Keeping up the Pace!

What keeps a book intriguing enough to have fans turn the pages and not set it down? How can one author’s books have you riveted and another’s leave you feeling ho-hum? Ever wondered if there are key craft tips and techniques to balance fast-paced conflict, tension, suspense or mystery, action and emotion? In PACING: HOW TO CREATE A PAGE TURNING MANUSCRIPT you’ll learn:

* The ingredients of a page turner
* What hooks are and how to maximize them
* The power of effective scenes: common  pacing pitfalls to avoid
* The ten elements of strong pacing
* How to use subplots and secondary  characters
* How to avoid a sagging middle
* Learning what a beat is and how to use it
* Great beginnings and endings that have your readers wanting more!

Mary Buckham is co-author of BREAK INTO FICTION: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells and an award-winning romantic suspense author. She has a non-fiction book and hundreds of free-lance articles to her credit, and is a former magazine editor. Currently she presents writing workshops online and around the country. Mary encourages you to visit her website at www.MaryBuckham.com for more information about her and her current writing projects.

All roads lead to Johannesburg

Jo'burg's thriving romance writing community now meets on the first Thursday of every month (that's this Thursday). If you'd like to meet other romance writers for a chat over food and wine, then contact me on romy@romancewriters.co.za for more information.

YouTube Tip on developing a Writing Schedule

Writing novels can take a lot of time, so periods should be scheduled every day for writing. Establish a writing schedule for a novel with tips  in this free video on writing skills.

They're basic, but I think we all need to be reminded of what needs to be done to complete a novel from time to time. Click here to see the short video.

Valentine Mix-Up: Mentor For A Month Challenge

How would you like to win a Mentor For A Month? Well, now is your chance!

Take part in our Valentine Mix-Up Challenge and you'll have a chance to learn from Harlequin Blaze author  Tawny Weber! Tawny started out just like all of us, writing and submitting and praying that this time, this submission would make it. And one day, it finally happened! Now she's here to share the knowledge she's learned with one lucky member who meets this year's Harlequin Blaze challenge. She has generously agreed to blind-judge all the entries and select a winner to mentor for a month.

All you need to do is write the best Valentine of your life!

Lyrical Romance

The First Annual Lyrical Press How Lyrical is YourRomance? Contest opens on Monday, January 16^th. This contest is open to both published and unpublished authors.

Entries must be complete works, ranging in word count between 15,000-100,000 words, any heat level, and fit into one of the following subgenre categories:

• Contemporary romance
• Historical romance
• Paranormal or urban fantasy romance
• Romantic steampunk
• Romantic suspense

Get ready to be a .... Star!

Sapphire Star Publishing is a small press publisher, dedicated to bringing reader’s quality romantic fiction. “We understand that publishing is only the beginning,” reads their website.  “We work alongside the author to provide the tools to help their work reach readers all over the world, ensuring each publication the opportunity to reach its full potential.  By seeking out and publishing talented authors, Sapphire Star is able to deliver quality fiction that inspires, provokes, intrigues, and entertains the most important part of the equation—the reader. 

Win a Kindle

If you can impress the editors with tales of first love, broken hearts, triumphs, tragedies and, of course, a happily ever after, you could win a Kindle Fire and a publishing contract with Sapphire Star Publishing! 

Carina Press

Angela James sending out a call for submissions is a rare thing indeed. She's the Executive Editor for Carina Press and she's looking to build her list for 2012. Find out what she's looking for and you could kick start your career as a romantic novelist.

Fever Pitch

If you’re an author of Young Adult (YA) fiction of any length and for any age group, on 25 January you have the chance to dazzle eight senior editors hungry for new stories. To participate, have a two-line pitch and the first 100 words of your story ready to post on the fabulous YAtopia blog.

For me details click here.