Leesa Bow's Blog, page 6
April 22, 2014
Guest Author Georgina Penney
I would like to welcome the wonderful Georgina Penney to my blog to talk about Writing. Take it away Georgina…
Writers are Chihuahuas.
Trust me on this, we really are.
That’s not a bad thing because,
A) Chihuahuas are cute,
B) Chihuahuas are allowed to get grumpy all the time and no one thinks it’s odd.
C) They get access to more designer handbags than I’ll ever see.
D) I’m pretty sure Chihuahuas are grammar pedants. With a breed name that requires a spell-checker every time you write it, you’d get a bit feisty about the written word… if you weren’t a dog…
Okay, maybe I’m stretching my metaphor a little too far but what I want to say is that writers, as a whole are a neurotic breed. It’s the nature of the (small, shivering, snarly) beast. We work in an industry where we spend big chunks of our lives ripping out little parts of our psyche, shoving those bits into fictional characters and then nailing those fictional characters down on the page. Then, once we’ve managed that, we realize that we have to mold that mish-mash we just created into something other people will like (please, please like us!) with copious amounts of editing (*cough* wine consumption.)
And after we’ve done all that?
Then we end up running from publisher to publisher, agent to agent, reviewer to reviewer and finally, reader to reader either begging them to like us or pretending we don’t care if they like us or not (but if they don’t, they clearly don’t get us, or worse, there’s something WRONG with our book—us—and we need to resort to tippling the editing wine again.)
Just writing all that is enough to turn me into a bit of a shivering boggle eyed little yappy mutt peering out from the inside of some New York socialite’s handbag.
BUT—and it’s a big one—that’s okay.
We might be neurotic, we might be a little bit grumpy one minute and happy the next. We might sometimes get a little overenthusiastic with the odd reader’s metaphorical leg if they say they like our books but we are that way because that’s the name of the game.
At some stage of the game, someone looked at a little dog and said… “You know what this needs? A whole lot more crazy and then we’ll love it all the more!” And a Chihuahua was made and it made everyone happy.
In being our little metaphorical Chihuahua selves, we writers give a hell of a lot of joy to the world as well. If we weren’t so loopy, if we weren’t so snarly, if we weren’t so damn neurotic, we would never produce the amazing, fabulous, scary, laugh-out-loud, cry-out-loud, snort-your-tea cackling, check-under-the-bed-for-serial-killers-before-sleeping wonderful books we do.
Now, if anyone wants me, I’ll be in the corner drinking from a half-finished bottle of “editing” wine, shaking at the knees and eyeballing everyone’s ankles with a kind of scary twitch.
Thank you Georgina! Now a bit about her books…
Irrepressible You is Georgina’s latest release. Here is the blurb:
You don’t become a notorious British celebrity without rubbing a few people the wrong way, which is why writer and comedian Ben Martindale has decamped to Australia until the latest media frenzy dies down.
When he meets Amy Blaine, a perky blonde who dresses like a 1950s pin-up girl, he knows he’s hit the satirical jackpot. He begins to fill his weekly London column with snarky observations about her life, clothes, and even their most intimate moments. It doesn’t occur to him that Amy, who is letting her guard down for the first time in her adult life, might be upset - after all, it’s hilarious, and his readers love her!
It isn’t until Amy discovers the extent of his betrayal that Ben begins to realise just how badly he’s cocked up the best thing that ever happened to him. But is it too late?
To purchase Georgina’s books here are the links:
April 21, 2014
Guest Spot on Harlequin Junkie
I am excited to be on Harlequin Junkie in the author spotlight and there’s a chance to win a copy of my NA book ‘Winning the Player’. It’s easy just follow the link and answer the sports related question about Hunter.
April 15, 2014
Destiny Romance new releases in April
Sexy sportsmen take centre stage in this month’s new romances at Destiny. Enjoy – and don’t forget to stretch first!
April 11, 2014
A big welcome to the talented Leisl Leighton
Welcome to my blog Leisl! You are such a talented lady beyond your writing and I’m excited for readers to learn about you.
