Vicki Lewis Thompson Friend Or Foe?...P8 Congratulations on Receiving the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement the New RWA Award! the Ceremony Was Heaps of Fun
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Edition #191 April 2009 The official journal of Romance Writers of Australia Brisbane, Qld Craft: Creating Inner Hearts Talk chats to 8-time RITA nominee, RWAmerica’s 2008 Nora Rob- Conflict..............p4 erts Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and author of more than 90 books... Vicki Lewis Thomp- son Interview (cont) ..................p6 Adverbs: Vicki Lewis Thompson Friend or Foe?...p8 Congratulations on receiving the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement The New RWA Award! The ceremony was heaps of fun. Can Website.............p9 you tell us about the night, your theory about authors with three names, and what Agent Profile: Kristen the award means to you? Nelson Agency .p10 It was truly a Cinderella experience, so much so that I have a little gold pumpkin carriage sitting Insights Gained After on the shelf beside my RITA. I knew there was Publication........p11 the potential for being nervous, so I just told myself that nervousness would spoil an amaz- Member ing experience, so I needed to get over myself! Spotlight ..........p12 Voilà , I wasn’t nervous! As for three names, after I got The Call that I was the award recipi- Member News & ent, I naturally went on the website to see the list of previous recipients, and that three-name Releases ...........p13 thing leaped out at me. You truly couldn’t miss it! It made me laugh, so I used it. The award Focus on: Erotic itself is priceless, a tangible representation of Romance ..........p14 25 successful years in the business. I will cher- ish it always, and bequeath it to my children, Events ...............p16 whether they want it or not. Contest News ...p17 You’ve left your popular Nerd books and are writing the Hex series, with your third title out in March, Casual Hex. Was it difficult to leave the Nerds Critters & after seven books and focus on this new series? Creators ............p18 Yes, it was, but my agent, my publisher, and I concluded that something new was in order, because it’s good to quit while you’re ahead, right? I still get let- Market Watch ...p19 (Continued on page 6) RWA Inc Info for Members Team Hearts Talk Romance Writers of Australia Inc MEMBERSHIP QUERIES Sharon Arkell PO Box 1236, Neutral Bay NSW 2089 Plus if you’re not getting HT: Proofreading 0422 978 471 [email protected] www.romanceaustralia.com To join ROMAUS, our online email group: Go to http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/ PRESIDENT Kelly Hunter romanceaustralia click on the ‘join this Deb Bennetto [email protected] group’ button and follow the instructions. Features Tina Clark SENIOR VICE Alison Ahearn PRESIDENT [email protected] [email protected] SECOND Rachel Bailey For FACE-TO-FACE GROUPS throughout Aus- VICE [email protected] tralia, and queries on how to join an existing Rachael Blair PRESIDENT group or start one yourself: Julie-Anne Carter Member Announcements SECRETARY Judy McLeod [email protected] 0422 978 471 [email protected] To register for a CRITIQUE PARTNER email MEMBERSHIP AJ Macpherson Rachel Bailey for more information. Catherine Evans REGISTRAR [email protected] [email protected] Contests & Proofreading TREASURER Andrea Fuller INDIVIDUAL WRITERS SUPPORT SCHEME [email protected] For unpublished members. Priority given to those challenged by distance or unable to COMMITTEE access creative support by other means. Melissa Haack Robyn Grady, Louise Reynolds, Anne Cleary, Register for a one-off critique of either 1 or Member Spotlight Kiki Opdenberg 3 chapters by a published author / advanced unpublished writer. Sharon Arkell CONFERENCE CO-ORDINATOR PO Box 421, Buninyong VIC 3357 Alison Ahearn [email protected] [email protected] AJ Macpherson CONTESTS CO-ORDINATOR Writer’s Life Lis Hoorweg [email protected] NATIONAL CONFERENCE For all current details and registration forms R*BY CO-ORDINATOR see www.romanceaustralia.com Louise Reynolds [email protected] CONTESTS Stephanie Mayne All deadlines, entry forms and sample score Layout PUBLISHED AUTHOR LIAISON sheets are at www.romanceaustralia.com in Bronwyn Jameson the members only section (you will need a [email protected] password), or in the Files section of the RWA Contest Alert yahoo group. ROMAUS EMAIL LIST MODERATOR [email protected] Ingrid Rickersey Tina Clark [email protected] Layout To obtain contest entry forms via mail, send WEB MISTRESS your request with a stamped, self-addressed Kiki Opdenberg envelope to: RWA Contests, 20 Waller Cres- [email protected] cent, Campbell ACT 2612 HEARTS TALK EDITOR Serena Tatti To join Contest Alert, RWA’s email alert for Rachel Bailey Proofreading [email protected] contest