From Romance to Cook Books

On September 24, "Under The Tree' will be launched, a recipe book that celebrates the community of Fahan school and it will be the result of nearly two years of incredibly hard work by myself and a small committee of friends. If someone had told me that the first book I ever published would be a recipe book, I would have laughed at them as what I know about cooking you could fit on a postage stamp. But then again, "Under the Tree" is much more than a recipe book.

My husband and I have educated our four daughters through Fahan, a small private school in Hobart, and two years ago, several events occurred that made me pause and consider why, at an expense that at times we have struggled to afford, we have done so.

This 'pause' led me to discover that what I cherish most about our school is the community that binds it together. As I talked to people, I also found that I was not alone. To many students, both past and present, it is that sense of belonging and community that they most cherish about Fahan School. From this pondering, I formed a small committee and together we have created "Under The Tree" a recipe book that celebrates the community of Fahan and all the recipes that have helped bind our families together.

Our hope is that this book serves two purposes. That it will give the reader a sense of all that is special within the Fahan community. And secondly, that whilst the reader will discover some innovative and contemporary recipes within its pages, they will also be reminded of those special ones that have made their own families special. My personal favourite is the chocolate pudding recipe as it reminds me of meal times as a child and that garish orange dish that the pudding was always served in (that still survives to this day) and of my five brothers and sisters fighting over who went first.

So, whilst not the writing project I hoped would launch my career, it is still one of which I am incredibly proud and as the first copies become available (we are expecting the advances in approximately two weeks) I will share with you images from 'Under the Tree."

A LIGHTBULB MOMENT

Well...not so much a lightbulb, but more the equivalent of someone switching on the lights at the MCG, then turning them up a wee bit. Years ago (well it seemed like that) I blogged (or did I comment on someone elses blog) re the dreaded synopsis and that the advice I was given from Jenny Hutton from HM&B was to write a synopsis that was totally based on the emotional journey of the characters i.e. you strip everything away so the story could take place in any time frame or in any setting. Hard to do...yes sirreeeee. But today I found the road map to doing this on Heidi Rice's blog (thank you Heidi). For those of you that havent already had a peak, she has posted the synopsis of her first book and then been good enough to give her tips and the tips of the editor who critiqued it.

Absolutely fantastic stuff. Not just for the advice, but also to see that such an accomplished writer had a journey as well and that the mistakes she made all sound very familiar (and that there is life after an Elvis impersonator).

And now, by jove, I think I get it. Although they do say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So, back to the manuscript, which is now three-quarters complete. Although, on the strength of Heidi's blog, I think today I will step back from the manuscript and write the synopsis. Then I will have a road map for the manuscript and will be able to see the journey forward as well as any pot holes in the road I have fallen into.

Onward and upward.

K.I.S.S.

I read this acronym on Jackie Ashenden's blog and loved it, so I have stolen it, made it mine and it now lives on a post-it above my computer screen. Keep It Simple Stupid. It is right up there with my post-it that reads "Tension on EVERY page."

How hard do we make this for ourselves. I have been following Jackie's blog, Lucy Kings blog and several others and it seems that we all seem to be suffering from the same fate. Blackmail, intrigue, reality television shows, intricate plots and our heroes and heroines are left flailing trying to keep up. So I have decided to KISS.

The twins...gone. The reality TV show...in the trash can. All the smokescreens I had erected are gone. I now have one hero (totally Alpha and totally tooooo sexy for words...although a few do spring to mind) and one heroine and a simple plot that they can twist and turn as suits their needs. Because, as it happens, that is who we are interested in, is it not. The hero and the heroine.And their journey.

PS: I did keep the trashed mansion though, and have thrown in a British bulldog for good measure. What can I say, old habits die hard.

RWA and NaNoWriMo

Has it been that long since I last posted a blog...no...say it isn't so. Anyway, I am back and limbering up my fingers for the RWA's version of NaNoWriMo. I have committed to write 50,000 words in the next 30 days and I have to admit that I am a little excited about the prospect. I also participated last year and this was when I penned my runner-up entry for the FTH competition. Hopefully, this year I can take my new manuscript to the next level.

