Tag Archives: book-reviews

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”

Accidents do happen!

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!”

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 …”

A Just Man—Choosing Family Book 4

Sometimes I feel like a bower bird. So many bright shiny things to collect, store, study, then turn into a book. And it can take years for all of the pieces to fall into place. A Just Man fits that category. The initial inspiration for this book was my rage at the increase in the number ofContinue reading “A Just Man—Choosing Family Book 4”