Once upon a time, a friend told me that readers like series. I’d always written standalones. “Readers enjoy dipping in and out of the lives of characters they’ve already met”, they said. So I girded my loins and decided to tackle a series. The Anderson Sisters. Two books. I’m not sure that actually counts as aContinue reading “Accidents do happen!”
Category Archives: Jen’s Chat
Hero or heroine—same, same but different?
I found myself going down this rabbit hole after reading a recent article by Anastasia Safioleas on ABC online— Romantasy isn’t just hot, it’s shaping modern day fairy tales. The article interviews Australian romance author and academic Dr. Jodi McAlister and some devotees/Tiktok influencers about their passion for the genre. As Dr. McAlister reminded us romance only has two rules, a central loveContinue reading “Hero or heroine—same, same but different?”
Living vicariously from my writing cave
August is romance writers conference time in Australia and New Zealand. This year New Zealand went first, with its conference in Christchurch over the weekend of 9-11 August. This weekend is Australia’s turn with Trope Actually being held in Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide deserves it. They’ve often had to trudge to Sydney or Melbourne to be ableContinue reading “Living vicariously from my writing cave”
Can I interest you in a trope?
Tropes are a feature of romance novels, whether the novels be sweet, spicy or dark. Sophie Pembroke suggests a trope is a plot, theme, device or character used so often that it has become a convention within the genre. I’ve heard category romance editors argue that you have hooks and tropes, with the hooks relating to charactersContinue reading “Can I interest you in a trope?”
Reflections on an author signing event
Let’s just put this out there—the weakest link in my writing journey is promotion and marketing. But I’m learning. And part of that learning was to join The Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA)‘s A Romantic Rendezvous. This was a multi author event across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth—a huge amount of work for a volunteer organisation that supports AustralianContinue reading “Reflections on an author signing event”
Jennifer Raines 