Kelly Steel's Blog
November 18, 2025
Research for Writing with Joanne Austen Brown
We have author Joanne Austen Brown this week talking about "Research for Writing" She also has a new book out this month, The War Rings.
Ideas-- I have plenty of them. But I will set each a side and research what I want to do. The place, the characters. The time in history.
It sends me off to the library and the internet. I love to go to the Melbourne sate Library. I have a son who lives in Melbourne, so it is a chance to see him.
I will and do spend months taking notes or writing specific scenes.
I will often go for a walk to think through what I have read to allow it to sink into my story.
I want the facts around the places the people and the history to be right. Even the language. If I sound formal in my writing it is because they spoke more formally than we do. It just seems the right thing to do. I also think it puts you into the place that I write about.
About the Author
Joanne writes Historical Romance, Murder Mysteries and Time
Travel Romances. She has a murder mystery series
called the Always series
and a time travel series called Come with Me.
First published in 2020 she has become a very popular writer
both in Australia and the US.
She loves to write. She has seven novels, three novellas,
and a short story under her belt now.
She is happily married with two grown-up sons.
And with four granddaughters and two kitty cats there is never a dull
moment in her home.
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Joanne has a new book out now...
The War Rings
Could Marta revisit the tragedy befallen her family? Because telling them meant she would be reliving it all over again.
Marta has brought up the three children in Britain, but now she must tell them what happened to their parents. Can she do it? Alida and Dieter's love story is so beautiful despite what was happening in Germany. But Marta also lost her parents and other sister, leaving her the sole survivor in her family. They were all victims of the deadly Nazis as were thousands of people all over Europe.Were they ready for the truth?
Buy on:
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Watch this video for Nas Dean's review of "The War Rings".
October 27, 2025
Researching for Christmas Reunion Story by Kandy Shepherd
Author Kandy Shepherd is dropping in and sharing how she researches for writing and about her new book, Second Chance Under the Mistletoe.
What was the most surprising thing you learned while researching this book?
Second Chance Under the Mistletoe is a Christmas reunion story set in London, UK.
I lived in London for several years, which I loved. My father was English, and we still have family and good friends there. However, although I visit quite regularly, I haven’t been in London for Christmas for some time.
I love everything about Christmas in England: the decorations, the celebrations, the way the shops are decorated, the shopping, the cold weather food, the general air of good will. I want to be there at Christmas again!
But while researching for this story, I was delighted to discover both the temporary outdoor ice skating rinks in London and surrounds and the number of Christmas fairs. I make full use of ice-skating as a way to bring together my hero and heroine, who haven’t seen each other for twenty years. (And they shop at the Christmas fairs too, just like I would!)
I chose to have Natalie and Jon skate on the ice rink at Hampton Court Palace. The magnificent palace, said to be Henry the Eighth’s favourite palace, is one of my favourite places to visit when I’m visiting England. I thought it a very romantic setting for a couple who haven’t seen each other for twenty years to—perhaps—fall in love all over again.
I hope you enjoy visiting London at Christmas as much as I enjoyed researching and writing about it.
About the Author
Kandy Shepherd is a best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her heartfelt, passionate stories are set in exciting locations around the world and are published in multiple languages. Kandy believes in love-at-first-sight and real-life romance—she and her husband of many years decided to spend their lives together after three days! She loves it when readers tell her that her books make them laugh and make them cry. Kandy lives near Sydney, Australia with her husband and numerous four-legged friends.
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Kandy Shepherd has a new book out this month:
Second Chance Under the Mistletoe (Family Reunion in London Book 1) ’TIS THE SEASON—TO REKINDLE?
Natalie is having a nightmare Christmas. Her daughter, Clem, has invited her dad over from Australia—and Natalie hasn’t seen her ex, tycoon Jon, for twenty-two years! They agree for the sake of their daughter to pretend to be the perfect family, but Natalie soon discovers the spark between them never died! After two decades of hurt, can she risk her heart for a second chance—or is this festive fling just for the holidays?
Buy on:
Amazon Kindle. Amazon Paperback
Amazon Aust. Amazon UK
July 7, 2025
Writing Illicit Italian Nights by Melanie Milburne
Author Melanie Milburne dropped by to share how she wrote her new book...
I think the most surprising thing about writing Illicit Italian Nights was I’d been forced to take almost a year off from writing four books a year to writing none due to having to have my fifth back surgery and I was worried I might not be able to write again.
Even after writing so many books, the self- doubts and negative voices set in.
I had to work through that and rediscover the joy of writing. I did 500 words a day and gradually built up and it was euphoric to type The End!
