Nancy Cunningham's Blog

In a whirlwind of the New Year I almost forgot to announce it here! My debut novel ‘Crossing the Bridge’ is out now!

Details on story can be found under the book section of my website and you can purchase through Harper Collins or any online store that has ebooks: Publisher website and purchase links.

I’ve been told many times that reviews can make or break a book, if you have read Crossing the Bridge, I’d love to hear what you thought and for you to star and review – even a short ‘It was great’ would be lovely to have!

On January 21 I’ll be having a launch with Victoria Purman and my local library (Payneham), it’s free but you must book!

Book here to attend the launch!

See you there!

Best wishes to everyone for 2023. Well this year has been a doozy. I’ve been busily editing and proofreading my debut novel – complete with a rename – to ‘Crossing the Bridge’. It comes out tomorrow and everything else has fallen away with the reality that I have a published novel coming out! I also have a launch coming January 21 at my local library with Victoria Purman in conversation with me about the book – can’t wait for that!

Writerly speaking I have been very busy and have written the 1st draft to the follow up to ‘Crossing the Bridge’ – it will take place post world war 2 and will concentrate on Ronnie’s story (you’re going to love her!) In addition to that I have been working on my manuscript for ‘Girls of the USO’ which won this years Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts contest (a definite highlight of the year), I’m polishing for submission and I hope an editor will love it as much as the final RWNZ judge did!

For those that missed it – I spoke with the wonderful Pamela Cook on her podcast ‘Writes4women’ (you can listen here) and with the delightfully supportive Sonia Bellhouse on her chatting with authors blog (you can read the q and a here).

As the competition year heated up post RWA conference I made an active decision to limit my entry to competitions this year or next. I have recently been given more responsibility at work and I need all my free time to write more!

I also have a secret project in the works and I am hoping to have more time devoted to that!

Writerly wish list for 2024

Edit sequel to Crossing the BridgeFinish Girls of the USO draft and submitBegin secret project!Write a Christmas Novella set in Goyders Creek (Crossing the Bridge setting)Begin redrafting my WW2 nurse storyGo on another writing retreatCatch up more with writer friendsGo to the Adelaide RWA conference

General wish list

Spend more time in nature with my familyLearn how to bind booksExercise moreCook more creativelySpend less time scrollingRead more

In the shadow of Crossing the Bridge launch I am struggling to find what else I did this year, but I am hoping that 2024 will be awesome.

Best wishes to you, your family and your writing life for the coming year!

Nancy xx

So excited to announce my debut release has a new title: ‘Crossing the Bridge’! It’s come full circle in a way as it was first titled ‘The Bridge over Goyders Creek’, then ‘The Bridge’, then ‘In the Deluge’. It’s only a little tease, as the designers are tweaking it as I write this! I adore what they’ve done!

Crossing the Bridge is a perfect title as it covers many of the themes in the story, overcoming adversity and heartache, faith vs doubt, family, and the pursuit and sacrifices we make in the name of love.

Set in the unique Australian landscape, In the deluge is the story of one woman’s fight to save her home and find happiness again. Its also a tribute to the work women did on the homefront during the war and having to deal with the emotional turmoil of the men’s return.

Keep an eye out for more later!

While I am eagerly awaiting the cover for my debut novel ‘In the Deluge’ I’ve had some exciting news – I was the winner of the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Award for my unpublished manuscript ‘Girls of the USO’, and although I set my alarm to get up early to watch the winner announced at the AGM I slept through it! No matter, the beautiful trophy and certificate came through this week – and it’s an absolute stunner of a prize. But not only that, my winning manuscript gets a full assessment from an editor, which I’m pleased as punch about because I think it definitely needs some eyes to help tighten it and make it the best book it can be.

