Amy Andrews on Romance Books and How To Mend A Broken Heart plus GIVEAWAY!

Today I invited Australian Author and long time friend of RBP- Amy Andrews. But she came with a GIFT! And she is asking a question..... What is the purpose of romance books. Are they to entertain us or make us think?

The following is the Dear Reader letter that appears in the front of How To Mend A Broken Heart. This book has caused some chatter about the purpose of romance novels and suggestions that maybe it’s just a bit too dark and gritty. So with Nas’s blessing I’m reposting the Dear Reader letter here so you can judge for yourselves before you buy and read whether it is the right book for you.

Sometimes, as writers, there are just stories we have to tell. And this was one of them. I appreciate that it won’t be for everybody but I need to hope that with love and time even the deepest grief can be overcome. And I believe these love stories – the ones that aren’t easy - need to be told too.

I’d like to stress that Tess is in an abnormally long grieving cycle. She’s stuck. She’s not living, she’s just surviving. This may seem over the top to some people but believe me, while it isn’t the norm, it does happen.

I’d also like to thank my editor, Lucy, who had faith that I could do this heart wrenching issue justice and to thank everyone else for the thought provoking conversations and reviews.

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

The opening scene of How To Mend A Broken Heart came to me in this perfectly formed picture in my mind. I knew little about the woman kneeling over the grave at the time other than she was grieving for her child and that she was very, very broken. I didn’t even know her name! But I knew, after many years of sadness, I wanted her to be happy. To start functioning again.

The book deals with some heavy issues. Issues that, sadly, I have come across in my other life as a paediatric intensive care nurse. Issues that, no matter how hard you try to keep an emotional distance, still touch you on a personal level.

I often wonder what becomes of couples after their child has passed away. When they leave hospital for the last time without their little loved one in their arms. How do they cope with the grief? How do they ever lead a normal life when something so precious and integral to their happiness and identity as a couple has been wrenched away? And in particular how much worse is it when the death is accidental. When for a split section of distraction, a blip of inattention that marks us all as human beings, everything changes. How badly must they want to be able to go back in time, to do over that one moment, to make it all okay?

I also wanted to write a romance that didn’t have a “riding off into the sunset” ending. Re-uniting two broken people was never going to be easy and to give them an everything-is-okay-now future didn’t seem true to life. I wanted to show Tess and Fletch’s love was true but I needed to acknowledge that to make their marriage a success the second time round, they were going to need help. That they were going to have to work at it.

I loved giving these two people their lives back and whilst their story is wrenching at times, I hope I’ve been true to them and their love.

 

I hope you think so too.

Love,

 

Amy

 

 

 

Amy Andrews around the web:

 

Facebook      Twitter      Website 

One commenter will get a copy of HOW TO MEND A BROKEN HEART.

 

 

My First Visit to US!

This was my first visit to US and it concided with the RWA National Conference in Anaheim this year.

I was invited to lunch by Lynne Marshall. She introduced me to all the authors and there were also UK editors from Mills & Boon present there.

We sat down to lunch: from left: Lynne Marshall, NZ author Louisa George, Australian author Fiona Lowe whose RITA nominated book BOOMERANG BRIDE won the RITA! and M&B editor from UK Byrony Green.

Lynne Marshall with Australian author Fiona Lowe and me.

Lynne Marshall with NZ author Louisa George

Lynne Marshall and Aimee Carson

I won one of the door prizes- with author Julie Rowe

Lynne Marshall's News!

As I get ready for my vacation to US and first RWA conference in Anaheim from July, I will be reposting some earlier posts for the month of July.

But for now I have Author Lynne Marshall's news to share with you! I will be meeting Lynne in person in Anaheim-can you tell I'm super excited?!

Dr. Tall, Dark...and Dangerous?

New surgeon Jared Finch is causing a storm in Nurse Practitioner Kasey McGowan’s clinic! She’s got better things to think about, but what’s a girl to do when Jared’s been nicknamed Dr. Tall, Dark and Gorgeous? She comes with baggage, he’s got a whole baggage carousel—and giving in to their attraction risks everything. But the desire is oh so tempting….

