Happy New Year to our blog readers. We hope you have a wonderful, successful and productive 2017.

This short post is to let you know that, now the calendar has ticked over to Jan 1st, the MRWG is accepting applications for new members.

Have you been thinking about doing something this year to benefit your writing?

Writing romance is a passion of mine but there are ups and downs to be endured on the journey. Being a member of this writing group has helped to smooth out the rough bits and made the highs truely amazing.

 I've been a member of the MRWG for many years and have benefited in so many ways from this supportive group. Writers are very often working pretty much alone at their craft but if you become a member of the MRWG you'll find companionship, resources, and encouragement to name a few benefits.

Here are my five top reasons to join our group.
1.  Find friends who love to talk about writing!
2.  Encouragement through our private Facebook support group
​3.  Add to your skills in writing, publishing, marketing and promoting yourself.
4.  Oportunity to have a short story published in our 2018 anthology.
5.  Chocolate. We celebrate and encourage with chocolates at every monthly meeting. 

​Check out our JOIN US  page for more details.

l​We writers tend to be an insecure bunch. We doubt our ability from day one and even publication doesn't always take away our self-doubt.  This erotic romance writer also questions her validity a a published author.
 
I recently took part in a small romance writers panel at a local library. They asked my writing group if we had members who would like to participate, I jumped at the opportunity to 'get my name out there', but as I sat at the front of the room with three fellow published romance writers I had an overwhelming feeling of inferiority.
 
They were all with well-known 'big' publishing houses. I'm with an obscure small publisher. They have full-length novels. I have short stories.
 
They are published. I am published.  Yet I felt like an imposter.
 
Ok, I'm not the most committed writer and could probably hold a world title in procrastination but I've put words on paper. I've finalled in a few competitions. An editor thought my work worthy of public consumption. Yet somehow I still feel the need to compare myself to others. To measure my achievements and find shortcomings rather than seeing them as proof of my ability and success.
 
The perceived stigma that e-publishing certainly had years ago has pretty much disappeared, especially with so many 'big' publishers now embracing ebooks and shorter story lengths. Romance today is such a melting pot of big, small and self-published. Novels, novellas, short stories.
 
If I happen to tell someone I'm a writer, and they ask if I'm published, I say 'yes'.  I don't get asked 'who with' or 'how long is your story', so why is it such a big deal in my head? Why was I sitting on that panel, feeling like I didn't have a legitimate right to be there? That I had 'aspirations above my station'. 
 
I know I don't need to become a New York Times best-selling author to feel I can truly own the title of 'published author'. None of my fellow-writers have ever made me feel less of a writer because of my (self-perceived) more meagre publishing credits. Nor do I feel that way about other writers
 
I have come to view my feelings on that night as a wake-up call for my self-esteem and self-confidence (particulary as I am now venturing down the self-publishing path). To quote that well-known ad 'it won't happen overnight, but it will happen'.
 
In the meantime I know I can rely on my fabulous writing group for reality checks. At the MRWG we have a running joke that if someone makes a self-deprecating comment about their own writing, or their ability, someone else will say 'stop talking like that or I'll slap you'.
 
Andra Ashe
www.andraashe.com
 
Andra is re-releasing one of her short erotic romance stories  – Miss Blaine's Misconduct.
Available now at Amazon. 

 In August, I attended the 2013 Romance Writers of Australia (RWA)   Conference in Fremantle. This was my first RWA conference and it certainly  won’t  be my last. Spanning three days and attended by over 300 delegates,
the event  was jam packed with fun social events and wonderfully  educational sessions.  Listing everything I loved about the event could take  a while, so I’ve condensed  it down to a list of my Top  5.

 5. Freebies

Now, feel free to call  me shallow, but I dare  anyone not to love the amazing book bags from  Penguin and Harlequin.   Penguin held a party on the Thursday evening  to celebrate the  1st birthday of Destiny  Romance, and along with  lovely drinks, food and a hot pirate handing out long  stemmed roses (sigh)  all guests were given a cute Penguin bag filled with books. 
 

