This is where we'll keep the list of all South Africans (both home and abroad) entered into the 2011 New Voices contest, as well as any entries set in South Africa.
Please support these authors by reading, voting and commenting on their chapters.
Biba Fielding: Colour Me Right
Rokaya Alli: Memories of the Past
Romy Sommer: Once Upon A Time
Sally Jacobs: Picture Perfect
Ana Mese: Taking Chances
Kamy Chetty: The Doctor's Own Miracle Family
Kathleen Bosman: It Has To Be Perfect
Sharon Gabrielle: Love Complicates
Zan-Mari Vosges: What happens in London
Gloudi de Beer: Love on the horizon
Ella Stevens: Booty Calls and Lies
Yolande Pienaar: His Vet's Choice
Melinda Bechus: A Stranger in Time
Leonie Anderson: The Call Girl Conundrum
Bronwyn Desjardins: No Mistake in Marriage
Aimee Gray: Amber's African Adventure
Amanda Holly: Twins and Pearls
Alexandra Fox: Dreams Do Come True
Flora van Kleef: Her Crazy Love
Sherita Singh: Witch Apprentice
Chantelle Grundling: The Unbreakable Vow
Judy Seymour-Wood: Roxie Returns
Congratulations to everyone who has entered. You deserve awards both for bravery and for following your dreams. Pop on over to Lacey Devlin's blog to add your name to the NV Wall of Fame, and claim a blog badge.
Showing posts with label New Voices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Voices. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
New Voices is live!
The New Voices contest website went live this morning. Check out the FAQs, the judges, this year's mentors, top tips from editors and published writers, and start reading.
As we did last year, we'll keep a list on this blog of all South African entrants with links to their entries so you can support local. Please read these entries and give feedback. That's what this contest should be all about: making new friends, learning and encouraging. I am incredibly grateful for the friends I made through last year's NV contest, and I'm hoping to make more this year.
So far the brave South Africans leading the way are:
Biba Fielding, with her Cape Town set story Colour Me Right and Rokaya Alli with Memories of the Past.
As the number of entries climbs I might not be able to track all the stories set in Africa or written by South Africans (both abroad and at home) so please let me know if you enter, or if you stumble across any entries not listed here.
Whether you're a reader or a writer, register at New Voices to claim your free Heidi Rice book. I love Heidi's stories, and highly recommend them.
Good luck to everyone who is entering!
As we did last year, we'll keep a list on this blog of all South African entrants with links to their entries so you can support local. Please read these entries and give feedback. That's what this contest should be all about: making new friends, learning and encouraging. I am incredibly grateful for the friends I made through last year's NV contest, and I'm hoping to make more this year.
So far the brave South Africans leading the way are:
Biba Fielding, with her Cape Town set story Colour Me Right and Rokaya Alli with Memories of the Past.
As the number of entries climbs I might not be able to track all the stories set in Africa or written by South Africans (both abroad and at home) so please let me know if you enter, or if you stumble across any entries not listed here.
Whether you're a reader or a writer, register at New Voices to claim your free Heidi Rice book. I love Heidi's stories, and highly recommend them.
Good luck to everyone who is entering!
Monday, August 29, 2011
New Voices Update
It's just a matterof weeks to go to to the launch of New Voices 2011.
To keep the buzz alive while we wait, check out the following blogs:
Are you entering this year? Once again, we'll keep a list here on the blog of all entrants with South African connections, and link to your chapters so we can support each other.
- M&B editor Anna Boatman's post at Minxes of Romance.
- M&B editor Flo Nicoll's advice at Pink Heart Society.
- Lacey Devlin's blog which includes some useful NV links.
- Lynne Raye Harris's excellent post on how to handle reviews and comments on your work.
- And don't forget to keep an eye on the official NV site: www.romanceisnotdead.com
Are you entering this year? Once again, we'll keep a list here on the blog of all entrants with South African connections, and link to your chapters so we can support each other.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
New Voices is back!