This book also comes with three different book covers.

1. The UK 2-in-1 print where Lynne Marshall is paired with the fabulous Fiona Lowe:

2. The UK e-book and print version by itself, which is currently available at the Mills & Boon website:

3. Or - the US print and e-book version, which will only be available from the Harlequin website beginning July 1st. It is also available for pre-order at Amazon US.

Have you picked out your favorite yet?

Lynne Marshall's e-book  AN INDISCRETION,  her Wild Rose Press contemporary romance with strong medical elements has also been a hit with readers.

For those who read and enjoyed her mainstream with romantic elements book ONE FOR THE ROAD, She's thrilled to announce that coming October 19th, 2012 - her second full length book featuring over-forty characters will be available in both print and e-book from The Wild Rose Press. I am sharing the book cover and blurb with you.

Dissolve the partnership? Or renegociate...between the sheets?

Joy Waltham is stressed out. Before she can expand her business empire, she needs her ex-husband's signature dissolving his silent partnership. A trip to Maine to find her ex, get the signature, and chill out seems ideal. But instead of relaxing, Joy winds up in the middle of a mystery--and wrapped in the overprotective arms of Comfort's chief of police--her ex-husband.

After retiring from LAPD, Paul Donovan took charge of tiny Comfort's police department. Bored senseless, he's still not ready for chaos in the form of his ex-wife shaking up his life. Joy arrives just in time to meddle in his investigation of a string of accidental deaths. Now forced to work together, Joy and Paul confront some unexpected challenges. It's emotional deja vu as they dig through their thorny past, reawaken old sexual attraction, and face the fact they never stopped loving each other.

I hope you'll consider this reunion story in your fall line-up.

 

 

Coming this July 25th from 5-8 pm in Anaheim, She will be participating in the Literacy for Life booksigning at the National RWA conference. If you live in Southern Calfiornia, Lynne hopes to see you there!

Fast Track! HM&B Medical Romance wants YOU!

Harlequin Mills and Boon Medical Romance is holding another FASTTRACK! You can submit and have an answer in June! I asked M&B for information and here it is!

In 2010, Medical Romance fever swept through Romance HQ in London – it was the summer of our famous Fast Track. All Medical submissions sent in August were guaranteed a response in August, and wow did you keep us all busy. We read an incredible 174 Medical submissions and went on to buy FIVE authors from it: LouisaGeorge, Leonie Knight, Annie Claydon, Connie Cox and Tina Beckett.

This June, we’re looking to repeat the success:
THE MEDICAL ROMANCE FAST-TRACK IS BACK (BY POPULAR DEMAND!)

Are you a fan of the Medical Romance series?
Or perhaps you’re addicted to medical TV dramas?
Do you want to write for an excitingly unique, globally distributed series?
And – of course! - do you want an editorial response within a month?

Then this is the initiative for you!

All you need is an idea for a romance in a medical setting and the first chapter only – the rest is simple!

•    Send us a covering letter with a synopsis of your story and characters (no more than two pages) along with the first chapter
•    Fast-track submissions must be received between 1st and 7th June 2012 (12.00 midnight BST, British Summer Time)
•    Email your submission (as a Word document attachment) to medicalfasttrack2012@hqnuk.co.uk
•    You will receive a response by email by 29th June.
•    Otherwise our normal submissions and format procedures apply (visit our ‘Submit  manuscript’ section at www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Excited already? You certainly should be - this is a fantastic opportunity to get your writing noticed by the Medical Romance team and we can’t wait to read your submissions!
You can also find our writing guidelines or buy Medical Romance titles in print or ebook format from www.harlequin.com (a Medical Romance podcast is available here too), www.millsandboon.co.uk and www.millsandboon.com.au.

 To celebrate the announcement of the 2012 Medical Fast-Track, Fiona Lowe – along with help from other Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™ authors – give you their Top Ten Tips for Writing a Medical Romance!

