Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

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I’m taking part in the Mistletoe Madness Blog hop. The hop is a huge one, involving oodles of authors, and goes from 16 – 23 Dec. Plenty of time for you to explore new-to-you author websites.

What am I giving away? How do you enter?

I’m going to pick four names from all the people who answer my question below. International entries are welcome. The books I’ll be giving away are:

1 x Lessons in Seduction by Sandra Hyatt (This is my friend Sandra’s last book. Sadly, she passed away earlier in the year.)

1 x Reclaiming His Pregnant Widow by Tessa Radley (Another NZ writer friend. These ones are autographed)

1 x Summer in the City of Sails by Shelley Munro

1 x Sex Idol by Shelley Munro

A few months ago I wrote this post on heroines for Savvy Authors. I’m going to reprint it below, but as a quick aside, if you’re a writer, either pre-published or a more experienced one, do go and check out Savvy Authors. You can join for free or if you’d like to take advantage of more of their resources go for the premium membership of $30. They run workshops, have chats and agent/editor pitches and are an excellent community. I highly recommend them for writers at all stages of their career. Right! Back to business. Heroines. One of my heroines wrote me a letter, and this is what she said…

Dear Author,

I realize your job isn’t the easiest one. You sit in front of a computer hour after hour, day after day creating me, along with my hero and the cast of characters who populate your stories. You spin a plot as you write the first draft, then you spend even longer polishing the story until it’s ready for submission to publishers. Without you, I wouldn’t exist.

Mostly, you do a great job, but I’d like to remind you of a few things pertaining to writing a good heroine:

1. I know popular opinion says heroines are slender and pretty, but how about making me stand out from the crowd? Make me sexy–sure. I like sexy as much as the next girl, but I can be sexy and an average size. Give me a few curves. Don’t you know I enjoy food? Oh, and if you give me curves, don’t go on and on about my size. I’m happy this way, really I am.

2. Don’t make me go down to the basement when there is a killer on the loose. Credit me with a little common sense and help me do something intelligent. I don’t want readers to snigger at me and call me Too Stupid To Live. I deserve more than that, don’t you think?

3. Don’t foist a stereotype on me. I’m not a hooker with a big heart. I’m not an ice princess. I’m not a geeky librarian. I’m a combination of a lot of different things. Give me individuality.

4. I like alpha men–really, I do, but give me a spine so I can stand up to them. Readers don’t like wimps who can’t handle their man. Let me best him now and then. It’s good for his ego if he doesn’t get his own way all the time.

5. I’m not perfect. I know that, but do you realize it too? Give me some flaws and balance them with some of the good stuff. Make me human because readers will like me better that way.

6. Give me a snarky voice. I’m cool with that, but don’t make me snark all the way through the book. Readers won’t like me if I do that. They might call me a bitch, you know, and wonder what the hero sees in me.

7. Likewise, if my hero is going to be a bastard, let him fall off his high horse at some stage. Make him see the error of his ways or at least let me use my knee in his private parts. It might hurt him, but it would make me feel better after all the verbal abuse.

8. If you want me to behave badly, give me proper motivation. Dig into my past history, exploit my emotional baggage and make the readers want to cheer for me. Believe me, I’ll forgive you if I end up with Mr. Spunky plus a diamond ring on my finger.

9. Match my personality with my actions. Make me act consistently…unless you have a damn good reason to make me look stupid.

10. And finally, if you’re into kink and want to paint me the same way—authors look away if you’re easily offended—if you’re gonna make me have anal sex, please, please, please give me lots of lube.

Yours faithfully,
A Heroine.

Now dear visitor, you’re welcome to add your fifty cents to the above letter, but what I’d really like to know is this…

If a hero wrote a letter to you what would he say? Finish this sentence and go into a draw to win one of the above books. Dear Author, you do a good job with me but remember that a hero…….

This link will take you back to the central Mistletoe Blog Hop Page

Check out these other contests while you’re here!

