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.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
New Voices Entries
This contest is now closed to new entries. While we wait for the judges' Top 10 selection (to be announced on Monday 27th September) I thought I'd do a shout out for all the South Africans who've entered.
Congratulations to the following brave South African writers (in no particular order):
Chloe Hamilton - The Way to His Heart
Melinda Bechus - The Billionaire's Elusive Mistress
Sandra Carter - Once Loved, Twice Shy
Anne Hansen - Amanda's Story
Jo Thompson - The Lion's Den
Ella Stevens - Billionaire's Jewel in Africa
Alexandra Economides - A Circle of Love
Aimee Gray - The Master Plan
Gina Rossi - The Wild Heart (Historical)
Romy Sommer (that's me!) - Valentino's Angel
The following stories are set in Africa:
Sally Jacobs - Her African Moon
Angela Cozens - The Smoke That Thunders
Barbara Bailey - Honey in the Desert
Belinda Compton-Doyle - African Passion
Ruthanne Hall - A Bouquet of Lies
Sheritha Sing - Seduced by the Billionaire
And South African heroines ...
Angela Travers - The Greek Billionaire's Perfect Woman
Marie Dry - The Greek Tycoon's Revenge
Dodie Dane - The Secret Daughter
Sharon Fitzgerald - Monsieur Le Roux's Undoing
Ladies - If any of you are South African or live in SA please let me know so I can move you to the top list. Pop on over to Lacey Devlin's blog to claim your medal of bravery. Also, if any of you would like to get involved with SA Romance Writers, please get in touch.
And for all the readers out there: please visit the New Voices website and rate these stories to show your support for our home-grown talent.
[Post updated 24th September]
Congratulations to the following brave South African writers (in no particular order):
Chloe Hamilton - The Way to His Heart
Melinda Bechus - The Billionaire's Elusive Mistress
Sandra Carter - Once Loved, Twice Shy
Anne Hansen - Amanda's Story
Jo Thompson - The Lion's Den
Ella Stevens - Billionaire's Jewel in Africa
Alexandra Economides - A Circle of Love
Aimee Gray - The Master Plan
Gina Rossi - The Wild Heart (Historical)
Romy Sommer (that's me!) - Valentino's Angel
The following stories are set in Africa:
Sally Jacobs - Her African Moon
Angela Cozens - The Smoke That Thunders
Barbara Bailey - Honey in the Desert
Belinda Compton-Doyle - African Passion
Ruthanne Hall - A Bouquet of Lies
Sheritha Sing - Seduced by the Billionaire
And South African heroines ...
Angela Travers - The Greek Billionaire's Perfect Woman
Marie Dry - The Greek Tycoon's Revenge
Dodie Dane - The Secret Daughter
Sharon Fitzgerald - Monsieur Le Roux's Undoing
Ladies - If any of you are South African or live in SA please let me know so I can move you to the top list. Pop on over to Lacey Devlin's blog to claim your medal of bravery. Also, if any of you would like to get involved with SA Romance Writers, please get in touch.
And for all the readers out there: please visit the New Voices website and rate these stories to show your support for our home-grown talent.
[Post updated 24th September]
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!)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Cappuccinos and Goodbyes
That was the title of Anthony Ehlers' entry in the Voice of Africa romance writing competition run by Essentials magazine and Mills & Boon earlier this year. He was a top 5 finalist and his story is in the September issue of Essentials.
Ant is also one of our Romance Writers contributors and he's been gracious enough to give us a behind the scenes look at how he wrote his entry. You may recognise him as Megan Andrews. As usual he has lots of advice for us so head on over to the On Writing page for some more inspiration.
I'm sure we could all do with the inspiration as the deadline for the Mills & Boon New Voices Romance is Not Dead competition looms ever closer! Remember to get your entries in before 22nd September 2010.
Good luck to all who are entering!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Eating with an editor
Today we welcome a special guest, our new guest blogger Mia Botha, winner of the 2010 Essentials magazine short story contest. Congratulations, Mia, and welcome.
It’s been more than a month and I still find myself peeking at the Essentials magazine to see if it's really me. I had considered making the deadline an achievement, being a finalist was certainly a fine feather in my cap and then to be told I’d won well, like I said, my Essentials is well thumbed this month.
