How Can BITB Help Your Romance Writing?

with Enisa Haines

Image: courtesy of corderogarden.blogspot.com

It's day 5 of our Blogiversary. Are you enjoying the celebrations? I know I am and love that the fun continues today with another prize.
(Check the comment section below to find out if you are the winner of yesterday's give-away.)

Are you hankering for some down time where you can indulge in the delicious taste of chocolate as you immerse yourself in a romance novel? Answer a question I've placed at this post's end and this box of Lindt chocolate balls and lovely rural romance novel just may be yours.






But first, how can BITB help your romance writing?

Are you embarking on your journey to write or aiming to be a better writer? Are you struggling to write, searching for motivation? Have you received your first offer of publication and wondering what happens at the publishing end? Do you need to know about book promotion? Or about social networking for writers? Would you like your book reviewed by an experienced reviewer?

Visit our blog where we discuss the craft of writing. We have guest bloggers sharing their experiences of the publishing and selling processes, as well as offering advice and information. Our regular reviewer, Miranda, gives insightful, in-depth reviews that coerce readers to buy.

Writing is a lonely occupation. Whether alone in a room at home or seated in the midst of a crowded plane, your focus shifts from your surroundings to the story playing in your mind and stays there as you write. In those moments when you're not writing, you may want to connect with people as immersed in writing as you. BITB is just the place to find like-minded people.

What book or books grabbed you emotionally?

Image: courtesy of poonamallee.wordpress.com

And now it's prize give-away time. I love those romance novels that yank at my emotions with such pull that I feel everything the characters feel. I've read a lot like that but there are four that stand out far above others,  that made me sob through the journeys to happily-ever-after. They are Linda Howard's Cry No More, Dinah McCall's Jackson Rule, Sharon Sala's Out of the Dark and Gayle Wilson's Only A Whisper.

A heroine desperately searching for the child snatched from her arms. A hero pleading guilty to murder to save his baby sister from prison. A best friend sacrificing his life to save a heroine from the clutches of an evil cult leader. A hero willing to die, and almost doing so, for justice. I was right there in the midst of angst and action in each story and the endings...as beautiful as I anticipated.

How about you? Did a book make you laugh out loud or shed tears or sigh in wonder? What book or books drew you right in until the last page? 

Answer in the comments below and do return on Monday. You may be the lucky randomly-chosen winner!


I love to love - romance writers and readers. You care, you share, and I am inspired!

Image: courtesy of www.beautifully-invisible.com

I love to laugh - enjoying the fun and games through this blogiversary.

Image: courtesy of keep-calm-and tumblr.com

I love to learn - embracing social media was my 'stepping out of my comfort zone' moment but I persisted and persevered and triumphed!

Image: mamalade.com

Blogiversary - Successes!

with Cassandra Samuels


Welcome to day four of the Breathless in the Bush Blogiversary. I really hope you are all having a great time with us.


Today we are going to have a little fun playing, Do You Want to Build a Hero? Did you just start humming that Frozen song? Basically, I will suggest a feature/characteristic and you get to tell me what you think the hero should have e.g. how tall, what colour eyes, occupation, etc. Get all your friends involved because there will be a nice little prize announced tomorrow, but you have to be in it to win it.
(Check the comments section below to find out the winner of  yesterday's $20US amazon voucher.)

But first today I thought I might spend a little time reflecting on the successes and achievements of my fellow bloggers. It’s been a big year for many of us, so here goes.

Marilyn Forsyth has had an amazing year. She was a finalist in the Valerie Parv Award this year but due to some very exciting news she had to bow out of the competition; the reason being that she has accepted a contract with Harlequin Mira for her Pearl Farmer story (not yet titled) which she pitched at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference last year. Hurrah! We are so excited for Marilyn and for you because you will get to read it sometime early next year!

Dee Scully has also had an amazing year. She has overcome her fear of contests and submitted to two RWAus writing competitions…one of which she won - The Ripping Start. Squee!! She was also a finalist in the 2015 Valerie Parv Award. This particular achievement is very close to her heart seeing as, way back when, this was the contest that gave her the fear of competitions in the first place. Now, with more confidence and having developed her writing skills she is showing all of us to never give up.

Enisa Haines has come a long way this year. Working on the blog and Facebook has given her confidence in connecting with social media, and she is less intimidated now. She really has created some wonderful blog posts for us this year and is currently working on a very exciting manuscript which she plans to submit to a publishing house when it is completed. Stay tuned.

Sharon Burke is the newest member of the BITB Blog. It has been over 10 years since she was an active member of "Breathless in the Bush" and RWA, and she has decided to return to romance writing because she's missed it. She has previously had a short story published. Her goals for this year are to be published in romantic short stories and to begin researching an idea for an historical romance based on her own relative.

Karen M Davis has also had a very busy year. She and two other authors went on a wild author road trip and visited readers up and down the coastline from Sydney. If you met Karen at one of these please say hi in the comments. Karen is currently working on a new book not connected with her previous series (Sinister Intent and Deadly Obsession). We can’t wait to learn more about her new book this year.