The website has been updated, last year's entries have been wiped off the slate, and the new dates have been announced ... Mills & Boon's New Voices contest starts again on 13th September 2011.
For anyone interested in joining the madness (and fun!) this year, keep an eye on www.romanceisnotdead.com, the official home of New Voices. Click on the Terms & Conditions to check out the prizes, competition rules and whether you're eligible to enter.
To enter, submit a first chapter of your category romance novel to the website between 13th September and 10th October, and don't forget to read and comment on other entries - that's part of the fun.
And if you enter, please let us know. As with last year's contest, we'll be running a support group here on the blog. Good luck!
For anyone interested in joining the madness (and fun!) this year, keep an eye on www.romanceisnotdead.com, the official home of New Voices. Click on the Terms & Conditions to check out the prizes, competition rules and whether you're eligible to enter.
To enter, submit a first chapter of your category romance novel to the website between 13th September and 10th October, and don't forget to read and comment on other entries - that's part of the fun.
And if you enter, please let us know. As with last year's contest, we'll be running a support group here on the blog. Good luck!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Introducing .... Gina Rossi
ROSA (Romance writers Organisation of South Africa) was founded last year and has already grown to nearly 30 members, most based in South Africa but also including South Africans now living abroad. Each Wednesday for the next few weeks we'll be introducing you to various members of ROSA, starting with Gina Rossi.
Gina made the coveted 'reguests' list in Mills & Boon's New Voices contest last year, the only South African to achieve this distinction. I'm now going to hand over to Gina, so she can introduce herself ...
Born and bred in SA, I have been a scribbler of stories all my life. I started writing in earnest in 2008. My first serious submission was to M&B. It got rejected but they were very kind with their comments, telling me what I did wrong, but, more importantly, what I did right.
While that submission was 'out there' I got hold of a number of 'How to Write' book and started to learn the craft. I also follow some published writers on their blogs, and it's oddly inspiring to know that they have some of the same basic problems I do!
I've always wanted to write an historical novel. Of course I went through every Georgette Heyer, Barbara Cartland, Anya Seton and Elizabeth Gouge book as a teenager. My favourite childhood book was The Armourer's House by Rosemary Sutcliffe. I read it over and over, sighing over Piers...he was definitely my first romantic hero!
I love, love, LOVE the Cape, lived in Stellenbosch, and then in Cape Town until 1999, when my husband's work took him to the UK.
When I heard about the 2010 M&B New Voices competition, I thought about the historical romance I've always wanted to write (since Piers!). I imagined the Franschoek area - outpost of the Cape - and how a protected female like the refined Georgina, forced to flee from a scandal in England, would see and experience it. How she would compare it to her old, restricted life and come to value her new freedom. And how she would react to sexy maverick Anton Villion as he throws himself into the cultural mix. Both have a past and secrets, and both have a journey to complete before they can fall properly in love.
I wrote Chapter 1 for M&B and sent that off, then completed Chapter 2, just in case, and the Pivotal Moment. I hoped desperately, somehow, that I would be in the Top 10, but it wasn't to be. I then threw my name into the hat for a random review. Ten lucky writers were chosen, but not me. Nevertheless, I despondently checked the list of writers M&B wanted to follow up in the faint hope...and WOW! There it was: The Wild Heart! I didn't know what to do with myself. I jumped about and shrieked for most of the afternoon. And opened the wine early (it was Friday, after all).
Then I dug out my Wild Heart notes: all the precious scraps of paper, till slips, dry cleaning reciepts etc with brilliant ideas scribbled all over them, and, you probably guessed - they're all rubbish. Here are two gems: The Wild Heart could refer to either Anton or Georgina' (I mean, DUH!) and 'Baboons on the roof.' (What the hell is that supposed to mean?)
As you can see, I had work to do!
