When I was a little girl, my mum brought me these gorgeous illustrated fairy tale books. I felt as if I'd been transported to other worlds. That was it, I was hooked. I continued to read and watch in all genres but spec fic continued to have a special place in my heart.
I am mainly an organic writer - aka pantser. My first draft is what I call my outline draft - I liken it to a plotter's outline. It is where I work out what the story is and where it is going. I go back and layer it. Having said that, I do have certain sign posts, which grow and change as I go along.
Having said that, I have worked on stories where I've known more of the plot but I still find things to surprise me along the way. For example, a whole new character and subplot popped out of the blue while writing one of these plotted stories.
I've been with my character Irini for the longest time. She's in a yet unpublished novel that I've been working on and off again for years. Mainly off unfortunately. She's strong though she doesn't see herself that way and has the ability to heal others but not herself.
I'm doing the final go through on Irini's story and I hope to work on some flash fiction as I do that. I've had a very tough few years personally so it has affected my creativity. I think once Irini's story is submitted, it will free a lot of my brain space!
When it really flows. You write and write the story takes over and before you know it, you have a chapter. I prefer it to the pulling teeth approach that is currently haunting me. J
I'll be doing an online course by Cathleen Ross (via RWA) on self-publishing and aim to have one of my Musa titles self published not long after that.
So many fabulous story tellers out there. Those who inspired me initially were Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Jennifer Roberson, Stephen King, Diana Gabaldon, Barbara Erksine and David and Leigh Eddings. Now I've added JK Rowling, JR Ward, Rachel Vincent, Jennifer Crusie, Nalini Singh, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, JD Robb, and many more including Australian writers - Anne Gracie, Nikki Logan, Barbara Hannay, Marion Lennox, Anna Campbell.
Anything by Joss Whedon. He's done wonders with The Avengers. And going on the super-hero theme, I'm loving The Flash and Arrow ATM. Other shows include Grimm, Dark Matter and Killjoys.
Don't compare your journey to anyone else's. Your journey is your own and it will happen at its own pace. Don't be discouraged.
Katharine’s life has become static. She has no friends and her workaholic husband hardly notices her.
Eleni Konstantine is Fantasy and Paranormal fiction writer, with a number of shorts published. As a child, her mother gifted her with many books, including illustrated fairytales, and she was hit by the writing bug. That and a love of Greek mythology, and Eleni was destined to become a writer.
I recently read a great post by fellow Darksider Donna Maree Hanson on drafting a trilogy. It was an interesting read and highlighted some of the problems faced when writing a story that needs multiple books to be told. It got me thinking about where I am up to in my Reaper Series and how the story can evolve from book one to book three.
When I first came up with the idea of a series about a murder victim who is resurrected by the Grim Reaper after she agrees to work for him, I originally planned for Tyler’s story to be told in three books. I got to work on the first book, Lost Reaper, and after a couple of masterclasses, mentoring from Louise Cusack, and a structural edit from a freelance editor, I was ready to submit it to publishers. I had a rough outline of books two and three and thought I was all set to go.
Lost Reaper was published with Ormiston Press in Oct 2015 and in discussions with my editor, the fabulous Sandy Curtis, we decided it would be better as a two book series. So I got to work writing the second book, Winged Reaper. While I was working on the first draft I got the idea for what I thought would be a stand-alone spin off, with a different heroine but a couple of the characters from the first two books as well.
When it came time to submit Winged Reaper, Ormiston Press was winding down operations and introduced my work to a new publisher, Helen Goltz at Atlas Productions. I soon had a two book deal to republish Lost Reaper (out now) and publish Winged Reaper (released 1 Oct). During the edits for Winged Reaper, Helen made a comment about a possible direction for a third book.
My brain went fuzzy. I already had an idea, didn’t I? My brain, as it always does, went off on a tangent and suddenly I was incorporating my idea with Helen’s and a whole new picture emerged of what book three would be about. I’m busy outlining Rogue Reaper as I write this and am looking forward to seeing how Tyler will overcome the next set of obstacles to land in her path.
