The historical romance novel is today one of the most popular genres in women’s fiction. As an avid reader, I, as many of you no doubt do, enjoy reading a variety of genres. This week I’m reading an autobiography, next …
The Writer Laid Bare
Notes from the Book Launch
Dear Blog Readers,
Please forgive me this self-indulgent post, which is this time a brief report from the book launch of my memoir The Dangerous Bride. In my defence, I am such a slow writer that I promise not …
Pre-publication Blues
Six copies of ‘The Dangerous Bride’ recently arrived in my house. It took me five years to write this memoir and then I waited more than a year for the publication to happen, and here it is – printed. The …
A Guest Post by Susan Wyndham, the literary editor of SMH: On Not Writing a Novel
I am writing a novel. I have been writing it for five years. But most of the time I write it in my head. Does this sound familiar? Am I just another wannabe novelist who talks big but will never …
That Damn First Draft
Now that my memoir The Dangerous Bride is finally printed and about to be released in a month, I am at work on my new writing plans. I always need lots of plans to produce a little something. Making plans …
A Guest Post from the renowned writing mentor Sydney Smith: Understanding your antagonist
Whenever a writer tells me they have a problem with Act 2 of their novel, I ask them about their antagonist, the character who opposes the protagonist and prevents them from getting what they want. Act 2 forms the bulk …