In mid December I submitted my requested first 3 chapters to M&B - and have heard nothing to date. I pressed on and finished the manuscript, and am now sending it out to agents. So far I've had four swift responses out of ten: 3 said 'no' but with encouraging comments rather than a form rejection, and one agent in London has asked for the 1st 3 chapters on the strength of the synopsis (I ran around the house screaming when I got that email!). So, I live - and write - on in hope!
In my limited experience I would urge our members to submit, submit, submit. And keep writing all the time!
Good luck to all the aspiring romance writers out there. Enjoy your writing.
* * *
If you would like to join ROSA, please email either myself or Amanda (email addresses below) or leave a comment below with your email address and we'll contact you. The Yahoo group, where we provide moral support, and exchange news and ideas can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sa_romance_writers/
amanda@romancewriters.co.za
romy@romancewriters.co.za
Gina made the coveted 'reguests' list in Mills & Boon's New Voices contest last year, the only South African to achieve this distinction. I'm now going to hand over to Gina, so she can introduce herself ...
* * *
Born and bred in SA, I have been a scribbler of stories all my life. I started writing in earnest in 2008. My first serious submission was to M&B. It got rejected but they were very kind with their comments, telling me what I did wrong, but, more importantly, what I did right.
While that submission was 'out there' I got hold of a number of 'How to Write' book and started to learn the craft. I also follow some published writers on their blogs, and it's oddly inspiring to know that they have some of the same basic problems I do!
I feel I've come a long way in 2 years and hope publication isn't
far off.
I send off as much stuff as I can possibly write, always with a mind to improving with every effort. Short stories, partials, poetry, the lot, and I enter competitions whenever I can. With heaps of stuff submitted, the rejection of one piece of work is not as crushing - believe me! In addition, I belong to the Romantic Novelists' Association, and submitted a full manuscript to them in 2010. This is a wonderfully supportive organisation.
I send off as much stuff as I can possibly write, always with a mind to improving with every effort. Short stories, partials, poetry, the lot, and I enter competitions whenever I can. With heaps of stuff submitted, the rejection of one piece of work is not as crushing - believe me! In addition, I belong to the Romantic Novelists' Association, and submitted a full manuscript to them in 2010. This is a wonderfully supportive organisation.
I've always wanted to write an historical novel. Of course I went through every Georgette Heyer, Barbara Cartland, Anya Seton and Elizabeth Gouge book as a teenager. My favourite childhood book was The Armourer's House by Rosemary Sutcliffe. I read it over and over, sighing over Piers...he was definitely my first romantic hero!
I love, love, LOVE the Cape, lived in Stellenbosch, and then in Cape Town until 1999, when my husband's work took him to the UK.
When I heard about the 2010 M&B New Voices competition, I thought about the historical romance I've always wanted to write (since Piers!). I imagined the Franschoek area - outpost of the Cape - and how a protected female like the refined Georgina, forced to flee from a scandal in England, would see and experience it. How she would compare it to her old, restricted life and come to value her new freedom. And how she would react to sexy maverick Anton Villion as he throws himself into the cultural mix. Both have a past and secrets, and both have a journey to complete before they can fall properly in love.
I wrote Chapter 1 for M&B and sent that off, then completed Chapter 2, just in case, and the Pivotal Moment. I hoped desperately, somehow, that I would be in the Top 10, but it wasn't to be. I then threw my name into the hat for a random review. Ten lucky writers were chosen, but not me. Nevertheless, I despondently checked the list of writers M&B wanted to follow up in the faint hope...and WOW! There it was: The Wild Heart! I didn't know what to do with myself. I jumped about and shrieked for most of the afternoon. And opened the wine early (it was Friday, after all).
Then I dug out my Wild Heart notes: all the precious scraps of paper, till slips, dry cleaning reciepts etc with brilliant ideas scribbled all over them, and, you probably guessed - they're all rubbish. Here are two gems: The Wild Heart could refer to either Anton or Georgina' (I mean, DUH!) and 'Baboons on the roof.' (What the hell is that supposed to mean?)