Twenty-five-year-old Tyler Morgan is only alive—technically reborn—because the Grim Reaper offered her a job. Now she has to find a way to stop her ‘boss’ from starting a war that threatens the survival of mankind.
Weak and in need of fresh souls, the Grim Reaper has sent his Wraiths to Tyler’s hometown, Easton, and by the time he gets his fill, it could turn into a graveyard.
Tyler’s resolve is tested when old secrets surface and a new betrayal has her questioning where her loyalties lie.
Supported by the intriguing detective, Sam Lockwood; the handsome, wealthy Chris Bradbury; and sources she never expected to come to her aid, Tyler must fight her way to the truth if she is ever to find the strength to harness the powers she has inherited, and vanquish the Grim Reaper forever.
I was going to do this blog about craft, but I woke up this morning and for some reason thought about a writer’s career path and all the choices they have to make. Maybe it was J.K. Rowling and a few other well-known authors who shared their rejection letters recently that steered me in this direction. I thought getting rejection letters and having to meet deadlines would be the hardest part of being a writer. Instead I found the decisions you are faced with the hard part. And writing when life gets in the way contributes to the reasons why writers make certain choices.
The first choice I was faced with, came at about 2010. Suddenly everyone and his friend and neighbour was talking about self-publishing. The stigma was gone from it and that was when E.L. James sold millions of copies worldwide with Fifty Shades. Everyone also wanted to write romance. Like every other author, I also struggled with the question of, should I exercise the option to self-publish. I thought the writing and editing courses I took would mean I would put out a polished, well edited book if I do decide to self-publish. Looking back I realize, the fact that I thought that a few editing courses could replace an editor working through my book, showed that I was not ready for self-publishing.
I still struggled with concepts like show and tell, character development, inciting incident, Point of View and Deep Point of View. Still I couldn’t wait to hold my book in my hands and see my story in print. I kept trying to convince myself that even though several editors rejected my book, the story was so good I would have readers falling over themselves to buy my book if I do self-publish it. Any author struggling with doing a day job, writing at night and caring for relatives will know the attraction of self-publishing and earning more than the small percentage you get when you sign with a publisher. At the time I also didn’t realize that self-publishing means you run a business and you have to be on top of every aspect of publishing.
In the end I promised myself ten years of learning my craft and working hard at getting a contract. My thinking was that I wanted to force myself to try harder, dig deeper into my characters each time I get a rejection. Although I wrote stories my whole life, at that stage I’ve only worked at getting published for three years. So I promised myself ten years of working at my craft and sending manuscripts to publishing companies, improving it with every rejection, even though I was very tempted by the self-publishing option.
It took me seven years to reach my goal. Seven years of writing every day even when sometimes I had to work until late at night at the day job. No matter how tired I was, I’d come home and sit down and write for an hour to make sure I don’t lose the habit of writing every day. Then of course came the hard part. Do I write the rest of the books in the series of the book that was accepted? Should I try to put out other series, single title, or maybe I should try for a big publisher? What about writing category for Harlequin. Should I rather put all my energy there?
Learning the craft of writing is child’s play compared to these kinds of choices. Up to now I put out one Zyrgin warrior a book a year because I simply didn’t have the time at that stage to write more. And I’m a slow writer, a snail could beat me without even trying. Thinking back, I wish I had written the rough drafts of the first six and edited them and put them out closer together. Though that is hindsight and in the end I am satisfied with the choices I made. I have a file full of rejections and I’m so proud of that file. It means I worked hard, I never gave up and in that same file I have my acceptance letters.
I put in many hours for that one book a year I put out, but I tell myself that is all right because my all-time favourite author is R. Lee Smith and she rarely put out as much as a book a year. I would read her books even if she only wrote one in every five years. So I’m hoping enough people like my stories that they will wait for that one book a year. Though this year at least I handed in two manuscripts. I’m hoping to be able to do three next year.