In other news I’ve arranged a book launch – to be held at Payneham Library on Sunday afternoon January 21, my wonderful mentor (and award-winning author), Victoria Purman, will be in conversation with me about the book and about my writing process! My good friends Jo Kent and Sarah Robinson are putting on an old-fashioned Country Women’s Association afternoon tea with scones, cake and maybe a cheeky glass of champers to celebrate, I can’t wait!

November is coming up and you know what that means! Preparation for National Novel Writing Month has begun – this year I’ll be writing a sequel to ‘In the Deluge’ focusing on side character Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Guilford. Plotting is done, now some brainstorming on individual scenes has begun. It’s gonna be a busy few months leading up until Christmas!

Hi everyone – I realised that although I have shouted my news to the world on social media I’ve barely mentioned it on my website here – but in exciting news, my historical romance novel (I’m calling it an historical rural romance) will be published by digital publishers, Escape Publishing, an imprint of Harlequin Enteprises AU/Harper Collins.

I am so excited to bring you Poppy and JB’s story that I’ve been thinking alot about them and how their characters came together for me. I hope you love them as much as loved writing them! I’ll tell you more about the characters and story in the months leading up to publication (TBA).

Hi Everyone,

I can’t believe its May already! I’ve had an extremely productive and busy start to the year.

Work has had me lining up to finish report after report (and it doesn’t seem to end), but I also published a journal article based on one of my entomology projects, which is exciting (and another one coming up soon to!)

On the creative front I caught up in Melbourne with my co-authors Sarah Fiddelaers and Clare Griffin to discuss our next anthology project. Our other team member Ava January wasn’t able to join us for a weekend of writing in Portarlington but we had a great weekend of brainstorming and I’ve been inspired for our new cover! I also managed to catch up with my gorgeous sister and we visited the Rone exhibition which was incredibly moving (and I now have some new ambient music for writing) and the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the NGV which was not at all what I was expecting (in a good way!)

I’m gearing up for the release of my short story ‘Khaki and Silk’ in the RWA Spicy Bites anthology coming out July/August this year. And here’s a little preview and snippet for you!

He entered my life like a firebolt, searing into my bones. Despite the parachute on his back, there was no soft landing, nor any quiet reconnaissance into enemy territory.
I surrendered to an invasion I never expected. One hand on my throat as I caught my breath, the other on my heart.

~ Evelyn Chalmers, Khaki and Silk

I recently had the privledge of attending some wonderful launches and author talks – Penelope Janu spoke at the West Lakes Library and Victoria Purman relased her new book ‘A Woman’s Work’ at Goodwood Books – a secondhand bookstore devoted solely to women’s fiction.

In addition to all this I am continuing work on several manuscript projects and I have some exciting news I hope to share with you all soon. Until then, stay warm and enjoy a cosy cuppa by the fire with a good book!

Well, not really a new me, just a commitment to being more focused on myself as an author. Yes, you heard it here – an author! Not that my dream publishing deal has come through or anything, more that I want to expand my ‘brand’ (gosh I am not fond of that terminology but it is what it is). I need to let people know who will read my stories what to expect. And what is that? Number one, I am a historical fiction author – who loves a dash of romance. Second, although I prefer to write in that romantic historical genre, I also like to dabble in other genres – specifically science fiction and crime. Third, I also like the idea of dabbling in non-fiction spaces, specifically science related and women in science, as that is currently my day job! I have increased my hours of working, giving me a little less writing time, which means that I need to plan and organise my writing time a little better than the haphazard scribbling I’ve been doing.

Commitment wise these are my plans:

Organise my writing time.Continue with my small mentorship group with Victoria Purman.Continue attending online sprints with other authors (a great way to get words down).Plan and execute my story in our next historical anthology (yes Clare, Sarah, Ava and I are going down that path again! Something a little different this time!)Sending one of my completed manuscripts for a structural development analysis with a professional editor (slated and booked for this March).Write a scifi short story.Plan for another manuscript (that may or may not be written this year but the ideas are flowing!)Submit, submit, submit!I’ve also made an ongoing commitment to limit submissions to competitions – and speaking of which…

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

That should be Finalist Finalist!

