Louisa George's Blog, page 2

The research rabbit hole

 

As you know, among other things, I write medical romance and I try hard to make sure the medical information in the stories is authentic and correct. I also write books with a variety of settings and storylines and I like to make sure I can give a real life feel to the places we visit and the things my characters do. This involves quite a large amount of time researching cities and restaurants, activities available, ‘things to do’ etc.

Because I’m a ‘pantser’ and not a plotter (which means I don’t plan the story out in advance) I never know exactly what my characters are going to be doing even on the day I’m writing a particular scene so researching in advance is not possible (although I do try to set my books in places I have visited so I have a vague idea of sounds /smells/atmosphere etc). So I have to research as I go, unlike plotters who usually have everything researched well in advance (oh, to be a plotter!!!)

Often this means that me and Mr Google are very good friends. I use Google Earth to literally ‘walk’ down a road and see what is around. This is why in Reunited By Their Secret Son has a large garden opposite Sophie’s house… I stumbled upon it when I was walking through the Edinburgh streets online! I can see what flowers are out, what the houses are made of, how wide the roads are, where the local shops are etc…

I learnt the hard way that researching as I go is easier for me. My very first book (which will never see the light of day) was a dreary historical novel set in the Crimean war. As a nurse I had a fascination with Florence Nightingale and as a writer I wanted to get aspects of her life and the kind of nursing they did in the war correct, so I spent literally days reading and reading and reading and reading longwinded historical books, taking copious notes in long hand and going down a zillion random rabbit holes chasing ‘the shiny’ information that wasn’t relevant…. to the detriment of actually writing the book!!

Now my deadlines mean I don’t have the luxury to do such long winded research and when I’m chasing a daily word count I often do the writing and leave marks like this <><><><> in my manuscript which mean do some research for details here. But mainly, I just stop and Google and fill in the blanks as I go, oh I am so glad we live in internet times and I don’t need to go to the library every time I need information about the best Naples pizzerias or how to do open heart surgery (and everything in between!!) .

(You do not want to see my search engine history!!!!!!!!)

Why reading out of your genre is important for writers

I love reading romance books. I’m a romance author. I love all things romance and believe there is nothing better than watching two people fall in love while overcoming almost insurmountable hurdles, but I do like to stretch my wings a little and read books in other genres too.

I’ve just finished reading the best book – it’s not a romance (shock! Horror!) it’s called Boy Swallows Universe by an Australian debut author, Trent Dalton. It’s about a twelve year old boy living in Brisbane in the 1980s. His babysitter is an escaped murderer, his parents are hugely flawed and dealing with addiction issues and his older brother is mute. Sounds dreary, right? No. It was the most uplifting book I’ve read in a while. Plus… nail-biting suspense, a smattering of teen crush and a little bit of time-hopping back and forth. And So. Much. Emotion. I laughed. I sobbed. I panicked and prayed. I adored it and definitely want to read more by this author!

It’s so important that as writers we don’t get stale because that shows through our writing. Just as it’s imperative to read within our genre so we know what’s current and to understand the tropes/conventions and reader expectations, I also believe we should be reading beyond our genre too to add fire to our own process/writing.

What do we achieve by doing that?

Freshness: Reading out of genre opens our eyes to new ideas / writing styles / opportunities.
Industry: By reading what’s new and different we can see what’s selling / what publishers are buying (think the ‘girl books’ a few years ago: Gone Girl / Girl On the Train etc… nothing to stop a romance writer jumping on that bandwagon with similar-ish titling etc.)
Development: Challenging our reading comfort can stimulate personal growth by exercising new muscles/brain power
Craft: Learning/identifying new styles and ways of writing can help us develop our story-telling tools
Filling the well: nourishing that creative muscle can only bring benefits and surprises and joy to our writing

What about you? Are you a dyed in the wool romance addict or do you like to genre hop?

 

 

Wednesday Work In Progress… Me!!

