bring different strengths and skills to the group; we are also good friends which helps – but we don’t live in each other’s pockets which probably helps, too.

2. Did you seek a more traditional publishing deal or has it been indie all the way for you?

In the 1980’s I was looking for an agent and did in fact have one – Dot Lumley. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give my writing the time it deserved. I was Deputy Head teacher of a large primary school and that took up all my time. So, we parted company (amicably) and I settled down to furthering my teaching career for the next 16 years. Now, I enjoy being an indie author and I don’t know if I would be willing to give that up unless I could find an agent/publisher who could offer me a really good deal. Maybe after I’ve finished and published number three in 2015 I might think again about it.

3. We’re thrilled to hear about your Waterstones news. Tell us more!

Adrienne and I attended a book launch at Waterstones, Kensington, in the summer and boldly asked if we could host an author event there. The lovely manager said: YES. I think it was probably the appeal of four indie authors appearing together and offering four different sub-genres of romance which landed us the gig. I write rom coms, Adrienne romantic adventure, June historical and Mags women’s fiction. But, who knows? I think he just liked the cut of our collective jib, okayed it with head office and on we went. We’d already had a mini-launch in Waterstones, Mkt Harborough, in February 2014 and were on ‘the system’, which helped. We believe that they are no longer adding new indie authors to their data base – but I stand to be corrected on that one.

4. What have you been able to do/experience differently as an indie writer that you may not have done/experienced through a traditional publishing deal?

We can choose our own covers, set our own price (and raise and lower it) as we wish and as our book sales fluctuate. I have been able to order paperback copies through Create Space as I see fit, whereas some of the agents I’ve spoken to have said the POD would be up to my publisher to decide. I don’t simply want my novels to be available for e-readers, having paperbacks is important to me as I sell them at talks etc which I give to writing groups. And, with Create Space you can order one book or one hundred – it’s that flexible.
We can also say, no – we don’t want to give our books away for free, thank you, as a promotional tool. Or to settle for 35% royalties (or less) when we can get 70% off Amazon. We can also write the book we want with the characters we believe in; I’m not sure how easy it would be handing over my novel and being told to edit it to suit the market/ an agent/editor without any guarantees that the changes would make a better book, or sell more copies. I respond to what my readers tell me that they like about my novels. I also know, to the day, how many books I’ve sold, what I’ve earned and where the sales need boosting – thanks to Amazon’s daily sales figures. I don’t think I’d like to have to wait for quarterly sales figures from my publisher. I can also make the most of Kindle Countdown, Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited because I’ve stayed exclusively with Amazon. Lots of writers would disagree, but KDP Select works for me. Now – if I could just get a WHITE GLOVE DEAL, I’d be in clover.

5. Conversely, is there anything you haven’t been able to do/experience as an indie writer compared to traditional publishing?

There is a definite ‘glass ceiling’ which is hard to break through. For example, getting my novel into bookshops and libraries (those that are left!), although Waterstones, Kensington, has agreed to take three of each of my novels to see how things go – and have kindly agreed to put my books out on their Romance Table. It would be nice to be reviewed in some of the women’s magazines and to be offered a Kindle Daily Deal with the weight of Amazon behind me. But those things seem to be offered almost exclusively via one’s publisher. I would also like to graduate from the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and become a full member, albeit it a self-published one. But I don’t know how much longer I’m prepared to wait for that to happen. I heavily promote my novels across all media sites and I gather that traditionally published authors are expected to do that in any case. Oh, and, an advance would be nice – thank you very much.
Establishing myself as an indie author has been quite expensive. Some of this cost could have been borne by my publishers – proof reading, formatting for kindle, buying images and producing a front cover and so on. All of the above are allowable expenses against earnings, of course, but you need a pot of money to get you started.

6. As a collective of ten, The Write Romantics find the support we can give each other absolutely invaluable. What value have you found in being part of a group of writers?