The challenges I face now are like any other woman juggling work and family. I’m constantly time poor.
And because I have spinal issues, I can’t spend all day writing like I used to do. But for me, a lot of my “ writing” gets done away from the computer.
Writers need dreaming time, allowing their thoughts to float freely. It’s tempting to scroll on social media but it’s actually better for me to do mundane things when I feel a bit stuck on a book.
Ironing, sorting out my wardrobe or simply cooking a meal will free up my thoughts and I can get back to my characters with new ideas and perspective.
About Illicit Italian Nights...
Illicit Italian Nights is about when godparents Ludovic and Addison are asked by their godchild’s parents to take over from the nanny until they can get back from a destination wedding after a severe weather event has them stranded abroad.
Addy has had a crush on Vic from the first moment she met him at her brother’s engagement party to Vic’s half sister. Looking after a toddler with Vic shows Addy a new side to him that makes it impossible not to fall in love.
But Vic is not the settling down type and while he offers her a short fling, she knows it’s for now, not forever. Will he fall for Addie or break her heart like it’s never been broken before?
Melanie Milburne writes modern romance stories for Harlequin Mills and Boon. Her love affair with romance novels began when she read her first romance at the age of seventeen and it inspired a dream to one day become a romance author. But even as a child she knew she wanted to of be a writer and enjoyed writing stories from the age of five. With nearly 100 novels in print and several industry awards and nominations for her work, Melanie enjoys crafting contemporary romance stories from her home in Hobart in beautiful Tasmania, where she lives with her husband and fur family of two cheeky toy poodles.
Connect with Melanie over the web:
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The Ravensdale Scandals Books 1-3 is available in Audio now and you can get it free if you start the audible trial.
She’s off-limits…
And the Italian is unraveling!
When her baby niece needs her, Addison Featherstone has no choice but to turn to Ludovic Jacobetti for help. Not only is he the infant’s godfather; his private jet can take them to Italy. There’s just one complication: playboy Vic has long been the object of innocent Addie’s deepest desires…
As his friend’s sister, Addie is entirely forbidden to Vic. Yet when they're alone in Lake Como, he’s forced to acknowledge she’s more alluring than he’s ever allowed himself to notice… And once the sun sets, their chemistry doesn’t simply become intoxicating—it’s irresistible!
Buy on:
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April 1, 2025
Research for New Book with Dani Collins
Author Dani Collins is dropping in and sharing how she researches and about her new book, Maid to Marry.
When I decided to make my heroine a chalet girl, I began looking at the most exclusive ski resorts in Switzerland.
I learned that Zermatt is a car-less village and has a cable-car crossing over to Cervinia, Italy.
It’s called the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing. As happens with many of the settings I choose for my books, I am dying to visit and take that daytrip myself!
Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of ninety books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. Look for Dani’s latest Presents, Maid to Marry, out now!
Dani Collins on the web:
Dani Collins latest book...
How to avoid scandal?
Marry the Greek!
An illicit kiss with Atlas Voudouris got chalet maid Stella Sutter fired. When she bumps into him five years later, she’s still furious! Except as she accuses him of ruining her life, long-dormant desires come alive…
Atlas is about to announce the convenient wedding that will secure his inheritance. However, once paparazzi photos of his and Stella’s heated encounter go public, Atlas is left short a bride. The only answer?
Make Stella his wife! But are his diamond and their dangerous passion enough to bridge the gap between their very different worlds?
Amazon Kindle.
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Amazon Aust.
Amazon UK
Amazon Ca
July 29, 2024
Writing Tips with Liz Fielding & Giveaways!
Advantages of Spreadsheets
This is going to be fairly short and sweet. Concentrate on the word ORGANISE in that pyramid.
I am not an organized writer. I’m a pantster. I wing my way through my books and that has served me very well while writing romance. Okay, there have been moments when I’ve completely forgotten my heroine’s name, the colour of her eyes and how old she is. Ditto the hero. And I do sometimes have to go back and check when I use the same location and characters from previous books.
But the books are fairly short and all of the action is centred on the two main characters. There have been no disasters – at least none that have been brought to my attention. I did once spell a Welsh word incorrectly but I’ve fixed that in a recent re-release.
Moving on to a crime series all that changed.
First, it’s crime so you need suspects – that means more characters.
Second, it’s a series, so you have continuing characters. Friends, neighbours, family, an entire small town with shops, streets, churches all of which need names. And you need spreadsheets to keep track of them. (I’ve tried index cards but I work better on a keyboard).
