Rachael Johns's Blog, page 6

My Secret Life with Carla Caruso

I want to offer a huge welcome to Carla Caruso to my secret life blog segment today and also offer her a MASSIVE apology for for mixing up days earlier! Carla is published by Destiny Romance and I can’t wait to catch up with my TBR pile and read her second novel Second Chance. I’ll be quiet now and welcome Carla to tell you about what she does when she’s not creating fiction:

When I’m not writing, I, well, I… write. Boring, huh?

Well, stick with me. It’s a different kind of writing this secret life of mine. See, by day, I’m a freelance journalist and editor, dealing in all sorts of non-fiction rather than the blissfully made-up world of fiction. Which can be stranger than the non-real, trust me.

Take the past fortnight for example. I interviewed seven female lawyers for an inspirational women’s feature, five ANZAC Day veterans, two rev-heads, one politician, and did a whole heap of editing work in between. Sounds a bit like that Twelve Days of Christmas ditty, but I digress…

Whenever I think I have a day to blissfully devote to fiction writing, I’m sidelined by a last-minute freelance journalism job. It happens EVERY DAY. Argh! Unfortunately, it’s the dilemma of being freelance – you never really know what a day or week’s going to look like… until the phone rings or the inbox chirps. I know the solution would be to rise at the crack of dawn and get a few hours of solid fiction writing done before the day started, but hey, I love my sleep! So the challenge continues.

But… the good thing is my day job can actually inspire my fiction writing. Like, for example, the highly organised woman I recently interviewed, who told her clients TWO YEARS in advance when she was going on holidays so they could prepare to exist without her. Little wonder her friends nicknamed her “The General”. Fun trait for a fictional character! Or the bride-princess I interviewed for a wedding magazine who replied in pink-coloured text and wanted the story’s emphasis to be on the “enchanted fairy-tale” theme of her nuptials (right down to her faux glass slippers by Christian Louboutin.) Great stuff.

The rural romance I’m currently writing is actually inspired by my first job as a full-time newspaper journalist. I’m a city girl from Adelaide, but learned the trade fresh out of uni in the lobster capital of Kingston SE, about 3.5 hours from the CBD. A lot of the things that happened to me while working there have inspired the novel, which has the working title of Pot of Gold – like trying to navigate a farm fence at a beef field day in heels (big mistake) or fondly patting a sheep at a shearing competition (not the done thing).

So, you see, whenever I dream about tossing in my day job, I worry that the well for my next novel ideas might just dry up.

Footnote: After writing this post, I’ve since taken the plunge to devote more time to fiction. I’m preggers with twins, so am off on a maternity leave break and have whittled my freelance work down to just editing one (five-yearly) magazine part-time. The rest of the time I’m calling my Year of Bubs and Books. Wish me luck!

Rach: Oh Lord! Twins.. HUGE congrats!!!! 

Book blurb: Carla Caruso’s latest book, Second Chance, out through Penguin’s Destiny Romance, features feisty heroine Flora, who time-travels back to the summer of 1998 after her phone malfunctions – and hopes to reunite with a past love! http://www.destinyromance.com/products/9781743480748/second-chance

Second Chance excerpt:

‘I thought I said no questions.’ I sigh, fluffing up the feather boa I’ve stolen from the makeup room, currently draped over my semi-naked front in an attempt at modesty. This is where the Old Me’s tendency to throw caution to the wind got me: Major Humiliation Land.

Lance shakes his head, next to me in his Capri, parked in the shadowy side street alongside Xavier’s studio. TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ wafts from his radio. ‘You can’t turn up looking like that and expect me not to wonder what the hell is going on. You could be caught up in something terrible for all I know, like, I don’t know…a prostitution ring or something.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Thank you very much, but I’m not. Trust me, this,’ I gesture at my poor excuse for an outfit, including a pale blue hand towel masquerading as a skirt and, of course, my black bra, ‘looks worse than it is.’

Lance bangs a hand on the steering wheel, looking anywhere but at me. ‘Do you need more shifts at the newsagency? Is that what this is?’

Oh, man. He really thinks I’m moonlighting as an exotic dancer. He has me pegged for that sort of girl. I’m mildly offended. A sigh escapes through my gritted teeth.

‘Look.’ I turn around, readjusting the towel on my lap so I don’t reveal quite so much thigh. Unfortunately, the fabric has a suspect-looking stain in one corner. Ew. ‘I’ll tell you what happened only if you swear not to tell Ruben or Clementine or, okay, anyone for that matter. Promise?’

Lance glances at me, then, flushing, looks ahead again, his jaw clenched. ‘Fine.’

I suck in a breath, watching a fly tiptoe across the dashboard. Right. Speeding up my explanation might make it less painful, like ripping off a Band-Aid. ‘Okay, I responded to an ad in the paper about posing for a semi-nude portrait for an artist – a respected artist – but I got cold feet. Bad. I realised what a stupid impulsive idea it was and suddenly wanted to get the hell out of there. So I called you, then escaped out of the bathroom mid-shoot. Hence,’ I look down, ‘my lack of proper clothing.’