Help is just a phone call away. Literally. Adrienne and I talk most nights after she’s finished work, June and I meet regularly for coffee, chat daily over the phone and read our work out to each other and Mags is always on hand to give another perspective to my ideas for taking the group forward. Being a ‘collective’ also means we can ‘divi’ up the jobs, blog posts, promo and so on and spread the workload around a bit. When I lose belief in what I’m doing, I know I can call on ‘the team’ to give me the support I need to keep going. We also have four of us finding out new things about the self-publishing industry and sharing them with each other. Having a ‘tweet team’ helps enormously, too. Going it alone is do-able, but so much more hard work than being part of a team.

7. What does a “typical” day look like for you? (E.g. do you always write in a morning, say, or only check social media at certain times of the day?)

I am one of those annoying people – a LARK. I’m usually at my pc straight after breakfast when I check all the social sites I belong to and comment. Then, after my husband (aka Bongo Man) tells me how many sales I’ve clocked up overnight, I tailor my tweets, blog posts accordingly. I write throughout the day in ‘snatches’, to give my eyes a break from the screen. I very rarely write in the evenings, preferring to watch movies and to recharge my batteries. We have recently bought a second hand caravan and hope to do it up a bit over the winter and then take off into sunset next spring. I always take my trusty pc with me wherever I go as I find if I don’t write for a week, getting back into the novel is hard for me. When in the caravan I generally check emails in the morning and respond, have the day exploring the location where we’ve camped, and then write in the afternoons while Bongo Man and the parrot (yes, he comes with us) chill out at the other end of the caravan. Does the snoring annoy me? Oh yes!

8. Is there a pivotal moment when you can say that you truly felt you were a writer?

I was having coffee with June and Amanda Grange in a local café when Bongo Man joined us with the proof copy of Tall, Dark and Kilted, which had just arrived. My hands were shaking as I couldn’t believe that my book was finally in my sticky little hands. Magic. When I wrote and published my first blog post, joined the Society of Authors and people started asking me for writing advice were pivotal moments, too. I would have to say that our Author Event in Waterstones in November was the icing on the cake for all of us.

9. What’s been your greatest reader interaction moment and why?

It has to be the email I received from a reader in ISTANBUL. She’d read Tall, Dark and Kilted and had cried so much at the end that her husband thought she’d received bad news over the phone. I hope to publish the email in full one day on my blog. I think the other ‘moment’ is when the most unlikely people tell me they’ve downloaded, read and loved my book. By unlikely I mean people who I would never have dreamed would read romance, let alone my novels. I am also quite overwhelmed by the love and support I receive from the ladies I’ve befriended on Facebook. They buy my novels, leave me reviews on Amazon and spread the word amongst their friends. The best kind of social networking IMHO.

10. What challenges have you faced as an English woman writing about Scotland and Scottish characters?

I’ve been giving this one some thought. I was born in Scotland and lived there until I was eleven. My family are Scots and I’ve been surrounded by ‘Scottishness’ all my life. If you are English and want to write about Scotland the best thing is to GO THERE. Although, conversely, Diane Gabadon who writes the Outlander series and D.K. Broster who wrote the Jacobite trilogy The Flight of the Heron etc had never visited Scotland before they wrote their novels. Immerse yourself in Scottish history, movies and read Scottish themed novels by other authors to get a feel of what feels real for you. Scout charity bookshops and purchase large picture books of Scotland and thumb through those for inspiration. Use Google Earth to inform what you write about the landscape and the weather. Be aware of the difference between those Scots who live in the Central Belt and those who live in the Highlands and Islands, their accents are different as is their outlook on life and how they speak. I like to include some Scottish Gaelic phrase in my writing and am lucky enough to have a native Gaelic speaker who helps me with this. Always double check your research if you’re weaving Scottish history into your novel. I’ll give you an example of this: I read a Scottish themed novel recently where the author referred to the hero’s sporran as his codpiece (!) and her copy editor/ publishers hadn’t picked up on it. Hoots Mon!

