Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent Kate Nash

Literary agent Kate Nash needs no introduction to many members of the RNA. Kate has attended several RNA events, including the RNA conference 2017, where she accepted pitches from members.

It's a great pleasure to welcome Kate to the blog today. Thanks for accepting our invitation, Kate!

Please tell us a little about the Kate Nash Agency, how long it’s been established, and how you came to set it up.

I set up the Agency in 2009. As a publisher I worked with a wide variety of literary agents and

came to the conclusion that it was the best job in the business. This is because agents have the amazingly privileged position of being able to work closely with an author and drive the direction and success of the author’s overall career. Publishers are of course critical to an author’s success but there remains a potential tension between their interests as a business and the interests of the author. A literary agent’s interests are the author’s interests so we can be there champion as well as having those difficult conversations.

I set up my own business as I felt I was a little too old and opinionated to garner a job making the tea at an established literary agency and wanted to start building my client list right away.

What genres do you represent?

I represent commercial fiction across most genres, namely romantic fiction, women’s fiction, family sagas, historical fiction, crime and thrillers. I also represent some narrative non-fiction.

What services do you provide for your authors?

The Kate Nash Literary Agency is a full service literary agency, by which I mean that we offer representation to book authors across all territories and formats. As primary agent I would handle an author’s work across the World in English language for all book formats. For translation and television / film we work in partnership with specialist agencies: RightsPeople on translation and Collective Talent for dramatisation.

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

I’m looking for a gripping, unputdownable read from the opening sentence onwards. When I request to see a full manuscript, it’s usually the best thing I’ve started reading all week, possibly all month, occasionally all year. We get a lot of submissions and I read a lot so I always say to writers that if any agent requests to see more material this is a brilliant sign, even if things don’t move forward with that particular agent.

Do you ever find authors outside the slush pile? If so, how?

I have found a number of my authors from literary events and competitions. I actively try to attend a variety of writing conferences and literary festivals every year, including the Romantic Novelists Association annual conference. I feel that by the time that aspiring writers have the confidence to start attending conferences they are some way down the road in taking their craft seriously. It is affirming for me to engage face to face on all sorts of levels, to be encouraging and be available as an industry professional.

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

My client list is fairly full meaning that I can only take on a couple of new clients a year but it is really important not to be put off by statistics like that. Finding the right agent is in some ways similar to finding “the one”: you only need one good one and the rest are irrelevant! Few things are as satisfying or as thrilling as a debut book deal for a writer and therefore I will always continue to work with new writers and encourage submissions. This year I’ve had debut success from two RNA members: Lucie Wheeler (The First Time Mums’ Club, HarperImpulse) and Maggie Sullivan (Christmas on Coronation Street, HarperFiction).

It is tough out there for new writers trying to find an agent. There are possibly not enough agents to meet the demand. Don’t take it personally if an agent isn’t interested or fails to get back to you. Agents have clear guidelines and because of the volume of submissions it is really important that writers stick to these to make sure that their submissions are read and lost somewhere in a parallel universe. My guidelines are on the website: www.katenashliterary.co.uk

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

Pride and Prejudice because of its many other layers of social commentary, character analysis and humour.

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

Clare Mackintosh’s I See You was terrifying and I literally stayed up late into night to finish it.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My favourite going-out treat is the theatre and now my children are a bit older I’m trying to go to more than just children’s theatre (great though that is).  A good few weekends are taken up with literary events so when I am at home I love to organise family days out but also relax in my kitchen on a Saturday morning, cooking and listening to Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio. I also donate a day or two a month as a trustee  to a publishing charity, the Catholic Truth Society, who publish resources for Catholics in the UK.

If you could describe your working day in just three words, what would they be?

Coffee. Work. Repeat.

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Thanks so much for dropping in today, Kate, and for your thoughtful and encouraging answers. Wishing you much continued success with your authors, and we look forward to seeing you at the next conference!

If you've enjoyed Kate's interview, or have any questions or comments at all, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

Helena Fairfax is a freelance editor who writes feel good contemporary romances and romantic suspense. Her novel A Year of Light and Shadows tells the story of how plain Lizzie Smith is plunged into a year of mystery involving a missing princess, a false diamond, a doppelgänger and a hot bodyguard.