At registration I discovered that all delegates received a lovely  ‘Riding  the Waves’ bag filled with fabulous Harlequin books, Baci chocolates, a   pen and a ‘Riding the Waves’ coffee keep cup (the perfect gift combo for  
writers!) Then after the closing speeches, there were more free books up  for  grabs. We got spoilt. And I do believe many of us had to pay for extra  baggage  allowance on our flights home!

4. ‘Nautical or Nice  Party'

After a day of working diligently in Kim Hudson’s ‘Venus on the Half  Shell’ workshop, it was time to let our hair down! The effort that people went to with their costumes was amazing.  Pirates, wenches, mermaids, sea witches, a seal and even a tropical island with  palm tree filled the Harlequin event on the Friday evening. The whole night was  a great success with plenty of drinks, finger food and a chance to catch up with  friends, or if you were a newbie like me, finally meet the people you’d been  talking to on Facebook for some time!

 3. Socialising &  Networking

Who knew that the range of people who read and romance was so vast? Not  me. There were so many different personalities among the delegates, and as  someone who is usually quite shy around new people, it was great to feel so  welcomed. The Esplanade Hotel where the conference was held is huge, yet  everywhere I looked I saw small groups of conference attendees chatting in  between sessions. Others nipped out for coffee at a local cafe or restaurant.  If sleep hadn’t been necessary, I think most of us would have happily stayed up  the whole weekend, just to fit in more social time.

Whether it was just a quick chat with a stranger, making a new friend  or building up existing friendships, there was no shortage of socialising to be  had. I met some absolutely terrific people at the conference and have built
supportive friendships that will carry on into the future. 

2. RWA Gala Awards  Evening

 What a night! The room, which during the day held enthusiastic and  studious romance writers listening intently to guest presenters, had been  transformed into a gorgeous heaven on earth for those with a sweet tooth. Tables
contained a delicious variety of desserts as well as bubbly for those inclined  to have a drink or two... or three. 

To begin, the ‘First Sale’ ribbons were presented, and I was amazed at  the large number of talented writers who had achieved this particular milestone.  Talk about motivating! The award presentations were exciting, and as I’ve come  to expect from the romance community, the feeling of joy and genuine pleasure at  the success of others was obvious. 

I may be wrong, but I believe the noise level may have been slightly  higher over on the right hand side of the stage where MRWG members cheered on  loudly for a number of our members who were nominated, or had already been  announced as winners of awards. We were proud of them all.

After the awards, the music began and we danced the night away...  including a kick-arse display of ‘The Nutbush’ from our very own Emmie Dark and  Ebony McKenna. Oh, and who could forget the chocolate fountain, to keep up the  energy levels through all that physical exertion?
 
1. Workshops

As fun as it was drinking, eating, catching up with old friends and  making new ones... the best part of the conference for me, was all of the  knowledge I gained from the workshops. I wish I could have attended all of them.  Here is a quick rundown of my favourites:

Save the Cat presented by Nina  Bruhns

 I’ve heard people rave about this book  by Blake Snyder and after attending this session, I can see why. As a pantser,  it was great getting a glimpse at how I could strengthen the premise of my  story, how it fit into the major themes of storytelling, and how I could plot my  story effectively. I purchased the book after this session and have been using  it to plan my latest story. I love it!
 
There was also a particular point that  Nina made which really resonated with me:  

The worst possible hero for the worst possible heroine in the worst possible situation equals the best conflict.
 
More information on ‘Save the Cat’ can  be found here: http://www.blakesnyder.com/  


Scrivener presented by Alison Stuart and Sasha  Cottman

These two authors are passionate about this program! After a quick  rundown, I could see why. The potential of what this program can do for you is  enormous. Some of the features include:
       
Allowing you to move your scenes around on a virtual corkboard (for  those who love this visual method)
 
Saving all of your research including webpages in your Scrivener file  for easy access, 
       
Setting word counts and goals for your entire project, or just for a  particular writing session
 ·        
Adding labels to scenes and chapters to help keep track of things like  point of view changes etc 
·        
Using short scene descriptions to help compile a synopsis of your  story and my favourite thing of all – you can’t accidentally delete your  work!