Our lovely reviewer Miranda has given us a plethora of fantastic book suggestions and reviews this year. Our TBR piles are groaning under the weight but we wouldn’t have it any other way. She hopes to bring you many more book suggestions in the future so keep coming back and checking out her blog posts.

As for Cassandra Samuels? Well, I have had a very steep learning curve going on since my debut book, A Scandalous Wager, was released last November. I am hoping to have a new book available for you all next year. I have been working on many new story ideas and am excited by the prospect of having them available for you to read in the future.

Thank you all for your support of the Breathless in the Bush blog; it really does keep us motivated.

Do You Want to Build a Hero?

Now let the fun begin. How tall should a hero be? Leave your suggestions in the comments but keep coming back because the rest of my prompts will be in the comments.

What a Difference a Year Makes

with Marilyn Forsyth

Break out the champagne! It’s our first blogiversary and to celebrate we’re treating you to a whole week of great posts and gorgeous giveaways.

This glorious ‘I Love Red!’ prize pack, consisting of a silk kimono, 2 x blingy candle-holders, a set of coasters and a packet of heart-shaped push-pins, is up for grabs to the commenter who correctly answers all the questions at the end of the post (answers can be found on our author pages). Good luck everyone!

What have we loved to love?

First and foremost, the people who subscribe to and/or visit our blog! Even if it’s just to skim a post, we love you (although, if you leave a comment we love you even more because that’s great feedback for us). The fact is we’ve received nearly 16 000 page views over the last year, which staggers us all, and we have YOU to thank for that. Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!



We’ve also loved all our interviewees and guest bloggers: Catherine Lee, Fiona Greene, Cathryn Hein, Alli Sinclair, Nikki Logan, Suzi Love, Nicole Hurley-Moore, Maree Anderson, Michelle Diener, Cathleen Ross and Jenny Schwartz. A huge thank you to each and every one of you for contributing to our success, and you’re welcome back any time.

And let’s not forget RWA. It was their Group Grant that enabled us to hire Eleni from Helzkat Designs (contact her at helzkatdesigns@gmail.com) to design our beautiful blogsite. (Thank you Eleni!)



What have we loved to laugh at?

Usually each other, when we get together once a month to discuss the blog and all things writing. We may each write in a different genre but we share a sense of humour, not to mention a sense of the ridiculous.








What have we loved to learn?

How to create and maintain what we hope is a high-quality blog. And what an achievement that is! See, it wasn't always easy; every single one of us had teething problems to begin with, but through perseverance and hard work (we are writers, after all, so that comes with the territory *grin*) we’ve managed to present an informative blog every week (bar a short break over Christmas) for 12 months.



So there you have it—that was our year—and we're looking forward to continuing to provide more quality posts for your enjoyment into the future.

Treasure Hunt

To win today’s fabulous prize (sorry, Australian entrants only) find the answers to these questions on our author pages then email them to breathlessinthebush@gmail.com. In the event of a draw, the winner’s name will be drawn from a hat. That winner will be announced tomorrow morning, so don’t forget to check in. It could be you!
                                                       

1. Which blogger writes paranormals?


2. Who among us may have kissed a frog (purely for research purposes, you understand)?


3. Which blogger really should have been born in the 1800s but had the misfortune to be born instead in the 1970s?


4. Who’d spend all day reading if she could (and frequently does in order to bring you her thoughtful book reviews)?


5. Who among us might you tempt with a Tim Tam?


6. Which blogger, based on her experiences in the police force, wrote ‘Sinister Intent’?


7. Who has recently joined our blogging team?

A Breathless Birthday Bash--Just for YOU!!

with Dee Scully

Let's celebrate!!  It's party time!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

Breathless in the Bush!!  

But this isn't just our birthday bash--it's a celebration of you, our viewers/commenters/subscribers too!! To show our appreciation for your support throughout the year, we've scheduled a week of blogs, competitions, and giveaways--just for you!!

TUESDAY
Marilyn Forsyth—A Year in Review
Competition—Treasure Hunt
Giveaway—Kimono gift pack

WEDNESDAY
Miranda--More Musings
Competition—“How has your romance reading changed over the years?"
Giveaway—$20US Amazon voucher

THURSDAY
Cassandra Samuels—BITB Success Stories
Competition—Do You Wanna Build a Hero?
Giveaway—Book & Swag

FRIDAY
Enisa Haines—How Can BITB Help Your Romance Writing?
Competition—“What book grabbed you emotionally?"
Giveaway—Chocolate box & Book

At the start of each day, we'll post a blog and instructions for the competition to be played (or the question to be asked) and how a daily winner will be chosen. Remember to check the comments the following morning to see if you've won!

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to our fabulous blog! Simply scroll to the email or subscription bar on the right hand side of the home page, fill in your details, and you'll receive notices of our new posts!

We love to love...celebrating with you this week and throughout the next year!!

We love to laugh...enjoying all the fun blogging games with you this week!!

We love to learn...from your comments--so make sure to leave one...or two...or as many as you'd like!!