The Anthology Love Affair

By Jayne Kingsley

 

Months ago—pre-Covid—a group of authors sat down over a bottle of fizz and an idea was born. One that involved a yacht, New Year’s Eve and a mystery benefactor. 

 

Next week (November 1) Love & Fireworks: A New Year’s Eve romance anthology will be out in the world and boy was it fun to write this anthology with some of my fantastic and fabulous author pals. 

I thought for my blog I’d share insight from each of us into why we all loved writing this anthology together. 

 

 

First up: Anna Foxkirk

 

“Let's start with the fact that being asked to contribute to this anthology felt like an act of inclusion, extending the hand of friendship. Last year, I was supposed to contribute to Christmas on Hope Street, but for a number of personal reasons, which I won't bore you with, I couldn't. I was therefore beyond thrilled when they offered me a second chance. Ever since meeting at the RWA conference in Brisbane in 2017, we've gelled so well as a group, and I feel nothing but gratitude for having met these authors, for their support and the joy of having become part of this writing crew.

 

The actual process of writing and reading others' work, giving feedback and editing the Love and Fireworks anthology became a bonding of writers, a real team effort. I immediately loved the premise - a mega party on a mega yacht on New Year's Eve. So exciting, I could envisage the fireworks already! When I sat down to write, the story flowed, as if it had been tailor-made for me to write - that is such a zen moment for a writer! An additional bonus was the opportunity this experience gave me to learn from Jayne, Megan, Stella and Marianne, in terms of studying their writing craft, but also benefitting from their savvy and know-how as self-published authors - as someone just embarking on a self-publishing career, boy, I have a whole lot to learn! 

 

Last but not least, working on this anthology has meant sharing the hard work needed to produce a book. That's no mean feat and I feel incredibly proud to have been even a small part of this collaborative effort. With less than a week to go, I can't wait to sing and shout about Love and Fireworks, but even more wonderful is that instead of celebrating solo, it's a shared joy, effectively a party!” 

 

If you want to find out more about Anna Foxkirk and her upcoming works of fiction check out her website: https://www.annafoxkirk.com or follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annafoxkirk/

 

 

Megan Mayfair

 

“I enjoy working in collaboration with others, and the give and take to make sure that all the stories work as individual romances, but also as part of a broader theme. Having five stories all set around the same yacht party definitely involved some creative problem solving and negotiation, but it was such fun to work out those small details like the size of the yacht or the details around the countdown to create, hopefully, a consistent and fun read to ring in the new year with.”

 

If you want to find out more about Megan Mayfair and her upcoming works of fiction check out her website: https://www.meganmayfair.com or follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganmayfairwrites/

 

 

Marianne Bayliss

 

“I’ve had stories published in four anthologies. I enjoy writing to a theme and joining in with multiple authors to achieve a common goal, which is to produce a high-quality product that reaches as many readers as possible.

 

The Love and Fireworks anthology was a collaborative process with my writing group. This is the second anthology we’ve written – the first was Christmas on Hope Street – and this, like our first, was a passion project. I loved working on these two anthologies. The excitement as we brainstormed the concept, nutted out details and fine-tuned the words was infectious and united us more. We each drew on our individual skill sets to contribute to the book, whether it be editing, formatting,

proofreading or promotion and cheered each other on as the deadlines approached. 

 

This all-in method is a lovely way to work if you have trustworthy, reliable, supportive collaborators. I’m so fortunate that I do have such writers in my wonderful writing group. They make working together to produce a beautiful book an absolute delight.”

 

If you want to find out more about Marianne Bayliss and her upcoming works of fiction check out her website: https://mariannebayliss.com

 

 

Stella Quinn

 

“Some anthologies are grouped together around a loose concept, like regency Christmas romance, or valentine's day. Others -- such as our Love and Fireworks anthology -- have a specific event or cast of characters which need to be included. These anthologies are the type I enjoy writing for, as the collaboration process is so fun!

 

The collaboration process also means you have to employ a little writerly discipline. You cannot let your characters be in charge, you have to make them fit the premise of the anthology, which can feel a little like having to create jigsaw pieces out of words.”

 

If you want to find out more about Stella Quinn and her upcoming works of fiction check out her website: https://www.stellaquinnauthor.com or follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stella.quinn.author/

 

 

Jayne Kingsley

 

Lastly – me! I love reading anthologies, particularly ones based around a theme, so writing one was an absolute joy. To be able to write with some of my closest author friends is such a pleasure and a privilege. I also feel it takes the pressure off in some ways as you don’t feel so alone with your story (which often writing can be). 

