Lana Pecherczyk's Blog, page 8

Book Review – The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion

I’m a huge fan of Graeme Simsion and I absolutely adored reading The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect. Needless to say, that when this book came across my desk I had to stop everything to read it.

About the Book

This is the blurb from the back of the book:

A novel about love, music and coming to terms with the past, from the author of the international bestseller The Rosie Project.

On the cusp of fifty, Adam Sharp has a loyal partner, earns a good income as an IT contractor and is the music-trivia expert at quiz nights. It’s the lifestyle he wanted, but something’s missing.

Two decades ago, on the other side of the world, his part-time piano playing led him into a passionate relationship with Angelina Brown, who’d abandoned law studies to pursue her acting dream. She gave Adam a chance to make it something more than an affair—but he didn’t take it. And now he can’t shake off his nostalgia for what might have been.

Then, out of nowhere, Angelina gets in touch. What does she want? Does Adam dare to live dangerously? How far will he go for a second chance?

My Thoughts

My first thought was that this is definitely not like The Rosie Project. You can tell it’s written by the same person because he’s got such a lovely way with characters, but if you’re expecting another light hearted, funny, quirky read, this isn’t it. Be prepared for a very different Graeme Simsion book. It’s still quirky, but not as humorous.

It starts off telling Adam’s story from an age in his mid twenties as he’s living in Australia consulting. He meets the beautiful and sad Angelina (an actress off a show similar to Neighbours, lol) and he falls irrevocably in love with her. But essentially, they don’t love each other enough (or don’t think they do) and Adam ends up returning to the UK. Both carry on with their separate lives over the next 20 years until they end up reconnecting.  This book is about discovering yourself again and also exploring whether time changes what and who you think you are. I really want to tell you if Angelina and Adam get together in the end, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. You’ll have to read it for yourself.

Some other notes: I don’t know if it’s just me, or if there is really a trend in books on the theme of infidelity, but they seem to be everywhere I look. So, if you’re adverse to that sort of thing, don’t read it. There was an awkward ménage moment in the last third of the book that I think was meant to make me feel awkward, and thinking back on it now, I applaud Simsion for doing such a great job. Without it, the resolution wouldn’t have been so satisfying. Also, another note that may put off some readers is that there’s a strong music theme in this book. Simsion uses many songs and a few lyrics throughout. Some people will find this a charming trip down memory lane, others may find it a disjointing to frequently take yourself out of the story in order to try and place a song or lyric.

So, if you’re expecting another Rosie Project, this isn’t it. It’s also not a mushy love story. But there is a (debatably satisfying) happy ending. I’m very keen to hear what you have to say. Read it and let me know!

The post Book Review – The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion appeared first on Author Zoo.

F is for Fear – 6 Tips on How to Evoke Fear in Your Writing

Thank you Michelle Somers for writing this post as part of my A to Z of Romance Writing Series. Michelle is the author of award winning, Lethal in Love.  Read more about Michelle at the end of the article. I’m lucky to host her today, her tips on creating fear in your writing are priceless! Without further ado, here is her article. 

Fear is such a complex emotion, yet at the same time so subjective. So personal, even. What is one person’s fear, or even phobia, is another person’s… nothing. 

So, how do we evoke fear in our writing?

Great question.

To do this – to evoke any emotion – we must dig deep. Deep into our story, deep into our characters, deep into ourselves.

What is your deepest fear? Why?

It’s the why that’s important. Why do we feel afraid?

Most fears stem from experience. From some deep, dark tucked away memory that surfaces when an external force triggers emotion and drags it out from the barricades it hides behind.

As writers, we must draw on that type of emotion, draw on our own personal experiences and feel every heart hammering moment as we add words to a page. Do this and we will inject fear into the hearts of our readers.

So where to begin?

Another great question.

I’ve formulated a kind of checklist that’s a great starting point when writing from a place of fear:

Use the senses to drag the reader into the character’s world

Our characters experience their world through sensation, so it stands to reason that to drag our readers into our characters’ world, we must use the senses to do this.

Fear is so sensorially linked. What we see, what we touch, what we smell, hear and taste all play a huge role in influencing our reactions and emotions. Find something we associate with the sinister or scary, plant us into that situation using the senses, and we won’t have any choice but to feel the fear of your characters.

Example from Lethal in Love:

The air around her was damp, a spring-like freshness that should have skipped through her sinuses with a heady summer is coming kind of rush. Instead it curdled with the sour smack of diesel and exhaust, razing the back of her throat with every shallow, tortuous breath.

Use visceral reactions to draw the reader into the character’s emotions

A visceral reaction is the body’s involuntary response to an emotional trigger. In simpler terms, it’s how our body reacts in an emotional situation.

Make us feel what your characters are feeling. Make our throat dry, our heart pump, our chest constrict until we’re so dizzy we might just pass out. Make us live through what your characters are living through, and make us fear for their safety, their lives as if they are our own.

Example from Lethal in Love:

Every pound of her heart drove the copper taste of blood to the back of her throat.

Lead the reader to identify with the character before getting them to connect emotionally

This point follows on well from the last.

If you don’t care about a character, their danger will have little or no effect on your heartrate or your fear-levels.

So, making your reader identify with your character is really REALLY important in the set-up of your story. Draw the reader into your character’s world early. Give them an understanding – empathy – then land them in the midst of peril. It’s then, and only then, that they’ll feel and experience what your character feels and experiences.

