I remember going to a writers' conference and one of the guest speakers, a super top-selling, one of THE top selling, category romance authors, came out and said she didn't read much romance! She felt if she did, it would somehow influence her writing. As in, she would inadvertently steal someone else's plot. Well, we in the auditorium were shocked! Because the first thing the advice for writers is, is to read, read, read. And here is this super-successful Mills and Boon author (and M&B are always telling us to read their books) well, she is telling us she didn't read much romance. Cripes! I hope she read her own books when she'd written them, or maybe she didn't. Good lord, maybe she didn't even like them! I hate to think. One of the reasons an author should read is to check out the market. It makes sense as an author to know what a publisher is after, and what they're doing, but also to look at trends in fiction. Although by the time something is a

I had a strange week with my reading. Two books I started I couldn’t get into. One I actually found boring with all the detail and backstory, and the other one, it just didn’t grab me at all, not my characters nor the plot. I plodded on for a few pages and checked out the end (with both of them, tbh) but, that was it. Such is the joy of reading. It can be erratic. However, I was pleased to renew a subscription to one of my favourite magazines which is old school with warm and cosy short stories, recipes, puzzles and health stuff. I really like it and my first copy arrived this week. And speaking of old-school, here's another old picture I happened upon. It is simply called: Man and woman reading to children possibly on board SS ORMISTON, 1927-1939 Australian National Maritime Museum’s  Samuel J. Hood Studio Collection  

 I've changed covers a few times for Falling for Jack over the years. I don't really think changing them has made much of a difference at all, but I guess having an actual couple on the cover indicates it is a romance, as against say women's fiction or a love story. I do like them all. Here they are: This was the very first cover. Sweet and lovely. Then I changed it to this one. The woman walking, and the subsequent books in the series had that theme and most of them still do! And this is the latest and cover... and it's still permanently FREE !!!

It's the weekend, a fact that is indeed worthy of shouting from the rooftops. Praise be!! There is footie tonight (Rugby League), and tomorrow some writing to do. I might even get the vaccum going. Bring it on! On to something quite unrelated, here is a rather bizarre postcard. It is called, The Lovers' Walk, Newton Park , and depicts all these couples together.  Imagine if that was real life. How utterly bizarre. Who would want to saunter through a park surrounded by loved-up couples?  It is from a Scots cartoonist and satirist, Martin Anderson, who in  1902 started "Cynicus" publishing company to take advantage of the popularity of postcards.  The postcard itself is dated 1910 but sadly around that time, there was a decline in the postcard business and business suffered. It does seem Mr Anderson was a very nice man, from a biography I read in an attempt to get to the bottom of this picture! Ye gads.  There are even couples up trees.  It seems like the most unromanti

I finished this book, The Crown Conspiracy by Connie Mann. Wow, what a roller coaster. Really loved it and I see next year there is a new book set in this world coming out. There was a lot to this story, with the characters and multiple plot lines, royalty, art and forgery, women helping women, and scenes set in different European countries. I think it would be a book one could read again. It was gripping with a very satisfying ending, and very good writing. Five out of five stars.  

  It has been another fruitful week, writing wise. The new book is coming along with many words written and I hope to have finished a first draft in a week. I am considering submitting this to a traditional publisher, to see if it interests them. I'll need to work on the first three chapters and write up a synopsis but it is something I have at the front of my mind.   Some traditionally published romance novels by New Zealander Essie Summers It has been an experiment in plotting out a book at the beginning, and then writing a first draft. I think it has gone quite well, and it may well be the way I write future books, and that the more I do it, the better I get at plotting.   I toyed with the idea of dictation a few weeks back (and mentioned it in a blog post) and I went and looked for the recorder I thought would be good, but the one I wanted wasn’t in stock, and I couldn’t be bothered ordering it. Fickle, what! However, it may still be something to consider in the future. Barbara

Praise, be, the Weekend! No, not the musician, but the actual weekend. No day job. No getting up early to go to work.  Lots and lots of sports on the TV. Rugby league! Pottering around at home. Maybe planting a seedling or two, because the weather is starting to warm up. Weeding. Batch cooking up some meals so that during the week when I get home, I have something batch-cooked defosting already. I am a big fan of the batch cooking, things like lasagne and chilli con carne. A hose reel Goodness, that sounds dull but there will be plenty of writing in there, too, and reading.