I’m so glad I didn’t have to make the impossible choice. Hats off to Kylie for captivating our imaginations before we’ve even had the opportunity to read the first book!

And here’s Kylie again to announce the winners!!

Hi, everyone, thanks for dropping around. You made it so difficult to choose a winner, I decided to let the fur balls help out!

I grabbed Splat, threw all the names on the ground and let her choose/sniff one.

She sniffed one then batted two. One ended up under her, the other she chased across the floor, and I followed hoping to save it before she ate it… So, with her recommending three, the results are as follows:

*the sniffed name was Sandy, she wins the ARC

* the one Splat sat on was Peta

*the one I saved from being eaten was Gabriella

Peta & Gabriella have some book cover magnets heading their way – I’ve a few spare prizes set aside and because there was some great answers offered I thought I’d offer a couple of smaller prizes

Send your details to me at kyliegriffin71@optusnet.com.au and your prizes will head your way!

Yay, a day off, party time! Lamb, beers, prawns, sleep in. How are you spending it?

The funny thing is I know more people who’ll be working on Australia Day than people who’ll be having a day off.  So that got me thinking. What does it actually mean to us? Cheap lamb, as Woolworths and Coles battle it out for our hard earned dollars? Time to spend with family and friends? A day to contemplate the state of our wonderful diverse country?

Release day is almost upon you! Congratulations, Kylie, it’s a wonderful achievement.

Hi, Helene, and thank you – it’s a VERY exciting time at the moment. After nearly 15 months (from contract offer to shelf), I’m finding it hard to believe Release Day is just around the corner! J

Looking back at the process what’s been the most difficult aspect of taking your manuscript from infancy to bookshelf?

Oh, that’s a good question. I had to mull this one over a while but I think the most difficult part of VENGEANCE BORN’s evolution has been the waiting. Originally it was seeing the manuscript do well in contests, receiving requests from agents and editors, going through a mountain of rejections, until it finally found the “right” editor (Leis Pederson, who was the final judge in the WHRWA Emily contest) and then the time it took from contract to release date.

But the up side is I had plenty to keep me occupied in that time period – more writing,  more contests, more submitting, and once I sold, the whole process of getting three books ready for publication. A lot of juggling! LOL

The best bit has been seeing it go through the publishing process – I love the whole big revisions, copy edits, galleys, blurb & cover process. It’s a team effort and one I really enjoyed.

How many name changes did Vengeance Born go through or did you keep your working title? If you didn’t what was it’s working title?

Only one change. Originally it was called Bloodborn, but with several Berkley releases coming out around the same time as my book with “blood” in the title, we decided to change it. It took a couple of weeks of playing around with words to come up with the new title.

I love VENGEANCE BORN because it highlights a major theme that threads it way through the book – it adds another layer of meaning to Annika and Kalan’s story.

Pseudonyms are something that I constantly toy with. A last name beginning with ‘Y’ relegates me to bottom right shelf in every book story…. Why did you decided to go with a pen name and how did you choose Griffin?

This is a question I get asked a lot – especially from the children in my class and their parents. J

I went with Griffin for three reasons: a) it’s my great grandmother’s maiden name (from the paternal family tree) and I’m big on keeping it in the family!

b) like you, my given name would be closer to the bottom of the bookstore shelf, whereas G tends to be more central or at eye level for any prospective reader,

and c) Griffin suits the paranormal genre to a T!

Most authors I know have a pet and, if they’re anything like me, our furry friends serve as unofficial muses. (Mind you, I’d be very surprised if Zeus ever answered any of my questions…) Who keeps you company while you write? Do they ever provide eureka moments?

I have three fur-kids of the feline persuasion – Splat,  Pandamonium, and Furball. All take turns at keeping me company as I write during the day.

They even like to ‘help out’ by tromping across the keyboard – I strongly suspect though that they’re trying totell me the food dish is empty or that it’s time to let them go outside!

No Eureka moments yet, just lots of shedding fur,  rubbing of chins on the corner of the screen and trying to lap sit (three cats on one lap doesn’t always work though!).

Oh, and I recently added a gryphon statue to my desk – the official author mascot and overseer of my work space (and a convenient place for the cats to get a cheek rub from his beak, although I don’t think Gryph appreciates them doing that!).