Example from Lethal in Love:

Fan-bloody-tastic. The force’s ‘non-fraternising in the ranks’ policy may have been loose to the point of non-existence, but she’d learned the hard way how rumours – no matter how false – could turn a career into compost. Georgie was a friend, but others in the squad would be far quicker to comment. And judge.

Jayda’s hand dropped to her hip, devoid now of her badge. It didn’t matter that life outside the precinct had barely existed for the past seven years. She’d matched her father’s success, made detective before her thirtieth birthday. And she’d done it by keeping her head down and the fly of her pants securely fastened.

Thank you, Liam.

There he was again. Elbowing his way into her thoughts.

After seven years, the anger still lingered, a reminder of her promise never to compromise herself again.

This is an excerpt from chapter one of Lethal in Love.

What do we learn about my protagonist Jayda here? Quite a lot.

Being a homicide detective is Jayda’s everything, as is living up to her father’s legacy. She’s been burned in the past, and the man who lit the match, Liam, almost cost her career. Since then she’s steered clear of men and relationships, and in the future she’ll be reticent to trust a man and compromise herself again.

Great set-up for when we put her in the path of a sexy reporter called Seth.

Use an active voice and action words to show your character actively reacting to their situation

If your characters are actively engaged in their environment and in the plot, if they are acting and reacting to their world, then the reader is more easily swept along with them.

If your characters – and therefore, your language – is passive, then reading will be a passive exercise. Your readers will remain passive to the emotions of your characters and it’s doubtful they will experience anything, let alone fear.

Example from Lethal in Love:

They scrambled for the door, their panic tangible, a fist-punch to Jayda’s heart. Behind them, black smoke billowed out from the closet, swallowing the room, them, everything in sight. Debris scattered through the haze, then fire captured the cloud with a burst of bright, burning gold.

Use metaphors/similes and imagery

These tools are a great way of injecting visuals into your writing. Of evoking emotion and tension and all-out suspense.

Give the reader a benchmark against which to measure their emotions. Give them something that quantifies, that gives depth to your character’s situation, and they are more likely to relate and therefore react in the way your scene prescribes.

Example from Murder Most Unusual:

Black clouds growled across a churning sea, dusk having long-since tumbled into dark. The air grumbled, fierce, furious, like a wild boar barrelling toward its prey.

Show rather than tell

How many times have we heard this? Yet I believe we can never hear it enough.

Showing is intrinsic to evocative, emotive writing. Tell me a character is scared and I’ll nod my head, think ‘sure, okay’, but it’s unlikely I’ll be 100% convinced with almost zero chance that I’ll actually feel scared for them.

But make me feel his fear – make his heart race, his palms sweat, his mind imagine any number of terrifying outcomes – then you’ll draw me in. Show your character’s reaction and what that reaction does to them, and I’ll experience the same.

Just remember, I can’t feel it if you haven’t shown me what and how I’m supposed to feel.

Example from Murder Most Unusual:

A plastic bag skidded across the sand, the wind giving it wings and the twirling grace of a dancer. Sand eddied and swirled, and she squinted against the onslaught.

Renaldo stared up at her, his blank, dispassionate gaze suddenly mocking. Menacing.

Newspaper wrapped around her leg, whipping angrily. She kicked, wriggled, stamped, but it wouldn’t budge. Breath constricted in her chest.

She let go of the line and clawed at her leg. The paper caught and clung to her wet skin until it wrenched free, flying from her fingers and into the dark beyond the lamppost.

Her heart thundered.

The wind howled.

Again she shivered, unable to stop.

Just remember, the rules of writing are guidelines. Don’t let them stifle your creativity.

Draw on your experiences, your own fears and phobias, write with spirit and from the heart. Make every sentence, every word, count.

If you don’t feel the fear as you’re writing, then your readers won’t feel it when they’re reading.

So feel the fear, draw on the emotion, and give your readers something to remember late at night when the lights are out and they’re alone with only their thoughts and memories and the remnants of your story to keep them company.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Somers is a bookworm from way back. An ex-Kiwi who now calls Australia home, she’s a professional killer and matchmaker, a storyteller and a romantic. Words are her power and her passion. Her heroes and heroines always get their happy ever after, but she’ll put them through one hell of a journey to get there.

Michelle lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her real life hero and three little heroes in the making. Her debut novel, Lethal in Love won the Romance Writers of Australia’s 2016 Romantic Book of the Year (RuBY), the 2013 Valerie Parv Award and 2013 Indiana Golden Opportunities Award.

She loves hearing from her readers, so please visit her website, or chat with her on twitter, facebook or Instagram. You can find Michelle at www.michelle-somers.com or on social media: Facebook,  Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram. And the Random House Australia’s website.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Homicide detective Jayda Thomasz never lets her emotions get in the way of a case. So when a serial killer re-emerges after 25 years, the last thing she expects is to catch herself fantasising over the hot, smooth-talking stranger who crosses the path of her investigation.

Reporter Seth Friedin is chasing the story that’ll make his career. When he enters the world of swinging for research, he never imagines he’ll be distracted by a hard-talking female detective whose kiss plagues his mind long after she’s gone.

Past experience has shown Jayda that reporters are ruthless and unscrupulous. But when the murders get personal, will she make a deal with the devil to catch the killer? How far will she and Seth have to go? And do you ever really know who you can trust?

It’s gritty, it’s sexy and it kept me reading long past my bedtime two nights in a row!

Helene Young, award-winning romantic suspense author

View all articles in the A to Z of Romance series.