You can find out more about Helena's books and her editing services on her website www.helenafairfax.com

Joan Hessayon Award 2016 contender: Bella Osborne

Today Bella Osborne answers our questions. Bella is another of the talented contenders for this year's Joan Hessayon Award and graduate of the RNA New Writers' Scheme.

How long have you been writing? Is this your first published piece?

I’ve been writing ever since primary school when I discovered that I loved it. Yes, It Started at Sunset

Cottage is my first published story.

How many years were you a member of the NWS and did you submit a manuscript each year?

I joined in January 2013 and submitted a manuscript for two years until I graduated to full membership.

What came first, agent or publisher?

I met my thoroughly lovely editor, Charlotte Ledger, at the RNA conference in Sheffield in 2013 as part of the 121s and she asked to read the rest of my novel. I signed with my agent later that year.

Who is your agent?

I am represented by the Kate Nash Literary Agency

Do you have a contract for one book or more?

My first contract was with Harper Impulse for two books and I have just signed a one book contract with Avon (also part of Harper Collins).

When was your book published?

Digitally on 12^th February 2015, Print on Demand April 2015, and Paperback August 2015.

Tell us something about your book

It has two strong women at its core - Kate is a reserved author whilst Sarah is a sharp-tongued single mother. After losing her fiancé, Kate is slowly getting her life back on track when Timothy Calder, A-list actor and leading man in the movie adaptation of her book, turns up on her doorstep, hoping to lie low after his latest tabloid scandal. Sarah is trying to hold down two jobs and shut her ex-husband out of her life. When he goes missing she thinks it’s the answer to her problems until Sarah becomes number one suspect.

What are you currently working on?

I am multi-tasking! I am currently editing my second novel, ‘A Family Holiday’, which is due for release in June, as well as writing my third book which will be released digitally in four parts under the title ‘Willow Cottage’, the first part of which is due for release on 7^th July.

What piece of advice would you give current members of the NWS?

Keep writing, no matter what life throws at you and never, ever give up!

Links:

Amazon:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Bella-Osborne-127964384079908/

Website

Twitter - https://twitter.com/osborne_bella

Thank you, Bella, we hope you have a fabulous evening at the RNA Summer Party and good luck with your writing career.

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

Nikki Moore: What Inspires Writers to Write?

It’s great to welcome Nikki Moore back to the blog to write this thoughtful piece about inspiration. Over to you, Nikki.

I’ve been thinking about writing inspiration recently, because I’ve talked about it a lot for the release of my #LoveLondon series over the last nine months. Almost all of the interviews I’ve done have included a question about where I got my inspiration for the series from. I suppose it’s because readers are fascinated by where writers find their ideas. I know that’s definitely the case for me as a reader. When I finish a brilliant book, I often wonder, how on earth did the author dream that up?

I do occasionally have writer’s block, but that’s more about procrastination aka spending lots of time on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon UK or when I have an issue with a character or plot and don’t know how to resolve it (I find that time away from the manuscript and Pinot Grigio usually helps). I actually consider myself very lucky because I’ve never had an issue finding inspiration. If anything, I have too many ideas for books and find it difficult focusing on just one. My head is full of characters who speak to me, demanding that their stories be told.

 

To me, the world is a rich, intriguing place full of colour and noise that constantly makes me think, what if…? Or wouldn’t it be interesting if…? I think of my writing inspiration as a tapestry; with different segments sewn together to make a whole. Those segments are made up of music, films, books, news stories and current affairs, people, dreams, my experiences and other people’s experiences, as well as those what if ponderings.

 

For the #LoveLondon series, I was commissioned to write a series of romance novellas set in London that would go with my second novel Picnics in Hyde Park. So when I sat down to write them I knew the setting and genre, that they’d be linked to Picnics in some way, and for some of them, what the time of year would be e.g. New Year at The Ritz. All of these things gave me a backdrop and sense of context, but I still had to create individual stories with characters that breathed and plotlines that touched and entertained readers. So I thought about what love means to people, and the different ways in which it can happen e.g. first love, or romance growing from friendship, and what kinds of characters that might happen to, how they might react and what their goals might be. And from there, I thought a lot, made notes and listened to music according to my mood and the characters, and slowly the stories unfolded.