You need spreadsheets not just to keep track of who runs The Buttery, the corner shop, and the name of the receptionist at The Queen’s Head. You need it so that you don’t repeat names. In Murder Among the Roses there was a moment when I realised that I had three minor characters called Steve. It took my editor to point out the Molly, Polly, Olly debacle.
I’m still not the most organized writer in the world – I need to grow up and learn to plot – but these days the first think I do when I start a new book is set up a spreadsheet and I add each character as they appear.
Some are major and are in every book and I copy and paste those from my main spreadsheet. My Maybridge bible.
This one has all the people and all the places broken down into groups. The family, friends, the police, the businesses, the places.
The other thing I do when I start a new book is spend a little time creating names for the kind of characters in various age groups who are likely to turn up. The name may not stick – names are somehow linked to character - but it means I don’t have to stop and think up a suitable name – or make the mistake of using a similar name that would confuse the reader.
Spreadsheets. Learn to love them!
Liz Fieding
Liz Fielding met her husband when they were both working in Zambia and were keen members of the Lusaka Theatre Club. He was playing John de Stogumber in St Joan, and she was the pageboy to the Earl of Warwick. He swore it was the purple tights that got him. Years spent in Africa and the Middle East provided the background to many of Liz's romances. Her first, An Image of You, was set in Kenya, in a place where they had spent many happy weekends on safari. It was plucked from the slush pile because the feisty feminist heroine made her editor laugh. Emotion touched with humour has been the hallmark of her work ever since. After writing 70 books for Harlequin Mills and Boon, Liz has now turned to crime, signing with Joffe Books for three "Maybridge Mysteries", the first of which, Murder Among the Roses, is published on 18th April.Liz Fielding on the web:
Website Facebook X. Instagram TikTok
Liz Fielding has a new book out:
MEET ABBY FINCH. SHE’S A BUSY MUM OF THREE, AN EXPERT GARDENER AND THE STAR OF YOUR NEW FAVOURITE COZY MURDER MYSTERY.
One part jealousy. Two parts rage. Somewhere in Abby’s sleepy little village, the perfect murder is brewing . . .
Abby enters the Maybridge Flower Show, never dreaming for one moment that she’ll win the gold. Or an invitation to appear on telly, alongside gardening legend Daisy Dashwood!
Some people say Daisy’s a tiresome diva. But starry-eyed Abby can’t wait for the cameras to start rolling. Until . . .
Daisy staggers out on stage. Only to collapse at Abby’s feet.
Her demise might seem like a tragic accident — resulting from a cocktail of booze and hay-fever medicine.
But Abby’s not so sure. She starts digging, to uncover shifty suspects at every turn. From snarky co-stars to a toy-boy lover, they all had reason to want Daisy dead and gone.
And that’s not the only puzzle playing on Abby’s mind . . .
In life, Daisy went nowhere without her trusty caddy of healing teas. Now it’s vanished.
What if someone’s been tampering with Daisy’s favourite cuppa?
Buy on:
Amazon Kindle Amazon UK Amazon Aust
Multiple Giveaway Alert!
Kindle copy of Murder Among the Roses
Kindle copy of Murder Under the Mistletoe
Kindle copy of Murder in Bloom
Audio codes for Murder Among the Roses & Murder Under the Mistletoe
Let us know in the comments which giveaway would you like to go in for!
Writing Tips with Liz Fielding
Advantages of Spreadsheets
This is going to be fairly short and sweet. Concentrate on the word ORGANISE in that pyramid.
I am not an organized writer. I’m a pantster. I wing my way through my books and that has served me very well while writing romance. Okay, there have been moments when I’ve completely forgotten my heroine’s name, the colour of her eyes and how old she is. Ditto the hero. And I do sometimes have to go back and check when I use the same location and characters from previous books.
But the books are fairly short and all of the action is centred on the two main characters. There have been no disasters – at least none that have been brought to my attention. I did once spell a Welsh word incorrectly but I’ve fixed that in a recent re-release.
Moving on to a crime series all that changed.
First, it’s crime so you need suspects – that means more characters.
Second, it’s a series, so you have continuing characters. Friends, neighbours, family, an entire small town with shops, streets, churches all of which need names. And you need spreadsheets to keep track of them. (I’ve tried index cards but I work better on a keyboard).
You need spreadsheets not just to keep track of who runs The Buttery, the corner shop, and the name of the receptionist at The Queen’s Head. You need it so that you don’t repeat names. In Murder Among the Roses there was a moment when I realised that I had three minor characters called Steve. It took my editor to point out the Molly, Polly, Olly debacle.
