'WINTER' READING

Miranda's June Musings

Winter has hit Australia after a spectacularly warm autumn. All the 'winter reading' lists have come out. Glorious big fat books you can get lost in on those long evenings, snuggled into a cosy chair under a warm blanket next to the fire. 

So what you consider 'winter reading'? For those in the northern hemisphere there is also the association of winter with Christmas, which makes for a plethora of frozen festive reading. But Down Under, where it rarely snows in, well, a lot of Australia (even though it gets very frosty and can be sub-zero), what do you enjoy reading?

Do you enjoy romance with lots of snow and ice? I can distinctly remember reading Linda Howard's book Ice and nearly turned into a popsicle. Loved it! All warm and cuddly, nothing to worry about where I was, but everything to worry about in the book, one heck of an icy adventure with a policeman and a fabulously strong heroine.

Picture credit: amazon.com

Another chilly romantic suspense on my fave list is Karen Robards' thrilling Darkness. A truly spectacular book set in remote Alaska. The opening scene is just wow, when a scientist horrifyingly witnesses a plane crash over the Bering Sea. With tremendous difficulty she manages to fish one survivor out of the water before he dies. By the time they get back to her station all her colleagues have been murdered, and it looks like they're next on the hit list. Just thinking about it makes me get the shivers. Ooh.

Picture credit: amazon.com

Or do you prefer something a bit cosier like Debbie Macomber's Starry Night? Out a few years ago, this was festive fare set in remote Alaska (again), with a hero trying to dodge a persistent city columnist. The cover is to die for and I loved the story, that instant clash between the hero and heroine.

Picture credit: amazon.com

Notice the common thread of ice, snow, freezing locales and such? Is this your winter reading?! Or do you prefer reading a book set on the beach, so you can pretend you're feeling that heat while you're actually trying to defrost your toes? Something like Michelle Douglas' sun-drenched, gorgeous book Miss Prim's Greek Island Fling, which is so gloriously warm you could use it as a hot water bottle. Who doesn't want a wonderful Greek island retreat, with a hero and heroine who could never really get on in the past - but things seem to have changed?

Picture credit: amazon.com

Would absolutely love to know what you prefer.

Lots of love while I toast my toes,

Miranda xxx

Love to Love:

Enjoying some vicarious snow.

Love to Laugh:

At how quickly winter suddenly came in. My favourite season!

Love to Learn:

What do you consider winter reading? Snow and ice while you're snuggled up, or hot sun so you can 'pretend' it's warm outside?

Brief Wrap up from the Booklovers Convention

By Alyssa J. Montgomery

When Kathryn Falk announced that last years RT Convention in Reno would be the last, I was very sad because I'd loved attending the RT Conventions and connecting with readers, other authors and industry professionals in a party atmosphere.

When I found out that Jo Carol Jones and her enthusiastic staff and team of volunteers (who have organised previous RT Conventions) decided that the world of romance readers and authors still needed a convention and Jo Carol was prepared to organise it, I was overjoyed. I had every confidence the Booklovers Convention would deliver on its promise of being the Ultimate Reader Experience, and I wasn't disappointed.

Party into the night!!
New Orleans was the place to be for the inaugural Booklovers Convention, which brought 250 authors together with romance readers and industry professionals in a fabulous fun-filled five days.
Of course, being in NOLA, the perfect way to start off was with a Jazz Festival and Tina De Salvo's second-line event on the Wednesday night got everyone into the party atmosphere.


Thursday heralded our entry to the exquisitely decorated ballroom for the Faery and Fantasy evening; Friday night was Heather Graham's Voodoo and Vampire Party; and the Saturday evening we enjoyed the Bookworm Blowout. So many wonderful costumes worn and the decorations in the room were amazing.

Day time Events
There are too many reader events to mention, but have a look on the website for the list and it's guaranteed to throw your mind into a spin. Harlequin sponsored a morning Smoothie event on the Thursday morning and I was chatting to readers and signing paperback copies of my latest release "Seduced by the Enemy" - more than a little blown away by the fact that superstar authors Jennifer L. Armentrout, Heather Graham, Sheila Roberts, Julia London were also signing books at the event and that I was part of the Harlequin stable.