As you can see, I had work to do!
In mid December I submitted my requested first 3 chapters to M&B - and have heard nothing to date. I pressed on and finished the manuscript, and am now sending it out to agents. So far I've had four swift responses out of ten: 3 said 'no' but with encouraging comments rather than a form rejection, and one agent in London has asked for the 1st 3 chapters on the strength of the synopsis (I ran around the house screaming when I got that email!). So, I live - and write - on in hope!
In my limited experience I would urge our members to submit, submit, submit. And keep writing all the time!
Good luck to all the aspiring romance writers out there. Enjoy your writing.
* * *
If you would like to join ROSA, please email either myself or Amanda (email addresses below) or leave a comment below with your email address and we'll contact you. The Yahoo group, where we provide moral support, and exchange news and ideas can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sa_romance_writers/
amanda@romancewriters.co.za
romy@romancewriters.co.za
Friday, October 8, 2010
Gina Rossi - The Wild Heart
Congratulations to Gina, who has caught the HMB editors' eye with her historical romance set in the Cape: The Wild Heart.
Gina will be getting personalised feedback from the editors as well as a request for more. We're so proud to have a South African representative out there! If you haven't already read this story, do.
And Gina, if you're out there, please get in touch with us. We'd love to know how you came up with this story, as well as more about you.
Gina will be getting personalised feedback from the editors as well as a request for more. We're so proud to have a South African representative out there! If you haven't already read this story, do.
And Gina, if you're out there, please get in touch with us. We'd love to know how you came up with this story, as well as more about you.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Top Ten New Voices Announced
So if you've been following the Mills & Boon New Voices competition over at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/ with avid interest, you will know that they announced their first round top ten yesterday. They had an incredible 824 entries. Awesome! Hats off to the Mills & Boon team who put speedy Gonzalez to shame with their turnaround. Talk about dedication.
For those of you who are fixated on stats - one paranormal, one historical, one suspense and seven contemporary romances made up the mix of winners.
The top ten first chapters are up for reads at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/The-Top-Ten. Pop over and see what they're all about. Feel free to let us know what you think over here.
For those of you who didn't place - don't despair. Remember the old adage - it's the journey not the destination. Ne'er a truer word were spoken when it comes to the writing arena. Every bit of writing we do brings us that much closer to our desired outcome of having that baby published.
So, allow yourself to wallow for a few minutes, eat that chocolate or drink that glass of red, and then ... get right back into that chair and try something new. Your day will come.
For those of you who are fixated on stats - one paranormal, one historical, one suspense and seven contemporary romances made up the mix of winners.
The top ten first chapters are up for reads at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/The-Top-Ten. Pop over and see what they're all about. Feel free to let us know what you think over here.
For those of you who didn't place - don't despair. Remember the old adage - it's the journey not the destination. Ne'er a truer word were spoken when it comes to the writing arena. Every bit of writing we do brings us that much closer to our desired outcome of having that baby published.
So, allow yourself to wallow for a few minutes, eat that chocolate or drink that glass of red, and then ... get right back into that chair and try something new. Your day will come.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Harlequin's New Voices Contest
Past contests they've run:
- Instant Seduction in 2007 - winner Lynn Raye Harris has just sold book #7. Tine Duncan, who didn't place in the contest did get a request - and later sold to Harlequin.
- Feel the Heat in 2008 - winner Lucy King already has 2 books published with Harlequin and she's just had a baby as well as delivering her next book.
- Presents 2009 Contest - two winners and two runners-up all working with editors now. Let's hope one of them gets The Call soon.
Just in case you're wondering whether or not to enter, maybe this story from the Instant Seduction winner will help decide you ... http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Top-Tips/5-Why-should-I-enter-A-winners-story...
We're saying it again: you have to be in it to win it. (And wouldn't it be awesome to see a South African at least making the Top 10? So let's get writing and submitting!)
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