Who's That Girl? interview with Eleni Konstantine

Please welcome one of my fellow Dark Side DownUnder members!

Name: Eleni Konstantine.

Where are you? Adelaide, Australia.

How many years have you been a member of Romance Writers of Australia? Hmm….about 13 years. They can’t get rid of me!

What genre/s do you write? Fantasy and paranormal fiction, both in the short and long forms.

Who are your favourite authors? Tough, tough question….so many to name. But here I go - David & Leigh Eddings, Jennifer Roberson, Diana Gabaldon, Keri Arthur, Tracey O’Hara, Denise Rossetti, Jennifer Crusie, J.R Ward, J.D Robb, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Barbara Hannay, Marion Lennox, Nikki Logan, Rachel Bailey, Anne Gracie, Anna Campbell, and many many more…..

What inspired you to write romance? I’ve always loved romance in stories but didn’t’ realize I wanted to write romance myself until I read Diana Gabaldon’s CROSS STITCH (OUTLANDER in the US). I totally fell in love with the characters. Jamie – phwar!

I also loved fantasy, so the cross seemed like a great match to me. It hasn’t been easy to place though.

Who's your dream agent and/or dream publisher? Basically someone who believes in my work and wants to work with me to on my writing as a career instead of just one book. It’s a hard market out there and I have queried some top agents. So far, I’m still waiting. Maybe with the next project… But publishers that I would love to be published are Tor, Ace/Roc, DAW, Berkley – the big names with speculative fiction.

What's the best thing about going to conference? Oh the gas-bagging, hands down.

There is nothing like being with a group of your peers. No one understands me as a writer as other writers do. They don’t think it strange that I have voices in my head. They nod, understanding perfectly.

I suppose I love all aspects of the conference – the networking, the information at sessions, the functions, the pitching, the support, and basically relishing in being in such a great learning atmosphere. It’s such a buzz and I would recommend it to anyone—if can make it, go for it.

Having said that, there is still a feeling of fun and camaraderie with the RWAustralia Clayton’s Conference. So if you can’t make it in person, all is NOT lost.

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...ha, strength? That I’ve persevered despite barriers to health. I can be a stubborn thing at times. *wink *
A sexy hero needs...a sense of humour, a great smile, and eyes you can get lost in!
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...OK, which WIP? There’s the fantasy story of a princess and a dragon, who quest to find the lost tribe of dragons. Romance comes in the form of a Traveller. There’s also the novella of the Gateways to Hell and the Warders who guard against evil.  Or the short story about a Gypsy and another about a female paranormal detective.
When I write I like to...eat! And the sad thing is it’s either chips or chocolate lately. I try and substitute with nuts and fruit but it doesn’t always work. Hmmm…I’m feeling peckish!
My best writing milestone to date is...being requested for a full.

Thanks for answering my questions, Eleni!
Thanks for having me here on your fantabulous blog, Kylie. You know how much I love it here!

You can visit Eleni at her website, her blog - Eleni’s Taverna, Twitter, and of course, don’t forget to visit the Dark Side DownUnder blog, where Eleni is the blog mistress.

Happy Release Day - Children of Scarabaeus!

If you haven't read a book written by Sara Creasy yet then get thee to a bookstore now and buy, buy, buy!

I devoured her debut novel, SONG OF SCARABAEUS, and I'm slavering to get my hands on a copy of CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS, the second book.

Can I just say, few SF adventures rival my Firefly obsession, but Finn and Edie (the hero and heroine in Sara's series) are incredible.

I don't know about you but I find something really appealing about a hero who's a freedom-fighter turned slave and a heroine who has enough computer technology implanted in her to rival the Borg. Throw in a starship load of secrets between them, a greedy corporation, some rebels with dubious motives and you have one heck of story! If you love techno-jargon, suspense, action, and a dash of romance, then these books are for you.

CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS hits shelves today (in North America)! And Sara is celebrating its release with giveaway goodness, open internationally! Woohoo!

Interested? Check out the details at Sara's blogsite!

If you miss out there, then mark this date in your diary - April 11th - as Sara is visiting here AND she's bringing a copy of CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS to giveaway!