I know you had a stellar career on the RWA contest circuit and consider the RWA to have been pivotal in publishing success, but it takes more than that. When did you decide to get serious about writing and pursue it as a career? Was there a catalyst?

Wow, another great question. Truly, rul-ey serious about writing? This is a long-winded, two-parter answer, Helene, so I’ll save part 2 for your next question.

Part 1 – The wonderful Debbie Macomber was definitely a catalyst for my wanting to make writing a career. I heard her speak at a Romance Writers of Australia conference and she talked about goal setting – it was a huge “a-ha”moment for me.

Up until then I’d been serious but not career orientated about my writing. I was drifting and not actually setting tangible goals. I was waiting for “something to happen”, not “making it happen” myself. There’s a huge difference between the two.

So, goal setting became a habit. And I set short and long term goals. Once I did this, I began reaping the results. I also spent a heap of time researching agents and publishing house/editors.

The biggest decision after goal setting though was to take time out from my teaching job. I love it but, for anyone who knows teaching or a teacher, the workload can be rather time consuming, not to mention a time-suck (physically & creatively).

One of my long term goals (5 years in the planning) was to take a 12 month sabbatical from my the job in 2010. During this year, I worked my butt off using almost all of my spare time entering specific writing contests to get in front of certain editors, I had a submissions process of sending work out to agents, I built up a network of contacts and continued to learn the craft of writing taking courses and reading a heap of how to books.

Having taken that decision how did you go about making it reality?

Part 2 – As I went into my 2010 sabbatical, the previous five years of work and effort – timing, events, goals reached – seemed to just click at the right moment.

2010 was the year I entered a handful of USA contests. Two of the most significant events included winning the paranormal section in the RWA Golden Heart contest and placing first in the WHRWA Emily contest for the paranormal section as well as “Best of the Best” (all first placed mss in each section were read and ranked).

The Emily put my work in front of Leis Pederson from Berkley as the prize for winning “Best of the Best”. She critiqued a partial, requested the full and in October Leis made an offer for the manuscript and eventually become my editor J).

As 2010 came to a close I’d just signed a 3-book contract with Berkley. I was due to go back to full-time teaching but decided to take another 12 months off to get my head around the publishing process. It’s been a great year being able to focus entirely on writing!

In 2012 I’m returning to teaching, but only part time. It was a tough decision to make, (financially but I’m in a situation where I can make it work). Also some wise words from a friend helped me decide to go for it. She said “You don’t want to spend the next 20 years regretting not having followed your passion. If it works out then all well and good, if not at least you’ve given it a go.”

How long has that journey been?

From the day I first submitted a manuscript to an editor – 17 years.

But I really don’t count the first 7 years of that process as I knew absolutely nothing about the publishing industry or the craft of writing and just waded my way through it blindly – I was so green and made every mistake in the book. Very cringe worthy when I think back on those years.

It wasn’t until I discovered the Romance Writers of Australia in 2001 that I began to learn and understood what was involved. So, while the apprenticeship has been a long one,  I count it as a journey of many unfinished manuscripts, eight full manuscripts and10 years! J

No blog is complete without advice. What’s the most memorable advice you’ve been given?

There’s been a lot given over the years. Hmm, let’s see…I think I might have to stretch this question out a bit and share advice that resonated with me over a number of stages during my journey…

Pre-publishing advice – “You can’t edit a blank page.” I can’t recall who this comes from but it’s oh so true! If you can’t write the book then you have nothing to submit.

On getting THE CALL/an agent – “Do your research! Don’t jump with the first offer. And DON’T be afraid to say no.” This applies when negotiating a contract or finding an agent.

Post-contract advice – “BISFOK.” Again, no idea who mentioned this but it stands for bum-in-seat, fingers-on-keyboard.

Couple it with, “Meet your deadline.” (Yvonne Lindsay)

During one of her workshops at an RWNZ conference several years ago, Yvonne talked about being published and how you should always meet your contractual deadlines, no excuses. Being reliable and consistent earns you huge brownie points. It’s something I’ve never forgotten.

What’s next for you?

Other than promoting VENGEANCE BORN? J Well, this process begins again shortly with ALLIANCE FORGED, the second book in this series (coming out in July). It’s very exciting to see two of my books being released so close together!