I have made the second round of the Sapphire with ‘Girls of the USO’ – but it was a last-minute entry and I wasn’t really happy with the final sub. But it’s out there and the feedback will help with the next edit I’m sure!

I came equal second in the Spicy Bites competition with my saucy WW2 Historical short ‘Khaki and Silk’ – it will be published and launched at the next RWA conference in Sydney, which I am looking forward to attending in August.

So that’s a wrap for the beginning of the year! My year of wonder is about to begin!

I was so excited to be back in person with other romance writer authors and also my wonderful writing buddies and fellow anthology lovelies Clare Griffin and Ava January! I was sad only that Sarah Fiddelaers was unable to come (baby number six needed some love and attention!)

I’d made it a whirlwind trip – one because of the (pathogen that shall not be named) and that other work and family commitments make it difficult to leave home for too long. I was worried too, given all the upheaval with the airlines – would my flight arrive on time? Or at all?? Fortunately, it did, and I managed to get there with plenty of time to spare.

I visited the shipwrecks museum, a must sea for any history or maritime buff and had a wander along Fremantle harbour before I caught up with others attending the conference.

It was a joy to share my accommodation with my writing buddy Clare (and aside from my partner Tony she’s my number one cheerleader- she gets me!) And given the time difference between Adelaide/Melbourne and Perth meant that both of us woke early and spent the hours before breakfast chatting like with were teens at a slumber party!

Friday’s workshop was with Becca Syme, from the ‘Better Faster Academy’ and author of the ‘Dear writer’ books as well as a series of popular Cozy Mysteries. We learned a lot about our strengths as individual writers, something I am still processing. I’m sure to come back to this to tell you more later.

The workshops were great and ranged from how to author TikTok to delving deep into the nitty gritty of your manuscript to make it shine. The phenomenally productive Maisy Yates gave an amazing keynote speech—both inspiring and comforting—about how hard the writing industry can be even for the most successful and determined of individuals. I love that the theme that the established writers spread was that as far as writing ‘rules’ don’t let anyone ‘shoulda’ you!!

Top left: Anne Gracie’s stand up for the Gala Dinner (done remotely). Top Right: Tanya Nellestein and me at the Cocktail Party (theme bedtime stories). Bottom Left: Cocktail party ‘Barbaras (Cartland) in pyjamas’ – Stephanie Mayne, Sue Price and Sharyn Swanepoel. Bottom righ: Louisa Duval in her nod to the classics.

The Fremantle team did a wonderful job and Dani McLean the conference organiser did an amazing job pulling her stellar team together.

In addition – I pitched my most polished manuscript – my WW2 set historical rural romance, and have today sent that off – wish me luck!!

I was downhearted to leave having reconnected with so many that have been only online for the past two years – the connections you make at conferences like these are wonderful and amazing – ones that will last a lifetime.

For the rest of the year I’ll be focussing on polishing my ‘Girls of the USO’ manuscript and maybe see where that gets me when I push that one out to the world. I’ve also signed up to do two anthology novella contributions: a regency one (my first!) and another one with my anthology lovelies.

I offered my services as a cover designer for the silent auction and I’ll also be working with the talented and lovely Fiona McArthur – whose rural romance series are a lovely slice of the outback (complete with babies – given Fiona is a former midwife!) I always have so much fun creating covers (I did our Paris anthology cover and ones for other writing friends who were self-publishing). I guess if I don’t make it as a writer I could always do that as a side business!

I am looking forward to seeing where my writing journey takes me next (as well as looking forward to the next RWA meetup in Sydney next year! I have some outfit planning to do…)

Bye for now!

N xx

Part of being an aspiring writer is doing the scariest thing you can do – start putting your writing out there. I’ve talked about this on numerous occasions but I think it’s important to remind everyone that yes, it’s scary, but yes you will benefit.