Thank goodness phones with cameras weren’t ubiquitous in the nineties. It would have been a money shot to catch me wiggling through the window in next to nothing. My arms and legs bear the scratches. Lance remains stony-faced as though processing the information.

Thanks so much for stopping by Carla!! I’m a wee bit jealous of all the fabulous opportunities you get for research in your day job You can find more about Carla on her website, she’s also on Twitter!!

Writing OUTBACK BLAZE

If you’re a friend on FACEBOOK or TWITTER, you’ve probably heard me screaming it from the rooftops that I’ve finished my latest book – OUTBACK BLAZE. So I just thought I’d share a little bit about this book, the inspiration and the writing process.

OUTBACK BLAZE will be the second in my first series. The books are all stand-alones but they are set in the same small town, many of the characters reappear throughout the three (at least) books and there is one storyline that is only slightly touched on in Books 1 & 2, which becomes one of the main plots in Book 3 (OUTBACK GHOST)!

I actually had the inspiration from for OUTBACK GHOST before the first two books, but some key components of this story were too similar to another story my publisher had coming out when I proposed the story. I was devastated. I LOVED the idea and really wanted to write it. Anyway I went back to the drawing board and tried to think of a brand new idea – I flicked through magazines, thought about my favourite type of stories, ate lots of chocolate, cried a bit when I decided I had nothing and my career was over – and THEN I realised the book I wanted to write could be written later down the track. I realised I could set seeds in two earlier books.

And this excited me, because so many of you had emailed me or posted messages on FB saying that you loved series and was I ever thinking of writing a sequel to JILTED or MAN DROUGHT (btw, the answer is yes to JILTED – stay tuned)!?

First step was brainstorming the main characters for each book. I wanted to write a friends to lovers story and that became OUTBACK DREAMS (due out in October this year) and I’d always wanted to write about a small town shop fire that affects all the community, and so I decided somehow I would make this the crux of book two OUTBACK BLAZE.

Thus, when I pitched this series, I had written a synopsis for book one, had almost the whole of book three in my head, and only a tiny seed of an idea for book two. The fire. I knew I wanted to start the book with a fire and I knew who my heroine was – we meet her in OUTBACK DREAMS. I figured I’d have oodles of time to come up with more of an idea, but then I found out my wonderful publisher wanted to publish these books a lot closer together and I realised I actually only had two and a half months to write OUTBACK BLAZE. EEK!

I had a small heart attack – moaned to my writing friends – and then I sat down to make notes. I knew the fire would not be an accident but when I started writing I hadn’t yet worked out who’d started it. Thus, I wrote my first ever story that included an element of suspense without having any clue as to who the villain was. I also had to write it faster than I’ve ever written anything in my life. (In the end I wrote 115k in 2.5 months)

I’m rambling a bit I know… but I guess what I wanted to say, was OUTBACK BLAZE has been a different writing experience for me. I didn’t have time to plan too much, do heavy research or stress that it was crap, I just had to write. There were times when I didn’t think I’d make it, but others when the pressure inspired me to write whatever came into my head. I went from writing 1k a day to more like 3k a day (although I didn’t write on every day).

I’m not sure I’ll write a book this fast again and I’m not sure I’ll go the suspense angle again either, but I really enjoyed the challenges that came with writing OUTBACK BLAZE and I cannot wait to share it with you in January 2014!!!

What have you done that challenged you lately?

x

Rach!

My Secret Life with Whitney K-E

My guest today is quite amazing!! I met her while she was doing her HSC (New South Wales year 12 exams for those not in Australia) at last year’s Romance Writers of Australia conference. She must be one of the youngest and most enthusiastic members of RWAus and her passion and dedication to writing means she’s definitely a writer to watch. I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard she’d sold her book earlier this year.

Welcome Whitney K-E!!

What Really Happened in Ireland

Whitney K-E was shocked when she visited Ireland only to find out that the characters in her novel, What Happens in Ireland weren’t so fictional after all!

Now, it’s strange, but I wrote What Happens in Ireland before I actually landed on Irish soil! I’d been planning my trip to Ireland and the UK for two years and so overcome with excitement (not to mention frequently daydreaming), I put pen to paper. And that’s how What Happens in Ireland was born!

Planning my trip and checking out all the sights was great research. And more than a little fun. What I didn’t expect to encounter in Ireland when I finally go there however, were the characters I had dreamed up!

Now, I wish I could say I met my Irishman, Jack O’Reilly in a Dublin bar, but unfortunately, I didn’t. No Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome for me. Not yet, anyway hehe. But, I did meet many of my other favourite characters.

Whilst on a tour to Bru na Boine, I met my mate, Jen Tully in the form of my tour guide for the Neolithic tomb, Mary. Mary was exactly how I imagined Jen; Chirpy, enthusiastic and brimming with a sarcastic sense of humour. In fact, I was so convince she was my beloved fictional character that I almost changed Jen’s description just to suit Mary’s! And to top it all off, Mary knew two of my other characters. If you’ve read What Happens in Ireland you’ll be aware that Jack’s parents were engaged on the Carrick-a-Rede bridge. Well, it turns out, so was Mary’s cousin! To be honest, I was so excited and more than a little jealous. Such a beautiful place to propose to the person you love and to find out that it was actually something that happened… I was beginning to suspect I was psyhic!