More information on Scrivener can be located here: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
 
Getting Your First Chapter Off The Gound presented by Annie  West

 This very practical and interactive workshop was informative and a lot  of fun. Rather than just telling us how to approach the beginning of a story,  Annie had created a number of fun exercises for us so that we could learn from  practical experience. The main points I took away from this session  included:
 ·        
You MUST hook your readers from the beginning. Make them want to keep  turning the pages.
 ·        
Start your story in the right place. Too much back-story can slow the  pace and may cause a reader to put your book down.
 
Sexual Tension: The Undertow of Romance presented by Rachel  Bailey

I have a feeling that the RWA may have underestimated the popularity of  this particular workshop with many people forced to stand at the back of the  room, or sit on the floor. It was packed... and as I soon learned, for good  reason. Rachel Bailey knows her stuff!

 Despite a few technical difficulties (and a rather embarrassed male AV  tech, who had to sit through sexy video clips from Dirty Dancing, The Vampire  Diaries and some tension filled Jane Austen scenes with requisite giggles and  sighs from the audience) the session was fantastic.

 There were many great points made about bringing sexual tension to life  for characters including the need to evoke the character’s feelings as well as  include their visceral reactions. I read one of Rachel’s books on the plane home  and was astounded by how well she created that tension. She’s a  master.

 If you’re an RWA member and haven’t read Rachel’s craft article on  Sexual Tension, I recommend logging onto the RWA website to find it.  Immediately. It is located in the October 2010 edition of ‘Hearts Talk’  newsletter.
 
In summary, I had the time of my life at the conference and have  already started planning my trip for 2014 – ‘Romance Rocks’ to be held at  Olympic Park, Homebush, Sydney. I hope to see many of you  there!

I recently suffered a strained neck and shoulders which meant NO TYPING – only quick emails where I didn’t need to use my shoulders in a static hold.

     Now this was truly frustrating because ideas for plots, characters and dialogue were leaping out of my brain and screaming to be captured. My WIP was going nicely and I was itching to write more.

     So, what to do?

     Good old pen and paper to the rescue!

     For the last month (yes a month) I have been writing by hand.

     At first the process was ad hoc. I wrote on snatches of paper, all different sizes, which ended up paper-clipped together in piles on my desk. This became a nightmare of disorganization.

     Then I tried an exercise book because I thought this would be neater and I wouldn’t lose any sheets. Only, I found that when I made additions to the text, there wasn’t room and I had things like ‘PTO, Go to page 28, or see top of page.’ Aargh! In short, a completely unworkable mess.

     My final format is working nicely. I have A4 looseleaf sheets (numbered) with corrections/additions marked in red. These additions are written on a separate sheet and inserted behind the section where the addition will be made. All additions are labelled according to the page number they reference. For example, if I want to include an additional sentence on page 19, I would write 19A or 19B in red in the text which would correspond to the separate sheet.

     This simple method suits me, but you could also use coloured pens or paper.

     So, having written by hand for the last month, what have I discovered?

     Well, several things actually.

     Firstly, I really enjoy the physicality of writing. I like putting pen to paper. It seems to engage my mind more thoroughly and the relative ‘slowness’ of the technique allows my mind to filter what I want to say before I put it down on the page. As a consequence, I have far fewer corrections and the sentences flow logically without great holes in the story.

     Secondly, there is no BACKSPACE button so there isn’t the temptation to instantly correct or edit your work. I believe more care is taken when thoughts bubble their way to the surface and you can actually give them more time.

     Some might argue that they need to type to keep up with the fast mental imagery that pops into their head but I believe that this can be self-defeating.

As Kevin Hartnett says on his blog www.themillions.com, the process of writing by hand is like

THINK THINK THINK WRITE WRITE WRITE

As opposed to typing where it’s more

THINK WRITE DELETE THINK WRITE DELETE

     Give some thought also, to the lack of distractions that writing gives you. How many times have you ‘just checked your emails’ only to surface an hour later?