I’m also going through the editing process for Bk#3 in this series (it’s due out in January 2013). And depending on celestial planets aligning, I hope to have news of a new contract shortly – fingers crossed.

While I’m waiting for all this to pan out I think I’ll get on with writing the first in a science fiction romance series I started back in 2010 just before I sold VENGEANCE BORN to Berkley.

Thanks for having me as a guest on your blog, Helene! It’s been a hoot and I loved answering your questions.

It’s been lovely having you here today, Kylie. Our journeys have been very similar!!

To celebrate the release of Kylie’s debut novel she’s giving away an ARC of Vengeance Born. She foolishly left me in charge of the question Because I’m a helpful soul I thought I’d ask for suggestion for the title of her third book! Kylie can choose so do your best. What do you think it should be? We’ d love to hear your suggestions.

Kylie Griffin’s obsession with all things paranormal/fantasy started at an early age, when she used to imagine the jacaranda tree in her front yard was a spaceship used to defend the world from invading enemies. Writing stories seemed a natural extension to her childhood adventures.

Today, she’s a primary school teacher sharing her love for the written word with young children. In her spare time, she writes and reads all things paranormal.

Kylie lives in a small rural village in outback New South Wales, Australia, where she volunteers in a number of emergency service organizations in her local community.

Contact: kyliegriffin71@optusnet.com

Website: http://www.kyliegriffin.com

Blog: www.kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kylie-Griffin-paranormal-romance/152760788151938

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KylieGriffin1

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882841.Kylie_Griffin

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/Kylie_Griffin-author

VENGEANCE BORN blurb

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not pure bred is virtually powerless. Until an unlikely champion is born…

Annika, half-blood daughter of the Na’Reish King, longs for more than her tormented life among her father’s people. Conceived in hatred and bred as a tool of retribution, she’s gifted with a special talent that can heal as well as destroy.

With the Na’Reish vastly outnumbering them, Kalan, a Light Blade warrior, knows the future of humankind depends on him alone. Incursions into human territory and raids for blood-slaves by the Na’Reish Horde have increased. As Chosen-leader, he faces the task of stopping the demons—and convincing the Council of aging Light Blade warriors that change is necessary for survival.

When Annika learns Kalan is a prisoner in her father’s dungeon, her dream of escape seems within reach. She agrees to free him in exchange for his protection once they reach human territory. Now, marked for death for helping him, Annika must learn to trust Kalan as they face not only the perilous journey to the border but enemies within the Council—and discover a shocking truth that could throw the human race into civil war…

Instead, GW made me a double shot latte for lunch and consequently by 1.30 pm I was wide awake and he was snoring. Feeling a little miffed I picked up a book I’d earmarked for the Australian Women Writers Challenge and started to read. Four hours later I closed the cover and realised I hadn’t moved all afternoon. The book had swept me away.

What was it?

Let the Dead Lie, by Malla Nunn, is set in 1953 in Durban, South Africa, with World War 2 as a bleak backdrop. I’ve always had a fascination with Africa as a whole and have devoured stories by Wilbur Smith, Beverly Harper, Tony Parks, Katherine Scholes and a recent find, Margie Orford so I was predisposed to like it.

From the back cover : ‘In Let the Dead Lie, Cooper is a changed man. Forced to resign from his position of Detective Sergeant and re-classified as mixed race, he winds up powerless and alone in the tough coastal city of Durban, mixing labouring with a bit of surveillance work for his old boss, Major van Niekerk.

Patrolling the freight yards one night, Cooper stumbles upon the body of a young white boy and, the detective in him can not, or will not, walk away. When two more bodies – this time black women – are discovered at his boarding house, he unwittingly becomes the prime suspect in a triple murder case.

At van Niekerk’s behest, Cooper’s given 48 hours to clear his name and – unofficially – solve the three murders. And so, temporarily back to being a European Detective Sergeant, he launches headlong into Durban’s seedy underworld, a viper’s nest of prostitution, drug running and violence run by a colourful cast of characters including wannabe Indian gangsters; a mysterious figure who drives a white De Soto convertible; a Zion Gospel preacher, and the exquisite yet streetwise Lana, who also happens to be van Niekerk’s mistress…’

I wish I’d read ‘A Beautiful Place to Die’ first simply because I prefer to read series in order, but I didn’t feel that I lost anything for reading ‘Let the Dead Lie’ as a stand alone.