GUEST AUTHOR - Cathleen Ross

Please welcome my next guest to sit in the interview hot seat!

But first a little bit about Cathleen...

The first year she joined the Romance Writer of Australia, she heard a new publisher was asking writers for erotic stories for their anthologies. Although she'd had never written a sex scene, she sent in her first erotic story Sweet Vengeance. The editor bought it and asked for more, and she hasn't looked back from there.

She's written an erotic partial for Black Lace, Virgin Publishing, London, which was then the largest publisher of women’s erotic fiction in the world. They took on three new authors that year and she was one of them. The editor contracted her and her book MAN HUNT became the best selling erotic book on the Virgin Publishing website in 2006.
Her motto is "Be game. Be creative. Be brave." She also believes it helps to go to conferences, meet editors and introduce yourself.

An author of several books and short stories, her latest book - LOVE, LUST & LIES was out in January 2011 with MLR.

What name do you publish under? Cathleen Ross.

Where do you live? Australia.

How many years have you been a member of RWAustralia? About 15 years.

What genre/s do you write? Erotica, romance, paranormal, mystery, single title, short stories. Lately I’ve been fiddling with historical short stories. I have trouble staying in one genre because my muse doesn’t seem to work that way. I often dream my stories and I don’t think the guides that channel them know it’s better for an author’s career to stay in one genre.

Who are your favourite authors? Angela Knight, Gena Showalter, Anita Diamant, Linda Howard, Keri Arthur, Kandy Shepherd, Chris Stinson, Isolde Martyn, Jay Ford, Anna Campbell, Annie West.

What inspired you to write romance? I’ve always thought about writing it from the time I was a teenager and read my way through all the Mills and Boon I could get my hands on.

One of my life goals was to be published by Harlequin. I just had to wait until they became “hot” enough and I could keep my characters out of bed long enough to have a romance. Thank God for menopause because my characters hold out longer now.

Who's your dream agent and/or dream publisher? I really like Harlequin and I would also like to sell to Berkley as I love their books and many of their writers too.

I’ve just signed with The Lori Perkins Agency. I met my agent Marisa Corvisiero and Lori Perkins recently in the USA. I feel like I’m in the right place. I have a lot in common with Marisa. Lori also has a lot of experience with the “hot” markets.

Why did you write LOVE, LUST and LIES?
I was brought up and married into a large Italian family. Although it’s been a fantastic journey and I love all my in-laws, some of the conventions, particularly that it’s the women’s role to hold the family together, don’t sit well with me.

Men can do no wrong, with the exception of not working hard enough to provide for their family, in this culture. I wanted to explore the role of infidelity in my novel LOVE, LUST and LIES, so I turned convention on its head.

My heroine, Gabriella, throws her husband out when she finds out her husband has had an affair and she has a fantastic cougar affair of her own, except she has to confront her own culture and it’s a difficult life journey for her. It’s sexy, it’s funny but it’s also very real because the book takes readers on a journey of what it’s like to experience infidelity and how a lot more people other than the two protagonists, are affected.

Buy link here.

You mention in you bio that a writer can learn a lot about going to writing conferences. For you, what's the best thing about going to conference? I love catching up with my writer friends who I don’t see regularly.

Kandy Shepherd and I organized the last conference, which I really enjoyed. It was fascinating getting the single title publishers all together for the first time. I feel that writing markets in Australia are finally opening up for our members.
When I first joined Romance Writers of Australia there were only a few people published with Mills and Boon. I was in awe of them. Now I’m in awe of lots of authors and the list of people getting published is growing.

It is great to see our ranks growing, isn't it.
OK, Cathleen, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...my tenacity. My ability to get over rejection and move on. My ability to process the excellent advice of my writer’s group and make the needed changes. My dedication to writing so that I’m prepared to sit on my butt even though it is growing bigger and get the words down.
A sexy hero/heroine needs...a hero/heroine who can match him/her. And don’t forget a great body if it is the hero. A guy who knows how to put the heroine before himself even if she doesn’t want him to, especially when she doesn’t want him to. I love playing with power balances in a story.
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...an ex commando and a book keeper acting out her "bad girl" fantasies.