1.    Find your unique voice…this is your own style. Sometimes it is right there on the page, sometimes it hides under a rock but you need to work on it so that when an editor picks up your manuscript she hears you on the page. Avoid letting your critique partners put their voice in your work. (True confession: I let that happen to me without realising until my acquiring editor back in 2005 said, ‘Your voice sometimes disappears.”)

2.    Discover plot, characterisation, conflict, emotional punch, point of view and avoiding the saggy middle. Attend writing workshops, read some ‘how to’ books and be prepared to tear down that brilliant scene you just wrote and re write it again…and again.  I know, it hurts, be brave J Medical romances are big, complex stories in 50-55,000 words.

3.    In a medical romance it is the ROMANCE that is front and centre. Remember that and use the medical scenes to drive the story forward. E.g. the characters learn something new about each other, or see a past behaviour isn’t working for them, or it changes the relationship between them.  Having your hero and heroine work together is very important because it keeps them on the page together and avoids “token” medical scenes. Your reader wants to see the relationship growing and it’s a lot harder to show this if they don’t work together.

4.    Talking about heroes, dare we say it but our medical heroes are divine and a little bit different from other category romance heroes. They’re strong, independent and focused, but they have compassion, heart and a bedside manner to die for. They go above and beyond the call of duty every time because they’re driven to heal.

5.    Louisa George, a previous ‘Medical Fast-Track’ success story, says, “Keep the working relationship equal- both the hero and heroine are professionals and independent.”  Their private lives might be a disaster, but at work they are at the top of their game. Due to the huge variety of specialisations in medicine, this opens up a huge array of settings for your books....the outback, flying doctors, ER, small town, big city, drop-In centre, the White House, Africa, sports medicine, surgery, midwifery, complimentary medicine such as Chinese medicine,....the list goes on! Think Outside the Box. 

6.    Amy Andrews who’s known for her awesome love scenes says, “Medicals accept a gamut of heat levels from closing the door to tearing it off its hinges - feel free to write the sensual scenes from sweet right through to phwarrrrr!!!” Fiona adds, “Let your characters determine the heat level. Their back story will guide you. In Sydney Harbour Hospital: Tom’s Redemption, the hero is blind. As a writer I had to channel all sensory information through hearing, touch, taste and smell.  As a result my editor said I wrote one of my hottest sex scenes ever. Who knew, right?

7.    Put a new twist on universal themes. Human beings are inherently flawed and frequently hurt and disappoint each other BUT for all of that, human beings have a huge drive to find and give love. The need for family, the need to know they are loveable, the need to care, the need to learn trust, to overcome failure, to balance duty and love...all these are universal themes. With your unique characters, make these themes your own.

8.    Read the current medical romances. The best way to get a feel for the line is to read the books. Popular themes in medical romances are midwifery, paediatrics, surgery, secret babies, miracle babies, bachelor dads, Mediterranean docs, new-found families with young children, – families with young children, billionaire and posh docs, playboys docs, royalty, aristocracy, sheikhs – duty to patients or title?  My debut novel combined three popular themes ...the outback, the flying doctors and a pregnant heroine. Since then I’ve written two more pregnant heroines, but they’ve been pregnant with a twist — a surrogate mother heroine, and in November 2012 in a Christmas book the heroine is pregnant using artificial insemination.

9.    Send your book out into the world.  That is a big and scary step. You love it to bits and a part of you always goes with any submission, but the only way to get published is to put it out there so polish up that first chapter and send it to the medical fast track!

10.   Bounce Back.  Rejections are very much part of the arts community. It is rare for a first manuscript to be accepted but what is amazing is that at Harlequin, editors DO give feedback !  So give yourself an indulgent day or two and then go back to the computer. Take on board what an editor said, re look at your work and keep writing.