I’m still not the most organized writer in the world – I need to grow up and learn to plot – but these days the first think I do when I start a new book is set up a spreadsheet and I add each character as they appear.
Some are major and are in every book and I copy and paste those from my main spreadsheet. My Maybridge bible.
This one has all the people and all the places broken down into groups. The family, friends, the police, the businesses, the places.
The other thing I do when I start a new book is spend a little time creating names for the kind of characters in various age groups who are likely to turn up. The name may not stick – names are somehow linked to character - but it means I don’t have to stop and think up a suitable name – or make the mistake of using a similar name that would confuse the reader.
Spreadsheets. Learn to love them!
Liz Fieding
Liz Fielding met her husband when they were both working in Zambia and were keen members of the Lusaka Theatre Club. He was playing John de Stogumber in St Joan, and she was the pageboy to the Earl of Warwick. He swore it was the purple tights that got him. Years spent in Africa and the Middle East provided the background to many of Liz's romances. Her first, An Image of You, was set in Kenya, in a place where they had spent many happy weekends on safari. It was plucked from the slush pile because the feisty feminist heroine made her editor laugh. Emotion touched with humour has been the hallmark of her work ever since. After writing 70 books for Harlequin Mills and Boon, Liz has now turned to crime, signing with Joffe Books for three "Maybridge Mysteries", the first of which, Murder Among the Roses, is published on 18th April.Liz Fielding on the web:
Website Facebook X. Instagram TikTok
Liz Fielding has a new book out:
MEET ABBY FINCH. SHE’S A BUSY MUM OF THREE, AN EXPERT GARDENER AND THE STAR OF YOUR NEW FAVOURITE COZY MURDER MYSTERY.
One part jealousy. Two parts rage. Somewhere in Abby’s sleepy little village, the perfect murder is brewing . . .
Abby enters the Maybridge Flower Show, never dreaming for one moment that she’ll win the gold. Or an invitation to appear on telly, alongside gardening legend Daisy Dashwood!
Some people say Daisy’s a tiresome diva. But starry-eyed Abby can’t wait for the cameras to start rolling. Until . . .
Daisy staggers out on stage. Only to collapse at Abby’s feet.
Her demise might seem like a tragic accident — resulting from a cocktail of booze and hay-fever medicine.
But Abby’s not so sure. She starts digging, to uncover shifty suspects at every turn. From snarky co-stars to a toy-boy lover, they all had reason to want Daisy dead and gone.
And that’s not the only puzzle playing on Abby’s mind . . .
In life, Daisy went nowhere without her trusty caddy of healing teas. Now it’s vanished.
What if someone’s been tampering with Daisy’s favourite cuppa?
Buy on:
Amazon Kindle Amazon UK Amazon Aust
April 29, 2024
Importance of Setting in a Story with Susan Carlisle
We have author Susan Carlisle talking about the importance of setting in a story.
Susan May’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math in the sixth grade. Not allowed to watch TV until she brought the grade up, Susan filled her time with books. She turned her love of reading into a love of writing. Writing as Susan Carlisle she has completed more than 30 books for HarperCollins’s Harlequin imprint medical line. Her heroes are strong, vibrant man and the woman that challenge them. She also writes nonfiction. Her book Nick’s New Heart 30 Years and Counting…is about her son’s heart transplant experience. Her second nonfiction is a historical biography called A WWII Flight Surgeon’s Story released under the author name S. Carlisle May. She lives in Georgia with her husband of over 40 years. They have four children and eight grandchildren. Susan loves castles, traveling, cross-stitching and reads voraciously.You can learn more about her at www.SusanCarlisle.com Website. Facebook Twitter Instagram TikTok
I write character driven stories but start from the setting. I say, “What could happen here? Who would live here or visit here?” From there I develop a story. The setting becomes a minor character but often dictating what can happen while at the same time providing material for what can occur. For example, a book that takes place in the Grand Canyon National Park isn’t going to have the same opportunities for events as a book set at the beach. They will be vastly different. Therefore, the setting will add a special flavor to the book.
In my latest book, Falling for the Trauma Doc the book takes place in Kentucky during the weeks leading up to the Derby and the week of it. Horseracing is front and center. Now, other places have horseracing but in Louisville, Kentucky during the first weekend in May it is like no other place. Through the setting the feel and excitement of the story shows and make a book special.
Susan Carlisle's new book out this month...
Falling for the Trauma Doc (Kentucky Derby Medics Book 1)
It’s off to the races with Susan Carlisle’s latest Harlequin Medical Romance as a physician’s assistant and trauma doc treat patients at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby…while trying to resist each other!THE MAN SHE SHOULDN’T FALL FOR!