My name is Mia and I am a writer. I like words. I like books. And most of all I love stories. Short ones, long ones. Happy ones, sad ones. I love them all. (although, right now I am rather partial to short, happy ones.)
I have been asked many questions since I received “the call” . The most annoying “Where do you get your ideas from?” has been asked repeatedly. Mostly by people who have never written a word in their lives. I generally don’t have a clue where the ideas come from. They just come. Some times its a hug at the airport, sometimes it’s an odd person in a coffee shop. You’re a writer, you know what I mean.
Jake and Claire’s story came from a simple writing exercise at a Writers Write dinner. (I will never under estimate writing exercises ever again.) Anthony Ehlers, my fellow finalist, was one of the hosts for the evening. His theme for the dinner was “Romance in unlikely places”. He was there when Jake and Claire first arrived. He was one of the first to read their story, and he encouraged me to enter. (Bet he wishes he was a little less encouraging, but I promise there’ll be a little something in my suitcase for you, Ant).
The prize is truly amazing, a trip to London with tons of stuff included, but best of all I get to meet a Mills & Boon editor.
I am waiting to confirm the final dates of the trip. It all depends on the availability of the editors. If all goes according to plan I’ll be in London sometime in November. I don’t know which editor I’ll meet. I do know we’ll be going to lunch at the fabulous Gaucho Restaurant. I will let you know as soon as I have more information. Here’s hoping I don’t confuse my cutlery while I attempt to gain inside knowledge of a romance editors mind. By the way, which one is the salad fork?
Mia will be posting here roughly once a month, through her journey to London and beyond, so keep an eye on this spot. And with a bit of luck we'll get the gremlins sorted and she'll be able to post on her own behalf.
It’s been more than a month and I still find myself peeking at the Essentials magazine to see if it's really me. I had considered making the deadline an achievement, being a finalist was certainly a fine feather in my cap and then to be told I’d won well, like I said, my Essentials is well thumbed this month.
My name is Mia and I am a writer. I like words. I like books. And most of all I love stories. Short ones, long ones. Happy ones, sad ones. I love them all. (although, right now I am rather partial to short, happy ones.)
I have been asked many questions since I received “the call” . The most annoying “Where do you get your ideas from?” has been asked repeatedly. Mostly by people who have never written a word in their lives. I generally don’t have a clue where the ideas come from. They just come. Some times its a hug at the airport, sometimes it’s an odd person in a coffee shop. You’re a writer, you know what I mean.
Jake and Claire’s story came from a simple writing exercise at a Writers Write dinner. (I will never under estimate writing exercises ever again.) Anthony Ehlers, my fellow finalist, was one of the hosts for the evening. His theme for the dinner was “Romance in unlikely places”. He was there when Jake and Claire first arrived. He was one of the first to read their story, and he encouraged me to enter. (Bet he wishes he was a little less encouraging, but I promise there’ll be a little something in my suitcase for you, Ant).
The prize is truly amazing, a trip to London with tons of stuff included, but best of all I get to meet a Mills & Boon editor.
I am waiting to confirm the final dates of the trip. It all depends on the availability of the editors. If all goes according to plan I’ll be in London sometime in November. I don’t know which editor I’ll meet. I do know we’ll be going to lunch at the fabulous Gaucho Restaurant. I will let you know as soon as I have more information. Here’s hoping I don’t confuse my cutlery while I attempt to gain inside knowledge of a romance editors mind. By the way, which one is the salad fork?
Mia will be posting here roughly once a month, through her journey to London and beyond, so keep an eye on this spot. And with a bit of luck we'll get the gremlins sorted and she'll be able to post on her own behalf.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Local 19 Year Old Sells His First Romance Novel
Yes you did read that correctly ... it does say "his"!
There's a wonderful article up over on the Times Live web site about Fezekile Cokile - the teenager who has just sold his first Mills & Boon style romance novel. It's been published by Kwela Books.
To read the article and find out more about the book and what Fezekile was paid - click here.
To find out more about Kwela Books and see what their writing guidelines are - click here. Then just click on the Kwela romance writing guidelines!
If any of our readers have any experience with Kwela please let us know what your experience was like! Input gladly received!
There's a wonderful article up over on the Times Live web site about Fezekile Cokile - the teenager who has just sold his first Mills & Boon style romance novel. It's been published by Kwela Books.
To read the article and find out more about the book and what Fezekile was paid - click here.