11. What does the future hold for you and for the New Romantics Press?
My ambition is to write six novels. Three set in Scotland and three set in Norfolk. Then I will market them as box sets. Once I have three novels under my belt with attendant sales figures, I might think of approaching some of the larger literary agencies to see what they can offer me, and take it from there. As for the NRP – originally, we all published our novels at the same time and held joint book launches, but we all work at different paces and that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. We will continue to support each other and to promote ourselves as the New Romantics Press because we think that more accurately reflects who we are and where we are headed. Whatever happens, we will always be there for each other and our friendship and support for each other will continue.

Lots of writerly support!

12. What advice would you give to any writers out there considering an indie route?

Think carefully before you set out on this journey. If, as a writer, all you want is a copy of your novel to pass round your friends and relatives, that’s achievable with a little help and lots of hard work. HOWEVER, if you want to make a career of it – be prepared for a hard slog: promoting your current novel(s) and writing THE NEXT ONE. I try to aim for a novel a year, allowing for health and family commitments. In many ways, I’ve been lucky – I had all my social networking ducks in a row before I published so I was able to promote myself and the other New Romantics – if you are doing that from a standing start it can be quite overwhelming. Meet with other writers, learn from them but, ultimately, know who you are and what you want to write. Glue your derriere to the chair and get on with it.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for talking to us today, Lizzie! The Write Romantics are great admirers of The New Romantics Press and we wish all four of you continued success.

 

 

Boot Camp Bride – Romance and Intrigue on the Norfolk marshes – November 2013
http://t.co/0WkwlH8bgg
UK: http://tinyurl.com/bootcampbride
USA: http://tinyurl.com/nnmzjha
Tall, Dark and Kilted – Notting Hill Meets Monarch of the Glen – 2012
http://t.co/xj2T54mE6j
UK- http://tinyurl.com/o9js6pl
USA – http://tinyurl.com/o4vor4z
https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
http://tinyurl.com/TallDark-Kilted
Hocus Pocus 14 short story anthology
http://tinyurl.com/Hocus-Pocus14
Lizzie’s Links
Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/mpcv6bn
http://www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
http://www.facebook.com/newromantics4
lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
website: http://www.lizzielamb.co.uk
blog: http://www.newromantics4.com
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
twitter: @lizzie_lamb twitter: @newromantics4

Guest Spotlight with Helena Fairfax: How my imaginary characters became real people, and everything else I learned from the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme

We’re delighted to welcome another guest to the Saturday Spotlight in the form of Helena Fairfax. We have interviewed several published and aspiring writers in the past but asked Helena if she’d like to be interviewed or go ‘freestyle’. Helena decided to give the latter a whirl so, as the title says, this is everything she’s learned from her time in the RNA’s NWS and an insight into her writing world. Over to you, Helena …

Have you ever sat on a grimy commuter train, looked round at all the other pale, exhausted commuters, wet clothes gently steaming in the fug, then closed your eyes and thought, ‘I wish, I wish I was in the south of France?’

A few years ago I was escaping inside my own head in this way, when I had an idea for a romance novel. Every morning after that, rammed next to my fellow sufferers on the 7.25, I’d try and make my idea come alive in my notebook. In my lunch hour, I’d sit round the back of my factory, joining the lads from the estate on the canal. Whilst the boys fished in the drizzle for whatever lurked in those murky depths, I’d be crossing out everything I’d written that morning and scribbling down some more. Instead of dealing with production deadlines and irate customers, I was in the south of France with my red hot boss. It seemed like a sort of game – my characters were something to keep me amused during the dreary nine to five.

And then I joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme, and to my surprise, my gorgeous French hero was no longer just a pleasant daydream in my head. To my reader at the RNA, this was a real, breathing character, who needed a motivation and a goal. My wispy daydream was a mere outline, my reader told me, and needed to shape up. This was my first, delightful experience as an aspiring writer. I’d found a reader who was taking my character seriously, and was helping me put solid flesh on his fragile bones.

I submitted twice to the New Writers’ Scheme. Here’s a list of some of the other lessons I learned that changed me from a daydreaming scribbler to one who finally became a published author:

 To the readers who buy your book, your characters aren’t just ideas in your head. They are living and breathing people. They MUST have clear motivations and reasons for their behaviour. Readers expect to know WHY they act the way they do.  What is it in the characters’ past that has made them this way?

