• Writers on Wednesday - Rose
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    Writers on Wednesday – a little writing update

    Writers on WednesdayAs much as I love having other people on my blog and I do, sometimes it’s good for me to pop back and give you an update on what’s happening in my writing life. I share a lot of this information on my social media and in my newsletter, but sometimes I forget I have a blog to share it as well! There are so many balls to juggle in a writer’s life.

    Since I’ve moved to my new home, I’ve been lucky enough to have been invited to join two writers’ groups which I’ve done. One meets once a month, we have dinner at a club and then talk about writing romance for 2 hours. Such fun!  Many of the members I’d met already at various Romance Writers of Australia conferences over the years. That group is a mix of indie and traditionally published authors and indie authors, so there’s always lots to learn. The second one has largely met online because the members are more geographically spread and there’s slightly more of an indie focus with that group. I feel so lucky to have been included in both these groups and I’ve also met up with several of the authors to talk books over a coffee or a drink, which has made my transition to my new life so much easier.

    Meanwhile, I have Saltwater Wishes in hand and I’m getting ready to send it off to the editor next week. (If she’s reading this, she will be thrilled to know I’m on schedule for once!) It’s up on preorder for its end of May release.

    After that it’s back to work on Any Way You Wish It – I know several readers are waiting patiently for the 9th book in the Upper Crust Series after a wait of over 2 years. I’m writing Jacob’s story and it’s a redemption tale, so that’s always fun.

    We’re always at May which is also known as #ChickLitMay. If you’re on Facebook, please join us for the

    Annual Chicklit Hop.

    ChickLit May 2021
    #chicklitmay2021

    That’s it for today. Tomorrow I’m launching my new Travel Thursday meme here on the blog. Maybe we’re not going far these days, but many of my author friends allow us to travel vicariously through their books! Also, I’m doing a bit of local travel and discovery I’d love to start sharing with you.

  • Blog

    The Value of being accountable, blog tours and more

    6/29/2015

    The value of being accountable
    Any Way You Dream It Promo 2015
    This month I completed another 50,000 word challenge. This one was run under the auspices of the Romance Writers of Australia. I used the month to do a first draft of the 6th book in the Upper Crust Series.

    I finished a little ahead of schedule with story all written (obviously with holes to plug and rewriting to do).

    These sorts of challenges work well for me – not because I’m a super fast writer, not because I’m super organised but because I like being held accountable.

    I’m a pretty reliable human being (tediously so). I’m punctual, I don’t forget stuff, I never stand people up and I meet deadlines (pretty much all the time). I’m also a shocking procrastinator, SHOCKING! What I can postpone of put off astounds even me.

    I let myself down on a daily basis but I don’t let other people down. So if I tell you I’m going to sign up and do something with you, you can be reasonably certain I’ll do it. It could be that being a tragic people-pleaser comes in handy for something.

    For me being part of a group and meeting deadlines is easier than doing it alone. So CampNaNoWriMo, which happens again in July, NaNoWriMo and this 50k challenge are great motivators for me. Setting up the #1000wordsaday group on Facebook has also kept me writing this year. I feel I must show up and so I do.

    I know this doesn’t work for everyone. Some people find these things have the opposite affect on them. It’s a matter of finding what motivates you and what destroys your creativity. But if like me, you won’t quit in front of a crowd or let the team down (even if that’s metaphorical) you may find these challenges motivate you.

    ***
    In other news I am currently on a blog tour for my novel Any Way You Dream It.
    http://www.clpblogtours.com/2015/06/book-blitz-any-way-you-dream-it-by.html

    Stop by and see the reviews for the novel and you could also win an Amazon Gift Card for your trouble.
    29 – Sinfully Good Reads – Excerpt
    June 29 – Chick Lit Plus – Review
    June 30 – Caroline Fardig – Guest Post
    June 30 – Celia Kennedy – Review, Q&A & Excerpt
    July 1 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – Review, Guest Post & Excerpt
    July 1 – Polished and Bubbly – Review
    July 6 – Living Life With Joy – Review & Q&A

  • Blog

    Let’s link up

    8/21/2013

    Hearts AfireToday I’m going to provide you with some chat and then some links to places I’ve been mentioned in cyber space this week or places I think might interest you.

    As you know I was at the Romance Writers of Australia conference on the weekend. One attends a conference like that for a variety of reasons including professional development, the opportunity to pitch to agents and publishers and as well as networking with other authors.

    I did pitch on the weekend so I need to get busy preparing my submission while busily prepare to launch my next indie title.

    It is a wonderful opportunity to meet people who want to talk about writing and books. (What could be better?) It’s also a chance to put faces to the many writers you meet on Twitter, Facebook and via blogs.

    Now I’m home it’s time to link up. I need to e-mail people, find their Facebook author pages and follow them on Twitter before I do what I did last year and misplace all those lovely business cards I’ve collected.

    Speaking of linking up here are a few links where I’ve been mentioned around the web this week.

     

     

    The lovely Cindy Roesel wrote this lovely piece about Mr Right and Other Mongrels on her blog today.
    http://cindyroesel.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/and-they-live-happily-ever-after.html#.UhVs9KF–P9

    My friend Pamela Cook who I travelled to the RWA with did a great blog post yesterday about our travels.
    http://pamelacook.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/riding-the-waves-my-wrap-up-of-rwas-2013-conference/

    And I understand my novel Hearts Afire has been nominated at Indie Author News for favourite indie book for September here. If you liked it and would like to vote for it this is the link.
    http://www.indieauthornews.com/p/top-50-indie-books.html

  • Blog

    August is such a busy month…

    8/5/2012

    Calendar
    Do you have certain months of the year that you know will just be plain old busy, busy, busy?

    We all know December is manic but for me the other really busy month of the year is August. July ends and August lands with a great big thud. It should probably arrive with a loud-speaker announcement to ‘get moving’.

    It’s a birthday month here…my daughter, myself and heck, even the dog celebrate birthdays. (It’s not as bad as when my daughter was little and we were in a mothers’ group with seven or eight kids all with birthdays within days of each other. That was a lot of parties…although I must say I do miss those days. I guess that’s a different post on nostalgia).

    Plus it seems to be a month where there are kid-related extras I didn’t forsee – a band concert, a dance performance, school athletics carnival, school fundraiser (which I am happy to say I’m not working at or running for the first time in 7 years!!!), inter-school debates and the list goes on. (Not to reference the un-written nostalgia post again but time is moving so fast it’s a shame to miss these events which will be a dim memory soon.)

    I also try to go away to the Romance Writers of Australia conference so that’s another spanner in the works. There’s the logistics of being away (my lovely husband does not have a simple 9-5 job with any rhythm to it so I’m always juggling child-minding as I race to the airport) as well as plan the what to pack, what to wear and of course the pitch preparation.

    This year as well I’m working on finalising that paperback version of Mr Right and Other Mongrels and the final edits of Hearts Afire. That flu last week just sucked my brain dry and depleted my creative energy….I had planned to release Hearts Afire in August but I’m now pushing it back to September. I’d rather wait and have it right than race it out and have it below par. When you put your name on the front of something you have to be happy with it.

    I am a freak for a deadline…even if it’s just one I created myself but sometimes you have to see reason.

    Now I had better go do my day-job so I’m not behind in that as well.