My next encounter was in Killarney, the hometown of my hero, Jack O’Reilly. Whilst in Killarney, I put on my riding boots and went on a trail ride through Killarney National Park with one of the local stables. And it was here that I met four of my beloved characters, three of which were of the animal variety

And here is one of my furry friends:

Clyde and Pascal, the gorgeous Irish cob crosses we rode were the real life embodiment of my equine dreams, Hero and Archie. Such beautiful horses and despite their giant frames, the comfiest horses my twin sister and I had ever ridden. Admittedly, we were wondering how much we would have to offer to take them home with us haha! Unfortunately, we could not afford the excess luggage .

And then there was the beloved barn cat and the queen of O’Reilly Stud, H.A.M.!

Whilst waiting for my toes to defrost after my ride, up jumps a purring shadow to keep me company on the bench. I wish I had a picture of my face when I saw the cat. I guess a picture of me with H.A.M. will just have to do.

And then there was my tour guide Emma. She was Kate. She travelled to Ireland to work with horses and not only did she fall in love with the country, but with a local Irishman as well.

I was a little disheartened to leave Killarney. It seemed like any second now I would run into Jack O’Rielly. But we had to move and on we went to Galway. Whilst in Galway, I met a couple whose relationship with each other reminded me so much of the love I tried to create between the two stablehands, Jen and Tom. It was amazing to see that love like that did exist.

And I suppose last but not least, I guess…I sort of did meet Jack. Whilst travelling through the Burren Valley, we stopped for a tour of a traditional farm. The countryside was beautiful and the owners of the farm reminded me so much of Jack, his brother William and their parents. Sadly, I don’t have names for these two men, but their larrikin nature, family respect and devotion to the farm had me thinking that these men were the O’Rielly boys.

Though, I’m not sure Jack would be caught dead wearing an apron hehe.

(note from Rach: These two look adorable. I’d love to read about them in a book)

And there you have it! What really happened in Ireland I always knew Ireland would be magical. I just didn’t think it would bring to life the characters I had conjured in my head.

Thanks so much for coming Whitney and sharing your fabulous holiday. Isn’t it amazing, how much it was like your book That must have made it extra special. Whitney is running a fabulous giveaway during her release period, details below. Be sure to check out her awesome book – to-buy links also below!

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on this blog post or any of the other blog posts celebrating the release of Whitney’s debut to go in the draw to win one of two prize packs including a PDF of What Happens in Ireland, a handmade ribbon bookmark designed by Swagmaster Designs and a coffee mug. You can join in the fun on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/events/491411070916233/

Whitney’s Novel:

Ever wondered what happens in Ireland?

When Australian, Kate Barrow, meets a handsome Irishman in a Dublin bar, she has no idea that he’s about to turn her world upside-down and inside-out.

In Ireland to take on a position on a thoroughbred stud, Kate is shocked when her manager-in-co reveals himself to be the same man she’d met in Dublin.

Jack is drawn to Kate. The problem is, she won’t have him. But Jack has always loved a challenge and the intriguing woman from Oz is one he cannot resist.

Harbouring the sting of another man’s betrayal, Kate is certain she wants nothing to do with love and nothing to do with Jack O’Reilly. But when naked torsos, Mother Nature and dysfunctional umbrellas start plotting against her resolve, she realizes the charms of an Irishman are going to be hard to resist.

If you’d like to read excerpts or buy Whitney’s novel, you can find it at the following:

- Amazon

- Secret Cravings

- All Romance Ebooks

- Smashwords

You can connect with Whitney on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and on her blog. Whitney also blogs regularly on group blog Romanctic Muse.

 

My Secret Life with Maggie Mundy

As I introduce today’s lovely guest the gorgeous Maggie Mundy, I too have a confession to make – I want to do what she’s doing! And I’m not talking about writing speculative fiction (I admire those who do but I’ll stick to my contemporary romance thank you very much)! Anyway, please give a warm welcome to Maggie and her secret life outside of writing…

Rejections are like falling off your motorbike

I wasn’t one of those people who thought they would always write a novel, and equally I wasn’t someone who thought about being a bikie chick either.  My daughter had mentioned wanting to learn to ride and I said I would too. I didn’t think it would actually happen, after all you know what eighteen year olds are like. So when she said she was going to get her learners and you’re coming too mum, I didn’t have a leg to stand on. All I had ever done in the past was ride a moped back in the UK and been pillion on my husband’s bike so this was a huge step for me.

So I turn up at the learner’s course and don’t do too bad until the test where I freeze. Maybe the thought of having a licence that says I can go on the road was freaking me out. Second attempt and I thought I was doing okay until the test day when I had an instructor who was a male chauvinist pig to say the least. So I was not surprised when he didn’t pass me. Third time same guy failed me again. I was in tears and decided I would never do it again, and why was I putting myself through this.

Unbeknownst to me my husband and friend phoned up and complained about the instructor (they were not the first complaint about him) and I was given another chance. I passed with flying colours without Mr Grumpy around.

