Hearts Talk the Official Journal of Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award for 100Th Book
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Edition #271 December 2015 Hearts Talk The official journal of Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award for 100th Book Victoria’s Marion Lennox has been writing category romance for a quarter of a century and has no plans to step away from the keyboard. We talked to her about winning this year’s RWA Ruby Award in the ‘short sweet’ category for a milestone novel. Marion, have you won a Ruby before? And what does winning one in 2015 mean to you? This was my 23rd nomination and my third win, and you know what? Every single nomination takes my breath away. The phone call that I’d finalled this time left me as weak at the knees as the first call did. That I’m still writing books that readers love, after all this time, fills me with wonder. I don’t know how it’s happened but I feel truly blessed that it has. Can you sum up Waves of Temptation for us? Waves of Temptation sprang from a writers’ retreat two years ago, when the Australian Surfing Championships were moved from a rough northerly beach to the waves right under my apartment window. I was surrounded by fellow writers to bounce ideas off and the book just sprang into being. Surf-pro physician Kelly Eveldene thinks she’s left her past behind. But when her son’s injured in a surfing accident she finds herself face-to-face with the one man she’d prayed never to see again, her late husband’s brother, the delectable Dr. Matt Eveldene. Seeing Kelly again brings Matt’s painful past back to haunt him and sparks a desire he shouldn’t feel. Kelly is strictly off-limits, but who can resist the temptation of Ever had the urge to write a single-title novel or to the forbidden? self-publish? It’s my 100th romance novel and it was pure joy to write. I have a very short attention span. After 50,000 words, I cried as I wrote the first two pages—that’s a first for me. I’m itching to get onto a new story. As for self-publishing, Harlequin has been very good to me and for me. I can’t What has drawn you to medical and ‘sweeter’ romances? see myself in 30 languages, plus my gorgeous [Japanese For my first foray into romance I wrote my heroine as a comics] Manga—why do I love Manga so much?—if I doctor. It landed in London just as Mills & Boon (as they self-publish. were then) were changing their Doctor Nurse series to a You’ve been published since 1990. What have been the broader base. So initially I was in the right place at the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry? Do you right time. think it’s harder or easier to be a writer today? Since then I’ve written for both lines. I love the excitement The changes are breathtaking. On the upside, it now seems of medical drama and I love the fun I can have with a easier to get your work into the public arena. There are pure romance. I have written a Sexy and an Intrigue, but so many new platforms that traditional publishing is now Romance and Medicals are my best fit. My books seem only one of many options. But 25 years ago, my biggest to be action-packed, fun and real, with sexual attraction always a simmering undertone. Continued page 4... Romance Writers of Australia Inc Romance Writers of Australia Inc ROMAUS e-List Moderator PO Box H120, Hurlstone Park NSW 2193 Imelda Evans [email protected] phone: 0477 661 549 To join our online email group, go to http://au.groups.yahoo.com/ www.romanceaustralia.com group/romanceaustralia, click on the “join this group” button and Romance Writers of Australia Inc ABN 30 075 409 728 is registered in follow the instructions. NSW as an Incorporated Association the liability of whose members CRITIQUE PARTNER SCHEME is limited. Bec Sampson [email protected] Please note that RWA is run by volunteers. Currently, the FACE-TO-FACE GROUPS exist throughout Australia, and for best way to make an enquiry is via email, but if you call queries on how to join an existing group or start one yourself: the phone number, please leave a message and someone will Clare Jude [email protected] contact you as soon as possible. INDIVIDUAL WRITERS SUPPORT SCHEME Nas Dean [email protected] RWA COMMITTEE For unpublished members. Priority given to those challenged by PRESIDENT distance or unable to access creative support by other means. Register Leisl Leighton [email protected] for a one-off critique of either 1 or 3 chapters by a published author/ VICE PRESIDENT advanced unpublished writer. Daniel de Lorne [email protected] TREASURER RWA SOCIAL MEDIA Alison Leake [email protected] BLOG http://romanceaustralia.wordpress.com/ SECRETARY Vicki Vuat [email protected] TWITTER www.twitter.com/RWAus COMMITTEE MEMBERS FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/RomanceWritersofAustralia Sarah Brabazon, Susan