I’d love to hear about other authors career paths and difficult decisions. What was your journey and are you happy with the choices you made and the results you achieved? What difficult choices are you struggling with? And from readers I’d like to know if they would read an author’s book if they put out one book in every five years.
Ever since she can remember Marie Dry wanted to travel. She had had the privilege of living in Zambia, Morocco, and Spain and sees herself as a bit of a gypsy. Every few years she gets restless and has to be some place new.
She read romances since she was nine and was fairly young when she decided she would write the perfect story that had all the elements she looked for in a romance. In 1997 she decided to go all out with her writing and to get published. Being published by Black Opal Books is a dream come true for her.
There are several wonderful moments in her life that she would never trade for anything. One of them is meeting President Nelson Mandela and the second being published. Her book Alien Mine was released by Black Opal Books in June 2014.
Who is your favourite character in this book? Natasha Bolde is a total skeptic when it comes to the paranormal, but she’s forced to rethink her beliefs when she comes face-to-face with a ghost. Soon she and the ghost are working together to solve a five-hundred-year-old mystery.
What inspired you to write it? Cornwall was a huge inspiration. I’ve long wanted to set a story in this lovely part of Britain. It was great fun creating a mystery that used Cornish legends and some of the wonderful historical sites.
After making my way past the herbaceous border, I pushed open the rusted gate in an old stone wall and made my way into the less cultivated part of the garden. To my left, a swath of undulating land was dominated by several beautiful oaks. To my right, a path led to the Monk’s Grove. I turned right. Not because I expected to see the ghostly monk, but because the grove looked interesting and mysterious. I’d helped Clover with a couple of cases, and found that I enjoyed solving mysteries even if I wasn’t very good at it. I had expected to improve under Clover’s mentorship, but that wouldn’t happen now.
Swallowing my tears, I entered the Monk’s Grove. It was cooler beneath the trees. Gray shadows mingled with the scent of recent rain. I followed the path, which wound between neatly trimmed shrubs, until I reached a little clearing with two stone benches. The birdcalls seemed muted here and the leaves in the trees were unnaturally still. A faint scent of decay hung in the air. There was a feeling of nature holding its breath, waiting.
I heard a rustle in the bushes and turned toward the sound. Near the far side of the clearing, a figure was moving through the shrubs. I couldn’t see much below his shoulders, but his head was covered by a dark hood like a monk’s cowl. Was someone dressed up pretending to be the ghost? Did all the guests get this haunted-grove experience? Was it part of the package? Too bad I wasn’t in the mood to play nice.
“Hey! You!” I called. “I don’t believe in ghosts, so you might as well go have a tea break or something.”
When the figure didn’t respond, I marched across the clearing determined to identify him. Shrubs and undergrowth separated us, but I could see that his head was bowed, and the hood was pulled down to conceal his face. He seemed to be searching for something on the ground. His sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows and the exposed skin was covered in dirt. One hand clutched a trowel.
“Hey,” I called again. This time he turned toward me. The hood fell back revealing the face of a woman.
Rivers of dark hair spilled over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with her pale cheeks. She looked to be about thirty, average height, but too thin. She was wearing a dark hoodie, not a monk’s habit. Her vacant eyes looked right through me. “I have to find them. I have to find them,” she mumbled.
She shook her head as though an explanation was beyond her. Then she set off, weaving between the trees, muttering, “I have to find them. I have to find them.”
If readers would like to know more about Janni Nell and her fabulous work, be sure to check out the links below.
When you have a lot of interests, you can have many favourite things. This helps with the moods. For example, if I’m in the mood to make something I pick up the weaving, or the sewing etc. More recently hand spinning with a drop spindle which is very relaxing. Then there’s reading and books. Oh wow. That’s daunting. Having so many means I get to choose from within the selection that fits my mood but thoughts of reading all the books! Ah well let’s not think of that. I get depressed thinking about the book I may never read.
