Skip to main content

Conference time and a wonderful award

 I just got back from a weekend away at the RWNZ conference in Wellington.

It was pretty great on several levels. I hadn't been to a writers conference in years. I think it was 2015 that I last went. That is so long ago! I'm not sure why I never went to any after that. Work. Broke aka no money. Feeling miserable about the writing. Who knows. But I'm so glad I went to this one.

It was great that we were actually able to attend a conference in person when so many people across the world can't do that in these Covid-19 times. Apparently the Australian Romance Writers have had to push their conference, meant to happen this week, traditionally a week either side of ours, out to December because of lockdown in Queensland. It was neat catching up with old writer friends, meeting new people and learning more about the business which is an evolving one and honestly, hard to keep up with at times. I'm amazed at how many writers there are indie publishing, many very young, and doing well, and how wonderful it is to do that when 20 years ago it didn't exist and only the lucky few made it to publication by the traditional route. 

And it was especially PRETTY BLOODY GREAT because...


Bringing Back Emily one first place in the Koru Awards - Best Book in the Short Book section!!Wow!It was announced at the awards dinner and you hope you're going to win but you never expect to and I never expected to, but I did and I'm pretty happy about that. I have a trophy, a certificate and its just so wonderful to know the reader judges loved the story.

Anyhoo, it was great to be back at a conference and very importantly, to come away with the motivation up. I'd forgotten all about that aspect of it but its very, very true. There is something about just talking about the business, the writing, the publishing, and getting ideas. I brainstormed a series and came away with some fabulous new ideas which I really should have thought of on my own, but didn't. The power of the collective minds of creative people like authors can not be underestimated.

If  you'd like to see more about Bringing Back Emily, here's the link to the page on Amazon.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two new books coming soon

It's been a while since I posted but I've been busy. I've been working on two new books. Shock! One is the next book in the Dating Daisy series, and also the next book in the Clearlake County series. Two new books!! I can hardly believe it myself, and I am enjoying them both. I'll reveal the cover for the new Daisy book soon!! In the meantime, well and truly into winter here in New Zealand. Even now, I'm got super warm socks on, and a scarf. If the nights are freezing, its out with the hot water bottle. And how good is a hot drink on a cold day? Life's simple pleasures.
Post a Comment
Read more

Dating Daisy

 FREE BOOK ALERT Yep, this weekend and until Monday, I am running a free book promotion for Dating Daisy . Meet Joel and Daisy in this second chance, professor hero, third time's the charm, romantic comedy.  So, what's it about? Daisy's a bookseller who goes on a TV dating show to drum up business for her ailing store. Not to win or anything like that, heaven forbid! Just to get her store's name mentioned on national TV a few times, since her beloved book shop is only weeks away from going under and she is desperate to do anything to stop that happening. Joel is a history professor who owes his best mate, the show's host, Rob, one massive favour, and Rob is calling that favour in: Be a contestant on the inaugural celebrity episode of Mystery Date . Except Joel Benjamin is no celebrity, and he sure isn't looking for love, not to mention his career is on the up, and going on a show like Mystery Date is simply, well, simply frowned upon . It could do his career mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Excerpt for Captivating Kelly

Finally, we settled on a title. There was Kissing Kelly because the three books prior are Dating Daisy, Promising Penny and Marrying Michelle , but I'm not a fan of 'kissing' in the titles all that much. Captivating really seemed to suit so it might not be KK, and is CK instead but there it is. Captivating Kelly .  Read on for a sneak peak at the prologue. PROLOGUE  (draft) KELLY BROWN SUCKED in a deep breath as she walked down the corridor towards the staff café, nerves attacking her with each step, and along with them, regret. The nerves because she didn’t know what awaited her. It would be small. That she knew. She’d asked for small. A cake would be nice, but that would be enough. She tended to avoid her own hype. The regret because all this might have been avoided. Might have been something she could have nipped in the bud, although she couldn’t even be sure of that. But whatever it was, it was, plainly and simply, sad. She felt sad. It took an effort at times not to lo...
Post a Comment
Read more