 

Plus writing about New Year’s Eve and finding love aboard a glamour filled yacht was just plain fun!

 

 

So how about you? Do you like reading Anthologies? If you’re an author do you like writing anthologies with friends?

 

I love to love... the sound of rain falling outside whilst I’m cosy inside with a good book

I love to laugh... with my friends over our typos (ice cub anyone?)

I love to learn... how to make giant paper flowers

Book Review: The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover

Photo: Author's own

Full disclosure: The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover is the first book I have ever been sent by a publisher (Thanks Harlequin – I have discovered I LOVE book mail), and I also consider Janet to be a friend of mine, which is why I was glad I liked this book! It would have been terrible if I had to tell her it stank. 😉

I’ve also not written a book review, all proper-like, since year nine in high school (which was more than 30 years ago <argh!>). So, here’s hoping this is on point… and doesn’t give away too many spoilers.

The Lawson Sisters is a tale of two very different, but very similar, women who also happen to be sisters – Elizabeth and Kayla. Following the death of their parents in a car accident, Elizabeth stays on the family stud, keeping the business alive, while a much younger Kayla is packed off to boarding school. They go their separate ways until Elizabeth needs her sister’s help to rescue the stud and she’s ultimately none too happy with Kayla’s idea to give them the income they need.

I opened the book staunchly on Liz’s side – but as the story progressed, I wanted to just take her out to the stables and shake some sense into her. She’s hard to like. I also started out thinking that Kayla would be a spoiled brat, only to grow fonder of her as I got deeper into the book, so I think Janet does her job in developing multi-dimensional, and realistic characters. I can definitely understand how the sisters got to where we find them in the first chapter, and how they are who they are through the resolution of the conflict and secrets.

Photo: Author's own - Irish National Stud 2014

As for the main secondary character – Mitch – I’d have liked to have seen a little more fire in Mitch… but that being said, I’m a romance reader at heart and this is definitely a romantic elements tale – the story is Elizabeth’s and Kayla’s to tell (not Elizabeth’s and Mitch’s).

I also have to mention the extra ‘character’ in this book – which is the setting. Janet has clearly done her research, and builds a clear picture with her words of the Australian rural landscape, contrasted nicely on occasion with the city. She also does a wonderful job in detailing the Willowbrook homestead, and how it comes alive again over the course of the sisters’ relationship repair.

The one thing that did bug me about the book is the pacing. We get great build up with short chapters that pull you along for the ride but I’d have liked it to linger a little longer in the second half with a little more emotional payoff from the sister’s relationship. Things resolve pretty sharply after the climax and I’d have liked a little more time to sit with the end of the story. I’m also a little perplexed at how Mitch’s parents didn’t do more for Elizabeth at the time of her parents’ death… but these are things we’re left to wonder.

Overall, four out of five stars from me!

P.S. There were also tears, so make sure you have tissues handy.

Kristine Charles writes sexy tales where coffee (and red wine) is abundant, designer shoes and handbags are cheap, chocolate has no calories and men always put the toilet seat down. Find her at www.wordsbykristinecharles.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I love to love... reading. Figures, huh? But I've been reading more this month and loving it!

I love to laugh... while reading The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa.

I love to learn... about myself. This month I'm doing a course about how my personality affects my writing process and... wow!

Writing the First Draft - You Don't Always Have to Type It.

By Cassanda Samuels

Writing a book is hard. It takes many months, sometimes years, to complete even a first draft, but my guest authors today have found that you don't always have to type your first draft.

Anna Campbell is an award winning author of Historical Romance. She writes her first drafts longhand, but it hadn't always been that way. Here is why she chooses longhand over typing:

"In 2014, a lot of things happened. I had the house on the market, I’d decided to make a real attempt
at having a career as an indie author, and I had a dreadful accident. I fell over in the kitchen in the
middle of the night and injured my left arm and as a result had trouble typing for about 18 months.

Necessity meant that I had to go back to doing first drafts longhand because I really had only one
hand working at full capacity and this ended up being one of those decisions about making the
best of adverse circumstances that turned out to be a wonderful opportunity.