     When you write by hand, you only have the paper and your mind. Writing engages your memory, fine motor skills and gives your brain a workout, which as we age can be good for fighting off dementia.

     As you write, your brain tends to focus and retain what you are physically doing. Not only are you seeing the words, you are forming the words and this repetition cements them and their context in our minds.

     I can write far longer because I don’t get brain fade or sore eyes from the screen. As a sleep specialist once told my daughter, screen time should stop one hour before bed, to give your body the chance to unwind. Apparently, the constant unseen flickering of the screen interrupts our biorhythms – and guess what- you can write instead! You’ve just gained another whole hour of writing.

     If you would like to consider writing as a viable option, I would:

1. Choose good quality paper where you can’t see the writing on the reverse side. Eg Reflex lined looseleaf and store them all in a two ring binder.

2. A good pen, one that feels nice in your hand and flows without blotting.

3. A system for corrections and additions

4. 20 min bursts of intense focus followed by 10min rests.

     Of course, you will eventually have to type your MS, but this should be straightforward because all the hard thinking will be done.

     Plenty of published authors have written books by hand eg. J.K Rowling (first HP book), Jeffery Archer, Truman Capote etc.

     So, if you have stopped writing or are procrastinating or perhaps the white blank document on the screen is giving you the heeby geebies- then turn to paper!

It has a lot to recommend it.

"Today we have Emmie Dark, published with Harlequin SuperRomance  who has recently released  'Just For Today.' 

Emmie likes to write about sexy noble heros and strong if slightly damaged heroines. I have to confess I'm a fan of her work and have a preference for these archetypes myself. I also share her love of red lipstick, rose scented soap, a good cup of tea.

Hi Emmie, congratulations on the release of your third Harlequin SuperRomance, "Just For Today"


Can you tell us in your own words what your love story is about?

Just For Today is the story of Sean and Jess. Jess is a thirty-something divorcee who’s wondering if her opportunity for love has passed her by. Sean is an author who loves the limelight and makes sure he’s never anywhere long enough to grow roots. It starts off as a fling – one night for Jess to rediscover her sensual side and for Sean to sate his attraction to the gorgeous Jess. But of course it doesn’t work out that way as life throws them together over and over again!
                                                             
Jess is older than Sean, do you think this makes it harder for Jess to let herself have a relationship or is it a double edge sword?

I think in the end, the age difference is just something Jess uses to justify her fear of letting Sean close rather than an actual barrier to their relationship. Yes, Sean is immature in some ways, but some of what Jess perceives as immaturity is actually more just plain “fun” – fun that she hasn’t let herself feel in a long time.

In your letter to the reader you talked about how much research went into understanding Jess's life as a vet. You talked about moments involving tears but there were some lovely moments too. Can you tell us about one or two of those experiences?

I don’t have any pets of my own because I travel too much to take care of them. So when I was writing about Sean and Jess caring for dogs, I reached out to friends and family to ask them for stories. I heard some hilarious tales of misadventures. But I think most of the lovely moments involves dogs getting themselves into trouble and then being saved or cured by hero vets. Here’s to all those hero vets out there!

Did you learn anything from writing your book or was it sharing what you have learned?

I always learn as I’m writing – I’d like to think that with every book I write I get better and better. I hope so, anyway.

Is there a message in Jess and Sean's journey that you hope readers will grasp?

I don’t think I deliberately set out to communicate any particular message. But looking back now, I guess the theme that comes through strongly, particularly through Jess’s storyline, is that it’s important to have courage in love. Even when – especially when – you get battered and bruised by a relationship, you need to find the courage to try again.

What inspired you to write this?

A few different things went into the melting pot that became this book! I did attend a wedding a little while ago that I didn’t really enjoy and found myself sitting around watching the world, just like Jess does in the first scene of the book. (Although there was no delicious Sean-like person to spy on, unfortunately!) And I’m very involved in social media and was watching a few different celebrities and how they interact with their followers on Twitter and wanted to bring that into a book too.

Were there psychological challenges in bringing this story to life?