Callee needs to move on from a huge loss, and the way to do that is to armor plate her heart. So when trauma doc Langston arrives at her clinic to temporarily conduct research, she knows she’s in trouble. Not only is he helpful with patients, but their chemistry is electric! Is Langston the guy to take a leap with, when he isn’t planning to stick around?
From Harlequin Medical: Life and love in the world of modern medicine.
Kentucky Derby Medics
Book 1: Falling for the Trauma Doc
Book 2: An Irish Vet in Kentucky
Buy on: Amazon Kindle. Amazon PaperbackAmazon Aus. Amazon UK
October 23, 2023
Revisions with Kate Hardy
We have author Kate Hardy talking about Revisions.
Kate Hardy lives in Norwich with her husband, two grown-up children, two spaniels and too many books to count.
She’s won three Romantic Novelists’ Association awards for her romantic fiction – and is thoroughly enjoying her new life of crime! When she’s not writing or researching, she’ll be out at a gig or the theatre, at ballet class, doing cross-stitch, taking photographs of the sunrise while persuading the spaniels to stay still for one second, fossicking around on a beach or in archives, or exploring ancient buildings.
She loves learning new things, which is why you’ll always discover something different in a Kate Hardy book…
Kate Hardy on the web:
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Tiktok
Storm Publishing. BookBub
Like most authors, I hate revisions. Even if my editor sends me a letter telling me she loves the book, I know there’s going to be a ‘but’ – and often what she thinks is a ‘little tweak’ means unravelling rather more of the book than she thinks it does!
However, as a planner, I’ve learned a quick way to take the pain out of it; it’s known among my writer mates as ‘Kate’s Nerdy Table’, and quite a few of the Norfolk branch of the Romantic Novelists’ Association have started using it, too!
Basically, it’s a simple way of showing what happens in the book now, and what needs to change. And it’s really, really easy to do. It doesn’t matter whether you do it by hand or on computer.
You need three columns.
And how you do it is to work through your book, giving the bare bones only. The idea is that you can see at a glance what happens in your book (and possibly pick up plot holes/timing changes), and also see at a glance what needs to change. Each ‘row’ is one chapter.Chapter/time in bookNumber your chapters. When does the action happen in ‘book’ terms?
So, for example, Rookery Barn takes place over the course of eight days. My first column says when the book starts; because there are academic terms involved, I’ve also made a note of when the murder victim would be expected at work.
What happens currently
I’m not going to fill this in completely because… spoilers! What you need here is ACTION. Ignore feelings (though you might put a note in column 3 about that, if your editor says you haven’t dug deeply enough, telling yourself to layer in more emotion). Don’t put in huge amounts of detail: just show what happens and when. Work through the book (I find it easier to write mine as I go along), and keep it as concise as possible. For example, I don’t need to say exactly where Georgina discovers the body or how, just that she finds the body and calls the police.
What needs to change
This really depends on your revision letter. My editor might have asked for more background before the body’s found. Or, if I’d waffled on for pages, not giving any new information, she might have asked me to cut the background and start with finding the body.
Actually, my editor did ask for a big change in the overall plot, which I agreed with. There’s a cold case in the book as well as a modern case; she suggested that, rather than solve the cold case over the course of one book, I should solve it over the course of the first three books. That meant laying the clues slightly differently, so I noted for that whole thread what needed to move (and what needed to be saved for books 2 and 3).
If I’d just printed out the manuscript and scribbled over it, I would’ve ended up in a muddle. Doing the ‘nerdy table’ helped to show me who knows what and when.
Clues
I then discovered that writing crime is rather different from writing romance, in that we have clues – and people know different things at different times. That taught me to make a second table, ie the clues, to make sure I’d set things up properly.
In my book, there’s a cold case and a modern case. I need to make sure that they’re balanced, so this is a quick way of seeing at a glance whether I’ve concentrated for one or the other for three chapters in a row and need to move things to even it out.
Again, there are three columns: the ‘book’ time, the cold case clues and the modern case clues.
The other thing here is that if I move something, it might change what someone knows at any given point of the story. (Cutting out two thirds of the cold case made a huge difference and I needed to be sure I hadn’t left any information in that Georgina couldn’t possibly have known.)
For clues, you need to know: • What the clue is• Who finds the clue/when• Who that person tells and when
So, in chapter 1, Georgina discovers the body (modern case) and also looks up some information in the births, marriages and deaths records. Obviously I don’t want to spoil things for you by telling you anything more than you know from the back cover, so I apologise that this is a bit sketchy!