 

I asked fellow authors where they find writing inspiration, and/or what to do if they get stuck.

Samantha Birch writes both fiction and non-fiction, and has different ways of finding inspiration for both. ‘The High-Street Bride's Guide was inspired by my time working in-house at a wedding magazine and planning my own wedding, which I did over four years. Both exposed me to all manner of wedding suppliers, gave me some idea of what quality to expect for my money and gave me an insight into how different types of suppliers think and how we could negotiate in ways that benefited both of us.’ She’s currently working on a Steampunk fantasy, ‘For that I use pictures, games, films, articles, books and life experiences. I've got a collection of unusual books that I pick up sometimes when I'm struggling to get excited about a scene.’

 

‘By My Side was inspired by a dressing down I got from a consultant surgeon when I was a junior doctor,’ Wendy Lou Jones explains, ‘I felt it was completely out of order but he was so scary and so senior to me that I ended up quaking in my boots. My episode was not remotely related to romance, but I was determined my characters would be different.’ Her latest book is The Summer We Loved, by HarperImpulse.

 

One of D.R Graham’s newest releases is a Young Adult book, The Handler by Entangled Publishing. ‘I typically find inspiration in things that emotionally resonate with me. The emotional trigger often comes from a news story, song lyrics, the expression on a person's face, or something I have dealt with in my practice as a counsellor.’

 

Best-selling author Katherine Garbera, whose latest release is Eye Candy by HarperImpulse, is a news junkie. ‘I hit all the major news websites every day (BBC, SKY News, CNN, USA TODAY, New York Times, The Guardian, etc).  I read blogs such as Buzzfeed and Huffington Post because they often capture what’s happening culturally right now.  I love these sites and they feed the back of my mind with ideas that eventually become stories, such as the Somalian hijackings, which I used as inspiration for The Pirate.’ She sometimes uses Pinterest to put together pictures and get the ideas flowing if she needs inspiration.

 

Jill Knapp, whose forthcoming release is You’ll Find Me In Manhattan (HarperImpulse) told me that a lot of her inspiration comes from music and great television shows, and the way they make her feel. ‘I recently wrote a short story that was inspired by Taylor Swift's song, “Red.” My series about NYC was inspired by life experiences, other people's stories, and a few songs like "Face Up", by Lights. Some of the show's that have inspired me to write are Dawson's Creek, Alias, and more recently The Vampire Diaries.’ She likes to listen to music in the shower if she’s stuck on a story.

 

 Bridget Hodder, whose debut novel The Rat Prince is released in August 2016 by Macmillan, Farrar Straus & Giroux, offers this advice if you’re stuck for inspiration. ‘Try asking yourself: Am I writing this to please someone else, or to please myself? There's no surer way to dry up the flow of ideas than to be thinking of your agent, your editor, "the market" or even your beloved readers as you write. It's a bit like the instructions they give you on an airplane: put on your oxygen mask first, so that you can then turn around and help others. You should write first and foremost about things that delight YOU. Then you can send your stories out in the world to delight readers. Which they surely will!’

 

My advice is to look at the world around you; look at the sad things, the joyful things and the great things, open yourself up to new experiences and people, and then:

• Write from the heart.
• Write about things that are important to you and that you believe in.
• Write about things that move you.
• Write about things that are going to matter to other people – humans have common goals e.g. love, happiness, revenge, approval, family etc.

Are you an author or aspiring writer? Where do you get your inspiration from? We’d love to hear your thoughts J

Thank you, Nikki, you’ve certainly provided us with food for thought.

The RNA blog is brought to you by,

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@ol.com

Mandy Baggot Loves Digital!

Mandy Baggot doesn’t just love writing romance. She loves the digital age that facilitates spreading the word. This is what she has to say:

As a reader I enjoy lapping up new books in any medium I can get my sticky hands on them in! Kindle, Kobo, Sainsbury’s e-books – I have accounts with them all. The Works, Waterstones, WH Smith – I’m a browser and a sucker for a cover I can fondle.

But, as a writer, I’m currently riding much higher with my latest romantic comedy, Truly Madly Greekly in the digital arena.

So what’s so great about digital publishing?

