~February/March 2010
February passed me by, with the exception of my birthday, in a total blur of writing. I have to say I love writing. Absolutely love it. What I don't love is writing in 98% humidity in a small office with my door closed (for silence and privacy) and 26 deg Celsius sticky heat. Bleuch. Thankfully, now it's March, and I still have a great deal on my writing plate (yay!) the humidity has dropped markedly and while we're still enjoying the gorgeous clear blue and sunny days, the temperatures and humidity levels are more comfortable. Oh, and at night we can sleep again because it's cooler.
I'm hugely excited about the upcoming continuity for next year, but in the meantime I've realised I have a few titles out this year and that's so exciting. If I remember back to 2005, only five years ago, at this time I was still unpublished. Now I have 18 contracted titles (16 books and 2 online titiles) to my credit. If you'd have told me then where I'd be today I probably wouldn't have believed you. I would have wanted to, but it would have been stretch even of my imagination.
Next month I'm presenting workshops at a one day seminar, hosted by the Wellington Chapter of RWNZ. For more information, send your query through the contact us page on the RWNZ website. Then in April, I'll be in Adelaide presenting workshops at Romancing The Novel, hosted by the South Australian Romance Authors and Romance Writers of Australia. For more information, see HERE.
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~January 2010
Holiday month! Yay!
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~October/November/December 2009
Well, October passed in a bit of a blur, as did November. I've been very busy reworking outlines for my Mediterranean trilogy, THE HEART'S TRUTH, which is now scheduled for August/September/October 2010! Not just reworking outlines, but also writing Book 2 in the trilogy. This went to my lovely new editor at the beginnig of December and I'm currently awaiting her line edits on the first book in the trilogy. On top of that, I have the line edits to do for MAGNATE'S MISTRESS FOR A MONTH, which is Book 2 in the SUMMER OF SCANDAL mini-continuity (books out in June/July/August 2010.) Hmm, I seem to have had a plethora of Mistress titles lately.
The weather here in Auckland has edged it's way into spring and now summer, although if the precipitation and wind we've experienced lately is any indicator we may not be on course to enjoy a long hot summer like the last one. For myself that doesn't bother me. My office faces east and gets the morning sun full bore through my window, which makes working in here on a summer's day extremely uncomfortable. I'm planning to look into airconditioning in the next week or two. It's not something widely used in homes in New Zealand but I have a feeling I'll melt in here this summer, with Book 3 in THE HEART'S TRUTH trilogy due to my editor by 26 February.
In November I took a trip to Queenstown to research that Book 3. The story is set on the shores of Lake Whakatipu and in Queenstown itself and I needed to get a feel for the area. It was absolutely fantastic. If you want to read about my trip, check my blog HERE. I'm very keen now to get to work on that story, the characters have been real in my mind for ages and now I have the setting consolidated in my mind as well.
In the meantime, I wish all my readers a wonderful and festive Christmas time and hope your New Year brings you delight, health and happiness all year long.
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~August/September 2009
Winter was pretty chilly here in New Zealand but I'm pleased to report we're already into Spring, albeit with some very changeable weather.
August was totally awesome for me. I had the chance to catch up with my favourite Aussie writers and mates at the RWAus conference in Brisbane. It was held at the Sebel/Citygate and the hotel was just amazing. Fabulous rooms, food, service--you name it, it was great. I had a wonderful time and hugely enjoyed the warmer climate there. Of course, hard on the heels of the Aus conference was the NZ one and more fun to be had. I was fortunate enough to win (again!) the Friday night raffle, sponsored by Frances Housden, at the RWNZ Cocktail Party and I have books coming out of my ears! Sadly, the champagne and cheeses and tasty nibbles are all gone. Ah well, there's always next year! In my defence I spent a small fortune on tickets so my odds were possible a bit higher than most to win.
September saw me hard at work on my continuity novella. This is story two in book one of a three month mini-continuity, currently known as Billionaires of Bridgehampton. The continuity will be released June/July/August 2010. It's set during the polo season in the Hamptons and my hero, a NY businessman, can't get a particular female groom out of his head. It's been a fun challenge writing to novella length but I'm itching now to get back into a full length Desire for my Mediterranean set trilogy, tentatively scheduled for July/August/September 2010.
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~June/July 2009
Yes, I know I've missed out May 2009. I'm sure it existed, I'm just not sure what I was doing at the time. Probably working my mind off on the proposal that saw my editor offer me a new three book contract for my mini-series set on a fictional island in the Med.