 A romance story has to contain emotional tension.  As my reader said, ‘It’s about why the hero and heroine, so obviously attracted to each other, not only won’t admit they have fallen in love but feel that they can’t….Your hero and heroine should have goals that are in direct opposition to each other.’

 There must be a situation which forces the hero and heroine together.  If not, why don’t they just say goodbye on page four, if their goals are in opposition to one another?  What will force them to stay together throughout the course of a whole novel? 

 Emotional conflict must be sustained throughout the course of the novel.   To quote my reader again: ‘When you’re structuring a romance, you should be thinking about the plot not so much as moving your characters from A to B but as a series of situations that test their fears and bring their goals into conflict.’    I learned how much skill is involved in keeping this emotional conflict sustained in an interesting way! 

 The synopsis.  It’s vital that the synopsis shows: characterisation, motivation, cause of emotional tension, and reason why the characters are forced together.

 The dreaded rewrite.  After taking my reader’s advice the first time I submitted, this meant that I had to substantially rewrite my manuscript.  But I took heart from my reader’s last words:  ‘This is a story with lots of potential and although it does need some restructuring, and yes, some extra work, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think once you get started!’  And my reader was right.  At first, I was daunted, but now I never mind rewriting.  As a perfectionist, I enjoy the feeling that I’m manipulating the words to get the best story I can.

 Handling rejection.  Of course I was disappointed the novel wasn’t right at first, but the accompanying letter from the RNA’s president gave positive advice: ‘Always bear in mind that most published authors have experience of rejection.  All writers, published and unpublished, need to be tenacious and determined…Have faith in yourself!’

 I resubmitted the entire novel the next year.  This taught me another great lesson – in order to get a book written, you have to sit down and WRITE.  No excuses or prevarication.  If I’d missed the scheme’s deadline, that would have been it.  Now it wasn’t just a pleasant hobby. I had to force myself to write, whether I felt like it or not, in order to get the book finished on time.

In May last year my daydream finally became reality, with the release of The Silk Romance. The months of agonising and toil over my novel, times in which I felt inadequate and had moments of swearing I’d never try and write a book again, were all forgotten that day, and I had a massive smile on my face.

Of course I’m still agonising over my notebooks, but now I write much faster, with fewer rewrites, because through the RNA I’ve learned several work-changing lessons.

The Silk Romance is a contender for the Joan Hessayon Award at the RNA’s summer party in May, and I intend to be there, partying my party stilettos off!

If you’d like to find out more about the French hero I daydreamed about, here’s the blurb to The Silk Romance:

How do you choose between the people you love most?

Sophie Challoner is sensible and hard-working, and a devoted carer of her father.  The night her grandmother throws a party for her in Paris, Sophie does something reckless she can never forget. 

Jean-Luc Olivier has retired from his glamorous life as a racing driver to run a silk mill in Lyon.  Years after they first met, fate reunites Jean-Luc with Sophie in this most romantic of cities, and he’s determined not to let her go a second time.

But is Jean-Luc still the same man he was? It seems he has a secret of his own.  And when disaster strikes back home in London, Sophie is faced with a choice—stay in this wonderful city with the man she loves, or return to her family to keep a sacred promise she made her mother.

BUY LINKS

Available as an e-book.

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Silk-Romance-Helena-Fairfax-ebook/dp/B00CYHVI1W/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Silk-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CYHVI1W/

MuseItUp Publishing: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=664&category_id=8&keyword=helena+fairfax&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Nook: http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/the-silk-romance-by-helena-fairfax/2940045347501

Also available from iTunes and lots of other e-book places

SOCIAL LINKS

You can find Helena on her blog: www.helenafairfax.com

on Facebook www.facebook.com/HelenaFairfax,

on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7082986.Helena_Fairfax

or on Twitter @helenafairfax

 

Thanks very much for having me today, lovely Write Romantics. It’s good to get to know you all, and thank you for being such welcoming hosts!

 

Thank you for joining us Helena. And good luck with the Joan Hessayon!

Julie & The Write Romantics