I’m currently studying a PhD looking at Feminism in Popular Romance Fiction and that’s like combining the skills of my day job with something that is really interesting to me so that’s a new favourite thing. I waved the day job away so that’s a new favourite thing too. The Phd studies are allowing me to get up close and personal with romance books and I get to read academic papers and books that talk about romance. I have a massive collection of Mills & Boon books to play with!
In tune with favourite things and romance, recently I decided to self-publish a book of mine that I started way back in 2001. I’d come close to getting this traditionally published a couple of times but it just wasn’t happening in this climate in the Australia market. This book has some of my favourite things in it. It has a great magic system! Well I think so! And a great hero in Oakheart and a wonderful heroine in Sophy. I like their story and when I start reading it I can’t stop. I figured why don’t I share this favourite thing with others. Maybe it will be other people’s favourite thing. So I did.
Argenterra is the first book in a trilogy. The second book is The Crystal Gate, which is waiting for final revisions before going to the editor and the last book, The Ungiven Land, is nearly half written. The story follows three heroines, the main one is Sophy, then Aria and then Rae and their relationships. Romance is the underlying theme but there’s other stuff too.
I’m committed to getting this trilogy out. I want to see how Oakheart and Sophy end up. I want to see the other characters reach their destiny and I want to see what happens to the land of Argenterra. Meanwhile, I keep trying not to think of ideas for a prequel and a sequel.
You might wonder what it’s like in an author’s head. Mine is pretty messy. A churning mass of ideas and characters. Sometimes writing a story is like grabbing a thread and then following it to the end. This is why I chose to do a Phd I guess. To keep my head busy so it doesn’t explode.
Every one hundred years a woman comes to Argenterra through the Crystal Tree Woods. This time two women came…
While on a ghost tour in Castle Crioch, Sophy and her best friend and foster sister, Aria, are sucked into the world of Argenterra, where they encounter a strange Crystal Tree. Two leaves fall from it, one of which Aria catches and the other mysteriously delves into Sophy’s chest.
Met by Dellbright, the prince of Valley Keep, and Oakheart, the high king’s ambassador, the girls learn they are expected. Aria has beauty and talent with the given, the land’s native magic. She finds a home and a husband in Prince Dellbright and is revered as the legendary Gift of Crystal Tree Woods.
Sophy accompanies Oakheart to the capital to find out why the crystal leaf is in her chest. A sinister force is tracking her—trying to snatch her away or kill her. Only Oakheart suspects her importance: she is the talisman that can cause great harm to the world of Argenterra if she falls into the wrong hands.
As a kid, I loved fairy tales. The Allegra Fairweather books had a lot of fairy tale elements so I guess you could say I never grew up. LOL. In recent times, I’ve been moving more toward the mystery genre, although paranormal elements still creep in.
My favourite character is usually the one I’m spending most time with, so at the moment it’s Natasha Bolde, the heroine of the Bolde & Baulsey series. Tash has been very sceptical of the existence of the paranormal, but in Dead Monk Walking she has to put aside her long-held beliefs and accept that there really are things that go bump in the night.
I really like the editing process. Getting notes from my editor helps so much. I’d be lost without her.
In the short term more Bolde & Baulsey. I’m aiming to get two more books done before I even think of working on anything else.
I really love Jennifer Ashley’s Regency Mysteries featuring Captain Lacey. Tracey Chevalier’s books are always interesting. Lynda Renham’s books are such fun.
All the obvious ones: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Terminator. My favourite TV series is Nowhere Man.
It’s a total crapshoot. Honestly, nobody knows which books will resonate with readers. So, do your best work, throw the dice and keep your fingers crossed.