When I’d dreamed of being a writer as a child and teenager, of course I wrote longhand. This was
back in the dark ages before every house had at least one computer. Returning to writing longhand
took me back to the time when writing was fun and full of dreams and hope, whereas writing on a
screen seemed (and still seems) like a job. First drafts stopped being a horrible experience (I still edit on the computer. That really IS a much better option) and went back to me telling myself a story. Even better, I could write longhand anywhere. In the backyard, in bed, on the sofa, at a café. Not only that but my really rough first drafts became less rough, I think because writing longhand is a slower process so you have time to think about what you’re putting down (one of the downsides of being a really fast typist is that any old rubbish goes down on the page). So the editing process ended up being easier as well.

I still have to type the manuscript into the computer,but that has the advantage of letting me do a
rough first edit. I’m investigating dictation programs so that I can just read my manuscript into the
computer. I’m definitely sticking to longhand first drafts. That’s given my writing a whole new lease on life."

Anna's latest book is available now.

Buy here

Lord Garson’s dilemma.
Hugh Rutherford, Lord Garson, loved and lost when his fiancée returned to the husband she’d believed drowned. In the three years since, Garson has come to loathe his notoriety as London’s most famous rejected suitor. It’s high time to find a bride, a level-headed, well-bred lady who will accept a loveless marriage and cause no trouble. Luckily he has just the candidate in mind.
A marriage of convenience…
When Lady Jane Norris receives an unexpected proposal from her childhood friend Lord Garson, marriage to the handsome baron rescues her from a grim future. At twenty-eight, Jane is on the shelf and under no illusions about her attractions. With her father’s death, she’s lost her home and faces life as an impecunious spinster. While she’s aware Garson will never love again, they have friendship and goodwill to build upon. What can possibly go wrong?
…becomes very inconvenient indeed
From the first, things don’t go to plan, not least because Garson soon finds himself in thrall to his surprisingly intriguing bride. A union grounded in duty veers toward obsession. And when the Dashing Widows take Jane in hand and transform her into the toast of London, Garson isn’t the only man to notice his wife’s beauty and charm. He’s known Jane all her life, but suddenly she’s a dazzling stranger. This isn’t the uncomplicated, pragmatic match he signed up for. When Jane defies the final taboo and asks for his love, her impossible demand threatens to blast this convenient marriage to oblivion.
Once the dust settles, will Lord Garson still be the man who can only love once?

Louise Forster  is a best selling author of contemporary and small town romance and uses Dragon Naturally speaking. This is what she says about it:

"For me, Dragon Naturally Speaking, is brilliant. I researched to find the best dictate program, and Dragon kept coming up with great reviews. About 15+ years ago my sister in-law used it after a shoulder operation. I watched her train the program to recognize her voice, and nuances, and even back then it wasn’t too bad.

To have some fun, I suggested she say f**k into the mic. She surprised me by giving it her best shot. The program wasn’t into cursing and came up with all sorts of weird and wonderful words: flock, duck, suck, fluck, pluck. I figured they would’ve improved their program, so I bought Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 Premium. (Premium, because it was on sale). I haven’t had it long, but I like it, and it works for me. Issues with my body forced me to take this path.

The wrong words are highlighted in yellow, the correct in blue/turquoise.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking takes a little training, but it does this as you work and went when you close off. I haven’t tried this program while putting together a first draft, but I can imagine that it would be pretty good. For me, the problem lies with thinking and speaking two different things; I can't speak a sentence while thinking they had our head ahead on the next one. A friend said I could train my brain to work that out in the creative sense.

If you want a quote symbol you simply say open single quote and close single quote. For double quote marks it’s open quote and close quote. If it won’t accept a word simply say spell and a window appears where you can choose or type in the correction.

Editing is a little tricky, for example after highlighting what you want to take out and saying delete, you have to remember to only say the word, or words you want to put in, and not the rest of the sentence, thereby doubling up. I learnt that one pretty quickly."

Louise has a brand new book out on the 4th of May that is available now for pre-order.

Buy here

 In the small town of Tumble Creek, secrets aren’t kept for long...

From the outside, Adele Valentin knows she looks strong, capable, unflappable. But when she loses everything, she can only think of one thing to do: run. A friend’s house in the small rural town of Tumble Creek is a ready-made sanctuary, and Adele flees the big city without ever looking back.

The timing has never been right for Takumi Edwards to express his feelings for Adele, the beautiful, mysterious woman who visits occasionally but haunts his dreams nightly. But now she’s here to stay – at least for a while – and he will never have a better chance.