Over the next two years I practiced and decided to go for my full test. In the meantime the test centre had moved to the other side of town and I had to ride through a thunderstorm in during peak hour traffic and unfortunately didn’t pass.

I had another month before I could retake my test and there was a motorbike club get together in Mildura so I decided to ride the 400km. My husband and friends were saying are you sure you can do it, but I had to prove to myself that I was serious about wanting this. Now I’m not usually fearless and on the freeway I would get freaked out by the big trucks passing and the wind gusts blowing me around. My solution was to sing Akuna Mutate very loudly. It worked even if I probably looked demented.

Eventually did my test and past. That was last year and now I look back and have to say the experience taught me something about myself. When you fall off or get a rejection you should get back up and keep writing or get back on the bike no matter how bruised you are.

Be determined and persevere until you get there. I’m still not super brave but when I ride through a busy city now I break it up into small pieces so that I don’t get overwhelmed by what I am doing, and I can do the same with writing. Before I know it I’ve got there.

Years ago I did a fortune telling game and asked the question of whether I would get published. The answer that came back from the cards was to enjoy the journey. Now I do with the wind blowing in my hair.

As for my publication journey I have a novella called Blood Scent coming out with Rogue Phoenix Press in July and a book with Soul Mate Publishing called Hidden Mortality in 2014. I have been writing for ten years and have had more rejections than you could poke a stick at, but like with my bike I got up brushed myself off and tried again.

The top picture is me practising my tight u turns. It’s a killer at a slow pace but I mastered it eventually. The second picture was me riding in the Pink Ribbon Ride for breast cancer, hence the pink bras on our bikes. I am on the middle bike. Even my hubby put a bra on his big cruiser.

Thanks Maggie for that inspirational and encouraging story! And I’m sure we all can’t wait for your novella. In the meantime, you can checkout Maggie at her website and on Facebook and Twitter!! 

And I’d like to know – what thing have YOU done, where you’ve had to keep trying and trying again until you succeed?

I’ve finished, so here’s a treat for you!

Hi folks

I’m smiling and drinking pink bubbly tonight because I just finished the final read through of my October release OUTBACK DREAMS. The final read through actually included a LOT of tweaks – that’s just the way I roll – and it’s good to have finally pushed send. OUTBACK DREAMS is the first in at least three books about the people of Bunyip Bay (a fictional town in Western Australia). It is Faith Forrester and Daniel (Monty) Montgomery’s story and they’ve been best friends in like forever.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what the talented peeps at Harlequin Australia do for this cover but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a small extract with you. There’ll be more tasters nearer the release date I promise.

From chapter six OUTBACK DREAMS:

He sat at the bar, tapping his boots along to the country music belting out from the stereo and chatting to Liam the publican when he wasn’t serving his few customers. Currently the only people in the pub were a local family with three young kids having an early counter meal and two old men who spent more time here than they did at home.

A shadow fell behind him and then a hand clapped firmly against his back. ‘What are you having, mate?’ came Adam’s jovial voice. ‘The drinks are on me tonight, well at least the first few anyway.’

‘I thought farmers were supposed to be hard-up,’ Liam said, as he pulled a couple of pint glasses down from a shelf.

Adam laughed. ‘We are. But we know how to prioritise, right Monty?’

Monty managed to open his mouth but his throat was so clogged up with emotion, he almost couldn’t speak. He took a moment, and then let out a short, ‘yeah.’

A farmer. After all these years.

When their beers landed on the bar, Adam raised his for a toast. ‘Welcome to my world – dumb sheep, no rain and long hours on a tractor.’

As they drank to this the pub door swung open. Monty turned, hoping to see Ruby. He’d asked her to join them when he’d popped into The Ag Store for some supplies on Wednesday, but she hadn’t given him a definite answer. Nevertheless, her response, ‘I’ll try,’ had kept him on a high since. His shoulders slumped as a horde of guys he’d worked with on the crayfish boats spilled into the pub. He was happy to see them, and would probably miss them when they weren’t colleagues anymore, but they weren’t Ruby.

There was just something about Robert and Lyn Jones’ daughter that had captured his attention – okay, and the attentions of the other single blokes in Bunyip – the moment she’d moved to town. Although she had the looks of a supermodel, she kept pretty much to herself. He’d asked her out a few times before and she’d politely declined, but Monty wasn’t one to give up when he wanted something.

‘Monty, my main man!’ A lanky bloke who didn’t look like he could lift one crayfish – never mind a whole crate of them – slapped Monty on the back.

‘Hey Curtis,’ he said with a grin.

The other blokes offered their congratulations and voiced their disappointment that Monty wouldn’t be working with them anymore. Then Kyle, coming back from his first trip to the men’s room, froze. Staring ogle-eyed at the pub entrance he finally let out a wolf-whistle. Everyone swung round to see what, or rather who, had got Kyle’s balls in a twist. Monty’s mouth was the first to drop open.

Faith.