June saw the actual contract offer, amid a flurry of family birthdays that are always guaranteed to keep the Lindsay family busy through that month, as well as a contract offer for a continuity novella for June 2010. I'm really excited about all four books and have a very busy schedule ahead of me writing wise. I love being challenged by deadlines and while I might occasionally get a tad on the snappy side (who me?) as I get closer and closer to deadline date, I wouldn't change what I do for all the world. I was discussing this with my husband the other day and commenting on how I enjoy the work and the process. Of course, when I'm having a bad day... ;-)
July sees me working to meet the first of my deadlines (book one in The Heart's Truth mini-series.) Once I have this out of the way I'll be preparing for the Romance Writers of Australia conference (14-16 Aug) where I'm presenting a workshop on Making Your Characters Real, and the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference (21-23 Aug) where I'm co-presenting a workshop on Building on Your Strengths (and take your weaknesses along for the ride!) with Trish Morey. I'll also be doing AAs for my December release, which now has a title--DEFIANT MISTRESS, RUTHLESS MILLIONAIRE--which is loosely linked to my Rogue Diamonds mini-series from earlier this year. And if that isn't enough to keep me out of trouble, I'll also be writing the proposal for the continuity novella. Did I mention I like being busy? :-)
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~March/April 2009
We've been enjoying an Indian Summer here in New Zealand but I think Autumn is finally beginning to show its hand. Workwise I've been busy completing my December book, still untitled, and preparing some new story ideas for my editor to mull over and hopefully brainstorm with me into an exciting new mini-series for 2010.
Feedback so far on the Rogue Diamonds mini-series has been wonderful and I've been so excited to see books one and two do so well on the lists at eHarlequin.com and Waldenbooks/Borders and to see some of the wonderful reviews coming in. The Australian cover treatment for the series is just beautiful, too. They've embossed a line of white diamonds across the cover--I just keep wanting to stroke it!
With the settled weather it's been a great time to get out on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and enjoy a bit of boating. Unfortunately for us, and very fortunately for the fish in the sea, we weren't at all successful in catching our dinner for that night but it is always a pleasure to get out on the water and enjoy the peace of just being away from chores and phones and computers. Plus we had the added advantage of seeing a couple of the vintage military aircraft that had performed at the Whenuapai Airshow that weekend flying home, doing barrel rolls over us as they went.
I've been dabbling a bit with Facebook, and finding my way around there. If you're on, look me up.
Oh, and while I remember, I've posted a new article (which appeared in RWAus's Heart to Heart recently) called The Power of Opening Well. As always, if you want to reprint any of my articles, please contact me for permission.
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~January/February 2009
It's summer here and it's HOT! Not as hot as our neighbours across the Tasman are putting up with but for me it's still too darn hot. I find it hard to think about more than just relaxing and reading and catching a breeze from anywhere! Now we're into February I'm back into my manuscript which is due to my editor mid-March. I have a few changes to make before I can forge forward and they're a little fiddly but I think I've got them under control and have a clearer view for the direction of the story now. It's that whole butterfly effect, how one little alteration changes so many aspects. Thankfully I only have the first three chapters down so far so there's not too much to change.
We had a gorgeous holiday away camping this year. A different campsite for a change, this time on the Coromandel's east coast. While the weather on the first few days was not the best, things soon improved and we had a lot of fun boating, swimming and relaxing. What was a little less relaxing was coming home to have a couple of skin lesions removed. Thankfully the results show no further signs of bother and all is looking good.
January and February are busy months for us with family and friend's birthdays so there's a whole lot of celebrating going on right now.
I hope wherever you are in our world that you're keeping safe and well and enjoying whatever you're reading. Hopefully you'll be adding my ROGUE DIAMONDS trilogy to your reading list. The first book, CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND is available through eHarlequin now and you can also order the second in the mini-series, SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR here!
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~December 2008
The month seems to have been racing past, I'll never learn. The later in the year the faster the days seem to go, and I'm still lagging in the Christmas shopping department! Ah well, gotta have something to keep me motivated.
This month I've been interviewed by the lovely Michelle Vollemaere, Staff Writer for the Australian Women's Weekly (NZ Edition.) As with most media interviews I did have some trepidation but we conducted our discussions over the phone and Michelle was great to talk to. I'm looking forward to buying out stocks of the magazine for all the family. If you're in NZ, watch out for the February 2009 edition! You won't see me (no pics) but there will be a cover of CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND in there with any luck!
I've finished the partial for my December 2009 book, still untitled, and that's sitting with my editor for approval at the moment. I had huge fun doing the collage for this book. There's a picture of the collage up on my blog here. (This link should be live after 18 December.)
If you've been visiting my blog on a regular basis you'll know that once I finished the last book in my Rogue Diamonds trilogy I tidied my office, then I went shopping. The new office furniture was installed in the first week of December and I'm so very happy with it. As my family say, it makes my work space look so much more professional.