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My Personal Slush Pile Heaven and Hell – Love, Hate or Date

The Love, Hate or Date session at the recent RWA conference in Adelaide was where writers were asked to submit their first two pages anonymously in the expectation that it would be read out in public for a panel of top editors and agents to advise on when they’d say no before adding it to the slush pile. Funnily enough, Love, Hate and Date is exactly the path my emotions took when it was my turn.

LOVE

When I first heard that the RWA conference was holding a Love, Hate or Date session this year, initially, my reaction was – what a fabulous idea. Nerve wracking to say the least, but fabulous and a rare opportunity not to be missed. Among the editors and agents passing the buck on stage were Kate Cuthburt from Escape, Esi Sogah from Kensington, Sarah Younger from the Nancy Yost Agency, Joanne Grant from Harlequin. For me, getting valuable intel as to what goes on inside the minds of these highly sought after women as they read a submission was worth more than the pain of potential embarrassment. I heard page after page read out, and every time a hand on the panel went up for reasons such as:

They don’t like first person (Yikes, my book is first person)
They don’t like the heroine being confused because that means the reader is confused.
They didn’t like the heroine going through a break up on the first page, so no negatives please on the first page.
Don’t use words that stand out – like Lithuanian

Although, I must admit that when I submitted my page weeks earlier, I thought there was no way in hell they’d raise their hands saying they’d throw mine on the slush pile. Surely not me. Surely mine was the magical one that would actually be asked for a sidebar submission.

Lol. How wrong I was.

HATE

So, fresh off a workshop with Michael Hauge the day before, I was already little nervous that my work would  be picked out. This is because I’d put my hand up as an example (obviously I’m a masochist). He’d given me valuable feedback in front of everyone and because my story is about a writer, I felt that if my page got read out at Love, Hate, Date, everyone would know it was me. I was anonymous no more. Oh, did I mention that I’m the new Vice President for RWA this year? So suddenly, I’ve gone from quietly achieving in the background to being thrust into the limelight.

I was not in a place I’d like to call comfort. It was scary, exhilarating and down right vomit worthy all at once.

When Leisl (RWA President) read my first words, the world around me closed in and my heart leapt to life in my chest, beating so loud that I was sure – sure! – that everyone would in a moment turn and stare. At me.

Of course they didn’t. But still, I was petrified (literally) as I sat in the back, away from anyone who could see my heated face. It was all I could do to try and focus on what was being said about my words:

Too much repetition (once set of alliteration is enough – I had 2)
Too much exposition too soon
They (the panel) work in the publishing industry and for some, reading about it was a put off
I took too long to get to the important stuff. Reading about the mundane (like waiting in line) is a put off
It’s in first person present tense

Read the original pages here

So, what happened after my wild heart broke me out of the ice sculpture I was presently incased in?

I quietly left the room. I walked like a zombie out out of the hotel. I wandered into the street and went shopping. At this point, I wanted to quit – to pack it all in, take the first flight home and to crawl under a rock and never come out. Once I’d distanced myself emotionally from the entire ordeal, I went back to my room and wrote everything down. Not just the tips I’d received, but my feelings.

DATE

Writing is hard. It’s harder than anything I’ve ever done. And not because it’s a new craft I’m learning but because I’m putting myself out there in an industry synonymous for critique. There’s no other industry I know that every single person is expected to be slammed after every work released. Even actors use someone else’s words to act. As writers, there’s no one telling us what to say. It’s us! We create movies with our words.

I knew that I had 3 yes’s from my pitch sessions, so if I wanted to turn this frown upside down, then I had to use what was given to me in the Love, Hate or Date session.

So, here’s what I’ve come up with:

Coupled with the advice I received from Louise Thurtell from Allen & Unwin when I pitched to her, I should Show and Tell. Not Show not Tell. I seem to have a bit of a problem waffling on (my words, not LT’s). Even though I see this story as fitting into the Chick Lit genre along side writers like Sophie Kinsella, unfortunately I’ve still got a few things to learn and being a new writer, I don’t have the luxury of waffling on in the first page. I’m going to bring the meet cute forward to the first instant.
I can’t change the first person POV because that’s the sub genre, so I’m sticking to my guns with that.
I’ll be cutting the exposition at the start. It’s okay, in fact, preferable to leave unanswered questions to drive the reader forward.
Obviously, I can’t change the fact that it’s a story about a writer. I’m keeping that and all my writer friends love it too. So, I need to find a way to market this idea.

As hard as it may feel, if you don’t put yourself out there you’ll never learn. And before you give yourself an excuse like ‘Oh, but Lana is much braver than me. She’s loud, boisterous and brave.’ I’m not. I used to cry myself to sleep when someone made fun of my freckles and ‘ski jump’ nose. I used to cry if someone looked at me funny. I used to cry if I stubbed my toe. The point is, the pain of me giving up was greater than the pain of temporary failure.

Failure is not the same as giving up.

So, put yourself out there. Do what you need to get through it. Go shopping, go for a walk or write it down. Just don’t give up.

USE IT.

Were you at the session? Can you fill in any tips that I missed out in my haste to rescue my sanity? Please comment below.

About the AuthorLana Pecherczyk Facebook Twitter

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Lana Pecherczyk is an author, artist and bookshop marketer from Perth, Western Australia. She's the Webmistress for Romance Writers of Australia (and no, that's not Spiderman's lover). Is a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in many genres, including romance, comedy, fantasy and paranormal. She also loves Sailormoon. No judgement.