Probably the most difficult scene for me to write was one towards the end of the book. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there is a scene where Jess helps out an injured dog. The scene was based on a clip someone posted to Facebook with the title of “all this puppy needed was a hug” or something like that. I watched the clip a few times to really capture the dog’s experience and it was pretty distressing. Although it, like the book, has a happy ending, so that was a relief!

Yes, we really do love a happy ending. Thanks so much Emmie for your thoughtful answers and helping us to get to know a little about Jess and Sean and your journey to bring them to life.

Just For Today… is now out in North America! Some people might not be aware, but Harlequin books are a little like magazines, in that they only stay on the shelf for one month. So make sure to head out and grab your copy in June! But don’t worry, if you miss out, you can always get a copy from Amazon or Book Depository too. Best places to find Just For Today… on the shelves are Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Target.

www.emmiedark.com

www.http://emmiedark.blogspot.com.au/

In the real world Georgiana Louis is happily married to her own hero, the mother of two beautiful little girls and a chiropractor. However, she has always loved to read which to her is escapism in its safest form. She wanted nothing more than to pick up one of Eloisa James' books, or relax with Julia Quinn. 
One day though, she realized she had an idea, a series of friends that each 
had their own story to tell. She jotted down a few ideas, sat at her computer 
and  The Spares was born! (As in the heir and a spare.)
She hasn’t looked back since.

She has three books published with Red Rose Publishing. “Nanny Wanted” and “Second Chances” but it’s her, recently released, third book “The Reluctant Duke” that is the first of her Spares series.

About The Reluctant Duke.

Colin Lyre, recently inherited 10th Duke of Lincoln, has been told his whole life that he is superfluous to his family.

When he must deal with the responsibility and stress that comes with his new title, he flounders rather badly. He is determined do his ‘duty’’ and marry an ‘appropriate Duchess.’ 

Life throws Colin’s plans wayward when he rescues the beautiful Annabelle from a ball. She makes him realize how much better his life could be, but he doesn’t know if he truly deserves such happiness.

Annabelle wants nothing to do with the responsibility of marrying a title. She simply wants to make a suitable match with a gentleman who can support her family.

Colin is Annabelle’s perfect prince until she realizes what life as his life would be like. However, making the rational decision to stay away from one another is much harder than either of them expects.

An Excerpt from “The Reluctant Duke”

Colin Lyre, the new tenth Duke of Lincoln could not believe he was attending a ton ball after he had sworn to himself that he would not attend another until he intended on marrying. If it was not for the ball in question being the birthday of Victoria Dunford—the little sister he had never had, he most definitely would not be here. Victoria was the younger sister of his best friend John. They’d grown up together and he had always loved Victoria for treating him like she treated her own brother—with unwaning, unconditional hatred one day and love the next. Colin had only an older brother for company and had often wished for the sisters that his friends had complained about. Victoria was his substitute little sister.

She had used every trick she possessed, including fake tears, pleading and even threats to get Colin to her 21st birthday, and he of course had succumbed. It would take a force of nature to stop Victoria when she had her mind set on something.

“Excuse me,” Colin politely bowed to the gentlemen he had been standing with and made his way across the room to Victoria. The crowd parted in front of him like Moses and the Red Sea, and Colin could not stop the sigh that escaped him. He missed being the second son, relatively unimportant and unnoticed by the haut ton. He’d give absolutely anything to have Gerald back. He knew how to behave, he knew how to be the esteemed holder of the title of Duke. He was raised for it, bred for it even. How he would have laughed to see Colin with the title. A wry smile crept onto Colin’s face as he thought about his older brother, and he drew up next to the now unoccupied Victoria.

“My lady,” Colin leaned closer than was proper and spoke directly into her ear.

“Colin,” Victoria spun around to face him and greeted him with a smile that was both warm and genuine. She would never be one to call him by his brother’s title.

“May I request a dance with the hostess?” Colin grinned at his surrogate sister, an action he knew caused the dimple in his right cheek to become pronounced.

“Of course,” Victoria smiled and took his arm for a waltz. Swinging Victoria into the perfect waltz position that included at least six inches between their bodies and no hands below the waist, he looked down at her laughing blue eyes and scowled at her.