Using the revisions table and the clues table together will show me if there are any gaps that need filling, and make sure I’ve moved things to the right places. You might find it useful to use a highlighter pen for different characters, but this works for me.The main thing is that you can see what needs to be done at a glance, and that makes it all more manageable. (And it also saves me scoffing my body weight in chocolate…)
The Body at Rookery Barn: A totally gripping cozy mystery (A Georgina Drake Mystery Book 1)
Outside, Rookery Barn glows in the mid-morning sunshine while fat bees flit lazily between the forget-me-nots. Inside, a body lies dead…
Widowed Georgina Drake has no regrets about moving to beautiful, sleepy Little Wenborough in rural Norfolk. Until she opens the door to her rental property and finds the dead body of her latest guest, irritable university professor Roland Garnett. And on top of that she’s suddenly hearing a woman’s voice through her hearing aids.
Completely shaken by the discovery, Georgina can hardly believe it when the police conclude that Professor Garnett was poisoned, with a dinner delivered by Georgina herself. Is she about to be accused of murder? Georgina needs to pull herself together, try to ignore the distracting voice, and clear her name!
Asking around, it seems Roland Garnett offended half the village during his three-week stay and made unwelcome advances to the rest. But who was provoked enough to poison him? Georgina’s best lead is the deadly oleander found in Roland’s system. Her gardener, Young Tom, had access to the plant, but before she can talk to him Tom becomes the killer’s next victim.
As the crimes mount up, so do the clues, but does Georgina have what it takes to follow them to their conclusion? Even when her amateur sleuthing puts her next in the killer’s sights…?
An addictive and completely gripping cosy crime novel. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Midsomer Murders.
Buy on:
July 3, 2023
Suzanne Gilchrist on Writing Craft
We have Author Suzanne Gilchrist talking about writing craft.
Suzanne Gilchrist can't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Now she dreams up stories where her favourite words are … 'what if' and 'where'? Writing as both S. E. Gilchrist and Suzanne Gilchrist, she loves combining romance with adventure and suspense across many different genres including science fiction/space opera, apocalyptic, and contemporary small towns.
S. E. takes a keen interest in the environment, anything to do with space, and loves walking her two dogs and spending time with her family and friends. She co-runs the Hunter Romance Writers group and is the organiser behind the multi-author writing ventures: the best-selling Bindarra Creek Romance series, the Deadly Forces series, and the Mindalby Outback Romance series.
Suzanne Gilchrist on the web:
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So you have a fabulous idea for a book and you’re positive it’s going to be the next best thing since sliced bread. That’s excellent. However remember that no matter how wonderful or unique your plot idea is – it won’t matter one iota if the reader isn’t invested in your hero/es.
(Note: The word hero is used in this context as gender neutral and they can be both good or bad.)
The main characters (heroes) are the backbone of any story and whether this is your first book or your hundredth, they are crucial to your success as an author. It’s their ‘reality’ that will capture a reader’s interest. It’s their circumstances and their backstory and/or misbelief (also think personal wound here) that will make the reader care.
And this all has to happen in the first ten pages of your book!
Example of the opening paragraphs of Under an Outback Sky which hopefully tickles a reader’s curiosity and makes them want to learn more about Maggie and the mystery man:
“Paper cowboy heading your way, over.”
The two-way radio crackled to life rousing Maggie Hayes from her heat-induced doze. She swung her bare feet down from where they rested on the countertop and straightened in the chair. Fighting a yawn, she reached for the mic of the ham radio reposing on the shelf beside her, mumbling, “Say again, over.”
“Look sharp, Maggie. He’s already outside the store. Remember. Suss him out. We’ve got to know what he’s up to.”
And from a little further into my story:
After Maggie had handed back his change, she tried again. Snake could be wrong. The stranger could have nothing whatsoever to do with the mining company. Simply someone passing through. But passing through from where? Sturt’s Crossing was a long, long way from Antarctica. A long way from anywhere really. Which made it all the more curious as to who he was and what he was doing in their tiny country town.
“So, what brings you to Sturt’s Crossing?”
Making your readers care about your characters’ circumstances is a must – regardless of whether they are heroes or antiheroes or even characters who only play a minor role. When readers care, they will become loyal fans of your work and that is a goal writers aspire to – a fan base of readers hungry for the next book. But how do you go about making someone care? A suggestion is that you choose from one but no more than two from the following aspects and work this into your characters’ circumstances and backstory: Suffering; Lack; Humiliation; Embarrassment; Worry.