Her smile filled her whole face as his gaze met hers. His mouth went dry. Ryan came in behind her and they started towards the bar. She strode liked she’d been walking in knee-high eff-me boots her whole damn life. A titillating pink dress fell way above her knees, showcasing legs that usually only wore jeans or denim shorts. And her hair. What had she done with her hair?

It swished around her shoulders as she sashayed toward them. It looked so soft, silky, and golden blonde, a few shades lighter than her usual chocolate. His fingers twitched around his beer glass as the craziest thought of sliding them through Faith’s hair hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

Before he could digest this thought and work out what the hell to do with it, Ryan and Faith were amongst them.

Adam lifted a hand in greeting and Faith grinned at her audience of open-mouthed men. ‘Evening boys.’

The look on his mates’ faces reminded Monty his own jaw was still scraping the ugly carpeted floor and he picked it up quick fast. While the guys fell all over each other trying to win the honour of buying Faith’s first drink, Monty sidled up beside her.

‘Do I know you?’

Typical Faith style, she socked him in the arm.

He rubbed at the spot, pretending she’d bruised him. ‘Hey, just saying. You look different tonight.’

‘Different, huh? You sure know how to compliment a girl.’

Shaking the shocking thoughts that were really circling his head, he raised his eyebrows. ‘All right. You look amazing. Is that better? When did you get your hair done?’

‘This morning.’ Lifting fingers, which were covered in pink nail polish he’d previously thought alien to Faith, she ran them through the ends of her hair. ‘You like?’

‘Yes.’ He grinned, then leaned in close. ‘I think every bloke in the pub likes.’

‘Good. Then my mission is half-accomplished.’

‘What’s the rest of the mission?’

She wriggled her eyebrows at him and hissed in his ear, ‘To get one of them to ask me back to his place.’

A muscle at the side of his neck twinged as he thought about the prospect of one of the guys taking Faith home. Yes, they were all mates but were any of them good enough for her? Would they respect her, treat her right? Or would they simply take advantage of her current mental state?

‘You don’t know what to say, do you?’ Faith was clearly amused.

That wasn’t strictly true. He wanted to tell her to be careful. That the way she looked now made her a danger to herself in a room full of red-blooded males. ‘Sure I do. I was just thinking about which of these blokes could actually handle you.’

‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head.’ She waved her index finger in front of his nose. ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

With that promise, she turned on her impressive heels and entered the circle of men waiting with drinks. Within seconds, someone had given her a glass of wine but it looked out of place in her grasp, considering her usual drink of choice was beer.

More closer to October

My Secret Life with Fiona Lowe

Today I’m thrilled to welcome my good friend Fiona Lowe to my blog. I met Fiona online on the RWAus loop and then later at a conference. We immediately clicked and she’s been a huge support to my writing over the last few years. Not only is she a lovely person but she writes exactly my type of books. I was lucky enough to read her RITA Award winning BOOMERANG BRIDE before it sold to Carina Press and I’m so stoked she has a brand new bride series out now. I’m yet to read SAVED BY THE BRIDE  but it is very near the top of my ridiculous TBR pile and I can hardly wait! 

So, thanks for coming today Fiona to give readers a little insight into what you get up to when you’re not writing. Welcome!

When I asked my 14 year-old what I should blog about outside of writing, he said, ‘there’s nothing’ to which I said, ‘Go clean your room.’  Recently, with a short deadline, it seems that my life is all work but that’s not strictly true. We, as a family, like to cycle.

Last year, I took this cycling caper to an extreme and went on the Great Victorian Bike Ride where not only did I ride 590 kilometres over nine days, I also did with a group of 14 year-olds. That made it even more of a challenge but we got every kid up every hill…and there were a LOT of hills. We also got through every type of weather from hail and sleet to scorching heat. Were there times when I asked myself, ‘Why?’ Hell, yes! Am I glad I did it? Absolutely? Would I do it again? Yes, but not with the school. I would do it with my husband or friends.

Later this year I’m off to France on a cycling trip with my husband. We’re cycling along the Canal du Midi where I believe there is a scarcity of hills although if after a couple of days of flattish riding and I am pining for hills, I can cycle up behind the glorious fortified French town of Carcassonne.   Apparently, we will be riding through an area filled with vineyards so that will involve some wine tasting and of course in France, one is never far from a patisserie with amazing coffee, bread and cakes. Hmm, maybe I better ride up those hills behind Carcassonne after all!

Do you have any cycling stories to share?

In my not so secret life, I write books and I’m thrilled to say that Saved By The Bride, the first book in my Wedding Fever trilogy is out now!

Welcome to Whitetail, Wisconsin, future home of Weddings that WOW!

As acting mayor, Annika will do anything to revive the economy of the town that’s been her refuge ever since her art career imploded and her fiancé walked out. Even if it means crashing an engagement party to talk business with the bride’s billionaire father. But the evening starts with a kiss from a gorgeous stranger—and ends with a night in jail.

Finn Callahan can’t believe his sister is getting married, not after their parents’ disastrous track record. And he’d rather be anywhere than working from his family’s vacation home. Until he catches a leggy blonde sneaking in the window, and suddenly telecommuting for the season is very appealing.