“Having fun, are you?” He didn’t even attempt a polite start to the conversation.

“Of course I am, it’s my birthday party. How are you enjoying my night Colin? There are so many unmarried young ladies in this room that I expected you to have left screaming by now.” Victoria said, with her characteristic bluntness and a cheeky grin.

“You mean to torture me then?” Colin knew the question was rhetorical.

Victoria smiled slowly, appearing to be thinking about her answer.

“I have been hoping you may find a wife, yes. You need to spend more time consorting with ladies rather than the women I hear you and my brother are more accustomed to being with.”

“That is not any of your business scamp,” Colin hissed at Victoria through his teeth.

“Which part? The part where I said you should get married to a lady?” She emphasized the word lady with a cheeky smile. “Or the part where I mentioned the women of ill repute that you visit weekly?”

Colin gasped. Ladies of Victoria’s birth were not meant to even know about loose women, let alone talk to a gentleman about them. Was this really the same girl who had put worms under his pillow, and cried on his lap when she scrapped her knees running down a path?

Wow, didn't March totally fly by?  Before we knew it April slipped in while we were all running around with Easter eggs.  During March the MRWG Bloggers were busy writing up a storm about a myriad of engaging topics.
Here's a quick look back over our shoulder at the fabulous offerings during March.
Margaret Midwood at http://www.margaretmidwood.com/my-blog.html posted two articles, "Increasing Word Counts and Satisfaction at the Keyboard" and "Writing and Pushing Through The Self Doubt.

Ebony McKenna at - http://ejmckennablog.blogspot.com.au has blogged about "The Lives of Cover Models", "Ondine's Army", "Keeping Time" and "Why Do E-books Cost So Much?".

Serena Tatti at the Story Editor Blog hosted Kamy Chetty who contributed "Using Deep POV to step out of the Slush Pile" http://serenatattistoryeditor.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/welcome-to-my-guest-author-kamy-chetty.html

Louise Reynolds has been continuing her Cooking the Books Series featuring Guest authors. In March she hosted:
Kamy Chetty - http://louwrites.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/cooking-the-books-kamy-chetty/
Madeline Ash - http://louwrites.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/cooking-the-books-madeline-ash/
Emmie Dark - http://louwrites.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/cooking-the-books-emmie-dark/
S E Gilchrist - http://louwrites.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/cooking-the-books-s-e-gilchrist/

Emmie dark was in competition mode in March and also celebrated the release of her Destiny Romance, "Spellbound", to read more follow this link : http://emmiedark.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/its-spellbound-release-day.html

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you find something special that you might have missed. 

Here I go, finally a blog about my hero. I’m being very severe with myself and am strictly limiting the word count so as your eyes don’t glaze over while I indulge myself dissecting each of her books. Having said that, as far as contemporary authors go, Jane Austen keeps me re-reading her books again and again. Wait a minute, isn't she a historical author? Not in my view. She lived during the regency period but didn't write historical novels. She wrote about her contemporaries.

The allure of the period costume drama aside. I read Pride and Prejudice thinking it was going to be some kind of intellectual read. I dare say Mills and Boon would have thought up a more romantic title which could have tempted me to open the cover a good five years earlier. Any who, as a self confessed fan, I guess at age 21 and just discovering  J  A is a bit lame. Most people I know read her as a teenager. I can only put it down to a distaste for the “Classics”, Dickens etc. I thought it meant the same as reading books for school.

 After my coming of age birthday I felt it was time I bit the bullet and got on with improving my reading resume. OMG I LOVED P & P. I whipped through the rest of the novels and settled on Persuasion as my all time fave. For the last  30 years (eek, how many?) I've thought a great deal about J A. I’ve been to England to visit Chawton and various other J A historic spots so, you know, I mean slightly obsessed when I say thought a bit about her.  What gets me fired up, nowadays, is how her writing style isn't in fashion and she’d probably not get a contract if she cold submitted around the traps. I know, a lot of you think she would. But we can agree, her books hold their own with current romance novelists and give us an emotional ride every time we read them, again and again. I still get anxious that Anne Elliot won’t meet up with Captain Wentworth after reading his marriage proposal. No I’m not pathetic, J A is that great. She can still intimately pull us in.