Example of Jace’s misbelief and his current circumstances:
As he wheeled his luggage bag inside the bedroom he’d chosen, he gave a satisfied sigh. Peace and quiet. Miles away from anyone who knew him. Exactly what he wanted. Sturt’s Crossing was too damn far for anyone to think about dragging their sorry butts through the Outback to hunt him down and spew guilt onto his head. No one cared enough to do such a thing anyway. He’d made certain of that – pushing what little remained of his family away until they rarely bothered to make contact. Unless it was when the date of Douglas’s anniversary rolled around which would be in three days time. Seventeen years and yet the rawness of his loss was an ache in Jace’s heart that wouldn’t heal.
Example of Maggie’s circumstances and worry:
Behind the counter, Maggie fingered the discarded wrappers reflecting on the old biddies’ comments. In particular, she couldn’t help wondering what was behind her parents’ sudden decision to return home. Since their last phone call, worry had gnawed at the back of her mind. Then to receive that text from her brother which had been remarkably light on detail despite her repeated queries to her parents as well as Glen. Could ill-health be the reason they were heading home?
Spend time on developing well-rounded and relatable people – relatable in that they have problems and/or a backstory that readers can empathise with, and/or want to be them. Then check each scene and ask yourself - do your characters react and act in a manner which is consistent with the personalities you have given them?
Example in Jace’s point of view:
Jace bolted to his feet and stuffed the book back into the old guy’s hands. “You’re mistaken. I couldn’t care less who Maggie marries.”
“Hah! I did wonder.” Brian whipped out a pen and wrote down another name.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Jace peered over the other man’s shoulder only to see his own name in bold black strokes. Leaving Brian cackling like a proud rooster on the veranda, Jace stalked inside the house, his head whirling with a fantasy he hardly dared hope could come true.
Example in Maggie’s point of view:
Maggie stared down at her hands in her lap. “I don’t like the idea of spying on my neighbours. I know everyone in this town. It’s hard to imagine anyone working against the rest of us.”
“Money does strange things to all of us. Someone could need that money badly. Everyone has secrets.”
“Like you?”
Turning to face her, he nudged her chin with his knuckle and grinned. “Good one. I didn’t see that coming.”
“It was worth a try.” She smiled.
“My life isn’t so much a suspicious secret, rather I value my privacy. I’m not one for sharing or getting too close to others.”
Was that a warning? Her spine stiffening, Maggie compressed her lips. Well, she wasn’t that desperate for a man of her own that she’d throw herself on someone who obviously wasn’t interested. She did have some pride.
How your story impacts your characters and their wounds or misbelief, and how they react and act throughout the book will immerse readers and leave them wanting more. It is through the twists and turns of your hero’s journey as your story progresses that adds breadth and depth to any plot and keeps the reader glued to each page hoping that the hero will succeed, solve the problem or attain their heart’s desire.
So work hard on those characters and make them intriguing and relatable from the first page to the last page of your story. And happy writing.
Best,Suzanne
Is he her enemy or her future?
When a handsome stranger arrives in a remote outback town, Maggie Hayes’ almost forgotten dreams are re-awakened. For too long, she’s denied her adventurous spirit and now suddenly her future is filled with wonderful possibilities. At least it will be if only this intriguing man isn’t her beloved town’s enemy.
A past tragedy has led Jace de Haven to live without the complications of family or companionship. Yet when he meets small-town Maggie, her big heart and vibrant community spirit show him what he’s been missing. Can he find it in his soul to forgive and allow old wounds to heal?
But to have the future they crave, Maggie and Jace will need to take a leap of faith - together.
***
Under an Outback Sky is a love story and the fourth book in the Edge of the Outback series. The book is about forgiving the past and finding the courage to forge a new direction in life. If you love reading about small towns, country and rural communities (like Bindarra Creek romances) then you’ll love this series – similar to books by Barbara Hannay, Bella Andre, Melody Grace, Nora Roberts, Maisey Yates, Sarah Williams, Susanne Bellamy, Annie Seaton, Fiona McArthur, Heidi McLaughlin.
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April 19, 2023
Using Memory to Heighten Emotion with Liz Fielding
Liz Fielding met her husband when they were both working in Zambia and were keen members of the Lusaka Theatre Club. He was playing John de Stogumber in St Joan, and she was the pageboy to the Earl of Warwick. He swore it was the purple tights that got him. Years spent in Africa and the Middle East provided the background to many of Liz's romances. Her first, An Image of You, was set in Kenya, in a place where they had spent many happy weekends on safari. It was plucked from the slush pile because the feisty feminist heroine made her editor laugh. Emotion touched with humour has been the hallmark of her work ever since. After writing 70 books for Harlequin Mills and Boon, Liz has now turned to crime, signing with Joffe Books for three "Maybridge Mysteries", the first of which, Murder Among the Roses, is published on 18th April.