Unable to resist their mutual attraction, Annika and Finn are soon mixing business and pleasure—just for the summer. Too bad Annika’s heart missed the memo about not falling in love…

Book one of Wedding Fever. 99,000 words

Check out the fabulous Saved By The Bride trailer.

Saved By the Bride is available from Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Carina Press, Kobo  iBooks, and all other eBook retailers.

You can find Fiona on Facebook and Twitter as well as at her home on the web.

Thanks so much for stopping by Fiona! I must admit I RARELY ride my bike – last time was during a family holiday to Rottnest Island in 2010 but I also admit that when I DO get around to it, I really enjoy it! 

My Secret Life with Suzi Love

Today you are in for a treat! Don’t tell but this is one of my favourite secret life posts yet!!! Maybe because I LOVE old buildings! A huge welcome to Crimson Romance author Suzi Love who writes historical romance from Regency to Victoria and even has a romantic name

Welcome Suzi!

Oooh, do I really have to spill my secrets? I’m really rather boring. Shy, retiring, and quiet as I tell my friends.

*I have to butt in here and say from romance conferences I really don’t think any of you should believe that*

But in my secret life, I have an addiction. I’m obsessed with museums, big, small, and especially the obscure ones. And I love photographing all the weird and wonderful things I discover in museums. My obsession is so well known to my family that they run for the hills at the first hint of a photo viewing session.

After I went to a Romance Writers USA conference in New York, I decided a quick hop across the ocean to London and Bath and a hundred or so museums needed to be squeezed into the agenda. I came home with 10,000 photos. So I guess I can’t blame my family for running. Grin!

Do you want a taste of the best places I’ve visited in my secret life?

No. 1 The Pierpont Morgan Library/Museum in New York. In the early 1900s, Pierpont Morgan used the multi-tiered library as his personal office. The library holds his priceless collections of rare books, gold leafed medieval works, literary and music manuscripts, including the ‘First’ works of practically every historical celebrity in the world. Visitors, especially me, stand in the middle, rotate slowly, and stare upwards, awe-struck at level upon level of priceless books.

No.2. The Ragged Children Museum London. A rambling multistory old house that helped feed, clothe, and educate tens of thousands of poor children under Thomas Barnardo’s scheme. After a cholera epidemic swept through the East End, Barnado gave up his medical training to open his first “ragged school” in 1867 and for the next thirty-one years educated children. Now school groups dress in Victorian clothes and live a ragged school day.

No.3   We can’t forget Australia, can we? How about a squatter’s house in outback Queensland?

My second secret life?

Is a fascination with Keanu Reeves and…..his secret life!

Interviewers are always stunned by his intelligence, charm, and air of mystery. Yet he’s well known for having high-brow reading tastes despite having dyslexia, has written a book of poems, directs as well as acts, owns his own production company, and is extremely generous to his coworkers and charities. Apart from the fact that I’ve met him twice and he’s ten times sexier close up and his sultry voice and hand holding made me go weak at the knees.

Thanks so much for stopping by Suzi and sharing some of your passions! I’m curious readers – have you got a museum that Suzi needs to put on her must-see list?

You can find Suzi at her Web, on  Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Her two novels The Viscount’s Pleasure House and Embracing Scandal have both done well in RWAustralia contests and are now published with Crimson Romance.  

The Viscount’s Pleasure House - An erotic story set in England in the risqué early Victorian era. In exchange for information about his mother and sisters, London’s most notorious Viscount is coerced into allowing three respectable women to visit his Pleasure Houses. The goal of the ladies is to learn how to hold men’s attention by giving them exquisite pleasure. Each lady comes to the pleasure gardens a little naïve, but leaves as knowledgeable as a well schooled courtesan. Though the world-weary viscount falls in head over heels in love with one of the ladies, he struggles to find reasons to convince her to trust him, and to marry him, after their visit to the country Pleasure House is over.

Buy links –  Amazon  Barnes and Noble  iTunes  All Romance

Embracing Scandal - Lady Rebecca Jamison, a mathematical genius, saves her siblings from financial ruin by dabbling in the London stock exchange. When a greedy syndicate kills her friend and threatens her family, Becca begs assistance from Cayle, Duke of Sherwyn, her nemesis and previous friend. As Cayle and Becca rekindle old passions, the duke uses old skills as a spy to protect his lady. He successfully defeats the illegal consortium, but can Cayle persuade a self-sufficient spinster to become his duchess?

Buy Links - Amazon  Barnes and Noble  iTunes

My Secret Life with Margaret Lynette Sharp

Today I have a lovely lady I met through Twitter and my blog, talking about what she does when she’s not writing – short story writer Margaret Lynette Sharp! I have not managed to master the art of writing short and I have a lot of respect for those who have, so welcome Margaret.

MY SECRET LIFE

Anyone who has skimmed through my blog will have more than an inkling of my ‘secret life’. Who can resist the burning temptation of writing about such things?

Many things I love: ranging from those at home, such as my hubby Ron, our young white Maltese cross, Chicki Rose, and our two blue budgies (Albert and Victoria), to activities such as swimming, dancing, playing the piano and accordion, painting in watercolour, and photography. Does this make me a dilettante? Who knows? I enjoy creating, and I enjoy beauty in its many forms.