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E is for Endings – A to Z of Romance Writing

Endings – And Why They’re So Important in a Romance

Hello Romance Writers,

I’m up to the second ‘E’ post in my Romance Writing from A to Z series. And I think it’s potentially the most important post of the entire series. Do you know why?

Because, Endings.

That’s right. The ending is what defines the romance genre. If you’re an avid reader of romance, then you’ll already know what I’m going to say next.

The ending must be HAPPY!

That’s the whole point of a romance. Romance readers what a happy ending, or a happy for now. Think Cinderella – she lives happily ever after and gets Prince Charming in the end.

If it doesn’t have one of these types of endings, then love, it’s not a romance – it’s a love story. Think Romeo and Juliet – classic lovestory that ends in tragedy. Not a romance.

The Definition of Romance

A ‘romance’ is defined by the presence of two basic elements: a love-story that is central to the story, and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending. Most novels, whatever the genre, have some sort of romantic encounter/relationship in them somewhere, as do most films. Pair-bonding is such an integral part of human life and without it, the human race would become extinct. Perhaps that's why over half the mass market paperbacks sold every year are romances of one sort or another.

Read more at the RWA website

The exception to this rule in a romance is when you’re writing a series. The ending of the first book might not be happily ever after or happy for now, because there’s an overarching plot that carries over a few books and will eventually end on a happy note.

Example

Click on the image to see this book on Amazon

(Spoiler Alert) In my rom-com Robin Lockslay, I have the protagonist, Robin, wind up temporarily hating her love interest, Marius, because he had to arrest her. This was something inevitable, and although their feelings for each other intensified during the book, I paved the way for Marius’s actions from the start. He’s a cop, and she’s a thief.I couldn’t sacrifice his moral code too much without taking the story on an entirely different tangent. Plus I wanted Robin to deal with the bad decisions she’s made in the past – the arrest makes for excellent conflict during the sequel where I intend to explore their relationship further.

So by the time I finish the last book in the series, I want my hero and heroine to fall in love and live happily ever after, despite the multitude of conflict I’ve sent their way. If I make it too easy for them, I believe the ending won’t feel as deserved. Plus it’s a modern gender twist on the Robin Hood tale – nothing came easy for Robin Hood.

View all articles in the A to Z of Romance series.
About the AuthorLana Pecherczyk Facebook Twitter

Don't miss anything from the Author Zoo blog, sign up to the e-newsletter today.

Lana Pecherczyk is an author, artist and bookshop marketer from Perth, Western Australia. She's the Webmistress for Romance Writers of Australia (and no, that's not Spiderman's lover). Is a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in many genres, including romance, comedy, fantasy and paranormal. She also loves Sailormoon. No judgement.

The post E is for Endings – A to Z of Romance Writing appeared first on Author Zoo.

Erotic Romance vs Erotica – What’s the difference?

One letter. That’s all that separates the two words, but that one letter means so much.

Erotic Romance is a story about the emotional journey of the two main characters, and as part of that journey, they have sex a few times. The sex in this type of genre is generally explicit, but usually restricted to only a couple of times a book. The overarching plot is about the two characters falling in love. Think Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day’s, Crossfire series.

Erotica is a story about the sexual journey and little else. Your characters will be having sex all the time.

Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.

Sex.

So there you are, in a nutshell, the difference between erotic romance and erotica is sex.

Do you have anything to add? Please Comment below.

 

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The Dark Moment – Why Taking Your Protagonist To Her Lowest Makes for Great Reading

D for Dark Moment – Romance Writing from A to Z

No matter if you’re a plotter, a pantser or a whatever-the-hell-I-want-to-write-liker, there’s one moment in your protagonist’s journey that resonates with your readers most out of any other. This moment is often called the Dark Moment, or the All is Lost Moment, and I’ve heard it called The Darkest Night of the Soul. They’re all pretty similar, but what they have in common is that it’s the lowest of the lowest points for your character.

This moment usually occurs just before the climax of the novel, when your protagonist has had that many rocks thrown at her she’s ready to pack it in and give up. And I mean ROCKS in capital letters. She’s been through the emotional, and or physical ringer. She’s been battered left right and centre. She’s had more clichés for devastation thrown at her than you can throw a rock at. And she’s been peeled raw and stripped bare.

The reader thinks, ‘there’s no way she’s going to get through this’. But she does.

Something reminds her of her initial desire and she rallies herself and pushes through.

This final journey makes it all that much sweeter once she triumphs at the end and finds love. And this moment is all the more sweeter when it’s the character’s personal extra push that get’s her through. If an external force helps, it’s not so satisfying.

How do you write a dark moment in a Romance?

It’s much the same as any genre really. There has to be a physical or emotional conflict the protagonist needs to overcome. The dark moment is a culmination of these conflicts. So you can’t just throw in some new conflict that the reader hasn’t heard of before. There needs to be fair warning.

For example:

An ex-boyfriend comes to town and reveals horrible secrets about the main character in the hopes that he’ll make no one else want her so she’ll come running back to him. She retreats into herself and reverts to old ways – the shy, insecure girl she was at the start of the novel.

The protagonist has to lose all hope in herself, lose all hope in others and be ready to give up.

This scenario would only work if you’ve spoken about said douche bag intermittently during the novel. There has to be a fair reason why she’s actually worried that he may be right. What if she really isn’t worth a penny for anyone else? If you just drop in a line about an ex here or there, you won’t get the emotional punch you’re hoping for at the end. Show (not tell) how she can’t wear tight clothing because he told her she looked fat in them. Or she can’t speak her mind, because he told her she was always wrong. Or maybe she can’t eat a burger without using a fork and knife because he said using hands was uncouth? So you see, there a ways of making jerkface’s influence known without actually having him present.