The Ink and Insights competition was a great competition as the feedback was both bolstering, timely and incredibly useful. This is the second time I have entered this comp and it was wonderful to both score in the top ten entrants (out of 125 entries) but also be put forward as one of the judges’ faves (this is separate to the score.)

You can see the Ink and Insights placings and other great up and coming authors manuscripts here:

https://inkandinsights.com/apprentice-novels-winners-page.php

https://inkandinsights.com/judges-favorites.php

Some of the great feedback I recieved included:

“The characters had a lot of personality. This was especially evident in the care the author took to make their voices unique in dialogue.”“The emphasis on the emotional aspects of these characters lives, the feeling of a fully fleshed out setting, and the streamlined fast-moving pace stick true to the chosen genre.”“The hook has the perfect amount of drama and emotion to make the MC and her struggles feel real while providing key setting clues.”“The element of mystery to these characters’ stories is what I found truly appealing. ““Your characterization is excellent.”“Your descriptions were absolutely magical. I loved reading them and they really immersed me into the story.”

But also on the useful side of feedback came these comments:

“I believe that there is room to improve the emotional depth of the story and include more complex emotions.”“There is a good presentation of backstory, however, I believe the story could benefit from a bit more backstory.”“While details are adequate to enable a reader to follow the story, the setting and world-building aspect is a bit sparse in details that would truly immerse the reader into the setting, time frame, and uncertainties of the time, just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack that propelled the U.S. into the Second World War.”“I would have also liked to have read more details in scenery and clothing of the times, as well as hair styles so that I could truly feel as if I had stepped back in time and am living live through your three primary characters: CeCe, Ruby, and Peaches.”“There are a couple areas where I spot room to add more descriptions.”

All these comments have useful and workable solutions and I know that my manuscript will be richer for having taken this feedback and worked on improving my story, characters and dialogue. There is much to do going forward!

It was also great that the Romance Writers of New Zealand Great Beginnings Contest I was the editors pick and their comments were especially warming to hear.

“This WWII era historical was really captivating. I really enjoyed the introduction to the women who are destined to become friends during the war.“

Editors comment on Girls of the USO for Great Beginnings Competition

So now what? I have a lot of work to do, but I’m hoping that this manuscript may be in workable order by the time the RWA conference comes up in August! Until then, it’s head down, backside up!

Wrangling with my manuscripts!Emerging from my writer’s nook (okay that’s not ME but it’s definitely a mood!)

Hi everyone! Apologies for my sporadic posting – but I’ve been very busy working on one of my manuscripts for submission! Last year I was asked to submit one of my stories to major publisher, but as I hadn’t worked on it for some time I asked if I might submit it this year instead. And I’ve only just finished! I had a serious soggy middle that needed some beefing up and wasn’t confident about the overall pace. Some beta reading from some lovely writers from the RWAs aspiring group and my lovely talented writer friend Clare (as well as some sound advice from Writers SA manuscript Incubator mentor Victoria Purman) the time working on it before submission has paid off to the point where I was happy with this current draft. So after some encouragement (because I spook easy) off it went! Not only to the editor that requested it – but a couple of comps too!

THE SOGGY MIDDLE (indicated by yellow and orange post-its!)

In addition to this I recieved some feedback on another manuscript (that currently only has six chapters) but I’ll take small wins where I can – Girls of the USO is garnering interest (from the Ink and Inksights competition) I scored 11th out of 125 unpublished manuscripts! The same manuscript has finaled in a Romance Writers of New Zealand competion and I placed third in the Valerie Parv competition last year! So after some advice – I think I’ll focus on that story and rework my other full ms (that has been rejected) for submission to an agent. Around everything work related I’m not sure where I find the time (oh and my poor kiddo got covid too!!)

I will keep you all posted on any news!

Girls of the USO will be my next manuscript focus

In other news, my short story ‘An Easter Lily on the Somme’ is available for 99c! HERE!