But Adele is struggling with both past decisions and how vulnerable Takumi makes her feel. When her past follows her to Tumble Creek, Takumi is the only one who can help resolve both what came before and what could be ahead. If Adele is only strong enough to ask.

Have you or anyone you know used a different way to get down that first draft?

Love to love: Finishing edits on my next book.

Love to laugh: At the weird things my cat Angus does. He always keeps me entertained.

Love to learn: about the way my fellow authors create.

Writing Life: Re-filling the Creative Well

with Cassandra Samuels

I don't know about you but last year was a hard one for me. There were lots of up and downs - more downs than ups it felt like at times - but here we are at the beginning of a new year. It's time to start over, start anew, begin again.

Gify.com

Sometimes it feels like we are always going at a million miles an hour.

After the craziness of Christmas and New Year it is nice to spend some time dreaming, reflecting, and relaxing not just the body, but the mind, too.

 

It's time to re-fill the creative well; the place in your head where all good things begin to grow.

How can you re-fill that creative well?

There are plenty of ways. What works best is really up to you.

• Take a short break away from the everyday, get away from it all
• Take time out to watch that TV series you have been recording all year
• Read some of those books on the To Be Read (TBR) pile/shelf/bookcase/room
• Perhaps take a long hot bath
• Go for a walk along the beach
• Go to the movies
• Get a massage 
• Go to a museum or art gallery

All these activities are relaxing and rejuvenating.



So are you in need of Refilling the Creative Well? How do you re-fill the well?

Love to Love: Growing my own fruit and Veg in my mini vege patch.

Love to Laugh: at Romantic comedies like Love Actually.

Love to Learn: new ways to re-fill my creative well.

THE BREATHLESS LIST

with the Breathless team

Gasp! THE BREATHLESS LIST is  out!

Welcome back romance readers and writers! It's so good to see you here at the Breathless Blog for another year.

We spent the holidays hard at work coming up with an awesome line-up of blog posts and guest bloggers that we know you are going to love! (Ok, well...'hard at work' might be a bit of an untruth...it's never hard work when you love what you do!) To start the year off with a bang, we have The Breathless List!

We've all spent a year reading romances by Australian and New Zealand writers published in 2015 and we've picked our favourites to share with you. Whittling The List down to just 9 books was, and always is, one of the hardest things we do as a blog group, but it's something we're prepared to do in order to showcase our amazing Aussie and NZ romance writers!

So without further ado here is...

 
The Breathless List



Miranda's Pick: From Christmas to Forever? by Marion Lennox. (Yes, there is a ? in the title.)

Surprise! I picked a series Medical romance. The sort you stay away from? Rethink! Two doctors meet in Wombat Valley: the incoming locum, Pollyanna (love that name), escaping from her smothering parents for Christmas; and Hugo, who's supposed to escape to the beach with his orphaned niece. But it's not about escape, it's about them finding themselves and each other (siiigh) while surrounded by car crashes, snake bites, drunken revellers, and even avalanches. Those bits are jaw-dropping. I adored the country feel, the glittery Christmas parts and the lush romance. Marion Lennox writes with a sweet power punch.





Enisa’s Pick: Storm Clouds by Bronwyn Parry

WOW is how I’d describe award-winning author Bronwyn Parry’s Storm Clouds (published by Hachette Australia). I read and read, devouring the story’s mystery, danger and unexpected twists. The plot, interweaving the murder of a wife not seen in fourteen years with a deceptively-innocent alternative-lifestyle community, long-buried secrets finally revealed and a web of lies unravelling, intrigued me. The setting, the small NSW town of Goodabri and the nearby stark and rugged National Forest, filled me with cheer and yet chilled me. The main characters, National Parks rangers Erin Taylor and Simon Kennedy, and their slowly-blossoming romance, had me crying and smiling. A bonus was the strong cast of secondary characters adding an extra layer of depth to the story.

Storm Clouds yanked at my emotions, and what a yank it was. One I will always remember. Bravo Bronwyn Parry. You write beautifully.


Dee’s Pick: Freaks Under Fire by Maree Anderson

I know what you're thinking, "Cyborgs, really?" Yes. Really. New Zealand romance author Maree Anderson makes it onto The Breathless List for creating a cyborg heroine that readers want to be! Freaks' heroine, Jay, is most definitely a cyborg. You know that from the beginning and you're reminded of it in her speech patterns and mannerisms, but still you fall in love with her. She's the woman we all want to be, if only we could. By the end of the book, you're hanging on for dear life, hoping beyond hope that she can prevail and live to love another day!

