Tag Archives: book-reviews

The Power of Words

Lots of people have lots to say about the power of words. And there are words everywhere—in our message groups, on our social media feeds and on our screens. That’s before you add books, journals, magazines and the steady stream of printed words we encounter wherever we turn. I’m also thinking of romance because that’sContinue reading “The Power of Words”

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”

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?”