I never thought I’d be writing something so deep and soul searching on my blog but recently I’ve gotten a little frustrated with ‘me’. Maybe it’s the fact the boys have left home and there’s an empty space waiting to be filled or maybe it’s just that time of life (spring!!) and I’m on the look out to make changes. But changes are a-happening…!

Firstly, I’m growing my grey hair in. YIKES!! I’ve been dyeing it for so long I can’t even remember when I started… age 18? 21? Not sure. I don’t even know what my natural colour is. But I have definitely been dyeing it every four weeks for the last 16 years that I’ve been in New Zealand. And every two weeks for the last two of those years. Just to cover up my natural hair! When it became clear that the white skunk line was going to be there a couple of days after colouring we decided that I should go blonder and see how that worked. Result = more bleach and chemicals.

But over the last few times my scalp started to burn and I was developing a nasty allergy so I made myself stop and think hard. Do I really need to cover up who I am? This is me. And does being me necessitate being burned on a fortnightly basis just to ‘fit in’?? The answer is a big fat NO.

Me three years ago before the lightening process

Also, when we were planning our big trip earlier in the year I began to worry about when/where I could get my roots done while on our travels because…skunk lines don’t look great on photos, right? And then I thought…my God woman, you are going on a trip of a lifetime and you’re tainting it by worrying about some sparkly highlights on your head! Crazy! Just enjoy the journey. So…here I am. I haven’t coloured my hair since 22nd March 2018, although I had highlights put in in May just to ease the process. (I regret that now, but that’s another story. It worked at the time).

So far, everyone’s been super positive, even my hairdresser! And I’m intrigued by the colour growing in. It’s going to be a long process, but I’m enjoying it so far.

Me as a blonde trying to extend colouring appointments out to four weeks

6 months into the transition process

There has been a lot of research on my part into the transition process and I’ve joined some supportive facebook groups and watched a zillion different transition stories on youtube. Just search grey/gray hair transition if you want to take a look.

So…as part of this change I’ve also been thinking about what colours suit me. Years ago I had my ‘colour analysis’ done and was told I was ‘winter season’ but all that made me do was buy safe black and the occasional navy. But I see all the lovely colours around now it’s spring and I want to have a part of that too. But which colours and in what kind of style? Yours? Hers? The latest trend? What’s my style?

I stumbled across this TED talk the other day and Stasia blew my mind. She talks about style coming from within, that you don’t have to decide you are a ‘classic’ or ‘outdoorsy’ type and stick with a wardrobe full of pre-determined things, but that you choose how you want to feel and then build a wardrobe accordingly.

Since then I’ve been obsessed with her blog/insta feed and I’m hoping to sign up for her style course in November. She suggests we find 5 power words to describe ourselves (eg fierce, bold, brave, creative, kind etc) and use those to channel the kinds of things we want to wear.

In the meantime I hit the thrift store just to play and came home with a few bright pink things! Pink is NOT something I ever wear. So we will see, definitely a work in progress!

pink stripes! A whole new me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know what your style is? Do you care? What do you think about the idea of doing style from the inside out?

5 Reasons why book reviews rock

Do you read books? Do you write reviews? As a reader, do reviews sway your book purchase choices? Or do you rely on word of mouth recommendations from friends/family? Do you use goodreads/amazon to help you choose your reads? Do you give back to the reader/author community with your thoughts too? There are so many books out there, as a reader, it’s great to hear about a book that someone has raved about. When I’m looking for my next big read I scour goodreads or amazon bestseller lists for a recommendation and I always ask my reader friends what they’ve been loving recently.


As an author it’s fabulous to know someone has enjoyed your book, what worked and what didn’t.
It’s helpful to a reader to know the heat level etc, or using comparisons such as… ‘readers of JoJo Moyes would love this!’ etc
You’re helping your favourite author/s: the more reviews a book gets then the chance of getting chosen for promotions such as bookbub or amazon deal of the day increases greatly.
Talking about books means we get to share our love for reading with like minded people – win!!
You don’t have to write a novel of your own when reviewing – just a few words will do. Anything will help the author get more visibility, which means the authors you love will get more readers, which means you get to talk about your love of their books with more people!