Sharon’s Pick: Bidding on Her Boss (The Hawke Brothers #2) by Rachel Bailey

Why would any intelligent, self-respecting woman bid for three dates with her boss when her employer has a no-fraternisation-outside-the-workplace policy? Faith Crawford’s motivation for spending all of her savings on this seemingly fruitless endeavour is the first of many intriguing surprises in store for the reader. 

The powerful attraction between Faith and her boss, Dylan Hawke is impossible to ignore, however both have equally compelling reasons why they should not pursue it. Their decision to approach the dates from a practical perspective is hopelessly flawed, and makes incredibly entertaining reading.

 I fell in love with Dylan and empathised with Faith throughout this book. The ending is rare, even for a novel published in 2015, and is highly gratifying.




Cassandra’s Pick: By the Sword by Alison Stuart

In this English Civil War story, widow Kate Ashley is contacted by her husband’s estranged family who wish to name her young son as heir to the family estate, Seven Ways. However, the estate is financially floundering due to taxes imposed on the family for being Royalists. Kate’s husband died fighting for the Parliamentarians but she has no love for either side.

When Kate meets the real heir to Seven Ways, the outlawed Jonathon Thornton, she is immediately taken by the man who has willingly given up his birth right to protect the family’s home. He has pledged himself to the young King Charles II, even knowing he is on the losing side. 

I loved this story for its tender moments, its battle scenes, and the way Stuart seamlessly weaves in the historical events of the time. The long periods where hero and heroine are kept apart didn’t bother me in the reading of it, so kudos to Alison for her wonderful writing style. If you love a good historical with sweet, passionate moments and plenty of danger you will enjoy this book.


Dana's Pick: Northern Heat by Helene Young

I felt the heat in Northern Heat! Australian Helene Young writes so perfectly that I actually felt the oppressive far north Queensland humidity. She's a true master at setting the scene and weaving it into the story. As both a cyclone and the villain bare down on Cooktown, I felt every lash of rain and every ounce of fear that Kristy and Conner were experiencing. At one stage I realised I was holding my breath!










Marilyn's Pick: The Wildwood Sisters by Mandy Magro

Nine years ago, in response to a death threat following the disappearance and presumed murder of her beloved twin sister, young Renee Wildwood was forced to leave town without a word to anyone, including the boy she was madly in love with. When family circumstances force her to return to Opals Ridge, she’s determined to unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s disappearance, despite the prospect that the murderer may still be lurking. Her return reunites her with her first love; Dylan Anderson is now an emotionally wounded single father with a financially struggling farm. They try to fight their still-strong feelings for one another, while the killer makes plans to destroy them both.

As if the gorgeous cover wasn’t enough to entice, this rural romantic suspense ticked all my boxes: well-developed characters, believable conflict, strong emotions and heart-in-the-mouth suspense. Well done Mandy!

 


Karen’s Pick: The Lake House by Kate Morton.
Reaching No. 1 on the Australian Best Seller List, it would be fair to say Kate Morton's The Lake House is another success story. Having won the book at a charity event I was a little overwhelmed by the size of it - it's a whopping 595 pages - but it's easy reading and the story enthrals from beginning to end. Both a mystery and a historical filled with secrets, family tragedy and forbidden love, it shifts between past and present until both are woven together perfectly to reveal the final grand twist.

Dana's Pick: My Dark Duke by Elyse Huntington

My Dark Duke is a refreshingly original Regency historical that flowed so seamlessly from the first page to the last that I hadn't realised I'd read the whole story in one sitting. I just kept turning page after page after page. Australian author Elyse Huntington has created a hero and a heroine who are perfectly matched, strong, independent, but so in need of one another. Lady Alethea is unique and refreshing and just what the Duke of Trent needs, even if she doesn't know it. If you've not read it, get it now.









We love to love...everything romance reading and writing, especially from our Aussie and Kiwi authors!

*If you're an Australian/New Zealander author with a 2016 book release, please email us at breathlessinthebush@gmail.com and let us know, but please don't offer us a free copy. As much as we'd love to accept, in order to remain bias free we won't.*


We love to laugh...with each other-always with love, and often!


We love to learn...what you think of our 2015 picks. Are they the best of the best? What Australian and New Zealand writers with 2015 romance releases did you love?