I also participated in an event called "Round the World in 80 minutes" where readers needed to go and stamp their passports at all 'ports' in order to have an entry into the raffle for gift baskets. That was fun as I was in the tent with fellow Aussie author, Khloe Wren, and we were able to decorate our tent with Aussie regalia and had heaps of Australian swag to give away.

Tim Tams, Furry Friends & Mint Slice all went down very well with our American and other international readers. Khloe had a blow up kangaroo and Khloe and I both sported a sequined Aussie Flag dress (as shown in the photograph).

I attended a "Wheel of Romance" Bingo event and a session of "Left, Right & Centre" as a reader andwas able to have my fan girl moments with authors as well as meeting other readers. Kensington hosted a Pop Culture Quiz where authors such as Karen Rose, Meg Tilly and Lexi Blake showed off their incredible general knowledge on things pop culture related and provided us with lots of laughs at some of their guesses!

There are also professional development workshops for authors, and special events for bloggers & librarians.

Having been to four RT Conventions, the Booklovers Convention was a lot like "coming home to my tribe". We all know that romance readers & authors are positive, warm people to be around and I love the fact that I was able to reunite with friends at the convention and make new friends.

If you've never been to a romance readers convention, keep in mind that the Booklovers Con is in Nashville next year in March. It's a long way to travel for Australians, but it is totally worth the trip. You're guaranteed to come home having made new friends, with loads of wonderful memories and with a suitcase full of books and swag. Will you make it? I hope to see you there!!

Love to Love everything about Booklovers Con - catching up with friends, dressing up and getting into the atmosphere of the party... the list is endless!

Love to Laugh at Damon Suede hosting the Cinemacraptastique event at Booklovers Con.

Love to Learn the latest news from industry professionals.

Giveaway winner: the winner of Kaz Delaney's Chocolate and Old Lace is Claire Crane (commenting as Craneclaire). Please contact Kaz via this link.

What Sort of Writer Are You?

by Enisa Haines

A woman waking from a nightmare fills my vision. What the...? Who is she? Wanting to know who this character is and what was going on with her, I begin to write.

That's the sort of writer I am. I see characters, learn a little about them and then my stories start. What sort of writer are you? Do you see characters, too, and have them at the start your story? 

Image courtesy of: www.giphy.com

If you're a Regency Romance writer, perhaps you see a landed gentleman, too arrogant and proud. And a young girl of good family prone to judging at first impression.

Image courtesy of: www.giphy.com

If you write contemporary romance novels, maybe you imagine a travel book shop owner failing to make a success of his business meeting an actress succeeding in every movie part she portrays.




Are you a writer who visualises a setting? It may be a place that exists in reality or one that exists only in your imagination, but you imagine that setting and a story sparks to life.

Avesbury Village. Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

If Cozy Mysteries are your focus you may visit an English village and wonder about the secrets hidden behind closed doors and who of the residents would commit murder.

Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org. Source: John Martin

If you write Paranormal Romance, maybe you see a fantasy world and you wonder about the mythical being and the human with preternatural abilities.

Maybe it's action or a conflict, the setting up of the plot, that takes place on your first page. You know who your characters are and what they will do in the situation they find themselves in, and what they will do next. 

Image courtesy of giphy.com

If you're genre is Historical Romance and you love time-travel drama, you may visualise a married World War II nurse carried back in time to the Jacobite risings in 1743 Scotland and into the arms of Jamie Fraser, rebel Scottish Highlander.





Writers are all different and from talking to some and reading about others I learned there is no right way to start. Whether it's with character, setting or action plot is your choice. And it's these different choices that make each writer stories unique.

How do you write? What do you introduce first? Character, setting or action?

Love to love...how amazing imagination can be.

Love to laugh...when my imagination takes off on tangents at once unexpected yet so right!

Love to learn...how other writers write.