 

Medical Romances… Grey’s Anatomy? How realistic are they?

I live with a doctor. I was trained as a nurse. We literally eat, sleep, talk medicine (or we did until I changed careers… but I’m still super interested in my hubby’s work and…I write medical romances for Mills and Boon).  Sure, romance is all about the journey for our two hapless protagonists, but it is also essential that we get the medical details accurate. We put a lot of work into research and, occasionally, reach out to experts to make sure all details are correct. We want the stories to feel as realistic as possible because anyone reading may have been in similar medical situations and we need to reflect that accurately.

But it is possible that sometimes we get it wrong! My husband hates watching anything set in a hospital as inevitably there will be x-rays on display and they are always the wrong way round showing the heart on the right side of the chest!! This could be because of the reversing effect of cameras??? Maybe??? But if that was the case, surely every medical advisor on a film set would know this??? LOL

We do endeavour to make them as realistic as possible; using terminology and pulse-racing situations that often the authors (who come from a variety of previous medical and non medical jobs) have come across, and in the midst of the life-challenging drama people fall in love. Love blossoms anywhere, right?

Mills and Boon medical romances have a variety of pulse-racing settings where the one/two lead characters have ‘medical’ careers in one way or another  – hospital specialties, ER, community, cruise ships (!), midwives, paramedics, doctors, nurses, private medicine, public hospitals…anywhere you find a medic we set a romance there!!

I love knowing what people’s reactions are to medical things…take a look at this doctor analysing the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy!!! Fun!!!

Have you ever read a medical romance? Do you enjoy them? 

 

Postcard From Portobello with Love xx

I lived in west London for 7 years between the ages of 20 and 27. It’s where I trained to be a nurse, where I met my husband and where I had a lot of adventures! Our most favourite place was Portobello Market where we’d go every Saturday (if we managed to have the day off) and peruse the bric a brac stalls, eat amazing pad Thai from the street vendors and go to the pub (which isn’t there any more but is now a gin bar!) and do the Guardian newspaper crossword over a pint.

I set my Something Borrowed series there because the atmosphere is very much one of a community and I really wanted to capture that supportive communal feel in my stories. It’s a place rich in vibrant cultures and people, with lots going on. I revisited it earlier this year and it still has that magic! The Portuguese cafe/bakery is still there selling delicious Pastel de nata (in Book 4), the market is still as popular with locals and tourists and the atmosphere is still the same as it was 25 years ago. In the movie Notting Hill Hugh Grant walks through the market over four seasons (showing time moving on…) and it’s a lovely scene showcasing the variety and lovely friendly place it is: Clip below from YouTube: (And yes, you’ll have an earworm with that song now too!! Sorry, not sorry)

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The Ginstitute which used to be my favourite pub (it was called The Portobello Star, which is now Faith’s The Duke pub) and inspiration for Blake’s Ginspiration Bar

 

Louisa’s spiritual home!!! LOL

 

Where I imagined Jenna and Nick had their first date!

 

The street Chloe lives on

 

The kind of terrace house I imagine Chloe and Jenna/Bridget live in. Loving the different colours!

 

Notting Hill Gate Tube Station (above ground)

 

The start of the market coming from Ladbroke Grove

 

Something Secret is now LIVE!

I’m doing a little happy dance because Something Secret is now LIVE and available from all good e-retailers. I know some of you can’t wait to read Kat and Gabe’s story and find out just what secrets they have…and also to catch up on Chloe’s news…

The reviews are starting to come in and so far they’ve all been overwhelmingly positive. I’m so thrilled.

Also, this is a standalone book so you don’t need to have read the others to be able to follow this storyline.

 

A reminder of the blurb:

After being scammed by her own boyfriend Katriona Croft is big on honesty and loyalty. No way will she ever fall again for some two-bit scammer with a pretty face. But when Gabe Cassidy arrives in Portobello with a story about secrets and lies, and touting the sexiest smile she’s ever seen, all her resolve is blown apart and her loyalty to her best friend is sorely tested.