The moment where she brings herself out of this slump has to be self empowering. You can’t have some dashing prince come along and rescue her, because then she’s  no better off than she was at the start. She’s still needing the help of someone else to drag her out of the slump. She needs to see or do something that reminds her of her goals. So, in this example, she might see her niece getting treated the same way she was, and suddenly, seeing it all out there in black and white happening to someone else makes her realise how she really looks. She doesn’t want to be the one that everyone is looking at with pity. She wants to be a strong role model for her niece.

And then, just like that, she climbs out of her hole and into the light.

Here is the plot breakdown:

 REVERSE POINT — Also known as the dark moment . Something happens that makes them realise their original fear and they take a step backwards and they lose love.
 Something happens that makes them realise they want the love, even if it means changing.
 Protagonist makes a personal sacrifice for love.
 CLIMAX —Now actively fighting to win love back—something tries to keep them apart but this time they win.

Need help fitting this moment into your romance? You can download my romance plotting worksheet once you’ve signed up to my email list or get it at my Etsy store for 99c.

Get this worksheet for free when you sign up to my e-newsletter, or get it at my etsy store for 99c

View all articles in the A to Z of Romance series.
About the AuthorLana Pecherczyk Facebook Twitter

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Lana Pecherczyk is an author, artist and bookshop marketer from Perth, Western Australia. She's the Webmistress for Romance Writers of Australia (and no, that's not Spiderman's lover). Is a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in many genres, including romance, comedy, fantasy and paranormal. She also loves Sailormoon. No judgement.

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Work in Progress Update – My Rom-Com ‘You Know You’re a Writer When…’

I think it’s about time I start sharing my works in progress. So … here we go (she says with a gulp). Currently, I’m finishing off a rom-com titled ‘You Know You’re a Writer When…’ I’m pitching this at the RWA conference, so fingers crossed it get’s through. I got the idea to write this novel from a very good friend who is a fountain of ideas. She showed me her spreadsheet once full of amazing concepts and we often joke about how she’ll never have time to write all of them so what if she sold them? Then … what would happen if the person who bought your idea hit the big time? Then … what if you fell in love with him?

The Pitch

Lucy Wilson is afraid she’ll end up unsuccessful like her divorced mother – the lonely expense of someone else’s dreams. Instead of tumbling down the same path, she swears off men until she’s made it as a writer. But how does she know when she’s there? Apparently, there’s many ways to tell you’re a writer, and Lucy is determined to check them all off one by one:

Always write your ideas down – check. (She’s got so many she sells them online.)
Finish your book – check. (Minus one chapter, but that’s okay, she’s working on it.)
Get published – check. (Well, her parents think she is; A minor fib soon to be rectified.)
Have a handsome Thriller writer get famous using one of her plots – check.

Wait … what?

When Lucy discovers author Kevin Sting has built his success on her idea, she wants to hate him and the Gucci moccasins he walked in on. If only she didn’t need his writerly advice.

Kevin has been unsuccessfully trying to make it as a writer for years and then he bought one of Lucy’s plots – Wham! Instant bestseller and a movie deal to boot. Now his publisher has upped the anti, and if he doesn’t come up with an equally winning idea, he’s back to farming at his family business. A desperate Kevin turns up at the vivacious Lucy’s door with an enticing offer – help him plot his sequel in return for help finishing her novel. With charm like his, how can she refuse?

Both are as determined as each other to make it alone, but when push comes to romantic shove, and family problems encroach on their professional lives, they need to decide what’s more important: happiness together, or a successful but lonely career. Can they dare to dream for both?

My short pitch is…

Aspiring writer falls in love with the blockbuster author using her plot.

Excerpt…

I’m standing at gate twenty-three of Sydney airport, about to embark on the most appealing adventure I’ve had in ten years, and all I can think is that the person responsible owes me big time.

She owes me for cutting my short holiday even shorter. She owes me for the forty-five minute wait in line behind a large, sweaty, stinky man. And she owes me for the cramp in my arm from holding her box of media merchandise.

‘Eyes forward, Lucy,’ I tell myself. ‘It’s all about the box.’

I shift the awkward package in my hands, careful not to get cardboard cuts, and take a peek inside. Press passes, check. Lanyards, check. Delegate IDs, check. Presenter name tags, check. Itineraries, check. Programs … programs … I shuffle about but find nothing.

Oh no! The programs. I can vividly see them sitting on the counter at Bea’s office, neatly stacked into a pile. Sitting there. Waiting for me. While I’m here at the airport. In line.

My shoulders droop. I’m a terrible best friend. I guess there’s nothing I can do about that now. If I turn back, I’ll miss the flight and Bea will lose her job, right when she’s so close to getting maternity leave and it’s not everyday she gets to manage the publicity of a national writers conference.

I suppose she’s also lucky to have friends with no jobs to tie them down.

Correction: Friend. One. Me.

I have no job.

With a green eye, I watch the Business Class line moving at a faster yet, more leisurely pace. Look at those smug people. All so handsome and clever looking. Ugh. That could’ve been me. What am I saying? That could be me if my parents would share some of their wealth. But no, I have to go and prove my worth first. Ridiculous. You don’t see the Kardashians needing to make their empire from nothing first. No, they’re given money with which to start.