I could talk at length about each of these, but now is not the time. For today, I’ve chosen a couple of my pet topics.

A Turning Point.

The wedding of my niece Kathy marked a turning point in more lives than hers and her partner’s, for it unstintingly helped to trigger two big changes in my life, too.

Firstly, it egged me on to start writing. Suddenly, I had realized with breathtaking: clarity: that life moves on.

Secondly, it introduced me to modern dancing: something I had never attempted, despite reaching middle age. In the beginning, I was more than reluctant to try: and horribly self-aware. But nowadays, as readers of my blog may know, Ron and I are regulars, and love dancing to the awesome band tunes of the 60′s to 80′s.

There’s a moral, here: you never know what you’re missing!

The Arrival of Chicki.

Those of you who have lost a beloved pet will know the heartbreak. Our sixteen year old Maltese, Trixie, had left us. Six weeks later, the void was just as deep.

Our vet, Ben, had schooled us on the virtues of choosing a rescue dog, and so the hunt began.

I spotted Chicki (under a different name) on the web-page of a fairly close RSPCA  animal shelter. She was thirteen months old, and had been there for weeks. I first saw her image on a Wednesday, but several days slipped by before we made the call. Yes, she was still available: yes, we could see her: no, they couldn’t put a hold on her. The latter piece of information gave us mounting cause for anxiety as we made that fateful half-hour drive. But, YES, she was still there: rather shy, very pretty, and like so many, in need. And we could adopt her! Our decision was made.

On the drive home, she showed such an intelligent interest in her surroundings: a characteristic that Ron found particularly endearing. We had, he believed, chosen well.

Ben had been right: he said that rescue dogs ‘know’. The degree of devotion she shows to us every day bears this out.

So, there you have it: a snippet of my ‘secret life’.

Most of my Short Story collections contain at least one or two stories that involve animals: and of these, it’s often the ownership of a dog that brings folks together who ultimately fell in love. Is it kindred spirits?

 Thanks for sharing that Margaret! There are a LOT of animal lovers amongst us I know In fact pets seem to be a bit of a secret life theme around here!

Margaret can be found on Twitter, Goodreads and she also regularly updates her blog.

Margaret’s latest short story collection is Encore: In common with Margaret’s previous works, ‘Encore‘ contains a selection of mainly romantic tales, overwhelmingly positive in theme. The author’s favourites include ‘At Sixteen: Annie’s Story’,'To the Beautiful Brigitte’, and ‘The Locket’. Comprising twenty-five stories, this is a highly readable, attractively presented volume. 

Encore is available on Amazon and at other stores if requested. As a special treat one of Margaret’s other collections – A Taste of Life and Love in Australia is currently discounted on Amazon for Kindle at only 99c.

My Secret Life with Ros Baxter

Today I have the delightful Ros Baxter, whose book FISH OUT OF WATER just released with Escape Publishing. I have got this book on my Kindle and I must admit, it sounds like a hoot!! I’m so intrigued to read a book written about a mermaid!!! And the fact that it’s a romance is just so much better!

I met Ros (don’t know if she remembers) at the RWA conference on the Gold Coast last year – she had recently had her fourth child (I KNOW – I thought three was full-on) baby and the delightful little cherub was making lots of people smile all over the conference. 

Anyway… I’ll stop rambling and let Ros give you a little insight into what she gets up to when she’s not writing. Don’t forget to read the blurb for FISH OUT OF WATER at the end!

Welcome Ros…

Secrets. Even the word conjures up dark and spicy things, hidden in the lush places of our hearts.

And I remember when I used to have them.

Children have a way of changing all that. Not only do they leave little room for tantalising other lives, they transform you into a semi-public figure through their insatiable curiosity.

I find myself telling my children things I wouldn’t tell a friend, a lover or even a therapist.  And I’m not sure why.  Maybe just because they ask (all the time) and I’m caught off-guard (and without a convenient cover story). Things about what I just did in the toilet. The meanest name anyone ever called me. Whatever happened to that pre-Daddy boyfriend they saw in that old photograph.

And in return, they take these secret things and broadcast them to the world.

Mummy did a number two.  It’s okay, she flushed.

Mummy’s ears stick out.  But don’t call her wing-nut.  It’s unkind.

That boy had a bad temper. Mummy says it’s okay to feel angry; it’s what you do about it.

The only secrets I have left are kind of vanilla.  And the kids aren’t so interested.  So let me share three of them with you.

1) I spent a looooonnnng time studying serious things and have a serious day job.

I studied a PhD in law at the University of Sydney and sometimes I make my family call me Dr Ros just to remind them that I do know some stuff.  Okay, I don’t really do that, but let me tell you – when an eight year old looks at you dubiously after you tell him the capital of Iceand, it’s really tempting. When I’m not doing my favourite thing (writing fiction) I work for the Australian Government (more specifically, I work in the area of Indigenous policy, which I’m completely passionate about – just ask anyone I’ve ever cornered for a chat on the issue).  While I like to think I bring my writing skills to the table in my day job, occasionally I will get told my brief is just a little too sexy. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

2) I’m a worrier (actually that’s maybe not so secret).  But specifically, I often wake up in the night worrying about whether I’m doing good.