I once read a quote that said ‘Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.’ The preparation is the only part of the process you can control. If you follow the ten tips you will write a book filled with action-packed drama, where a dynamic hero and heroine work together saving lives and in the process they work through the issues that had them putting their life on hold, and finish with them finding true love and their happily ever after.

Easy? No, but absolutely do-able. Good luck!

Cheers

Fiona

Fiona Lowe is an award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch. A current RITA finalist, you can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.


So friends what do you think? Will you take a chance and send your babies...er...chapters out there? Why not try it. After all you'll be hearing back within thirty days!

Want to know more? Ask away...

Louisa George on Heroines!

We decided to ask Medical Romance author Louisa George on types of heroines so here she is....

Girl Talk

 What makes a good heroine?

 Hi Nas! Thanks for having me here again, so lovely to be back!

 There’s much talk in romance writers’ circles about heroes. What makes a perfect hero? Alpha? Beta? What are the most attractive male personality traits, what are the best body bits (LOL)? Is sense of humor important?- you get the picture.

The Australian Edition
 cover of Louisa George's
 ONE MONTH TO BECOME A MUM

But, as a writer, my main focus is to make a connection with the (usually female) reader from the heroine’s POV. As Leslie Wainger (author of RomanceWriting for Dummies) puts it: the heroine is the reader’s alter-ego. As my editor puts it: the reader should want to be the heroine. Some writers have gone so far as to say that romance heroines are all about women’s rights- that they never settle for second best, that they give readers hope that they can be heroines of their own lives. And, as such, romance heroines are great role models.

This brings about all kinds of issues for a writer- I was told, for my second book Waking Up with His Runaway Bride, that my heroine’s reality was too bleak. She was grieving, her business was failing, she was in the middle of a bush fire…could I please make her world more aspirational? As a newbie writer I’m learning all the time and this idea was new to me. I’ve read so many books about women in desperate circumstances I almost thought this was a pre-requisite, but then I realized good heroines usually had one thing: a sense of humor, a best friend, a resource and resilience that made her world bearable. Sure- I get that there should be a connection, but does the reader really want to be the heroine? And then I thought about my reading habits and preferences and yes…I do imagine myself in the heroine’s shoes, I live her emotions and dream her dreams.

The French Edition cover
 of Louisa George's
ONE MONTH TO BECOME A MUM

That got me thinking about the kind of women I write about, I like sassy, feisty, up-front heroines. I like independent thinking women. Women who can stand up for themselves. I like heroines who are brave enough to say and do the things I would like to say and do. (So now I understand the backlash against Bella in Twilight- a girl who reacts rather than acts, who doesn’t take charge. And also why women like Scarlett O’Hara and Stephanie Plum are so popular).  When I was younger I used to want to be like Linda Hamilton (John Connor’s mother in Terminator Two- boy, that woman was strong.)

As a medical romance writer all my main characters are based in the health professions. I make sure that there is a meeting of minds, an equality between the hero and heroine (things have definitely moved on from the unequal doctor/nurse relationship of old. Believe me, as a nurse married to a doctor, I know!). I try to write intelligent and independent characters- all different, all flawed in some way. Most of my characters have body issues of one type or another, they’ve usually got baggage, and none of them believe they are beautiful. But they are strong and healed.

Is that what my readers want, though?  What kind of a heroine do you enjoy reading? Any heroine you’d like to BE? Do you like to see them swept away by a powerful man or do you think the heroines should be powerful enough to do the sweeping (but allow the man to do it anyway! LOL!). Any memorable heroines? Any heroines you hated?

Louisa on the web:

Website      Blog       Facebook       Twitter         Author Page

One Month To Become A Mum

Blurb

Some things in life are worth waiting for…

Jessie Price has lost her only chance at motherhood – it’s a constant hurt, until she meets sinfully sexy single dad Dr Luke McKenzie and his gorgeous little girl. Luke’s intoxicating kisses and his daughter’s adoring hugs have Jessie
longing for the impossible. But she's a temporary locum, the clock’s ticking – and there’s only a month to make all her wishes come true…

Buy Links:

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