I sent the edits back to my agent last week, and today hit two words short of 25k on the wip. Another 5k and I'll be a third of the way through!
Back in October, Eleni Konstantine hosted the fabulous Eleni-Fest. I not only won a very cool mug and matching pen from Eleni but also a copy of Rachel Bailey's debut Silhouette Desire, Claiming His Bought Bride.
Because Rachel's book doesn't hit the shelves until January 2010, I didn't think my copy would arrive until the New Year. So imagine how excited I was when it turned up yesterday! And oh wow, it's a smoking hot keeper. I'm not going to give anything away just yet as the lovely Rachel is guesting on my blog in January when we'll be chatting about the book. But I will say this. I managed to write only one sentence on the wip this morning before my resolve cracked and I had to read the rest of Damon and Lily's story!
And just look at that gorgeous cover. It's so romantic and perfectly matches a scene in the book!
I'm very excited to welcome New Zealander Sandra Hyatt today, whose debut Silhouette Desire, Having the Billionaire's Baby, is out now in the US and hitting the Down Under shelves in August (just in time for conference!)
Hi Christina
Thanks for inviting me to blog with you.
Thanks for visiting, Sandra! Can you tell us a little about your book?
How did the idea for the plot come about?
I'm so excited that Having the Billionaire's Baby is finally out there on the shelves. It's the story of 'good' girl Callie, who's always played by the rules, but who, on the night of her ex-fiancés wedding, makes one impulsive 'bad' girl decision. Her actions that night land her in hot water with billionaire, Nick, who plays by his own rules, and her carefully ordered life is turned upside down.
The story went through some major incarnations. I first started writing it with a rancher hero who'd been a secondary character in an earlier (still in a box in my office) story, and it was set in New Mexico. Over time the hero changed to Nick, and the location changed to Australia and New Zealand. The only thing that stayed constant was the heroine's motivation – a 'good' girl, dealing with the unpredictability of life who makes one rash decision and then has to deal with the consequences.
I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?
Like the song, my road to publication was long and winding. I wrote for ten years before finally getting The Call. I'd tried my hand at different types of romance—sweet, suspense, paranormal—trying to see which I enjoyed the most and which my voice best fit. Over the years I'd had some contest successes, and many, many, many rejections, varying from straight out form rejections to some 'almost, but not quite' rejections. My last rejection before selling was on revisions on a full manuscript (and though by then I looked on rejections as a normal part of this business, I have to say, I'd really got my hopes up on that one, and it hurt).
Then I posted a comment on a blog being run by the Australian and New Zealand authors of a Desirecontinuity series called Diamonds Down Under. These wonderful authors had organized, as a prize for a random commenter, a full-manuscript critique by the then Desire editor, Melissa Jeglinski. I won that prize! I duly sent my manuscript off, and then—having no idea how long the critique would take—I pretty much forgot about it.
Just a little over a month later I was attending the Romance Writers of America national conference in San Francisco, and rooming with fabulous Desire author Tessa Radley. Tessa had left the room to send some emails from the hotel computers and suddenly came bursting back in, saying she'd been in contact with Diana Ventimiglia, and mentioned she was rooming with me, and that Diana wanted to call me.
Tessa was certain there could be only one reason that Diana wanted to speak to me. Me, I wasn't so sure. Surely it couldn't be the manuscript I'd sent off only five weeks earlier? That was way too soon. Happily, Tessa was right (she always is), I was wrong, and Diana bought Having the Billionaire's Baby. And now, one year later, it's a real live book, on real shelves (including cyber ones), in real shops, not just in my imagination.
That's an inspiring sale story and a good reminder to never give up, no matter how tough it gets. Do you write every day? Do you give yourself daily/weekly goals?
I write every week day, and most weekends. Sometimes, like these last few days, it's not new writing but working on edits on an earlier book (I've sold my second one to Desire too, due out in January).
I try to write a minimum of one thousand words a day. It's a very manageable target, but it's the consistency that quickly builds the totals up till I have a whole story.
Congrats on your second sale! Pantser or plotter?
By nature, definitely a pantser. Generally speaking, I start with two characters and other than the fact that there will be a happy ending, I have no idea how their story is going to play out until I write it. That's part of the fun for me.
And that used to be a fine way to work. But in the interests of not wasting a whole lot of time writing a book my editor may not want, I'm working at having enough of a plot to give her so that she can give me the go ahead on a story.
What keeps you motivated when the writing gets tough?
Deadlines have always helped me. Initially that was part of my reasoning for entering contests, it made me finish things, or start new things. And now I've have contractual deadlines.
The other thing I've learned about my process is that the writing always seems to get tough at around the one third and then two thirds point. Now that I've accepted this as normal for me, and not the demise of what I'd once thought was a fabulous idea, I can push through.
Is there any advice or light bulb moment you'd like to share about getting/being published?
If it's what you want, you have to believe in yourself, against the odds and even against the evidence.
Do you have critique partners (CPs)? If so can you tell us how you met up and your process?
I consider myself truly blessed in my CPs—Abby Gaines, Karina Bliss, and Tessa Radley. Their support, knowledge and friendship are hugely important to me. We first met at a Kara Writing course, run by Daphne de Jong and Robyn Donald. We clicked and stayed in contact and have grown together as friends and writers. Abby, Karina and Tessa all sold within a couple of months of each other back in '06. Once it was clear that I wasn't going to sell first, or second or even third I was sure I'd be a close fourth. It took me another two years. One of those little lessons life likes to teach me.