‘It’s so you don’t grow up entitled,’ my father had said. ‘We don’t want you turning into a brat. Not all kids grow up with a father who has three triple platinum selling albums.’

Oh yeah? Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Proving my worth as a writer is hard. I’m starting to lose faith, I’ve ticked off heaps of the items on my You Know You’re a Writer When List. For example, You know you’re a writer when:

You always write ideas down – check. (I’ve got so many I sell them online.)

You finish a book – check. (Minus one chapter, but that’s okay, I’m working on it.)

You get published – check. (Well, my parents think I am; A minor fib soon to be rectified and the sole purpose of this trip.)

Bea’s lucky I love to write and have no shame in taking the opportunity to rub shoulders with big names, authors and publishers alike. Especially since I told my parents I’ve already got a publishing deal and I haven’t yet finished the book. I can still see the look of pride on my father’s face when I told him. It reminded me of the time he let go of my bike seat when I first learned to ride and melted my heart so much that I had trouble admitting the truth. The lie has been chasing me out of the shadows ever since and now this is make or break for me. The very thought sends a thrill skipping all over my body in anticipation.

I sigh. There’s more to the list but right now the box feels heavy in my arms. I want to rest it down on a chair, but the line is getting bigger behind me. If I move now I’ll lose my place and I can’t lose my place. I booked the exit seat and I want to get in first before the rest of the crowd, sit back and enjoy the hustle and bustle that I’m not a part of. It’s a perfect opportunity for people watching. Which leads me to the next point on the list:

You eavesdrop on conversations for story research – check. (I check that item every day.)

A baby wails somewhere and a shudder runs through me. God, please no. Please don’t put me next to a crying baby. Not for four hours.

Just think of pseudonyms. That’s a good distraction. You know, they say a good fake name is paramount to godliness in the writer world, so of course I need one.

Lucy Skywalker. I grin. But the grin is short lived. As if Mr Lucas will let me use that name.

L.S. Walker. I nod meaningfully to nobody in particular. Not bad.

Lucy Morticia Sharp. I shake my head. That’s horrendous. Not even for Thriller and Crime fiction, let alone the literary novel I’m writing.

‘… Lucy Wilson …’

No. I don’t want my normal name, I think in a huff. It’s at the end of the alphabet which means I’ll be at the end of the bookshelf for browsers. Less chance that they’ll find my book. Wait. Someone said my name.

‘… please come to the customer service desk … paging Lucy Wilson … please come to the customer service desk at gate twenty-three.’

Not wanting to leave the line prematurely in case I heard wrong, I look to the people in line behind me. From one face to another my gaze flits, waiting for someone to catch my own, affirm my suspicion and usher me urgently along. I see a festively plump woman with flushed cheeks talking to a man and more unknowns further along in the line. When I realise what a ridiculous notion it is to try and decipher whether or not a stranger heard my name based upon their facial expression, I pull my wheelie luggage out of line and head to the customer service desk.

‘Hello,’ I say as I arrive at the counter with a bonafide smile. A glance over my shoulder tells me that I’m now very far away from the line. And it’s getting bigger. With every passing second, another person slots perfectly onto the end. It’s like human Tetris and I’m losing. Soon, there’ll be no room for me. Game over.

Impatiently, I tap my fingers on the desk. ‘I’m Lucy Wilson. Did you call for me?’

A woman with a sleek ponytail clicks away on her keyboard, ignoring my presence. I clear my throat. She holds up a finger.

My jaw drops, shocked. A million retorts race through my mind and I can’t focus on one because they’re all amazing. Then she looks up and stares at me with frighteningly blue eyes. So icy blue they’re almost white, and I imagine they could belong to a snow queen. Or one of those evil husky dogs. Or a serial killer. Ooh. She’d make a perfect bunny boiler character for a horror story, I decide, and start cataloguing other unique attributes. Trying to soak them up so that when I finally get to a notebook, I’ll remember to write them down. She’s got nostrils that fan out when she purses her lips. A mole with a little hair growing out of it under her chin—how could she miss that fashion faux pas when the rest of herself is so impeccably groomed? Because she’s got no time for it. Because she’s been chopping up bodies and storing—

‘Can I help you?’

I clear my throat. ‘You paged me?’

She blinks.

‘Lucy Wilson,’ I repeat, irritated that I’m doing her job for her.

She clicks away on her keyboard. Her nails are filed to sharp points. Like weapons.

‘Oh yes. Miss Wilson. You have the exit seat booked, is this correct?’

‘Yeees.’ I draw out the word, not liking the sense of impending doom balling up my stomach. Her face is blank. Unreadable. Distrustful.

‘We’re so sorry to inconvenience you, but we’d like you to change seats. There is another passenger who is in need of the exit seat we’re hoping you will be accommodating.’

‘Uh.’ I’m gobsmacked. What does this mean? Is someone sick? Or maybe it’s a pregnant lady, or an old crippled person with no money. I shake my head. I don’t get it. ‘I got out of that line thinking I was getting an upgrade to Business Class. You mean to tell me that I’m getting shafted?’

She chuckles. It wasn’t a joke.

‘Well,’ she clicks away on the keyboard, ‘you do fit the profile for an upgrade, let me see what I can do.’

Maybe she’s not a serial killer after all. Maybe people have her mistaken and she’s just had a rough childhood. Maybe nobody bought her Christmas presents and she got potatoes in her sack instead. Hard life. Poor girl.

‘The profile?’ I prompt as she’s searching the screen.