1)      Fast

It doesn’t take as long to prepare and publish an e-book. This doesn’t mean the novel doesn’t go through a rigorous editing process (I’m going through one of those right now!) but digital done right can cut down the process by months.

2)      Flexible

You can make amendments quickly and easily – change the cover, add bonus content at a later date etc. You can also jump on trends as they occur. This might be getting something into the marketplace quickly to hit on a special event – a tennis romance in time for Wimbledon, a gardening tale for the Chelsea Flower Show, athlete heroine for the next Olympics etc.

3)      Price

Digital publishing doesn’t have a lot of the costs involved with traditional paperback publishing. You can offer books at a more competitive rate to readers and still make money.

4)      Ride the electronic wave

More people that ever own tablets for entertainment and recreation. You don’t have to have a specific e-reader to read digital books – any tablet, smartphone or P.C. has the capability to download a free app to read books on. Some people are becoming readers for the first time because it’s cheap, convenient and accessible.

5)      New writer opportunities

Since Kindle Direct Publishing was born, more and more storytellers are taking the plunge and getting their work into the marketplace. Self-publishing and digital publishing have let authors take much more control over their work and I’m embracing that!

Writing and reading have never been hotter and I say, long may it continue.

About Mandy:

Mandy Baggot is an award-winning romantic fiction author, writing hot heroes and emotional reads. She is represented by Kate Nash of The Kate Nash Literary Agency.

In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance and has since scooped Top Ten Reads/Book of the Year places from a number of UK book bloggers.

Traditionally published by US publisher Sapphire Star, Harper Collins' digital first romance imprint, Harper Impulse, and most recently, digital fiction specialists, Bookouture, a great story is never far from her fingertips!

A contributor to writing blogs and short story anthologies, Mandy is also a regular speaker at literary festivals, events and women’s networking groups.

Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, World's Strongest Man, travel and handbags. She has appeared on ITV1's Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor.

Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen.

Links:

Website

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Twitter

Facebook

Thank you, Mandy, for joining us today and giving us such a comprehensive explanation.

The RNA blog is brought to you by  

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman 

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Caroline Roberts: Joan Hessayon Award contender 2015

Today we welcome Caroline Roberts to the blog. Caroline is another of our talented contenders for the Joan Hessayon Award.

Congratulations on graduating the RNA New Writers’ Scheme. Can you tell us when you first decided that you wished to become a romantic novelist? 

I have always loved reading and have written since childhood; keeping a journal, writing poetry. I wanted to be a romantic novelist from the age of 18, but went the long route - working in a bank, bringing up my family and helping to run a holiday park. I am intrigued by relationships. Love is such a powerful, beautiful and complex emotion. The Torn Up Marriage is about messy, real-life love, warts and all, where life gets hard and relationships crumble - but the love here is no less intense than in traditional romance novels.

How many years were you a member of the NWS scheme and did you submit a different book each year? Which year’s book did you graduate with?

I have been in the NWS scheme for 6 years, and I have submitted 4 separate books, so two were edited and then re-sent. I first submitted “The Torn Up Marriage”, which was then titled “Live, Love, Learn”, in 2012, and my 2013/2014 novel submission was also taken on by HarperImpulse in the same book deal and should be out later this year, so I graduated with two novels from the NWS Scheme!

How did you find your publisher?

I found my publisher through attending the RNA Conference 2013 where I pitched in a 1:1 interview with Kimberley Young (Harper Collins), who had come to chat to the RNA about their recently launched, digital-first Romance imprint, HarperImpulse. It was nerve-wracking but she was lovely, and at last I had found someone who believed in my work.

Promotion is a big part of an author’s working life. How did you promote your novel?

Promotion is ongoing! It’s been a steep learning curve, as most publishers expect you to do a lot of self-promotion.

I use Twitter @_caroroberts, Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarolineRobertsAuthor and I have a blog. Reviewers and book bloggers have been a great help too. I have been featured in my local newspaper and interviewed by the NE lifestyle magazine, Living North. I have recently taken part in an author panel for a library talk, and am always on the look-out for promotional opportunities.

What has happened to you as an author since that first sale?

It’s been such a busy time with promotion and proofing the paperback version which comes out on 7^th May, as well as keeping up with the day job. I have been writing a further novel, set on beautiful Bamburgh beach in Northumberland, and any time now the edits for my second book will be hitting my e-mail box.