From the opening scene, Ms Nunn took me to a seedy, segregated world where white was right and anyone else was fair game. Ex-detective Cooper is the sort of hero I love – a man broken because he has integrity and now on the wrong side of the law, but still incapable of total moral decay.

The book is peopled with characters Ms Nunn finely crafts with the deftest of touches. ‘A flash of hot pink sari crossed Emmanuel’s eye-line and a dozen glass bracelets chimed. An India woman in her fifties with sinewy greyhound limbs grabbed Parthiv’s ear and twisted until his knees buckled.’ That image of the Indian matriarch stayed with me for the story.

The plot is convoluted, turning back on itself in dead-ends and empty promises, but time ticks on relentlessly leaving Emmanuel Cooper with a diminishing number of options. Lana is not a traditional heroine and I was left feeling as though her story is yet to come. She is street-wise and cunning, but courageous with skills beyond her years. Her  vulnerability shows through just enough to make me cheer for her (and wish for an impossible happy ending…)

Durban was a character all of its own with the setting being more than just another waterfront town with a transient population. The palpable fear, but edgy defiance from so many characters, and even the buildings, added to the desperation in a town where no-one was what they first appeared to be.

Let the Dead Lie is good, gritty crime-fiction with compelling characters and a fascinating setting.

From the Pan Mac website : ‘Malla Nunn grew up in Swaziland before moving with her parents to Perth in the 1970s. She attended uni in WA, and then the US. In New York, she worked on film sets, wrote her first screenplay and met her American husband to be, before returning to Australia where she began writing and directing short films and corporate videos. Her debut novel A Beautiful Place to Die was published to international acclaim and won the 2009 Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel by an Australian female author. Malla and her husband live in Sydney with their two children.’

Ms Nunn’s third book, ‘Blessed are the Dead’ is due out in June 2012.

Find us at www.mandymagro.com.

I hit the ground running after holidays and today is my first day off… I think I may be a little tired, but a few good moments today will keep me smiling.

Firstly the edits for Burning Lies are in! Penguin uses track changes so I need to get my head around that, then it’s on with the polishing and the tweaking. I really do enjoy seeing the book bloom under judicious pruning – kind of like my beautiful red gingers that respond to ruthless ravaging

Today the Australian Romance Readers Association published their short list of nominations for the 2011 awards. Shattered Sky is on the list for Favourite Romantic Suspense. I’ve also managed to sneak on to the Favourite Australian Romance Author list. It’s such a thrill to be alongside authors whose work I’ve read and collected for years. Thanks to ARRA and for all who nominated me. Congrats to all the other authors on the list as well. I’ll publish a link as soon as ARRA lists one on their site.

Book reviews can be fraught but today Book’t Out is reviewing Wings of Fear and I’m rapt with it. Shelleyrae is a prolific reviewer who is also moderating the Australian Women Writers Challenge on Goodreads.  Find her review here. It’s lovely to have a review which really appreciates the story. There’s also a copy of Wings of Fear to be won – I’ll happily sign it for you as well!

Another review I missed recently was by Jayne Fordham on the The Australian Bookshelf site. It’s another wonderful site doing it’s bit to promote Australian Women Writers.

Fellow North Queenslander and Penguin Author, Mandy Magro, is hosting me on Wednesday on her blog. She’s been running an Awesome Aussie Author special for the last few months and if you’re in need of good recommendations for new books then drop by and check her blog out!

Lastly, I’m home! That’s always a great way to start my day. Yes, I’ll be on dinner duty plus the cupboards and fridge are bare, but I woke up in my own bed, I walked Zeus the wonder Staffie on the beach, and now it’s on with the business of writing!

Research is one of the absolute delights of being a writer. I love having an excuse to ask questions – sometimes very random questions…

While GW and Jack were discussing the merits of using concentrated chicken stock in risotto, I was doing research with Hannah. I wish I’d had the same ‘take no prisoners’ attitude when I was eighteen! Our niece is fabulous – a very together, very smart but funny girl who’s in first year university in the south of England. She was happy to answer anything I asked!!