‘You know, a single woman. Travelling alone.’ She gives me a pitiful glance from underneath her false lashes and prints a replacement boarding pass.

Great. Travelling alone. Way to rub it in. I can hear the cheer squad singing ‘You’re single, yeah. You’re single, yeah.’ They’re also pointing at me and holding up signs that say Single and Jobless. I guess at least it won’t be all bad. Business Class sounds good. I’ve never flown Business Class. I can be single and jobless in style.

‘No, I’m sorry. The flight is booked out.’ She pastes a sickly sweet smile over her face and hands me the new boarding pass. ‘But thank you for your accommodation. We’ll page you again if we need to change you back.’ Then she looks to someone behind me and continues, ‘Can I help you?’

And just like that, I’m dismissed.

So … there it is – my current WIP. I hope you like it and if you want to read more, sign up to my mailing list to stay in the loop.

 

About the AuthorLana Pecherczyk Facebook Twitter

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Lana Pecherczyk is an author, artist and bookshop marketer from Perth, Western Australia. She's the Webmistress for Romance Writers of Australia (and no, that's not Spiderman's lover). Is a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in many genres, including romance, comedy, fantasy and paranormal. She also loves Sailormoon. No judgement.

The post Work in Progress Update – My Rom-Com ‘You Know You’re a Writer When…’ appeared first on Author Zoo.

Conference Confidence – RWA 2016

This is my first conference and I’m a little excited and nervous at the same time.

I’m on the RWA committee so, in a sense, I’m at an advantage over other newbies. I’ll already know a few people, so I won’t be going in blind. But nevertheless, I still want to get the most that I can out of the conference.

Are you attending the conference? If you see me, please come and say Hi!

About the Conference

The Romance Writers of Australia conference is in August in Adelaide and has over 400 attendees from all over the country coming. Here is the blurb taken from the RWA website:“It’s a quarter of a century of like-minded and also wildly diverse romance writers, publishers and other industry professionals meeting for business, industry and professional development, networking, socialising and sharing the joy of Romance. Highlights will include amazing Australian and International speakers and special guests, fresh industry news and advice from leading romance publishers/agents, panels and workshops, the ARRA book signing and so much more… that’s in addition to the exciting partnership with Flinders University providing our academic ‘University of Love’ conference stream.”

Want to learn more about the conference? Click here.

What’s on my schedule? I’ll be pitching to three people at the conference (two publishers and one agent), I’m taking the Michael Hauge workshop and looking forward to learning so much more about the romance genre, writing and the people who make it great!

Tips for Conferencing with Confidence

Yes, I know conferencing isn’t a word, but you get what I mean. I’m talking about how to prepare yourself for a conference so you’re confident and get the most out of it.

Relax. Honestly, this is probably the biggest. There’s heaps of people out there exactly in the same boat as you (including me!)
Bring notebooks and pens.
Get some business cards printed. All that really matters is that you’ve got your name (or pseudonym) and phone number/email.
Wear comfortable clothes. You’re going to be up and down, and walking around all day then on into the night. Comfort is important.
Practise your pitch. This means your professional pitch, and your networking pitch. Work on some ice breakers you can use to introduce yourself.
Fangirl moments .… if you see someone you love, go up and say you love their work. But keep it professional and don’t push your own work onto them.
Backup your computer before you go … you never know if it crashes, is dropped, or a monkey steals it.
Plan what sort of people you want to network with. If you’re a paranormal romance writer, look for others you can connect with.
Save money by bringing snacks and food and a water bottle.

I wonder if my tips will change after I actually go to the conference. I’ll post an article about it, so watch this space.

My Personal Conference Challenge

 

I find that if I don’t set myself goals, I’ll float through the conference in a wondrous daze and go home wishing I had done a few things.

Meet another Newbie
Meet an  Aspiring writer
Meet an  Emerging writer
Meet an Established writer
Hand my business cards out and collect cards
Take photos!
Say thank you to a Volunteer
Say thank you to a Presenter or Publisher
Tweet awesome things on the # RWA16 hashtag
Compliment someone

What About You?Are there any goals you hope to achieve at the conference?About the AuthorLana Pecherczyk Facebook Twitter

Don't miss anything from the Author Zoo blog, sign up to the e-newsletter today.

Lana Pecherczyk is an author, artist and bookshop marketer from Perth, Western Australia. She's the Webmistress for Romance Writers of Australia (and no, that's not Spiderman's lover). Is a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in many genres, including romance, comedy, fantasy and paranormal. She also loves Sailormoon. No judgement.

Image Credits:Business photograph designed by Jcomp – Freepik.com and Business vector designed by Freepik

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Book Review – The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns

The Art of Keeping Secrets is the second Rachael Johns has written in the newly coined ‘Life lit’ category. Her first in this genre, The Patterson Girls, won the ABIA Award for Best Book in 2016.

The book centres around three women and their families. Each woman gets a chapter from her point of view and as the book progresses, you learn more about their secrets, hopes, and dreams. Felicity or Flick is a taxidermist and a mother whose husband has a habit of secretly dressing in woman’s clothes. Genevieve or Neve is a makeup artist and single mother raising a teenage son. She has to finally admit to him that she lied about his father and why he’s absent from their lives. Then you have Emma, who’s dealing with a divorce from a husband who ditched her for a younger woman. Emma is dealing with health problems and the possibility that she’s going to lose custody of her children. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but there’s many secrets in the book, and I love how you don’t have to wait until the end to find out what they are.