We don't have a set way of working together, but we get together regularly and try to help out as it's needed eg bouncing story ideas off one another, helping work out story tangles and plot holes etc. We each have different strengths and different ways of looking at things that we bring to the mix. But we all enjoy each others work.
Please welcome my special guest this week, Robyn Grady, who writes for both Mills & Boon Modern Heat and Silhouette Desire. Robyn is also giving away a copy of her two recent releases to two lucky people who comment - Baby Bequest (C says: I've just read this one and OMG the hero is to die for!!!) and Confessions of a Millionaire's Mistress!
Robbie, over to you!
Thanks so much for popping by today Robbie! Can you tell us a little about your book, Baby Bequest?
Thanks for the invite, Christina!! And congrats again on the release of Foretaste of Forever. I’m really looking forward to enjoying what promises to be a terrific read.
(Christina):Thank you!
My latest Desire, Baby Bequest (released in NA November, Aus/NZ December and UK January), features my favourite hero yet! Gage Cameron is the perfect alpha male. Strong in his convictions, honourable in every sense, and driven mad with want for a woman he can’t have. Twelve years ago, Gage, a penniless bad boy, fell in love with a rich man’s daughter. After being falsely accused of a crime, the heroine’s father paid Gage to leave the country, and his daughter Jenna alone. Convinced he wasn’t good enough for Jenna, Gage left.
In present time the heroine’s family are killed in a freak accident, and Jenna’s tiny niece is in the custody of her stepmother, a narcissist who doesn’t know the meaning of the word love. Jenna needs to gain custody of her niece. But when her former flame shows up - now a powerful multimillionaire and sexier than ever – Jenna must decide whether she can accept the terms, and dangers, of Gage’s drastic solution.
There are elements of suspense and a gorgeous German Shepherd called Shadow, as well as a beautiful baby girl who so deserves happiness.
Gage is one of my fave heroes too. How did the idea for the plot come about? I wanted to create a hero who was one hundred percent noble. Alphas are leaders of the pack, but Baby Bequest’s alpha male is very much a lone wolf, and I play on that image, and mentality, throughout the story. I wanted a heroine who could admit she still feels deeply for the man who had apparently deserted her years before. And I wanted to give Gage a watertight reason for leaving the woman whom he loved, in fact, still loves enough to walk away a second time. He hadn’t banked on falling even harder for Jenna, as well as for this adorable baby. There are some light/playful moments, but basically this story is a ‘heart-ripper’, as one reader called it.
Well Robbie, as you know I love sale stories! Can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?
Ah, yes! My loooooong road to publication, lol. After leaving my TV job, I decided to follow my heart and write! That was 1999. Barbara Hannay had just sold. Jane Porter too. I was so excited and had no idea of the wild ride ahead of me. I joined Romance Writers of Australia and worked my way up from form rejections to personal rejections, to personal rejections with suggestions and requests for more, to emails and finally, in 2005, a phone call from a London editor who loved my latest manuscript for a new line, Modern Extra.
I remember stuttering and stammering on the phone and thinking, “This is it!” Unfortunately I “didn’t go far enough with the revisions”. I sent another manuscript to London and received another phone call. But I didn’t do those oh-so minor revisions right either. In 2006, I finalled in 13 US contests but I’d started to feel as though I would never break through and give this editor what she needed. I emailed another story to London and received a very long email with revisions that amounted to a complete rewrite.
I slaved over the rewrite for two tough weeks. Then, slightly out of my mind, I email queried a New York agent. To my amazement, the agent took me on and I sold to Desire the following month and to Modern Extra (now Modern Heat) in a two book deal the month later. Since that time, I’ve received 12 contracts (five from Modern Heat, 6 from Desire and one on line eharlequin read) and I’m still floating!
That sure was a rollercoaster ride, but so worth it in the end! We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)
Favourite books… The Time Traveller’s Wife (I could read that last page over and over) Year of Wonderd My Favorite Mistake The Love Machine
Favourite movies… Phantom of the Opera (sob!) The Notebook (What a kiss!) Stepmom (I cry every single time.) Last of the Mohicans. (No better hero)300 (Because… Well, just watch it and you’ll see!)
TV shows… I don’t watch tele really, other than Law and Order. I totally love Bobby Goran’s character in Criminal Intent. If I weren’t a writer, I’d want his job!
Fantasy squeeze… Can’t go past Gerard Butler. Can you blame me??
Hmm, that Gerard is a very popular guy round here!! What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on my fifth Modern Heat, a reunited lovers story with a matchmaking twist. I wanted to create a completely irresistible bad boy. No wonder the working title is Devil in a Dark Blue Suit.
I love bad boy stories. How can readers keep up with your writing and books?
Come and visit my website! http://www.robyngrady.com/ My books are available on Amazon and the Harlequin and Mills & Boon sites. Please email if you’d like to comment on any of my stories. I’d love to hear from you
Two books to give away!
Question to win either Baby Bequest or Confessions of a Millionaire’s Mistress…
Tell us the name of your favourite romantic hero (book or film) and why.
Back in October, Eleni Konstantine hosted the fabulous Eleni-Fest. I not only won a very cool mug and matching pen from Eleni but also a copy of Rachel Bailey's debut Silhouette Desire, Claiming His Bought Bride.
