eReader, eReader, eReader!

I have wanted an eReader FOREVER. Even more so since I borrowed a friend's earlier this year, but unfortunately there are very few (ie zero) available for sale in Australia. But just recently Borders and Angus & Robertson have started to sell the Kobo eReaders. I saw one on the weekend, and at $199 I can't resist...  I'll be able to read my own MS on it! And friend's MSs. Yay! And of course, actual published eBooks :) I'm particularly keen to read the new Carina Press releases.

I've watched some online reviews of the Kobo, and while it isn't perfect, it seems to be all I need.

So, I ordered one today. Now I just have to wait for it to arrive as patiently as I can manage.

Do you have an eReader? Is the Kobo a decent eReader? Any eBooks shops you can recommend when it arrives? (Woohoo!)

Great beginnings...

Hello from Sarawak, Malaysia! My work trip is going very well (and I bought so many clothes and shoes in KL!), but I'm looking forward to getting home. I fly to Singapore tomorrow, only for two nights, but will have time on Thursday night after work for some last minute shopping. And to think I'm not really a big shopper!

The best thing about being on a busy work trip, and the frantic panic that immediately precedes it, is that you forget about stuff that would otherwise be super important. Like guess-timating when the finalists for a writing competition that you desperately want to do well in will be announced.

Consequently I innocently checked my email a few days ago, and there it was: An email telling me I'm a finalist in the RWNZ Great Beginnings contest! I can't believe it - especially after the luke warm feedback I received from the Golden Acorn (it's the same chapter that was judged). There were 54 entries this year, so I'm feeling particularly thrilled. Congratulations to the other finalists - Diana Holmes (x2!), Sandii Manning, Judith Nolan, Rebecca Skrabl and Suzanne Webb.

Based on the feedback from both contests, I've revised my chapter and synopsis and today hit send on both of my entries. So now I get to sit back and try hard not to think about it! I've been doing some serious second guessing and have had moments of OMG IT IS CRAP, but it's done now, so all I can do is wait :)

Anyway. I feel like all my posts are terribly self absorbed bragfests... but I can't help it! I need to tell someone other than my boyfriend :)

Hello from Kuala Lumpur

I'm currently in KL for work, I have the most amazing view from my hotel room window - see!

I received some good news last week, I finalled in the Golden Acorn contest, my first US contest. Unfortunately the thrill of finalling didn't last long once I read the judge's comments. One judge pretty much hated the hero, heroine and story. Another judge was just a bit "meh" about my chapter, while the third judge was very positive. I actually don't know how I finalled, given only one decent score! But, regardless, much of the feedback is useful, and I have until Monday to make changes before it is submitted to HMB in London for final judging.

Will be difficult to focus on editing when I could be out shopping this weekend! Does anyone have any shopping or eating recommendations in KL?

(I know, Bad Leah. Need to write!)

Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember how I finalled in the RWA First Kiss Competition? Well, I'm absolutely thrilled to say that I won! Cristien Hickey came second, and Alli Withers, third.

I received the phone call yesterday from the lovely organiser, Cath Evans. I was at work at the time, so had to run out of my open plan office to be quietly excited in the hallway :)

And, in even more exciting news, the HMB Editor who judged the fnalists has requested my partial and synopsis (and Cristien's, too). I'm really excited about this, and am madly writing and polishing this weekend.

I also hadn't realised that while there were six finalists, there were only three place getters. So my assumption from my earlier post - that I'd get to collect my certificate at the RWA Conference Dinner - was seriously premature! Oh dear.

I also received some feedback from the judging editor. There was some lovely comments about my writing, but it started off with "Despite a contrived set up" - ouch! So definitely something I need to work on. I trap my hero/heroine together on an island during a cyclone, which I suspect is the contrived bit. They are both on the island for a very good reason (driven by their separate individual internal conflicts), is that enough? Or is the cyclone too convenient?

I keep thinking of my rejection letter - where coincidences and contrived situations were a big problem. Any thoughts?

Luna at LoveCats - plus Romancing the West!

Oh wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I blogged! How did that happen?

I've had a busy month, although my word count has not shifted at all. How pathetic. I really need a kick up the bum!

Other than not writing, I spent a week in Sydney for a work conference (and managed to do a half decent conference presentation - only my second conference preso ever so really glad it went well), coming back just in time for Romancing the West. I had the most fabulous time, with some signifcant light bulb moments. I'll write a separate post about those, but for now - I'll just say that Fiona Lowe and Nikki Logan rock :)

I also had an amazing time catching up with Rachael Johns and Nikki Logan, and getting to know Janette Radevski better. Janette is absolutely lovely, and of course, I already knew that Rach and Nikki are awesome :) The photo is of Rach and I at the conference dinner.

In the last month I also submitted my lovely cat, Luna, to Cat Walk Wednesday at LoveCats Downunder. She's the featured pet this Wednesday, why don't you go meet her?

What do you think of the new M&B covers?

In Australia, HMB have changed the covers for the Sweet (Romance) lines - the line I'm targetting. Special Moments and Historicals have also been re-vamped, while the other lines remain the same.

My good friend Nikki Logan's debut romance was one of the first books with the new covers, and I think it's beautiful. The book - Lights, Camera... Kiss the Boss - is also awesome - I highly recommend it.

What I like most about the new covers, is that the paper and font has also changed. The paper is much thicker, and combined with the matt covers they just look to be of far higher quality. Also, as I'm not a fan of the clinch covers, they are far less embarrassing to carry around.

What I don't like so much, is that the author's name and the title can get a bit lost amongst the cover.

Anyway, I've noticed that Mills and Boon is running a survey, asking for reader feedback on the new covers: Cover Survey (link is at bottom left of the screen). You can win a year's subscription, so well worth taking the few minutes to respond.

What do you think? Do you like the new Aussie covers? Or do you prefer the old style?

Counting words and synopses

I've just added a couple of word count meter things to my blog - over there -->

Book 2's word count is rather pathetic - but that does include deleting a lot of Book 2 last week (but, let's be honest, I'm talking 1000s, not tens of thousands of words... I have been a bit slack).

The good news is that I do now have a synopsis for Book 2! I entered my first ever US contest, and a synopsis was needed. It's a rubbish synopsis in as far as how it is written (it's unjudged in this competition) but I'm pretty happy with the story. And amazed I managed to wrestle it down from nearly 3000 words to 1200 to meet the contest requirements :)

I still need to work with it a LOT more, and I'm sure it will evolve as the story is written, but it's so exciting to have a road map. For years I thought I was a pantser, but I failed dismally at that. Sadly while I can pants cute scenes, I certainly can't pants compelling, emotional, believable motivations and conflicts. Damn!

So plotting it is for me. For Book 1, it wasn't until I wrote the synopsis (after it had taken me nearly two years to write the first 5 chapters) that I was able to actually finish the book - and then it only took a couple of months. Knowing exactly what is coming next seems to help strangle my ever present doubt demons.

So - what are you - plotter or pantser? And is there anyone else out there who - like me - finds the dreaded synopsis actually (gasp!) helpful?