Special Guest Annie Seaton

I'd like you to give Annie Seaton a warm welcome. Annie is a writer friend and lives about 2hrs north of me. I've read Annie's Holiday Affair and absolutely loved it. Italian Affair is on my tbr list. Don't you just love that cover? Hmm. :)

Anyhow, over to Annie.

Suz...thanks for having me on your blog. It is a pleasure to be here.

Italian Affair was released last month and is available at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE

I’d like to tell you a little bit today about my characters and how they develop. I’d love to be able to say that I am a very organized and structured writer and that my characters are well planned and well thought out as I plan the plot structure of my story.

But alas, no matter how hard I try to be a plotter and think my book out it just doesn’t work for me. I can have a plan but once I get into writing my characters take over and direct the story development and their personalities.

My stories always begin with my characters and sometimes a setting. I already have a good understanding of their motivations and their personality quirks before I begin writing.  They are usually based on a combination of people I have met over my life and I take a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and throw it into the melting pot. Then my characters drive the development of the plot and their personal growth.

It may be hard for a non-writer to understand that, as they may say but the author is writing the story, but for me it is a very much a part of the creative process. It is like zoning out and becoming a part of the story.

I love Brianna in Italian Affair. She was so much fun to write about. One of my recent reviews said despite .... It's been a while since I last read an opposites attract book with characters so likeable like Brianna and Tom. Brianna is a free spirit, always forgetting things, loopy but with a heart of gold. Tom is her polar opposite, always making lists, punctual, and super appropriate - here's a guy who flies from Australia to Italy wearing a suit on vacation.

That is a very satisfying part of writing for me. When a reader really gets everything you have tried to convey. The reader who wrote that review really understood Brianna.

Thanks for having me visit and I hope you enjoy reading Italian Affair.

Annie lives with her husband, and ‘Bob’ the dog and two white cats in a house next to the beach on the east coast of Australia. She sits in her writing chair, gazing at the ocean and writing stories.  Their two children are grown and married and she loves spending time gardening, walking on the beach and spoiling her two grandchildren. She has always been fascinated by all things romantic and has found her niche in life writing romance novels, ranging from contemporary to paranormal with a foray into steampunk!

Her debut full length novel, Holiday Affair, a contemporary romance set in the South Pacific was released as part of Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line in March 2012 and has been a best seller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The sequel Italian Affair will be released in June 2013, followed shortly after by Outback Affair. Annie has more books being released in 2013 with Entangled Publishing in the Bliss, Entangled Suspense and Covet imprints.

Annie has also ventured into independent publishing with her de Vargas family steampunk series: Winter of the Passion Flower and Summer of the Moon Flower. Blind Lust (Musa Publishing) a paranormal novella is a sweet romance and one of Annie’s favourites.

In appreciation of the supportive author community, Annie has written a book on promotion to share the secrets of her success: Promotional Tips and Tricks for Aspiring Authors in the Digital Landscape.

Annie loves to hear from readers at: annieseaton26@gmail.com

Her website is
http://www.annieseatonromance.com/
and her blog is at
http://annieseaton.blogspot.com.au/

You can find her on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/AnnieSeatonAuthor
and
https://www.facebook.com/annieseaton26

and Twitter
https://twitter.com/annieseaton26

 

A thriller at its finest

I just spotted this review over at AMAZON, along with more five star reviews. So if you haven't read Outback Fear, and love a strong heroine, a story with a small child, a bit of romance and a hunky Jackaroo, and with a happy ending, you will love Outback Fear.  This story was originally titled Saving Savannah. Just thought I'd mention that fact. :)

 

 

This book is thriller at it's finest. As the cover says, "It could happen to you". It really could. I started this and barely put it down. And yes, it did scare me. It's every nightmare come true. Do not miss out on this. If you like thrillers that are really capable of happening, this book is a must. Will definitely watch for more from this author!!!

NOTE: Thriller is when the hero or heroines life is in danger at the beginning of the story. It is not a blood thirsty story.

Great Thriller, June 4, 2013 Five out of five stars.

By 

Vicki Hancock "Book Junkie" (Utah)
REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outback Fear (Kindle Edition)

Can you ever really leave the past behind? That's what Savannah Harris is trying to do when she flees Sydney in the middle of the night with her 3 month old daughter, Amy, after one too many beatings. Her soon to be ex, Mark has threatened to kill her and take the baby and she knows he means it. She flees 9 hrs away to some property she has inherited in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, strange things start happening. Has Mark found her or are there other things going on? Will Savannah ever find the peace she so longs for?