Liz Fielding on the web:
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Using memory to heighten emotion
"A baby?Her hands were shaking so badly that it took her a minute to remove her gloves before lifting it out of the cold earth, cradling it gently in the palm of her hand as she had once cradled the heads of each of her children in the heart-stopping moment of pure love when first Lucy, then Tom and finally Sophie had opened their eyes and looked at her."
Very early in Murder Among the Roses, my heroine, garden designer Abby Finch, is digging out an old and dying rose, when she uncovers small bones.
Believing it to be a pet burial and taking great care, she begins to remove them, planning to rebury them. Then she finds the skull and realises that it's not an animal. What she's uncovered is the secret grave of a new born baby.
This is a truly shocking moment and, as she lifts it out of the ground, I heightened the moment by taking the reader deep into Abby's emotion memory as she cradles the skull in just the same way that she cradled the heads of her own new born babies in the palm of her hand in exactly that way.
Memory is the trigger to an emotional reaction that puts her directly into the shoes of the mother who gave birth to this infant. Who was she? Had the baby been still born? Was it something more sinister? What had happened to her?
And think about your character's experience. Childbirth in Abby's case. Your character's reaction to loss, joy, grief will be the result of everything that has happened to them. Their feelings at the death of a much loved pet will be very different at the age of seven to those when they're seventy-seven. No less acute, but coloured by experience, by the different place they are in their life. By the acceptance, perhaps, that there will be no more pets, a recognition of their mortality.
Emotion is what makes us human and as a writer, your history will give you the tools you need to write. Those moments that stay with you. Incidents – often small in themselves – that leave a lingering sense of outrage or pleasure. Of resentment, excitement, helplessness, warmth, betrayal, injustice, embarrassment that lodge in the mind and years later surface without warning, the feelings so vivid that you can still feel the hot blush.
The writer may not have been through the same experience as their characters, but they will all have felt those moments of joy, of tenderness.
We all know loss, heartbreak, the death of a loved one, the hollowness of disappointment. Search your memory. Relive a moment you’d rather forget. Bring your own experience to the table, use it to colour your writing, give power to your character’s feelings.We’ve all read those skim over the surface sentences.
She hurt. Her heart was breaking. It was like nothing she’d felt before.
This is the classic show-don't-tell moment. The reader wants to feel her pain, her heartbreak and to share that unique experience. It's the moment to put your reader in the protagonist's shoes and live the experience.
You will find more useful writing help from Liz in her Little Book of Writing Romance and on her "On Writing" pages on her blog at https://lizfieldingblog.com
Liz Fielding has a new book out:
MEET ABBY FINCH. SHE’S THE BUSY MUM OF THREE, AN EXPERT GARDENER AND THE STAR OF YOUR NEW FAVOURITE COZY MURDER MYSTERY.
In the peaceful Cotswolds village of Maybridge, you wouldn’t expect to find a dead body in the rose garden. And certainly not two.
Abby is horrified to discover the bones of a baby buried under a rose bush. It’s in the garden of her soon-to-be ex-husband Howard’s family home.
She immediately calls the police. But she can’t get hold of Howard. He’s off on a jolly with the woman he’s got pregnant.
And then, just two days later, Abby finds Howard himself.
Lying dead in the very same rose garden.
Throat slashed with her own garden spade.
Now Abby is the prime suspect . . .
Fans of Faith Martin, Jane Adams, Frances Evesham, M.C. Beaton, Clare Chase or Jeanne M. Dams will love this addictive cozy mystery!
MEET THE DETECTIVE
Brilliant gardener and the busy mum of three, Abby Finch’s dreams of winning gold at Chelsea Flower Show were put on hold by an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. These days she’s kept on her toes looking by her beloved family, running her own business and dealing with her imminent divorce. In an effort to keep things cordial, she’s allowed her ex to bully her into restoring the garden of his family home. Thankfully she’s surrounded herself with a great group of friends to lean on.
THE SETTING
Pretty Maybridge is a charming village set in the sheep-dotted Cotswolds hills, with a long history stretching back to Tudor times. It’s the type of place where everyone knows each other, but there's a wonderful bookshop on the corner of the bridge, a popular riverside café and a bustling market at Christmastime. And with Bristol nearby and a big supermarket round the corner.
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