I believe one of the, too many to mention here, reasons is that at times she adopts  a conversational style, not dissimilar to her letters to sister Cassandra. She wrote about what went on in her current time. She was a contemporary author taking the reader into her confidence, whether poking fun at her supporting cast or getting her heroine to notice if the hero wore a blue coat or not (very in at the time). In some respects it’s like modern Women’s Lit. In taking the almost insufferable circumstances of a woman’s lot and sharing a private joke with the reader and making fun of it. For example, when  the poor (in more ways than one) Dashwood sisters are expected to enjoy playing with spoiled noisy children.  J A has Eleanor make a comment  that goes something like, when she is around her cousin’s children, she can never think of quiet children with any abhorrence.  It carries so strongly with how we feel today, when the last vestiges of stereotypical gender types are sometimes still ill applied.

I admire J A as I would any brave woman, from any period of time, who chose to live as an author rather than marry someone she didn't love. Even the comfort of her sister and mother were not enough to induce her into a marriage of convenience. She wrote what love should be like. Not what her real experience of love had served up in her own life. The gradual awakening of her characters to their own faults, which have kept them from love, and the change in their attitude leading them finally into marriages of bliss, is totally relevant today. Mr Darcy admitting his faulty pride, to his dearest loveliest Elizabeth, has to be the most romantic scene ever written. If J A wrote that this year and it came out in paperback with that scene, my bet is that it would be a NYT bestseller.

The picture of the lady at the top of the page is officially not of Dora Bramden. It is however an unauthenticated portrait believed by some (including me) to be of Jane Austen. Photo sourced from http://worldbooktrade.blogspot.com.au

As a Melbourne Romance Writers Guild member and Coordinator we are very excited about the release of your first book 'Her Italian Aristocrat' 

How long have you been writing romance?

I'd been a longtime romance reader but I started writing in 2006 after seeing an advertisement for a CAE course. The wonderful Anne Gracie was the teacher and I went on to do an 'advanced' course with her as well. 

Who is your favorite author?

That's a hard one because I can't pick just one. In Single Title, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Amanda Quick,  In category, Jessica Hart and Shirley Jump. I'm seeing a pattern here. I like humour and all these authors deliver witty dialogue from warm and likable characters.

You've been published in short story, can you tell us about that?

I think short stories are a great way to 'test the water', maybe to try a style of writing or type of story you think you might like to write without investing a lot in teasing out a great plot or in big word counts. They're tight, so you need only explore one idea. And they're great for when you are maybe a bit lost, not sure of your next project, and just want something on the go. An example is the three stories I've been lucky to have accepted in Romance Writers of Australia's Little Gems anthologies. The first was a sweet, the second a Regency time-travel and the third had a 1930's Oriental spy setting. I wasn't interested in writing any of these as books but the ideas were there and the short story format was the best way to capture them.

"Her Italian Aristocrat" is set in Italy, have you ever been there?  

I've been lucky to spend a bit of time in Italy on several overseas trips and I adore it. 

You lived in Sydney till age 10, when your family relocated to Melbourne. Do you think this experience informed you on some level of what Gemma's character faces? 

My heroine, Gemma, is an outsider by virtue of her background, unsure of where she fits in the aristocratic setting she finds herself in. When I moved to Melbourne as a child I was an outsider as well. These days, the world is smaller and people move much more frequently but back then it was as if I'd landed on another planet. The Sydney/Melbourne rivalry was also very strong in those days so I struggled to make sense of this new place and to fit in and make new friends.

Gemma is passionate about shoes. Is that something you share with her?

I used to love gorgeous shoes but unfortunately my poor feet will no longer let me wear them. But I can still fantasise about them.

What are you currently working on?

I'm finishing a book set in the Australian outback. It's a 'coming home' book, about forgiveness, reconciliation, and the ties of family.


Louise's book 'Her Italian Aristocrat' is published by Penguin imprint, Destiny Romance, and went on sale the 15th of November.