The new manuscript...how is it going I hear you say. Since we last spoke, the new manuscript has been replaced with an even newer, shinier one. I workshopped my synopsis with Melanie Milburne and we thrashed it around over coffee and came out with a completely different story...how often is that the way. So now I have a set of twins, a hero with a trashed mansion and an appearance by a reality TV show...not necessarily in that order. I will fill you in when I know more myself.

24 hours and all is changed.

My, how a story line can change in 24 hours. Yesterday I posted that the hero and heroine were drawn back together by the death of her brother. Scrap that.

Now that I have interviewed them both, it turns out that they are reunited at a school reunion. Our heroine, Josie West, has made a last minute decision to attend the reunion, held in her home town of Bindirin, which is a small coastal town on the Northern NSW coast, as even though her school life was hell (braces, no boobs, too many brains etc) it has to be better than the hell that has erupted around her over the last 24 hours. There she meets the man she fantasised over from under the bleachers in the gym. And damn if he hasnt grown up real nice...I mean realllll nice. So that is where we are at the moment, as they reconnect over a glass of champagne with the realisation dawning that in her real life, Mr Right may have just gone up in the ball of flames, but Mr Right Now might just be what the doctor ordered.

An unexpected pregnancy will follow, along with an unexpected proposal. So stay tuned.

My heroine is Josie West, a graphic designer, my hero is Jack Burrows, sports photographer specialising in Big Wave Surfers and the new title is 'How the West was won.'

Amazing what will transpire when you actually make the time to sit at the computer.

I'm back

Hi diddley neighbours, I am back after a brief stint wallowing in my rejection...and moving house. Actually, the move gave me more grief than the rejection. As posted earlier, Jenny Hutton gave me heaps of valuable feedback and I know I promised that I would share. So here goes.

Jenny has said from the get go that she loves my voice and she finds my humour and dialogue fresh and vibrant. My mistake was that I gave her both of these things in spades but it was at the cost of the story. I manufactured situations to fit with the humour and even though the dialogue I created was sparky and fun it lacked a ring of truth. Yesterday, I sat down and read her rejection through again and it was as though a lightbulb suddenly went on.I can see exactly what she means. Now, I have to break the habit.

I am currently reading 'Hired: The Bosses Bride' by Ally Blake and if people would like an example of great dialogue, her books really deliver and I can now see where my dialogue fell over. Kelly Hunter is another writer who's dialogue sizzles off the page.

So I have taken my rejection and Ally Blake's/Kelly Hunters library of books and have a brand new manuscript percolating. What is it about you ask? No idea. The heroine...not even a name. A hero...still formulating. But never let the lack of ideas ruin a good story I say. I have always wanted a hero and a heroine with a connected past, so at this moment I have them being drawn back to their home town by the death of her brother (who is also his best friend). They are forced together to preserve something that belonged to the brother, maybe a family business. And they are also forced to confront the wedge that was driven between them years before.

Did I mention that the idea is incredibly raw at this point but at least I now have somewhere to jump off to.

And did I mention that it is great to be back.

If at first you dont succeed...

Well...the bad news is that I heard from Jenny at Mills and Boon yesterday and the answer was a 'no' to my manuscript 'The House that Jack Built'. (Is that the sound of shock/horror coming from the bleachers, maybe a sigh of disappointment in the back row.)

The good news is that she gave me heaps of great feedback on the manuscript and things to look out for in future submissions. She is also happy to discuss her comments with me and has invited me to send over my next story idea for her feedback.(Someone turn on the clapping machine.) So although I have not received the expected 1500 book contract I was hoping for, I am still miles ahead of where I was before I entered the 'Feel the Heat' competition all those months ago.

Am I disappointed. Of course. But funnily enough, not as much as what I thought. Maybe I am in denial and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth when the news sinks in over a couple of glasses of wine. What I do feel is proud...proud that I finally completed and submitted a full manuscript. Now I am really looking forward to taking what I have learnt and pouring it into the new one.

But not until after I move house. So back to the packing boxes and when I get a chance I will share Jenny's feedback with you...the good, the bad, and the ugly (although there was not so much of the ugly).