"There is only one thing ..."

"... that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."


That's a wonderful quote by world renowned Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho and many wise men and women before him.

We're going to be following that sage advice here on the Romance Writer's blog for the month of April! So here's the challenge for all you romance authors in waiting out there - write a book in the month of April!

And here are all the reasons why you should do it:

• That idea milling about in your head - you need to get it down in writing.
• Time will never be "right" or "enough" unless you ditch those excuses.
• You're tired of your existing work in progress and need a new challenge.
• Reconnect with your creative self.
• There's a crowd of us doing it with you - supporting you all the way.
• Can't remember when you last wrote and you're wondering whether you still have it in you.

Tomorrow is the 1st of April! Come play the fool ... come write with us!

Portrayal of a heroine - Keira Knightley & Coco Mademoiselle

OK so I have to confess that Coco Mademoiselle is one of my favourite perfumes! The whole idea of Coco Chanel is so alluring to a romance writer that you can't help but fall in smeaven with one of her fragrances.

Then the next confession is that I adored Keira Knightley in her role as The Duchess!

So put the two together and you get a knock-out ad for Coco Mademoiselle starring Keira Knightley. If you're looking for inspiration - check out the video!

Inspired yet?

The Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews is a new site that reviews romance novels. The official launch was 1st March, but throughout the entire month they're running contests for readers. There are over 200 prizes up for grabs, with different contests every day.

TRR gives readers the chance to discover new books, chat with authors, read and write reviews, and vote for their favourite books.

Major Prizes (to be drawn at end of month)
Grand Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card
2nd Prize: $70 Amazon Gift Card
3rd Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card

Please support TRR, not least because they're supporting both readers and writers. They've already uploaded the following reviews for two ROSA members:
Betrayed by Claire Robyns
Let's Misbehave by Rae Summers

Avon goes Digital

Avon Books, the HarperCollins Publishers outlet for the romance lines, has finaly gone digital! Let's extend a hearty welcome to Avon Impulse.

So what does this mean to our romance writing community? Yup you've guessed it - another publisher to approach. There's an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions on the web site which covers all the usual topics such as their submission guidelines and what they're looking for right now. If you've got the urge to become an Avon author then here is your opportunity! They will definitely be looking at sales numbers and if you're one of their popular authors you'll stand a good chance of getting into their print versions.

If any of you are currently under contract to Avon or have a manuscript in for review with Avon Impulse - give us a shout and tell us about your experience with them!

Celebrate the international Week of the eBook

This week (6-12 March) is officially Read an eBook Week. Our own local eBook Divas are celebrating the week by giving away a selection of 11 free Mills & Boon eBooks. Why not spread the joy of eBooks and encourage your friends to give it a try?

To download these very fabulous free eBooks,
1) Visit www.ebookdiva.com and register/login
2) Go to www.ebookdiva.com/ebookweek
3) Enter the voucher code "ebookweek”
4) Select and download your eBooks
*** Remember this voucher will only be valid until midnight on 12 March, so make sure you use it before then.

To find out more about Read an eBook week, visit http://ebookweek.com/

Multi Published Author Sophie Hannah in South Africa!

Thanks to our lovely contributing member Romy (who is an avid Twitter user and fan) we've found out that author Sophie Hannah will be in South Africa to promote her new book!

Sophie Hannah is the author of 5 internationally bestselling psychological thrillers and her novels are published in 20 countries! Not only does she write thrillers, her talents also include penning short stories, poetry, romance and other fiction. She has won numerous awards for her writing and her poetry is even studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK! Wow! Click here to go to Sophie's web site and find out more about her writing.

We're lucky enough to have the opportunity of meeting such an esteemed writer at the following events:

18:00 Monday 7 March - Exclusive Books, Cavendish Square, Cape Town
18:00 Tuesday 8 March - Exclusive Books, Hyde Park, Johannesburg

Sophie will also be interviewed on 702 Talk Radio at 13:00 on Wednesday the 9th of  March on the Jenny Crwys-Williams show. So if you can't make it to meet her in person don't forget to listen!

If you're an author stalker and get a photograph with yourself - send it to us for the blog!