Hello, lovely!
What's it like to be an aspiring author? Each month, I'll take you behind the scenes.
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My bookshelf
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WRITING UPDATE
Competition news
I’m a finalist in The Emily - a writing contest run by the League of Romance Writers.
I entered my unpublished manuscript DELIGHTFUL MESS into the Contemporary Long category and found out I’m in the top 3.
Winners will be announced in early 2023 in Houston, Texas. Sadly, I won’t be attending the awards ceremony. Not to be cheesy, but I feel like I’ve already won by getting this far. This is the second U.S. writing competition I’ve been a finalist in with my Aussie rom-com DELIGHTFUL MESS.
If you’re an aspiring author I highly recommend entering competitions that provide feedback. It’s a great way to see if your story concept has legs and what resonates with readers.
Done & dusted
20 months. That’s how long it took to write and edit my novel, DELIGHTFUL MESS.
While the pain is still fresh I want to share the experience. Read about it here - 8 things I learned while writing my first novel.
What's next? Wrapping my head around querying and submitting to agents. Tune in next month when I'll share my learnings.
RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS
Kate Dylan
The road to traditional publication isn’t as easy as you think. Not many people want to discuss their rejections, so it’s hard to know the norm.
Sub Stories blows the lid off of querying agents and publishers by allowing writers to share their submission experience anonymously.
These posts help set realistic expectations about what lies ahead for those who dream of seeing their book on a shelf one day.
On one hand, it's disheartening, but on the other, each story shows persistence pays off.
MY BOOKSHELF
Looking for a spicy rom-com? Anyone But Him brings the heat and a bunch of LOLs. Either way, you’ll be smiling in the car during school pick-up and thanks to the cute illustrated cover, no one will know why.
It’s an enemies-to-lovers collection, written by four Australian authors. Each story focuses on a different unlikely couple who have witty banter and simmering sexual tension.
As a time-poor mum who loves to read but has little rugrats that demand her attention, this anthology was perfect. Short and sharp, but with enough detail the characters felt believable and the chemistry was real.
Besides enemies-to-lovers, it includes other popular tropes such as brother’s best friend, fake dating, second-chance and grumpy/sunshine.
PERSONAL GOSS
Before we nose-dive into the silly season, I'm relieved we've finalised our house plans for our off-grid home in regional Victoria.
We also bought a tractor, which my husband has been salivating over. Ahh ... boys and their toys. We haven't named her yet. Yes, it's a girl and she's red, so if you've got any suggestions, please send them my way. I don't want to do a Kylie Jenner and leave it too long.
Next month we'll be moving to our new area to start putting down roots. If the local Facebook group is anything to go by, it's a very happening community. I look forward to cafe hopping to find who makes the best vanilla chai latte. And if they have free wifi, even better. I need to get cracking on my next novel.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I'm starting novel #2 - THE SEXY BUCKET LIST. Enjoy a sneak peek.
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