Downham, Imelda Evans, Imogene Nix, Lana FORUM www.romanceaustraliaforum.com Pecherczyk and Victoria Purman. GOODREADS www.goodreads.com/user/show/2714779-rwa RWA CONTACTS PINTEREST www.pinterest.com/RWAus ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Shannon Curtis [email protected] HEARTS TALK TEAM VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR EDITORS Vicki Vuat [email protected] Carla Caruso (content) [email protected] WEBMISTRESS Daniel de Lorne (design) [email protected] Lana Pecherczyk [email protected] MEMBER NEWS WEBSITE PASSWORDS: To gain access to our members only [email protected] section, email [email protected]. TEAM MEMBERS MEMBER SERVICES COORDINATOR Rachel Bailey Erica Hayes Nicole Pfeiffer Vicki Vuat [email protected] Rhyll Biest Sara Hood Patsy Poppenbeek CONTESTS COORDINATOR Frances Burke Vonnie Hughes Serena Sandrin-Tatti Erica Hayes [email protected] Carla Caruso Clare Karacsonyi Janette Whitehead Pam Collings Moraig Kisler Malvina Yock All deadlines, entry forms and sample scoresheets are at Anne Gracie Leisl Leighton www.romanceaustralia.com. If you have a query about a contest, Laura Greaves Jodie Morphett please email the contest manager for that contest in the first instance, then the contest coordinator. All contest managers are volunteers. JUDGE COORDINATOR HEARTS TALK RIGHTS INFORMATION Margaret Midwood [email protected] Deadline for contributions to Hearts Talk is the 8th of the month before. RUBY COORDINATOR Annie Lynch [email protected] Hearts Talk is the official publication of RWA Inc. and no part may be Gemma McBride reproduced or used without prior written permission from the Editor. ESTABLISHED AUTHOR AMBASSADOR Reproduction rights may be arranged between agreed parties only on the Rachael Johns [email protected] condition that appropriate credit is given to RWA, Hearts Talk and the author of the article. EMERGING AUTHOR AMBASSADOR All material appearing in Hearts Talk may be reproduced by RWA in any Renee Hammond [email protected] form for any purpose. Copyright remains with the author. ASPIRING AUTHOR AMBASSADOR The views expressed in Hearts Talk do not necessarily reflect the official Dee Scully [email protected] policy of RWA. All care is taken to verify details included in these pages We also have a number of specialist e-groups available focusing on but no responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies or actions arising from specific sub-genres in romance that you are welcome to join. They the information. If notified of errors a correction will be published in a include Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult, subsequent issue. Historical, Paranormal, Blaze and Steampunk. © Copyright 2015 Romance Writers of Australia Inc. Hearts Talk ~ December 2015 2 www.romanceaustralia.com This Month From the President In this issue... I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing a Christmas message Ella Win For Indie Sci-Fi Book ___________ 4 again as President of RWA. So much has happened for Tantalising Holiday Reads _______________ 5 RWA in the past year. We introduced our new member classifications, employed our first staff member, Hearts The Write Craft _______________________ 8 Talk went digital, our OWLs program started with How Do I...? ________________________ 10 great success, not to mention the success of our biggest Romance Awards _____________________ 12 conference to date and the fact we hit 1000 members. The year ahead looks just as busy and we hope to celebrate Queen of Regency Romance Honoured ____ 14 many big things in our 25th year. The Great Debate _____________________ 15 I was recently watching The Librarianswith my sons. It’s a Contests ____________________________ 16 silly, yet fun show, full of people with vivid imaginations, a Marketing Questions Answered __________ 17 love of learning and a joyous acceptance of the differences that makes us all special. A particular episode that was on A Writer’s Life _______________________ 18 recently struck me as being pertinent to what RWA means Adelaide 2016 RWA Conference _________ 19 to me and it seems pertinent that I share it with you now. New Releases ________________________ 20 The Librarians were sent out to rescue Santa Claus from being kidnapped. The Santa in this series is a mix of Santa myths from across the globe, all different and yet with of hope, it’s a gift of education, a gift of community, a gift one thing in common: the ‘gift’ he/she gives to the world. of special friendships, a gift of growing confidence, and During the year, Santa would soak in the good deeds and the never-ending gift of love for a genre that celebrates the kindness that had brought hope to people across the world, building of positive relationships, of love, of happy-for no matter how small. Then, on Christmas, he/she would -nows and happy-ever-afters.