I’m Natasha Bolde, and honestly I’m no one special. Okay, I’ve solved a few mysteries, but I’ve always worked with my best friend and mentor. Clover passed recently, and now I’m taking what should’ve been her trip of a lifetime to Cornwall, Britain. It’s just like Clover to choose a place chock-full of mysteries. Why is the amnesiac woman digging in the fields? Is the local psychic medium genuine or a clever fake? And who exactly is the ghost hunter hunting?
I’ve read fantasy fiction since early high school when I discovered Tolkien and Terry Brooks. I loved the epic nature of the stories and that many were series. It was the ultimate escapism. When I started writing for adults, I began with space opera and quickly moved into fantasy romance because it was more what I knew. I’d lived in those worlds (high fantasy) for decades.
I was a pantser in the beginning because I had no idea about structure. As I developed my writing process, I started to plot more because I got less lost that way. I start with a romance outline and then brainstorm a synopsis. Then I get started on the story after I get to know my characters and their motivations. So I’m somewhere in between, I guess.
That’s a tough question. I love them all but two women stand out. My first published heroine, Princess Alecia, is one strong lady. Her story begins in Princess Avenger and continues in Princess in Exile, my latest book. You won’t believe what she gets up to. My second favourite is Lady Benae from The Lady’s Choice. Benae loves horses and can speak to her horse, Flaire, mind to mind. She can also heal by laying her hands on a person. That’s pretty cool, don’t you think?
Besides working on marketing my books, I have a new story in my Wildecoast series finished, entitled The Lady and the Pirate. I love that story and can’t wait to let it loose on the world. I also intend to write another in the series which continues the story of The Elf King’s Lady and we learn what hero Kain decides to do about his mixed heritage. That story features an elven heroine!
I really enjoy the setup, writing the synopsis and getting to know my characters. To be honest, drafting the story is really difficult for me at times but when it’s done, I LOVE the editing process.
I love all the old school fantasy authors like Feist and Eddings and my favourite series is the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. On the romance front, I love Marie Force, Sophia James, Sarah Maybury and Madeline Ash.
I’m currently reading David Gemmell’s Waylander II and Leisa Rayven’s Bad Romeo and can highly recommended both authors.
I really love the Twilight movies as I did the books. I could watch those over and over again. And I’m really looking forward to seeing The Wheel of Time series translated onto the screen.
I would have to say ‘write every day and write what you know’, write what you have read so much of that you don’t even have to think about the setting or the genre. You just know what has to happen next.
Get it down because you can’t edit it if it’s not written first. And don’t listen to that voice that says it’s crap- we all hear that voice!
Princess Alecia and shapeshifter Vard flee Brightcastle, pursued by mercenaries, with Vard battling transformation into his least controllable form- the bear. They travel to a lost city, hoping a sorcerer there may help Vard master his gift. The lovers soon discover he has his own devious agenda. Will Vard and Alecia escape? Can their love survive Alecia’s fear of Vard’s animal forms? What secret does the princess hold with the power to destroy Vard’s trust?
The answers to all this and more are contained in the pages of Princess in Exile, the dark sequel to Princess Avenger.
I loved movies about aliens and strange worlds and creatures ever since I was a child. When speculative fiction became popular in the romance genre I was in heaven. I actually wrote a vampire romance long before editors would even look at it.
I’m a pantser through and through. Plotting a story just doesn’t work for me. I do a lot of work on my characters but that’s about it. I go in blind and see what jumps out at me. Afterward I go back and do a kind of plotting, ensuring everything on the page is as clear as it is in my mind.
No, though my aliens will always be special to me because they were published first. Normally the character I work on is my favourite.
I’m editing my story about a very arrogant dragon, it is titled I am dragon. I am also editing Sabrina and the Gargoyle. A gargoyle story set in Cape Town.
I love every part. That first spark of an idea. The rough draft. The struggle during edits to make the story work. The editing with the publisher. Though if I HAD to choose I would say the editing. I love when I start to add nuances and I see the story come alive with every bit of improvement I make.
