How a small community can smother your characters

As a contemporary romance writer, I know that series set in small towns and tight-knit communities are insanely popular. But there’s also a danger that, as a series grows, those communities can begin to smother the vibrancy of later novels and their characters. This isn’t just a danger with small-town contemporary romance. It can happen… Continue reading How a small community can smother your characters

Discovering the book you wish you’d written

A few weeks ago, I sat down to read a book by a new-to-me author that’s coming out soon. The premise had sounded intriguing, but to be honest, I’d requested it along with about a dozen others so by the time I started reading it I couldn’t even remember what it was supposed to be… Continue reading Discovering the book you wish you’d written

Sarah Mayberry interview – and giveaway!

Last year, after reading loads of buzz online about a couple of Harlequin Superromance authors, I bit into my book-buying budget and ordered about a dozen Superromance novels. Why was this expensive? Because they wouldn’t ship to me in London, so I had to have them sent to my parents’ house and then reimburse my… Continue reading Sarah Mayberry interview – and giveaway!

Kristan Higgins interview – and giveaway!

While I was preparing for this interview, I cruised on over to Kristan’s website and stalked her did some research into her life. I clicked on the link to her blog and ended up spending TWO HOURS reading her posts. I’ve never spent that long on anyone’s blog before – not even mine. Kristan’s novels… Continue reading Kristan Higgins interview – and giveaway!

Ten tips on writing characters with accents, by Rose Lerner

Anyone who’s read one of Rose Lerner’s novels (In for a Penny and A Lily Among Thorns) will know that her characters come from a wide range of backgrounds. Rose is a master at writing accents so a reader can hear her characters’ distinctive voices. She’s very generously written this post on how she writes… Continue reading Ten tips on writing characters with accents, by Rose Lerner