This book is thriller at it's finest. As the cover says, "It could happen to you". It really could. I started this and barely put it down. And yes, it did scare me. It's every nightmare come true. Do not miss out on this. If you like thrillers that are really capable of happening, this book is a must. Will definitely watch for more from this author!!!

The Art of Online Pitching

I also put this post up on the Hunter Romance Writers and thought someone may get some use from it, after all, it's pitch time at the RWA conference soon. Online pitching and face to face is a little different, but the preparation is the same. :)

We often feel a bit apprehensive when pitching to an editor/agent online or face to face. I hope my tips will help keep some of those nerves at bay and aid in polishing that pitch.

I recently pitched online for the first time, and I was the first twelve or so to be selected to submit to the editor. I submitted to that editor, but alas, it wasn't what they were looking for at that time, even though they loved what I had submitted. They asked if I had something else I could submit to them in the future. So this was another step in the right direction. 

 Here are a few tips that I hope will help you take another step forward.

1.   Know what the publisher/editor/agent is seeking. Double/triple check their guidelines. Study their submission page. Study what they have incorporated and what they are looking for in the pitch.

 

2.   Find out what author's they represent, and what they have sold.

 

3.   Do exactly what the guidelines require. If they state no more than a certain amount of words, do not go over the word count even by one word, or you're out. If you neglect to include any information they have stipulated, you're out. It's as simple as that. One minute you're in, the next out. So double, triple check your work.  

4.   Catch their attention with action words, or words that reflect the style of the manuscript you are pitching. Make your voice shine through by word choice. But don't over do it and be flowery. 

5.   Study other pitches online and find out what and who they pitched to. Is it similar to your work?  

6.   Print your pitch out and carry it around with you. Look at it from time to time. I bet you will find something you can change, something that isn't quite right.  

7.   Let it sit for a week. Go back and make the final changes. 

8.   Have everything prepared hours before the pitch is due either online or face to face. 

9.   If possible play it over on a reader, or read it aloud. Better still, get someone else to read it back to you. This is a great way to find out missing words, or something that doesn't sound right.

 

If you get a request don't rush it. Don't send it off immediately unless there is a deadline. There is something you have missed. Wait until the next day and go over what you have written. When you are confident that it is your best professional work, hit that send button. They say practice makes perfect. 

Good luck. :)

Here is what I pitched: A manuscript which is yet to be turned into a novel.

A kick ass mother searches for her missing daughter. A gender flipped version of the hit action movie, Taken. Trapped by a man she believed dead, he demands she play a game. She runs, he hunts. There is no place to hide.
 

 

Neighbours from Hell.

Do you know your neighbours, and if so, do you get along? Meaning, do they say hello, or give a friendly wave now and again. I tried to get to know my new neighbours when they moved in a few years ago. I went over and gave them some Christmas cake and pudding as a welcome to the neighbourhood. Since then nothing, not even a wave or a hello.

I have just received a letter from the council saying my music is too loud. Said letter stated these neighbours have complained. That is the newer ones. I almost died. I'm still walking around shaking my head. This has never happened to me at all. Never. I don't consider my music that loud, and it isn't on between the times when it's not supposed to be.

Said letter states that if it isn't turned down they come out and do a decibel check to see if it's over the limit. If so, I get a fine of $200. Wow. I am still shocked.

I feel as though I'm treading on egg shells now, but a fine or not, I won't be paying it due to principal. Although I don't think the music is over the limit.

Of all the times I could have complained about a peeping Tom, about a dog being bashed, but we had to have proof about the dog. There was also a time when foul language could be heard for hours, up to 4am in the morning, we kept quiet. Poor hubby got no sleep that night.

Said letter even stated that the music is being played when we aren't listening to it. How do they know if I'm listening to my music or not? This is a tad bit scary and makes me nervous. Are they watching my every move?  I'm shocked. What are your thoughts? All this on top of trying to recover from major surgery is a little too much at this time.

I want to move, and hopefully soon we can. I don't need people like this around me. People who haven't got the decency to knock on my door, or even leave a letter on my doorstep. (no mailbox. it got stolen) Or even have the decency to wave occasionally.

Have you had a bad neighbour that made your life miserable? Being a writer I naturally spend a bit more time home than usual, especially now. When I'm better from my op,  and when the weather picks up perhaps a café would be more suitable, or back to a park or beach to write until we can move.

Okay that's my vent for the week. I'll keep you posted. Thank you.

PS. Perhaps they didn't like my Christmas Cake? lol Ahh, perhaps that's the reason. lol. :)