To find out more about Kwela Books and see what their writing guidelines are - click here. Then just click on the Kwela romance writing guidelines!
If any of our readers have any experience with Kwela please let us know what your experience was like! Input gladly received!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
In the mood for some Scottish loving?
Hello all *waving from across the pond, although I still consider myself a bona-fida South African*
My medieval Scottish romance, Betrayed, is now available from Carina Press. If you like your hero alpha with a sexy burr and a sparky heroine to tempt the blackness from his grouchy mood... read on:)
Two Feuding Families
Amber Jardin has no taste for the bitter feud started before her father's banishment. But now that he's passed, she's had to return to Scotland and his barbaric people. After her bloodthirsty uncle kidnaps one of the family's rivals, Amber is in turn captured by Krayne Johnstone, the enemy laird. Despite their enmity, their attraction is immediate—and unfortunate, as Amber has sworn to escape.
One Lusty Temptation
Krayne is amazed at the wildcat's repeated attempts to flee. He should steel himself against her beguiling ways—yet with time, he is driven more witless with lust. When the ransom exchange fails and Krayne is left with Amber, he finds he cannot tolerate the thought of her with another man—and she cannot tolerate the thought of returning to her uncle's home.
Will passion and love win out over mistrust and betrayal in time to prevent an all-out war?
BETRAYED was released to some stunning reviews...
Among The Muses ~ In this debut novel by Claire Robyns, you will be transported back to a medieval time were deceit and betrayal were everyday occurrences, and difficult choices were often made for you. Betrayed will take you on an engaging, action-packed, wildly sexy adventure, that will keep you turning the pages!
Long and Short Romance Reviews ~ Historical romance fans will enjoy Betrayed. There is romance, a multitude of thrills, and enough sexual chemistry and tension to keep you squirming in your seat.
The Electic Review ~ Ms. Robyns leaves no prisoners with this action-packed romance. I am a big fan of highlander romances and this one did not disappoint.
A little bit about me...
As you've realised by now, Betrayed is my debut book. When my husband suggested we pack in the sunny beaches of Cape Town for overcast, rainy, freezing England, I jumped up and down in glee! I would be that little bit closer to the ragged, stormy coastline of Scotland filled with the lore of my wild fantasies. It didn't take long for me to pen my first Scottish romance and Betrayed was born.
Betrayed is now available from
Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books On Board
My medieval Scottish romance, Betrayed, is now available from Carina Press. If you like your hero alpha with a sexy burr and a sparky heroine to tempt the blackness from his grouchy mood... read on:)
Amber Jardin has no taste for the bitter feud started before her father's banishment. But now that he's passed, she's had to return to Scotland and his barbaric people. After her bloodthirsty uncle kidnaps one of the family's rivals, Amber is in turn captured by Krayne Johnstone, the enemy laird. Despite their enmity, their attraction is immediate—and unfortunate, as Amber has sworn to escape.
One Lusty Temptation
Krayne is amazed at the wildcat's repeated attempts to flee. He should steel himself against her beguiling ways—yet with time, he is driven more witless with lust. When the ransom exchange fails and Krayne is left with Amber, he finds he cannot tolerate the thought of her with another man—and she cannot tolerate the thought of returning to her uncle's home.
Will passion and love win out over mistrust and betrayal in time to prevent an all-out war?
Read an excerpt
BETRAYED was released to some stunning reviews...
Among The Muses ~ In this debut novel by Claire Robyns, you will be transported back to a medieval time were deceit and betrayal were everyday occurrences, and difficult choices were often made for you. Betrayed will take you on an engaging, action-packed, wildly sexy adventure, that will keep you turning the pages!
Long and Short Romance Reviews ~ Historical romance fans will enjoy Betrayed. There is romance, a multitude of thrills, and enough sexual chemistry and tension to keep you squirming in your seat.
The Electic Review ~ Ms. Robyns leaves no prisoners with this action-packed romance. I am a big fan of highlander romances and this one did not disappoint.
A little bit about me...
As you've realised by now, Betrayed is my debut book. When my husband suggested we pack in the sunny beaches of Cape Town for overcast, rainy, freezing England, I jumped up and down in glee! I would be that little bit closer to the ragged, stormy coastline of Scotland filled with the lore of my wild fantasies. It didn't take long for me to pen my first Scottish romance and Betrayed was born.
Betrayed is now available from
Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books On Board
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