Many stories I can’t wait to share. More Alien books, a dragon book and a cyborg book. After Alien Betrayed I will hand in Sabrina and the Gargoyle. I also have some contemporaries that I enjoyed working on.
Stargate Atlantis is my all time favourite. If I want to watch something and I’m not sure what I feel like I put Stargate Atlantis on.
Write every day and write what you enjoy. Even if it is just a paragraph be consistent and write every day and soon you will have a manuscript.
In a bleak future where government systems are breaking down and lawless bands of men terrorize the country, botanist Natalie Hanson fears for her life and hides in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. When she is captured by human raiders, a fierce alien appears and slays her attackers. Natalie is now held captive in her own cave by the sexy and striking alien commander, Zacar, who informs her that she will be his breeder. Natalie soon realizes that these aliens worship strength. So what will happen when Zacar finds out she has severe asthma?
When I'm looking for something new to read, I often seem to gravitate to stories with ghosts, or at least something supernatural, in them. This post could be subtitled "Do you really need a ghost in every story you write?"And the answer is, of course, the same one I give when asked if every good story needs a dragon ... possibly not. But aren't stories with ghosts and dragons often more fun!
Have you lain awake at night and felt someone or something watching you? Walked into an empty room and seen flickers of black spots at the corners of your eyes? Felt an unexplained coldness cut to your core? There could be a perfectly sane scientific explanation. In fact various friends give me scientific explanations constantly! But could you have experienced something we don't really understand? Could something supernatural be stretching out to reach you?
My grandfather died when I was four years old. My parents thought me too young to go to his funeral and he was whisked away by adults who spoke in whispers and pushed me out of the bedroom in which he died. But I never forgot him, he taught me to read and cuddled me while I read haltingly from my Children's Bible almost every evening.
Shortly after I started proper school, I must have been six or seven years old, I fought with my mother and ran away from home. It wasn't a well-planned escape, I had no money and only the shorts and T-shirt I was wearing.
At dusk I became disoriented and realised I was lost. I pressed myself into a smelly doorway and slumped to my knees. How would I ever get home? And what would my mother do to me when I did?
It felt hopeless. I had no idea which way to walk. Adults sped by, several older ladies tutted at me, as if unaccompanied children had no place in the street under the setting sun. But as I sat in that doorway I heard my grandfather's voice calling me.
I followed the sound to the end of the alleyway, then along the street and across the road. At the busy intersection I didn't know what to do, until an elderly man crossed the road and turned into another street. As he disappeared around the corner, he lifted his cap and turned to smile at me. I sped after my grandfather; of course he wasn't at the corner when I got there. But the road to my house was.
Had Grandpa come to help me get home? My mother didn't believe me, and boy was I in trouble for both running away and lying.
"I've never seen him. Not once. And God knows I've begged to hear from him." Tears welled in her eyes.
At the time, I was so sure Grandpa had helped me. I don't know how I would have got home otherwise. I didn't realise until I was much older that my mom wasn't angry with me. She was desperately upset that she'd not seen her dad, and I thought I had.
Kim Cleary is the award-winning author of Path Unchosen, the first title in the Daughter of Ravenswood series, which earned a bronze IPPY award in 2015. She grew up in Birmingham, United Kingdom, studied medieval history and psychology at Adelaide University in Southern Australia, and has worked all over Australia and in London.
Forced to leave a successful career in marketing after multiple sclerosis damaged her hands and prevented her from typing, Kim learned how to write using voice software.
A self-described chocoholic, Kim loves writing, gardening, cooking, playing with her dogs, and spending time with friends. She lives with her husband and two dogs, an adorable Cocker Spaniel and a mischievous Moodle, in Melbourne, Australia.
We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.
While we are part of an affiliated group with Romance Writers of Australia, this is not an official RWAus site. The views expressed do not reflect the official policy of RWA.
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