When I write I like to...have the house to myself, be totally in the zone and have meditation rest stops. Make sure all my animals are fed because my chicken is very annoying when she is hungry.
My best writing milestone to date is...up to two thousand words in a school day when on deadline or when I’m obsessed with an idea.

 

Cathleen, thanks for taking the hot seat, and to your chicken for making a cameo appearance!

If anyone has any questions for either of them, feel free to post them in your comments. :-)

If you'd like to find out more about Cathleen, then visit her website.

RWA 2011 RITA® & Golden Heart® finalists

A huge congratulations to all of the 2011 RWA RITA® and Golden Heart® finalists!

What a thrilling ride you're all embarking on in the build up to the Nationals in New York in July. Enjoy and make the most of it!

RWA® Golden Heart necklace

A special shout out to my RWA® 2010 Unsinkable Sisters who made it through again:

• Sharon Lynn Fisher (Paranormal Romance)
• Clarissa Southwick (aka Gail Zerrade - Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements)
• Lisa Connelly (Contemporary Single Title)
• Shelley Coriell (Young Adult Romance)
• Nan Dixon (aka Nancy Evertz - Contemporary Series Romance)
• Sharon Wray (Romantic Suspense)
• Laurie Kellogg (Inspirational Romance)

And a huge woohoo to my fellow Science Fiction Romance Brigade members who made the lists:

Laurie Green

Golden Heart® dual finalist (Paranormal Romance)

Sharon Lynn Fisher

Golden Heart® finalist (Paranormal Romance)

RWA RITA® Award

Marcella Burnard

RITA® dual finalist (Best First Book & Paranormal Romance sections)



And the good news keeps coming! Congratulations to the DownUnder contingent for their RWA RITA® Award nominations:

Marion Lennox

(Contemporary Series Romance)

Kelly Hunter

(Contemporary Series Romance)

Sandra Hyatt

(Romance Novella)

For the full list of RWA RITA® & Golden Heart® finalists, click here.

Hit My Blog!

30 000 visitors!

Woohoo! Couldn't let it pass by without marking it in some way.

Thanks everyone for helping me achieve such a milestone.

Here's to another 30K!

A Few of My Favourite Things...

A light-hearted post this week on a few of my favourite things.


5 authors on my keeper-shelf (not listed on my website):

• Pamela Palmer
• Jacqueline Frank
• Anne Aguirre
• Denise Rossetti
• Maya Banks

5 DVD's I've watched more than 5 times:

• Underworld
• Lord of the Ring
• Firefly series
• The Great Escape
•  Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone

5 flowers I love to pick for a vase:

• Jasmine
• Rose
• Jacobian lily
• Freesias
• Wattle

5 rituals I perform before writing:

• Make coffee
• Clear emails
• Light incense or a scented candle
• Turn on my desk lamp
• Put a DO NOT DISTURB sign up on the door

5 comfort "things":

• my ug-boots
• chocolate
• a velvet covered pillow to lie on, on the lounge
• my cats
• air conditioning in summer

So, which category appeals to you and do you want to share your 5 Favourite Things in it?

Who's that girl? Interview - Erin Kuhne

Please say g'day to another RWAustralia member!

Name? Erin Kuhne writing under the name Erin O'Hara.

Where are you? Near Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

How many years have you been a member of RWAustralia? Two years.

What genre do you write? Romantic Suspense.

Who are your favourite authors? Stephanie Laurens, Anne Gracie, Susan Mallery, Jane Austen, Lee Child, Jennie Brumley.

What inspired you to write romance? I love reading romances and making up romantic stories.

Who's your dream agent and/or dream publisher? I would just love an agent and publisher and there are so many good ones. Anyone will do.

What's the best thing about going to conference? Meeting back up with the friends I make at each conference and laughing a lot with them.

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...my imagination.
A sexy hero...draws me like a magnet.
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...a feud between two Italian families and, of course, the hero and heroine come from these families.
When I write I like to...let my imagination run wild.
My best writing milestone to date is...having my manuscript requested by Debra Dixon (still haven't heard anything though).

Erin, thanks for joining me today!