Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Editing Cave

Last month I was admiring my award ribbons and reflecting on my success at the Romance Writers of New Zealand (RWNZ) 2025 Conference where Masquerade—Choosing Family Book 1 did very well against internationally successful authors, including multi-published Harlequin Mills & Boon authors placing second in long romance and third in overall book of the year (e-book availableContinue reading “The Editing Cave”

Heart of a Story

This last weekend 15-17 August 2025 was the Romance Writers of New Zealand annual conference held in Auckland NZ this year, and entitled Heart of a Story. I’d forgotten how much I love RWNZ’s conferences. I haven’t been there since before Covid, but this year I decided to attend. Okay, I confess, I was nominated in theContinue reading “Heart of a Story”

Getting Published in Romance

I recently participated in a podcast where I was asked a number of questions by an indie romance author. The discussions in her podcasts are guided by questions she has about the industry, and which she hopes will resonate with other writers just starting out. She’s preparing a few podcasts before she goes live, butContinue reading “Getting Published in Romance”

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?”

Spice and all things nice …

Romance Writers of America provides a simple definition of a romance. Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Okay, I’ve got that clear. I write romance. Another critical element of a romance is its heat level. I was listening to a romance writers’ panel recently andContinue reading “Spice and all things nice …”