I grew up with parents who told us ALL THE TIME that no-one was just a drop in the ocean, and that you should use your talents for good (whatever that is).  At the moment, I’m really excited about a short story competition I’ve developed for Indigenous high school girls in remote Australia: tomorrowgirl. I’m a huge believer in the transformative power of stories and I’m blown away by the talent I’m discovering among young women in remote Australia

3) And my biggest, dirtiest secret?  I have a salacious fantasy that obsesses me most days.  It  involves a bed, chocolate, a dark, rainy night and a stack of unread books.  *sigh*

Thanks for having me Rachael.  I hope readers will find my mermaid’s secrets far more exciting!

Thank YOU for coming!!! I cannot WAIT to read about your mermaid’s secrets. Speaking of which, here’s the blurb for FISH OUT OF WATER (I dare you to read it and not want to read the whole thing):

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum meets Splash in a sexy, smart-talking debut about a mermaid in a desert, a city under water, and the secret that no one is supposed to uncover. Dirtwater’s straight-talking Deputy Sheriff Rania Aqualina has a lot on her plate: a nicotine addiction that’s a serious liability for a mermaid, a soldier-of-fortune ex who’s hooked on her Mum’s brownies, a gorgeous, naked stranger in her shower, and a mysterious dead blonde with a fish tattoo on Main Street. Heading home to Aegira for a family wedding, Rania has a sinking feeling that’s got nothing to do with hydroporting seven miles under the sea and everything to do with the crazy situation. Now, if she can just steal a corpse, get a crazy Aegiran priest off her case, work out who the hell’s trying to kill her, and stop sleeping with the fishes, she might be able to unravel the mysteries. And maybe even save her own ass while she’s at it. Fish out of Water is the first book in a trilogy about Aegira, an underwater kingdom based on the historical Norse legend of Aegir.

You can email Ros at rosbaxterink@gmail.com or find her at www.facebook.com/RosBaxterInk, on twitter @RosBaxter, or www.rosbaxterink.com

But MOST importantly, you can buy FISH OUT OF WATER from Amazon, iBooks and Escape Publishing.

A Fools’ Day Anniversary!

Two years ago today, I woke up at my Aunty’s place ready to take Trouble to a doctor’s appn in Perth. As you do when you’re addicted to email and Internet, I checked my email on my phone and almost rolled out of bed in shock! I had an email from Angela James at Carina Press telling me they wanted to BUY MY BOOK!!!!

As I jumped wildly around the room and my bemused child looked on not quite knowing WHAT to think, I totally forgot the fact it was April Fools Day. I called my family and emailed all my friends. One of my good writing friends said, ‘Are you sure it’s not an April Fools’ Day!?’

Oh MY!

I hadn’t even contemplated that! But it wasn’t. Turns out editors might be scary and (between you and I) they sometimes seem to operate on a TOTALLY different calendar to us mere mortals, they are not cruel! And it WAS true!!

Angela James and my fabulous Carina editor Charlotte Herscher loved my story about a girl dressed up as a Christmas Fairy and her grumpy boss. ONE PERFECT NIGHT came out eight months later, but in that time, I sold my second book – JILTED – to the lovely Haylee Nash at Harlequin Australia.

Since then I have published two more books, have a fifth coming out in October this year (OUTBACK DREAMS) and am contracted for two more books. There have been so many highs during this time:

See covers for the first time – not much comes close to this buzz for me
Being voted Australia’s 10th favourite novelist in this year’s Booktopia’s Australia’s Favourite Novelist contest.
Being nominated for an ARRA Award last year for ONE PERFECT NIGHT and this year for JILTED.
WINNING Favourite Contemporary Romance with JILTED at this years Australian Romance Readers Convention.
Finding my fabulous agent Helen Brietweiser at Cornerstone Literary Agency.
Selling JILTED to HQN, which means it will soon be published in North America as well as down under.

One the other side of the published fence, it is not all chocolates and roses. My dream has come true in that writing is now not merely a hobby but one of my three full-times jobs (yeah, work that out). But this means that I have to write even when I’m not at all in the mood. I constantly deal with doubt crows and demons telling me I can’t do this and that my successes thus far have been a fluke.

Okay… I can’t think of many more downsides – it IS mostly chocolates and roses! And my dream/goal now is to keep it up. To keep improving my craft and developing my story telling skills. To keep writing books that readers email thanking me for! Oh, I’m getting a little teary thinking about what an honour it is have a reader trust me enough to give up a few hours of their life with my book!

So… two years on from getting THE EMAIL that changed my life in many ways, I want to THANK everyone who has been on some of the journey with me – my family, my friends, my publishers, my editors, my agent, RWAus and most of all my readers!

Books are written to be READ!

NB. Currently a number of online stores have the ebooks of MAN DROUGHT and JILTED at reduced prices:

Google Play – Man Drought at $1.01

Google Play – Jilted at $2.50

Kobo Books – Jilted at $4.99

Amazon – Man Drought at $5.21