First there was shoe research.

Hannah proved she really can walk in things that I thought would give her nose bleeds. I tried them on expecting to fall flat on my face and voila, my legs grew three inches (that’s 7.62 centimetres for you Gen Xs and Ys!). Who knew it would be so painless to stop being vertically challenged They were so comfortable I was tempted to wear them out myself! But I could almost hear the ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ bleating GW would have been delivering…

Next were false eyelashes. They’ve never graced my make-up collection,(which consists of mascara, lipstick and sunscreen…), but I have to admit they made a dramatic difference to Hannah’s eyes when she oh so carefully secured them in place. I didn’t rush out and buy a pair as I had visions of me with eyelids stuck together trying to convince immigration officials to let me back into Australia…

But the most fascinating research was into young men (call me a cougar and I’ll growl back at you, ok?). I may not have been paying attention in Australia, but there seemed to be an inordinate number of young men walking around the streets of Manchester with waxed eyebrows, dyed and ironed hair, and wearing make-up. No offence intended, but I thought my gay friends were the only ones who took that much care with their appearances. Or road cyclist and swim stars! Apparently not…

Hannah assures me that the lads in the university college where she stays in Ipswich regularly come visiting so the girls can wax their chests and eyebrows for them. I couldn’t stop there… So Brazillians for men too? She looked a little grossed out – ‘Yes, but they do that themselves. We don’t!’

Ookaaay… So these buff young men work out in gyms, spend an hour and a half getting ready to go at night, borrow their girlfriends’ hair irons and products, have lovely smooth legs and chests, and look like they’ve stepped out of a GQ photo shoot.

So, this begs the question. Am I writing male characters who will only appeal to women over thirty-five? According to Hannah, a man with a hairy chest would be disgusting. Hmm, to me a dusting of crisp hair across a good pair of pecs followed by the obligatory sexy trail disappearing behind the press-stud of a worn pair of levis would make my pulse race. Not so Hannah, she’d be reaching for the wax strips to tidy him up!

Can I see my hero gazing thoughtfully at himself in the mirror while he’s straightening his hair? Normally he’d be sliding the razor through the shaving foam, taking away three days of dark growth on his square jaw and leaving his skin smooth and brown…

It was a huge reality check and I have to thank Hannah for all her wonderful advice!! I’ve since carried on my research with my First Officers. None of them are admitting to any of these habits, but they all have mates who do. In fact, one of them commented that on his last trip to Melbourne he’d noticed a lot of men with shaved legs and tiny shorts walking around the city. (It is the home of AFL, of course, so short shorts are obligatory there!) Changing times…

So, metrosexual heroes? Yay or nay?

My husband has always maintained he’s allergic to children, but his actions belie that claim. Like most good men he’s only slightly removed from adolescence himself and loves nothing more than playing practical jokes and generally running amok. (If he’d tried letting their air mattress down one more time I think they would have taken serious action against him…)

Jack, though only sixteen, is slightly taller than his uncle and weighs a touch more as he’s a rising athletics star, but in so many other ways they are amazingly similar. GW’s hair may have softened to silver, but he too was a carrot top as a child (indeed when we married!). They walk with the same little wiggle and they looked frighteningly similar dancing to Beyonce on Wii… GW’s accent is always broader when he’s back amongst other Mancurians so they sound the same. Although they’ve spent very little time together, many of their small mannerisms are similar - genetics have a lot to answer for!

Probably one of the most enduring memories for me will be GW and Jack cooking dinner. Being thoroughly modern British guys, the iPad, with Jamie Oliver’s Basic Risotto Recipe, was propped on the counter for guidance:-)

A couple of lads in the kitchen cooking up a storm is always going to make my heart melt. That they produced a delicious risotto was a bonus. Even more special was hearing last night that Jack cook risotto for dinner for his Mum over the weekend. Champion!!

The hero in my current WIP is a good cook. Art imitating life perhaps? Is the ability to cook a prerequisite hero quality for you?

And Jamie Oliver’s Basic Risotto Recipe was their inspiration.