How did you celebrate your first book sale?

I had a hectic and lovely publication day back on 5^th March. I celebrated with family as it was my daughter’s Birthday too. We had champagne at home, then cocktails and a meal out. It was a fantastic day, and a dream come true at last!

About Caroline:

Family, friends, food, a glass of bubbly and, of course, a good book make me smile. I love writing emotional stories about love, loss, betrayal, and family, that explore how complex and yet beautiful love can be. I also like to write romantic comedy, letting the characters have a bit of flirty fun too! I believe in following your dreams and working hard towards them, which led me to Harper Impulse (Harper Collins) and a publishing deal (woop!) after many years of writing. Stunning Northumberland is my home – sandy beaches, castles and gorgeous countryside that have inspired my writing.

Links:

Amazon 

Blog
Twitter: @_caroroberts

Thank you, Caroline and good luck with your writing career.  

Nikki Moore: What does New Year mean to you?

Welcome to Nikki Moore with our final blog post of 2014. A time for reflecting back on what has happened over the past year and forward to what’s in store for 2015.

I’m the kind of person who always makes New Year’s resolutions. They usually involve being healthier (going to the gym/changing my diet/cutting down on the amount of white wine I drink) or achieving certain writing or personal goals. Like most people, I’ve usually forgotten what my resolutions were by March, let alone succeeded in keeping them twelve months later...

I wonder if it’s because we make resolutions that are too aspirational, or unrealistic? After all, people can’t change overnight, nor can they change their habits from one day to the next. It’s all about small steps over time.

To me New Year has always been a time of new beginnings, an opportunity to put aside all the bad things that might have happened in the past year, and look to the future.

It’s certainly something that Frankie, the heroine in book two of my #LoveLondon series New Year at the Ritz wants. The last year hasn’t been good for her and she can’t wait for a fresh start. So giving her a journey - a romantic scavenger hunt across Knightsbridge - and two men to choose from, one from her past and one from her present, to go into the future with, felt right for the story.

While writing New Year at the Ritz, I realised that everything that happens in your life, good or bad, makes you who you are. It’s all part of your life story. Zack tells Frankie that, ‘sometimes to go forward, you have to look back.’ I think that’s true. So I thought back over the last year. What did 2014 hold for me?

On a personal front it meant the sale of the family home, moving house, my daughter moving school, divorce, and a new relationship. And writing wise, it’s been massive. I went from unpublished writer to published author. My first paid story appeared in the RNA anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply which was a bestseller on Amazon in November, followed by two short stories in the Be My Valentine anthology. My debut novel Crazy,Undercover,Love (which went through the RNA New Writers’ Scheme) was published as an ebook by the wonderful HarperImpulse in April and paperback in September. More recently, the #LoveLondon series was launched with Skating at Somerset House, followed by New Year at the Ritz on 22 December.

Three more short stories and a full length novel will follow in 2015, to finish off #LoveLondon, so it’s going to be a busy year!

 

 

Thank you, Nikki and good luck for your busy year ahead.

Natalie and I would like to thank all contributors to the blog during 2014 and also the thousands of readers who popped by to visit and enjoy our interviews and articles. If you would like to contribute during 2015 please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

 We wish you all a happy, healthy and successful 2015

Elaine & Natalie  

xx

Happy Graduation!

This month Nikki Moore shares her journey through the New Writers' Scheme to Graduation and Publication

On 24^th April my dreams came true … My debut novel Crazy, Undercover, Love was published by the fantastic Harper Impulse (digital first romance imprint of Harper Collins) as an ebook, with paperback following in June.

Publication was exciting, scary and satisfying. A lot of hard work, angst and energy has gone into getting here. So how did I do it? Well, apart from supportive friends and family, very patient children, learning my craft and reading a lot,  I can thank the Romantic Novelists Association's (RNA) New Writers' Scheme (NWS).

The NWS is a probationary membership where for an annual fee you get to attend events including meetings, parties and the conference (fees apply) and can be part of the friendly, informative cyber-chapter ROMNA where you can chat to/get advice from/share news with other authors. Most importantly, at least in my view, you can submit a manuscript to be anonymously read and critiqued by a full member of the RNA. 