entrants, go to au.groups.yahoo.com/group/ Romance Writers of Australia Inc ABN 30 075 RWAContestAlert/ click on the ‘join this 409 728 is registered in NSW as an Incorpo- group’ in the right hand corner and follow rated Association the liability of whose mem- the instructions. bers is limited. Michelle Wood WEBSITE PASSWORDS Practicalities, Technicalities CONTACTING US: We love to hear from you, To gain access to our members only section: & Layout but would appreciate calls not be made after email [email protected] 8.30pm. To SUGGEST AN ARTICLE OR OFFER TO Rachel Bailey Editor WRITE AN ARTICLE for Hearts Talk, email, Sue Burgess-Thompson Features REPRINT RIGHTS: Hearts Talk is the official publi- [email protected] cation of RWAust Inc and no part can be repro- Suzanne Brandyn Front Page Member Photos duced or used for profit by RWA members or others Pam Collings Market Watch and Proofreading without prior permission from the Editor. Repro- Member photos on cover: (l-r) Carol Challis Layout duction rights exist between agreed parties on the condition that appropriate credit is given to Hearts Trish Morey, Fiona Gregory, Michelle Elms Layout Talk and the author of the article. Copyright re- Bronwyn Holdsworth, Rowena Bronwyn Jameson The Write Craft mains with the author. The views expressed in Hearts Talk do not necessarily reflect the official Cory Daniells, Lucy Forster, Helen Katsinis Deputy Editor and The Biz policy of RWA. All care is taken to check details Kylie Short, Erica Hayes, Sandii Manning Member Spotlight produced in these pages but no responsibility can Kiki Opdenberg The Back Page be taken if they are inaccurate. Please let us know Astrid Cooper, Joanna Challis, if we have published the wrong details and we will Doreen Sullivan Events Calendar & Articles do our best to correct the error in the next issue. Margie Stewart. Tracey Turner Editorial Assistant © Copyright 2008 Romance Writers of Australia Inc. Cover Heart Photo: Anita Mack. Malvina Yock Proofreading www.romanceaustralia.com 2 Hearts Talk - April 2009 From the Prez... Back: Lis Hoorweg, Robyn committee). On Grady, Kiki Opdenberg. Front: Louise Reynolds, a sad note, we Alison Ahearn, Anna farewell Sec- Cleary, Rachel Bailey, Over Halfway There... Bronwyn Jameson ond Vice Presi- If you’re a plotter who writes to a three act story plan, the dent Tracey halfway mark in terms of word count sees you deeply O’Hara who enmeshed in the middle of act two. You know these has made the characters now and you’re beginning to drive them to- difficult choice wards the climax of the story and hopefully towards their to stand down happy ever after. You’re likely to have more than a cast from her com- of two by now. You may have a secondary plot playing mittee role this month. We’ll miss her and we wish her all out in addition to the primary story. Some parts of the the very best as her writing career heats up! story have already played out and paid off as you reward the reader who’s paying attention. You’re building mo- On a reshuffling note, Rachel Bailey has agreed to take mentum, not too much, not yet, but soon you’ll be ready on the Second Vice President’s role, and webmistress to give those story ponies free rein because, frankly, Kiki Opdenburg joins us as a general committee mem- that’s what you’ve promised your reader. Meanwhile, tick ber. Thank You, ladies. Most appreciated. something off the story to-do list. There does seem to be quite the Thank You theme de- As Prez, it’s a fabulous feeling when the effort of con- veloping in this column. At the ftf we focussed strongly secutive RWA committees pays off. Last year RWA on ways to strengthen the volunteer culture within the called for donations towards the purchase and place- organisation. We currently have over 65 volunteers who ment of a memorial bench at the Canberra National Zoo undertake all sorts of tasks on behalf of RWA. Without to honour Paul Parv - long time RWA supporter and this support RWA could not and would not function. We’ll husband of Valerie, one of Australia’s pioneer writers of be doing a little management restructuring in the months romance. We raised over $1900 and ended up not only to come with the aim of making sure that all of our volun- with a bench but a glorious paved and landscaped gar- teers are supported in their duties. We’re hoping to thank den nook that’s peaceful and perfect. Those who at- them out loud and in public a little more often and to this tended the dedication of Paul’s bench took home warm end, we’ve arrived at a cunning yet simple plan. Each memories of a restful sitting place, generous and hospi- month the name of every RWA volunteer goes into a table zoo staff, a new awareness of the volunteer roles draw to win a writing related prize generously donated by Paul and Valerie undertook at the zoo, and I hope a feel- one of our members.