]]> http://www.heleneyoung.com/2012/01/hero-material/feed/ 27 http://www.heleneyoung.com/2012/01/a-stella-read/ http://www.heleneyoung.com/2012/01/a-stella-read/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:12:34 +0000 Helene http://www.heleneyoung.com/?p=4597 This year my To Be Read pile is already topping out at fifteen books and that’s before they’ve even been released. The first cab off the rank for 2012 is Lisa Heidke’s new book, STELLA MAKES GOOD. Lisa’s stopped by today for a chat. Enjoy!

Lisa, congratulations! With the release of STELLA you now have four books on the shelf, which is a wonderful achievement. When you wrote your first book where did you see your writing career heading?

When I wrote my first book I was just hoping I’d have another idea that could stretch for 85,000 words. It’s a bit daunting finishing one manuscript and then asking yourself, where to from here?

I would like to think I’ll continue coming up with plot lines that people will be interested in reading.

Lol, Lisa, I don’t doubt that you will and I look forward to reading more from you. What has been a memorable high point of your writing career so far?

Definitely seeing my first book, Lucy Springer Gets Even, in bookshops. It was a thrill I’ll never forget.

Now when I go in to Dymocks and see my four books lined up, I wish I could travel back in time ten years and tell my younger self to relax, enjoy the moment and keep writing.

Contrast that with a low point – if you’ve had any, of course!

My low points coincide with bouts of low-esteem when I truly believe I won’t be able to come up with an idea big enough to sustain an entire book. Then there are the times when I’m about 40,000 into a new novel and I’ll stare at the computer and think to myself, ‘What happens next? Where can I take this story?’ If I’m not feeling confident, I tend to panic.

Another inevitable low point is when I get a review that’s less than stunning. It doesn’t happen too often but when it does, it’s heartbreaking for a couple of days. I just have to accept that not everyone is going to love my books or my writing style.

I suspect low self esteem and writing go hand-in-hand… It’s the curse that keeps us going even as it stops our fingers typing in mid-sentence…

Each book has explored a different theme and can I say they have got a little more edgy with each subsequent story. Stella’s story delves into sex parties. (I can’t wait to read it J)How hard was it to convince your publisher that the story would resonate with your readers?  What compromises did you have to make, if any?

My publisher didn’t have a problem with me writing about the repercussions of a night out at a sex party but…she didn’t want the party mentioned on the back cover blurb for fear of turning readers off. However, those readers are going to come across it quickly (Page 16). The book goes for over 300 pages.

What else? A couple of my sex scenes had to be pulled back a little but in the main, I was given a free rein to explore the darker side of suburban life!

Good to hear your publisher was completely supportive of your writing.

Your stories have been categorized as ‘Chicklit.’ How do you feel about that tag? Where do you see your books fitting? I see them more as stories for women, by a woman and dealing with women’s issues, but I guess the publishing industry likes to be able to pigeon-hole books into genres.

My publisher prefers to call my writing ‘contemporary women’s fiction’ and I guess it is. As you say, Helene, I write stories for women, dealing with women’s issues. My stories have moved on from Chick-lit which I tend to think of as focusing on women in their 20’s searching for their place in the world.

I write mostly about women in their 30’s triumphing over adversity – be it career slumps, marital infidelity and breakdown, stress with teenagers, aging parents…stumbling upon suburban sex parties…

I really don’t mind what people call my books as long as they read and enjoy them.

And enjoy them they will!! I know there has been spirited debate in the last six months about the place of women writers and ‘women’s fiction’ in the literary world and whether women writers achieve the recognition they should. I think unfortunately the stats speak for themselves so how do you think that bias carries over into contemporary fiction?

An interesting question would be why do we even have to call it ‘women’s fiction’? Do we call Nick Earls books ‘men’s fiction’? I don’t think we do. Occasionally, it’s called lad-lit, but generally his books are just called fiction and he gets a lot of print reviews and media coverage, mostly positive. Would he get as much attention if his name was Nicola Earls?

Maybe publishers don’t pigeon hole male writers because there’s perceived to be less of it written…or it’s classified as action or adventure …or just fiction but never men’s fiction or romance…Not many men would say to their friends, ‘hey I read a great romance last night.

Maybe it’s all about marketing, but there doesn’t seem to be an existing stigma against a book about a guy trying to deal with a messy breakup, career struggles etc as there is against a book about a woman dealing with the same issues. So, yes, I definitely believe there is a bias in contemporary fiction.