I was lucky enough to join the NWS in 2010 and the last four years have been amazing. I've attended RNA conferences including going to unbelievably helpful workshops and nerve-racking but positive one to one appointment with editors. I've drunk wine at and reported on the Winter and Summer parties for the RNA magazine, Romance Matters, I've received support and guidance from some fabulous, lovely authors (some of them household names) and had the confidence to take part in a workshop with our Vice-Chair Sue Moorcroft at the Festival of Romance. Crucially, I've submitted manuscripts to the NWS every year - two different books, each of them twice - and received bracingly honest but effective critiques in return.

It's always hard when someone points out that your baby isn't quite as beautiful as you'd hoped :)  but every NWS report has been clear, helpful and constructive and both manuscripts have undergone rewrites as a result … and it has made them much better books.

I will be honest. It was not always easy. In fact it was pretty painful, de-constructing stories I knew, loved and utterly believed in and then putting them back together again. I didn't always agree with everything the readers said, so I used my instincts and some of the suggested changes weren't made. And sometimes it felt like the rewrites were going on forever but I got my head down and pushed through … and some of the things my editor loved about Crazy, Undercover, Love when I pitched it to her at the RNA Conference 2013 was down to NWS feedback - which is why I've just sent thank you cards out to my NWS readers via the tireless scheme organiser Melanie :)

So, where am I now? Well, I've just graduated from NWS member to full RNA member and I'm working on my next book for Harper Impulse. So if you're out there, an aspiring author, and you're wondering if it's ever going to happen for you, make it happen. Join the RNA New Writers Scheme at the end of this year. And be part of our gang.

Amazon UK: Crazy, Undercover, Love

Harper Impulse: Crazy, Undercover, Love

Thank you for sharing your journey, Nikki

This blog is brought to you by the blogging team of Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman. If you would like to feature your RNA Chapter, promote a book or write a craft feature please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Plus One is a Lucky Number for Teresa F Morgan

Teresa F Morgan tell us how she found her publisher

A mum to two boys by day, romance writer by night. I’m at my happiest baking cakes, putting proper home cooked dinners on the table (whether the kids eat them or not), reading a good romance, or creating a touch of escapism with heroes readers will fall in love with.

Sophie Trewyn has a wedding to attend, and no one to go with, until her friend convinces his best mate, Adam Reid to go with her.  All the pretending, Sophie starts to wish it were true. But with some surprises in store, will Adam regret saying yes?

What gave you the idea for your book and how long did it take to write? 

I’ve always liked the concept of two people pretending to be in love. Is the affection real or pretend? It’s my favourite kind of storyline. Plus One is a Lucky Number is a little bit inspired by the film The Wedding Date. I wrote the first chapter for the Mills and Boon New Voice competition for September 2010 and had it finally finished and polished in 2012 to send out to publishers.

How did you find your publisher? 

Since joining the RNA New Writers’ Scheme, I have been attending the Bath and Wiltshire Chapter meetings organised by Rachel Brimble. Last summer, one of my chapter members (Lorraine Wilson) had just been accepted by Harper Impulse, so I checked out the company to see they were brand new, and thought let’s send it off! The manuscript was with the New Writers’ Scheme and I did contemplate waiting to hear back from them first, but decided to grab the bull by the horns. To cut a long story short, Lorraine helped me get to the top of the slush pile by mentioning my name to Charlotte Ledger, and as they say the rest is history. I believe Lorraine found out before I did that Harper Impulse wanted my book.

How do you fit your writing into your busy life? Are you a lark or an owl? 

I’m definitely an owl. I can’t get myself out of bed early to write. I’m up at 7am anyway with the boys to get them to school. I write best during the day while they are at school (when I am not doing the day job and real life isn’t getting in the way too much) and in the evenings, once they are in bed. I try to write/edit for at least one hour a day – where possible. I work Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, which usually leaves me too tired, so I try to do other (what I call) Writing Related Activities, i.e. reading, blogging, etc. on those days.

What is next in your writing life? 