When I started this book, I was blown away by how familiar Rachael Johns writes.

And by that, I mean, I can almost hear the voices of my friends speaking when the characters are speaking to each other. Rachael’s got the Australian vernacular down pat! Despite having some unusual characters with unusual problems that initially jarred me, the easy going writing soon smoothed out my unease and  it wasn’t long before I found myself pages deep in the book. I almost missed my train stop at a certain climax, and because she’s written such relatable characters, I found myself in tears in others.

It deals with controversial social issues but helps you swallow them with a spoonful of Rachael Johns’ good ol’ Aussie sugar.

I definitely recommend this book.

 

 

 

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D is for Dialogue – Romance Writing from A to Z

 

Thank you Victoria Purman for writing this fantastic blog post as part of my A to Z of Romance Writing Series. Victoria is the author of upcoming book, The Three Miss Allens.  Read more about Victoria at the end of the article.

D is for Dialogue

Dialogue: a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film

So, that sounds simple, right? Dialogue is a conversation, with two – or sometimes more – people talking to each other.

The aim of dialogue is to move the story forward, to show interactions between your characters. It can reveal something about the character of your heroine and hero, it can reveal exposition, details of events that have happened before and, importantly, your characters’ dialogue can set the tone for your book.

Dialogue in a novel is not like real life conversations. (if only we were always so witty and clever) It is said that fiction is like real life with all the boring bits cut out, and that’s what you need to achieve with the dialogue in your novel. Two people having a lovely chat – with no conflict, no progression in the story, no drama – is fine in real life, but in a novel, your readers will finish that page unsatisfied.

Think about some of the conversations you have at home.

‘Did you get some milk?’

‘Yep. Two litres. Already in the fridge.’

‘Great.’

Mmm. Are you asleep already? If you can use the idea of that conversation, but super-charge it with conflict, you can use dialogue to reveal so much more about the two characters having the conversation.

‘Did you get some milk?’

‘Shit. I forgot.’

‘Again?’

‘I stopped in at the pub after work and had a drink with Simon and… sorry.’

‘Great.

The second scene, in a few lines with no dialogue tags or background, has given a reader a hint of an underlying conflict between these two characters. In this scene, asking “Did you get some milk?” is more than a question about milk: it’s an accusation about something far more serious. Your readers will be asking themselves: what has he done before that has made her so angry? Does he go to the pub a lot? Did he forget the milk because he was drunk? And your reader is engaged and imagining the story and all the mysteries you might reveal about these two people.

Just as each scene in a book has to drive the action forward, so does dialogue.

My next book, The Three Miss Allens is set in two different time periods – 1934 and 2016 – and because it dips in and out of the past over the course of the book, it was important to use the dialogue to set the tone for the two time periods, and to remind readers quickly of the time period they were in.

It was important for the style of dialogue to change when I shifted time periods. For instance, can you guess from which time period these two conversations come from?

‘You still in bed?’ he asked incredulously.

‘Yes. I am.’

‘I suppose it is Sunday,’ Leo finally conceded.

Roma stretched an arm out above her, yawned on purpose. ‘And don’t tell me. It’s still almost the crack of dawn despite the half hour time difference between you and me, and you’ve already been to the gym, run ten ks and had something biodynamic for breakfast, right?’

‘Two out of three ain’t bad, Roma. How’s everything with you? It’s hard to keep track of what you’re up to since you never post on your Facebook page.’

And this one:

‘When can we go bathing?’ Adeline called out from behind Ruby. She’d turned to look across Ocean Street, past the croquet lawns and the neatly manicured hedge, to the curve of the bay in the distance.

‘I can’t wait to try out my new swimsuit. I’m sure it will cause a scandal,’ she teased.

‘You know Father won’t let you wear it,’ Ruby added wearily. She’d been hearing about the swimsuit all the way from Adelaide. The whole train journey had been filled with nothing but fashion and romance.

My best advice about writing dialogue? Once you’ve written your scene, read it out loud to yourself. In a room of your own with the door tightly closed, if you must, but it’s a fantastic way to hear any stumbling blocks, any stiff language, or any unnatural turns of phrase.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Australian author Victoria Purman writes romance fiction for Harlequin Australia and the US-based Tule Publishing. She has published five books with Harlequin: Nobody But Him (2013), Someone Like You (2014),  Our Kind of Love (2014), Only We Know (2015) and Hold On To Me (2016).

Her next book for Harlequin, The Three Miss Allens, will be released on October 24th, 2016.

Victoria began her career as a cadet journalist at the ABC in Adelaide and, since then, has worked in varied jobs in the media, including as a media manager in the public sector, a publicist, a freelance journalist, a political adviser, a speechwriter, and a consultant editor.

In 2013, she was selected as a Writer in Residence at the SA Writers Centre and currently serves as the Deputy Chair of its Board. She is also a long-standing member of the Board of Carclew, South Australia’s youth arts funding body.

In 2014, she was named a finalist in the category Favourite New Author 2013 by the Australian Romance Readers Association, and made the long list for Booktopia’s poll, Favourite Australian Novelist 2014. In 2015 and 2016, Victoria made the final 75 in that list. In 2014, Victoria was a finalist in the RuBY Awards – the Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year Awards – for Nobody But Him. In 2016, she was nominated for Favourite Contemporary Romance by members of the Australian Romance Readers Association for Only We Know.

Victoria can be contacted via email: victoria@victoriapurman.com or visit victoriapurman.com

View all articles in the A to Z of Romance series.

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