Thanks for having me as a guest on your new Blog, Leesa. It’s so exciting to be appearing in new places, maybe reaching new readers and lovers of books – maybe even introducing readers to the paranormal genre – a genre I love.
Tell us about your new release, Dark Moon. How is it different from your other books?
Dark Moon is a story about learning to live up to the potential of who you are meant to be and not be afraid of the gifts that you were born with. Skye Collins is a Witch who has been born with too much power – something her grandparents fear will kill her, if the evil they are running from doesn’t get to her first. Because they don’t know how to deal with this, they teach her to suppress those powers out of fear and make certain she is ignorant of the world they come from so she doesn’t try to tap into those powers.
But when Skye meets Jason McVale, the Alpha of the Were Pack her family has been tied to for centuries – a kind of symbiotic relationship that keeps both families safe and strong – she begins to realise there is more to the story of her power than she has been led to believe. She is also drawn to Jason in a way that terrifies her.
Jason also must overcome his misconceptions about their lost Pack Witch and learn to deal with the fact she knows nothing about the powers that can save his Pack if only she would learn to use them. This is all complicated by the fact they’re mates and her powers seem more unstable around him. Not to mention there is an ancient Witch stalking her, who wants to use Skye’s powers to destroy the Witch-Were pact that was created centuries ago.
In regards to why it is different from my other books, it is a paranormal where Killing Me Softly (my first published novel) is a romantic suspense. However, I think both of them have elements of darkness and discovery in them. Although, unlike Killing Me Softly, Dark Moon is the first in a series, and it’s the first time I’ve tried to write a series that doesn’t follow only the hero and heroine through the full series. So, with Dark Moon, I had to tie up the loose ends of Jason and Skye’s romantic story and their personal journeys, while at the same time keeping open plot threads to carry through the rest of the series – not to mention write other characters that readers might be interested in following in later books. It’s quite tricky, but so far, the reviews have been favourable, so I think I’ve managed to tick the boxes.
What is it about romance books that capture you?
I think an easier question would be ‘what doesn’t capture me’ – because the answer would be ‘nothing.’ I think the idea of a love so deep and true and full speaks to the best part in all of us and I want to be reminded of that best part on a regular basis.
Many romance naysayers argue that romance books give women unachievable expectations and perhaps that would be true if women were idiots. But we’re not. Our lives are so complicated nowadays. We have grown up believing that equality is ours, that we can have it all – but to a certain extent, this is unrealistic and unachievable. It is so hard to try and have everything and yet, that is what we strive for – to have the fabulous idea of what a woman’s life in this great era of female equality can have – the loving hubby, the kids, a great home that we are fully on top of taking care of, the career we love and the little goals and hobbies that help to fill out the whole. And while I give full kudos to anyone out there managing to do all of that without sleepless nights – I don’t think there are any. At least, I’ve never met or heard of any.
All of the women I know and talk to feel very much the same as me – lucky that we have so many opportunities, but living with a constant feeling that somehow they are failing at what everyone else seems to be doing so much better. The sweat of fear breaks out on their brows just like it does over mine because so much of the time I feel overwhelmed. This sensation certainly wasn’t what we, as women, signed up for when we were told we could have it all, this struggling to keep all those balls in the air and feeling much of the time like we are teetering on a precipice and are desperately wheeling our arms trying not to fall over it as we try to do all and be all that we are expected to be – both by ourselves and others.
I’m not having a whinge – we are lucky in so many ways. I couldn’t be a full time stay at home mum. I love my kids, but that would lead this mummy too far down the crazy-whacked-out-shouty-mum path. But it is this busy, topsy-turvy, sleepless nights and stress-driven life that leads me to read romance. I turned to reading romance as a great escape when I had a horrible VCE year all those years ago (a friend died, loved ones got sick, dog had cancer…the list goes on) and continued to turn to them during hard times at uni and at work and when I was going through IVF and when my first child was born terribly premature. I want the fantasy. I want the concept of Happy Ever After (or even Happy For Now), to be imprinted on my psyche, to lift me up when things get too hard or too tiring or just plain too much. Romance books are a ray of sunshine. Yes, they have an element of the unbelievable about them, but they are fiction. I know it’s not true. I may be a stressed-out mum, but I’m not an idiot. But I like the unbelievable. It gives me a virtual ‘out’ and when I come back from that world, I’m ready to soldier on again.