I’m contracted with Harper Impulse for a second book and so I am trying to work through that at the moment. It’s at about 80,000 words but needs editing and some ‘additing’ (a word I made up in NaNoWriMo 2006). I really want to get it off to my publisher soon, as it feels like for a couple of years now I haven’t actually worked on anything fresh.

Blog: http://teresa-morgan.blogspot.co.uk/

Website: http://www.teresamorgan.co.uk/

Harper Impulse: http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/
Amazon.co.uk: (ebook) Plus One is a Lucky Number

Amazon.com: (ebook) Plus One is a Lucky Number

Amazon.co.uk (paperback release 8^th May 2014) One is a Lucky Number

Thank you for joining us today, Teresa

Compiled by Natalie and brought to you by the blogging team of Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman

Please contact us at elaineeverest@aol.com if you wish to be featured on our blog or would like to write a craft article.

STRICTLY GEORGIA HILL

Georgia Hill been writing for E-Scape Press for five years and was taken on by Harper Impulse, the digital first imprint of Harper Collins, last summer. She writes about intriguing heroes, believably flawed heroines – all wrapped up in contemporary rom-coms. After teaching for twenty years, she is now a full-time writer and loving it. Home is a converted oast house, which she shares with her two beloved spaniels, husband (also beloved) and a ghost called Zoe.

In Say it with Sequins 1: The Rumba, ‘Who Dares Dances’ is a reality TV show with a difference. Not only do contestants have to learn to dance, they also face a series of bizarre challenges. When struggling actor, Julia Cooper, signs up and meets daredevil Harri Morgan, the attraction is instant – and hot! Forced to perform a sexy rumba together, the sequins really start to fly. Will they score the perfect ten, or is their romance destined to be a dance disaster!

Say it With Sequins: The Rumba is your first ebook with Harper Impulse. How do you remain an individual author with such a large (and fabulous) publisher?

What an interesting question! To date, it hasn’t been an issue. I was attracted to Harper Impulse as they wanted submissions from writers who ‘mash up’ genres or who write something slightly different. Pitching my writing has always been a problem and I was told my second and third books would have no market as no one wanted to read a novel set in a primary school. In fact, they’ve sold fairly well, thanks to E-Scape Press. With Harper Impulse, I think I’ve found a home for my particular type of writing.

What gave you the idea for your book and how long did it take to write?

I’m a huge Strictly Come Dancing fan. I love the television show, have seen live shows on tour and I’m booked to see two of the dancers when they tour their show later this year. I’m fascinated by how close the celebrity and professional dancer seem to get. With attractive young actresses and hot pro-dancers paired together, it seemed inevitable that a romance might spring up. As indeed it has with one or two partnerships! I started the first draft when I was teaching full-time, so never really had the time to devote to it. Though I’m a good beginner I don’t always see things through but it lingered on until I was determined to finish it! It’s taken me about three years to write. In my defence, other projects intervened.

How did you carry out your research?

I watch a lot of television! Behind the scenes programmes, on how television is made, interviews with dancers and celebs, keep an eye on the gossip columns. I also do a lot of internet research on types of dance. YouTube has great ‘How to dance' videos. There isn’t a lot of technical detail in the book but I try to get it right.

Can you dance?

No! I’m the world’s worst dancer. I think that’s why I admire the celebs who take part, especially those who struggle with the training. I’d be a dance disaster - think I need a session with Anton du Beke!

How do you fit your writing around your home life?

I gave up full-time teaching eighteen months ago and thought I’d be able to write all day. It hasn’t quite worked out like that and I often find, unless I’m very disciplined, that the chores take over. It’s taken a while to find a new working rhythm but I’m getting there. Like many women writers, it’s all about dealing with the guilt of the ironing pile! Dog walking is a great thinking time though.

What is next in your writing life?

The next project is very different – a two narrative partly historical romance (I love the books of Susanna Kearsley and Rachel Hore and wanted to write something similar). However, it’s been hijacked by Say it with Sequins 4 and has temporarily been put on the back burner. It’s on the ‘To do’ list though!

http://www.georgiahill.co.uk

http://www.harperimpulseromance.com

http://www.escapewithabook.com/

Thank you, Georgia. Perhaps next time we can hear about your resident ghost!

Compiled by Natalie and brought to you by the blogging team of Elaine Everest, Natalie Kleinman and Liv Thomas.

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