I’m giving away a copy of Reclaiming his Pregnant Widow by Tessa Radley. Details on my contest page. Closes 24 Dec.

Win a print copy of Sex Idol at Goodreads. Sex Idol giveaway closes 18 Dec.

And finally, I’m visiting Maria Zannini’s blog today and talking about a project to make for Christmas. I’m also doing a giveaway. Drawn 22 Dec.

“Have faith in your own story and your own process. When I first started writing I heard talks from authors who’d written practically since they could hold a pencil, and I heard about authors who plotted out entire stories before they wrote a single manuscript word. I, on the other hand, came to writing late, and I start a story, sometimes with as little as a single sentence, and having little if any idea of the path my characters will take to get to their happy ever after. I had to learn to trust that my way was okay. It works for me and that’s the only thing that matters.

Related to this point is not comparing your journey to, and through, publication with anyone else’s. To quote from the Wear Sunscreen song, The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.”

Visit Sandra Hyatt’s website
Purchase Sandra’s upcoming release, His Bride For The Taking

My special guest today is debut Silhouette Desire author Sandra Hyatt. As Sandra mentions below, we both live in New Zealand and were aspiring authors together, attending meetings and conferences and chatting about writing. Sandra sold her first book at the RWA conference last year in San Francisco. It was so exciting, and we were all thrilled for her!

CONTEST: Sandra has always been super-supportive of me, and I’d like to return the favor. I’m giving away a copy of Sandra’s debut book to one lucky visitor. All you need to do to enter the draw is post a comment below. Answer Sandra’s question or say hello and you’re in the draw. I’ll choose the winner on Sunday night (NZ time) and post their name in the comments section.

First, I want to say thanks to Shelley for inviting me to blog on her site. ‘Thanks Shell.” I’ve been writing romance for eleven years and have known Shelley for much of that time. She was just way ahead of me in getting published, and is way more prolific. I’m in awe.

The tenth book I wrote is about to become my first published book. It’s coming out with Silhouette Desire this month in North America. Having the Billionaire’s Baby is about a hard working ‘good’ girl who breaks her own rules and must deal with the consequences of a one night stand with the handsome stranger at her ex-boyfriend’s wedding. Callie (the heroine) must suddenly deal with a situation she has no experience of.

And while I’m not pregnant to someone I scarcely know – I’m dealing with my own new situations as I feel my way into things this side of The Call. It’s been a roller coaster ride, some scary fast bits and plenty of exciting highs – the sale call, learning the title (Having the Billionaire’s Baby), seeing the cover, holding a copy of my book in my hands for the very first time, and now finally knowing that it’s going to be on the shelves (or the internet) and real live people, who aren’t my critique partners, will be able to read it.

One of the things that’s changed since it was just me, my computer and an idea (or in some cases half an idea) is the feeling of control – or rather the lack of it. When you’re unpublished and life gets in the way and you don’t write for a day, or two, or a week, or even two, it’s your own problem and no one else’s. You’re accountable only to yourself.

Now suddenly I have an editor who wants things, and there’s an art department who want to know things, and line and copy editors who want me to do things – all by given dates. By and large that’s a good thing.

Add to the mix, children, parents, the house, a temperamental car etc and things can build up. Sometimes when I feel like I have too much to do that’s exactly when I need to stop completely, even if just for a while. I might take the dog for a walk, or just sit down and have a cup of tea and take some deep breaths. It’s amazing what stopping will do to help me feel back in control.

I searched for a quote (that I read in a greeting card once) before posting this, but can’t find it. Basically, it said, we can’t wait for fine weather, we must learn to sail stormy seas. So, I’m trying to learn. Walking, cups of tea (or glasses of wine), and making lists are all things that help me ‘sail’ when the weather is stormy. But I’m always on the lookout for tips if you’ve got any good ones?

You can visit Sandra at her website. Her debut book, Having the Billionaire’s Baby is due out on 14 July at all good bookstores.