I know several women crime writers who use their initials rather than their names so that the perceived bias is lessened. The Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge has been set up in an attempt to broaden the profile of women writers. I’ve already discovered new writers and I’m looking forward to reading more. (The challenge also has a group on Goodreads which is very active.)

Lisa, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your writing career to date?

Probably the best piece of advice I was given was by Peter Bishop, who was the Creative Director at Varuna for a number of years. He told me to keep writing. He said finish the first draft of one manuscript, put it away for three months and start working on a new one straight away. He said that it took most ‘overnight successes’ ten years to get published and that I should aim for that because by then I’d have at least a couple of manuscripts to submit to publishers.

It took me almost eight years of writing before I got a contract with Allen & Unwin and by that stage I had three manuscripts to show them – all of which have subsequently been published.

Peter Bishop gave me similar advice and he was spot on.

What’s next for you?

Excellent question…remember my earlier answer about the fear of not being able to come up with a new idea? That’s where I’m at right now. I’m tossing a few ideas around, but so far a plot line that I’m confident about sustaining has alluded me! EEK!

Ha, I’m sure there are plenty of ideas bubbling around in your head, Lisa, and every one of them is sustainable! Enjoy the release of STELLA MAKES GOOD and thanks for dropping by for a chat.

Lisa Heidke writes contemporary women’s fiction. Lucy Springer Gets Even (Allen & Unwin, 2009), her first book, was quickly followed by What Kate Did Next (2010). Claudia’s Big Break, was published in January 2011 and in February, was listed in the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the Top Ten Australian Best Sellers.

Lisa’s fourth novel, Stella Does Good, has just been released in January 2012.

You can find out more about Lisa and read her sporadic weekly blog, at www.lisaheidke.com

You can also follow her on Twitter @lisaheidke or  on FB at lisaheidke

Can mother-of-two, Stella forge a new life for herself after the end of her marriage? A funny and insightful novel about love, friendship and the quest for happiness. Stella Sparks is on good terms with her ex-husband, Terry, despite the fact he left her for another woman. Stella’s philosophical – the marriage had run it’s course, they remain friends and the well-being of their kids is central to both of them.

Stella’s life takes a distinctly upward turn when she meets a handsome, apparently single – no ring, anyway – father at her son’s school speech night. For Carly and Jesse, however, the search for happiness and fulfilment proves more elusive…
With a healthy dose of humour and romance Stella Makes Good is about the games we play, the secrets we keep, the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of female friendship.

Stella’s two closest friends, Carly and Jesse, envy her togetherness and wish they could emulate it. Jesse’s husband, Steve, is a control freak who’s driving her crazy, but she has two small children and can’t see a way out. Carly, meanwhile, suspects her husband is having an affair and isn’t sure what to do about it.

And if you need more to convince you, here’s a little teaser!!

I love airports with their crowded shopping malls full of energy and hype. I love watching airline crews, like flocks of colourful birds, gliding through the waiting mass of lesser mortals. They have a faint air of superiority as though they know a secret the rest of us are missing (but I can personally confirm they don’t – it’s just an illusion!!)

I love listening in on the conversations around me even when I can’t understand the words, only the tone of voice. I love arrivals halls and the emotions on the faces of my fellow travellers. There are tears, squeals of delight and hugs that say so much. Sometimes the greetings are quieter, more restrained but never the less heart-felt.

I’ve also seen the relief in faces when the burden of sorrow can now be shared or witnessed tears for dreams that failed to deliver on their promise. But that instant when a jet-lagged traveller recognizes a familiar face in the welcoming throng and their eyes light up is pure distilled emotion. The journey is forgotten in the delight, the relief, the destination brings.

I’ve always been someone for whom the journey is as important as the destination. I know for many people that’s not the case and they’re impatient to get where they’re going. 2012, with all its possibilities, is about to sweep us away.  How are you going to approach the year to come? Is it a journey that you’re going to embrace and savour? Or do you have goals you’ve set and the year to come is a vehicle which will take you to them with arms wide open?

Whatever your approach to life, enjoy the ride! I hope 2012 delivers for you.

Thanks for  being part of my journey.