All his life Gabe’s mantra has been that being alone is better than being broken. But when he overhears a conversation in a pub his life is tipped upside down and instead of being alone he finds himself very much in the middle of a big family feud. Kat Croft seems to be the key to fixing it all, but any alone time with her makes things even more complicated…

But can Gabe convince the woman who has lost all trust to take a chance on sharing a whole lot more than secrets?

(Ahem…if you caught Gabe’s second name then you may have a clue as to what the secret is… ;-))

SHOP LINKS:

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

KOBO/APPLE/B&N

I really hope you LOVE this story as much as I did writing it. And please, leave a review on goodreads or amazon so others can get to know about me and my books.

Happy reading!

Louisa xx

 

Launching a book

When my books are being published by a ‘traditional’ publisher (one of the big 5’…Random House/Penguin/Harper Collins etc…including Harlequin who publish my Mills and Boon books) I have little say over when the book is coming out, what the title is or indeed what will be on the cover. And this is fine, it means I can concentrate on writing the books.

But when I decided to ‘self publish’ some of my books I discovered that a whole lot is involved in the publishing process.  here is what I’ve done in the lead up to Something Secret being launched on Friday 21st…

 

 

 

Write the 63,000 word book (ha! Easy, right?) Keeping in mind this is a series book, so have to remember to make sure other characters from previous books are mentioned too. (Started 28th May 2018)
Edit the 63,000 word book
Send to editor (4th August 2018)
Discuss cover ideas which leads to new covers and a rebrand for the other books in the series
Discuss more ideas and review designs
Revise the book using editor’s suggestions (August 8th)
Send revised book back to editor for final proof (August 16th)
Finalise cover
Format temporary book
Set a launch date and upload temporary data to Amazon and Draft2Digital (platform for uploading book file to ibooks/KOBO/Barnes and Noble et al)
Book back from final edit (September 4th)
Send book to Beta readers and ARC readers
Email everyone on newsletter list to alert that book is coming out
Bite nails waiting for feedback
Add all the details of the new book to the back matter of the other books in the series
Read feedback and change a few details accordingly including add an epilogue
Format final book and upload
Bite nails some more…
21st September LAUNCH!!!

WINE!! 

Spring has sprung!

A new Vireya! So pretty

Spring has arrived down under and it was so lovely to feel the heat on our backs this weekend. It’s been a long time since we were at home and freed up for the whole weekend, so we took advantage of the nice weather and did some gardening jobs.

And boy, did it need it. I forgot to take some before photos but, trust me, the weeds were knee high in the raised beds! We still have a lot to do but we had lots of fun water blasting the louvre (outside covered area) and planting our pots. Next weekend we’ll be planting veggies and smartening up the front garden too. Phew! It was a lot of work, but we went to bed physically tired Saturday and Sunday nights and that’s always a great feeling, isn’t it?

 

 

Weeded and fertilised raised beds ready for veggies

 

pruned lemon tree

 

Tomatoes, strawberries (called Camino Real so we had to get it!) and herbs!

 

I use basil a lot in cooking. Yum!

 

The outside after water blasting. Looking forward to sitting here with a G&T one evening very soon!

 

What did you get up to this weekend? Do you like gardening? Any other hobbies you prefer and why?

Something Secret out 21 September! Cover Reveal

I am so excited to announce that Something Secret, book 4 in the Something Borrowed series is available for pre-order and will be out on 21st September!!

I love this book! It’s about friendship, secrets, the things we do to protect ourselves. It’s about love. Family. The things we all hold dear. But what happens when your loyalties are torn? Sometimes we do things with good intentions, but they back fire and people get hurt. So we try to make it better. Sometimes we can’t. Sometimes things turn out well in the end.

These were the themes running through my head when I wrote Something Secret. But it is also peppered with my trademark humour and a little bit of heat