Well, that's pretty much it for me for December. I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating however you choose to celebrate the festive season and that you spend plenty of time reading and relaxing.
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~October-November 2008
Oh my, where on earth has the time gone? Oh yeah, that's right, writing books for the Diamond Rogues trilogy and all their associated edits etc. Well, I'm thrilled to report that all three books are finished with only copy edits to come on the final book in the series. Their titles are CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND (Feb 2009), SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR (Mar 2009) and PRETEND MISTRESS, BONA FIDE BOSS (Apr 2009.) I'm totally in love with the cover treatment for the February book, they've captured Amira Forsythe's beauty and ice cool demeanour perfectly. Off the record, that demeanour was something I craved as I worked to meet those deadlines, but Yay! I did it! And to celebrate I cleaned my office. Now I know for most people that's probably not a big thing but seriously...I couldn't even get a vacuum cleaner in my office anymore. If you want to see the before and after pics click here to my blog.
I've also been on a research trip recently, for a setting for another book that is bubbling away in the back of my head. It was lovely to have a change of scenery, a change of pace, and no internet for a couple of days. Much as I love being in contact and being contactable, from time to time it is great to remember what life was like before I (happily) chained myself to a computer.
I've also been thrilled to received some more translations of my earlier books. The first being of a Czech July release of ROSSELLINI'S REVENGE AFFAIR, as CESTY OSUDU--my most translated book to date! The second is for the November 08 French release of THE BOSS'S CHRISTMAS SEDUCTION, as LA PROMESSE DE NOEL. Love that new title.
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~September 2008
Last month I travelled to the beautiful city of Melbourne for the Romance Writers of Australia conference, which was superb. Part of the reason I went was to catch up with my Aussie writing mates, but the primary reason was to hear Barbara Samuel speak. I can't tell you how much listening to Barbara enriches my writing mind. I swear she has a direct line to my muse. If you ever get the chance to listen to Barbara, don't think about it, do it! She's a fabulous author, an industry professional, a great teacher and an awesome human being.
Another August highlight was the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference which, while much smaller than the Australian conference, recaptured some of its ambience from years ago when the organisation was still growing. It was lovely to catch up in a relaxed environment and I had the absolute pleasure of rooming with Fiona Brand, whose writing I've always loved and wished to emulate.
For the bulk of the month of September I've been busy working on my trilogy for February/March/April 2009. Book three now has a title, PRETEND MISTRESS, BONA-FIDE BOSS. So to give you a brief run down of what there is to look forward to, February is a reunion story, March is a secret baby story and April is a boss/secretary romance!
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~August 2008
This month sees the conference season Down Under begin with the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference from Friday 15 August until Sunday 17 August. I will be attending the cocktail party on Friday 15 August at the Waipuna as well as presenting workshops on both Saturday 16 August (collaging) and Sunday 17 August (writing on demand) at conference. If you're there, come on up and say hi!
The following weekend I'll be in Melbourne for the Romance Writers of Australia conference from 22 August until 24 August. I'm really looking forward to doing Barbara Samuels' all day workshop on the Friday and reconnecting with my Aussie writing mates face to face. In the lead up to conference time I'm always reminded of how hermit like my existence becomes when I'm working to tight deadlines and I begin to crave the physical company of like minded souls.Thank heavens for conferences!
I've nearly completed SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR, and my outline for the third book in my trilogy for next year has been approved but is as yet untitled.
The discussions on the eHarlequin thread for my online read, THE BILLIONAIRE'S PROXY, are running hot. As an author it can be quite daunting to read some of the comments there and to see your characters discussed in such depth but it's also fascinating to see how what I've written has 'spoken', or otherwise, to my readers. I'm really enjoying the lively conversation there, that's for sure. You can join the discussion here.
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~July 2008
We had the family trip to Wanganui to watch our youngest in the Under 17 National Netball Tournament. The trip down (five and a half hours) went really well but the weather that night turned absolutely foul, and all the next day. Thankfully, the sun came back to greet us late Saturday and for the rest of the tournament so webbed feet were not required. The girls climbed another ranking in the results so we were all very happy on the trip home. Saw lots of snow through the central North Island on the way home, which was another treat we Aucklanders rarely see.
I'm busy working on my next trilogy, the first of which will be released in February 2009. These books, about three school friends, were scheduled for later in 2009 but have moved up the publishing schedule so my fingers are working flat out on the keyboard. The first book will be CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND and the second SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR.
I'm looking forward to the RWNZ and RWAustralia conferences next month. I'm conducting two workshops at the RWNZ conference, the weekend of 15-17 August, so if you can come along and haven't registered yet, make sure you do. Check out the link to RWNZ on my links page for more information.
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