You are married with a young family. What’s your secret to finding time to write?
All of what I said above goes for writing too, and it is also why I make time to write. But if you want to read more about that, then visit my blog – I talk about this kind of thing on and off. Or visit the Destiny Romance website – I did a recent blog for them on exactly that topic and I don’t want to bore people by yabbering on about how I do it over and over. What I do isn’t extraordinary. I believe if there is something that you really want to do, you make time for it. It’s as simple as that.
Please tell us about yourself. How has your singing, acting and script writing helped with your writing?
You make it all sound amazing, but it is just my normal life. I have loved to perform since I was little and I pursued a career in the theatre, doing theatre studies and drama as part of my BA at uni before becoming a stage manager, tour manager and performer for a theatre restaurant and cabaret venue. This is where I met my husband (he was a sound and light tech – I was technically his boss!) I ended up starting up my own theatre restaurant with my former boss and running it for a number of years before my husband and I started a family. It was fun, crazy, stressful and exhausting work, but I would never give away those years for anything. I worked with some amazing people, had some unforgettable experiences and learned so much about myself and what I was capable of.
In regards to how it has helped with my writing, I think that I access that part of myself that takes on a persona when I go onstage to help me tap into my characters and the scenes that are playing in my head. People have commented that my writing always feels so visceral and emotional and maybe this is why. I’m not sure. It’s the only way of writing I know, so it’s hard to compare it to anything else.
I also think having done what I’ve done, I do have an understanding of the ups and downs of putting something out there for public consumption. In the theatre restaurant world, if an audience member doesn’t like what you’re doing, they let you know right away – there is no fourth wall to protect you. You have to learn to toughen up and deal. I think being a published author is a little the same – anyone can write a review and everyone has a different opinion. Sometimes those opinions are wonderful, and sometimes they burn. But, you have to toughen up and deal. I know many authors struggle with this. I’m not saying I don’t struggle, but I think I learned a long time ago to not take it so much to heart.
What made you decide to become an author?
I don’t think anything made me decide to become an author. I think I kind of just grew into it. My burning ambition was always to work in the theatre industry in some capacity, but after closing down the theatre restaurant to help facilitate my having a family, I began to write as a creative outlet. Then my first child was born very premature and things were very tough for a long time and I ended up suffering from PND and I stopped writing. The psychologist I saw asked me why I wasn’t doing anything creative anymore. She pointed out that I was a creative person and obviously needed a creative outlet and given time constraints, I couldn’t do the performance thing anymore, so why not return to the writing I’d always dabbled in?
I had a bunch of excuses about time and process etc, which she soon disabused me of and I began to write again. It soon became essential to me – I’d given up so much of myself to be a mum, something I would never give away in a million years, but the writing allowed me to delve into an important part of myself and explore that part. I learned how to go with the flow more and write whenever I needed to, and over the years I suddenly realised it was something I wanted to build into a career if I could. That’s still a while away, but I’m on the path and I’m not hopping off it.
You can buy Dark Moon here:
And Killing Me Softly here:
You can follow Leisl and find out more about her and her books on her website: www.leislleighton.com
Follow her on Twitter @LeislLeighton
April 10, 2014
Sassy in the South Goodnews
So much happening with the authors at SARA, our very own Adelaide based South Australian romance authors group. Check out everyone’s good news on the website.
Guest spot on Novelist's Circle
Today I was a guest on Sandra O’Grady’s blog at the Novelist’s Circle. You can check it out on the website. Thanks for having me Sandy!
