Today, my friend and fellow Hotter Than Hades author, Georgiana Louis is joining me.
Hey sweetie! Grab a seat and get comfy! Today you were going to talk about your road to publishing, so I'll hand over the floor (VBG)
My journey to being published.
The question I most
frequently get asked when I tell people in the real world I am a published
author is:
“How did you do that?”
I always laugh and say,
“I wrote something, submitted it and got a contract.” But it wasn’t that
simple.
The first story I ever
wrote is still lost in hard discs at my parents place. It was rejected by
Harlequin five years ago and now that I know what I know about writing, I am
not the least bit surprised.
The second story I
wrote ‘Nanny Wanted,’ I submitted and got a similar response. I was getting
slightly disenchanted by this time. I had no reason for this, mind you. I had
never taken a writing course or done any research, but I read a lot and thought
I could write a decent story.
I gave up writing for a
while and took up reading again.
Enter stage left, books
by Sabrina Jeffries, Eloisa James and Julia Quinn. I fell in love with Regency
romance and didn’t go back to short sexy romance.
Whilst on a holiday
with hubby, I ran out of books, shock horror! But I had an idea based around
the Regency requirements of ‘an heir and a spare’ male child to make sure the
title stayed in the one blood line.
I began writing The
Reluctant Duke and the subsequent three stories. ‘The Spares’ series was born.
I loved my characters,
truly fell in love, and decided I would submit to Avon. No response, hmmm. But
I still loved my story and decided to actually do some research and found the
world had changed. E-books were now the craze! I found a website that listed good
publishers for Historical Romance and looked down the list. The first romance I
EVER read (at age 11) was called ‘Red Rose For Love’, so when I saw Red Rose
Publishing on the list, I thought it appropriate.
I sent my manuscript
off and within a month I had a contract for my first story! Unbelievable.
After that the journey
was a bit flat. I sent in two more manuscripts but didn’t get speedy replies
and the main CEO didn’t return my many emails.
However, I had made
friends with some of the other authors on the Red Rose facebook page and I
waited.
Then an email came from
Belle, my own editor and everything fell into place. She fixed up my first
contract, added a series one and a Christmas one for Nanny Wanted which I had
edited. She talked to the CEO and is
still an awesome support and communicator.
That was eight months
ago and I have now joined many writing groups. Both on line and in person.
These groups give me people to bounce ideas off, critique partners and general
partners in virtual crime. My writing styles have expanded dramatically and I
LOVE ebook submitting. I always struggled to stretch my stories out to the
required lengths of the traditional publishers, whereas now I can write the
story as it is. Whether that is three thousand words or fifty. Sweet or very
erotic, I love it all.
I have had two stories
published by Red Rose Publishing recently but am still waiting on The Reluctant
Duke’s release, sigh. It should be out early March.
That is the other thing
I forgot to mention. Publishing moves at a GLACIAL pace. When I asked The
Australian Romance Writers Group if that was normal, most of them laughed and
said “Yes, it gives you time to write something new.” So I did.
This is an excerpt of
The Reluctant Duke for you lovely bloggers... Oh and that was the other HUGE
learning curve. The need to self promote through facebook, twitter, websites,
blogs and blog hops. Sigh. I am soooo not technologically advanced. A computer
is little more than access to email and a type writer for me... but of course I
have relented and thanks to beautiful friends like Kissa Starling and the
lovely Imogene Nix, I am getting myself together.
Excerpt:
“What’s
wrong with Mr. Mc Tavish?” Annabelle demanded again, her voice raising a couple
of notches.
“Nothing,
he’s a good man,” Colin admitted reluctantly.
“Then
what’s the problem?”
He
tugged at his cravat, it was too tight. How was he going to get out of this?
“I just do not want you regretting marrying
for less than what you deserve,” Colin admitted quietly.
“And
what’s that?” Annabelle asked just as quietly.
“Love,
or at least passion.”
“I do not believe you can fall in love in just
two weeks,” Annabelle answered quickly.
“But
passion, yes, I have found that.”
Pure
rage filled Colin. Red clouded his vision as his temperature rose.
“Passion?
You have found passion with him?” He advanced on Annabelle like a lion circling
his prey.
Annabelle
nodded and Colin growled again, pulling her into his arms. The need to stake
his claim on her undeniable.
“Like
the passion you have found with me?” he ducked his head and ran his lips down
her throat.
Annabelle
gasped but leaned into him. “That is not fair to say to me. You do not want to
marry me.”
Colin
laughed low in his throat. “I would if I could,” he pressed his lips to the
spot beneath her ear.
“What?!”
Annabelle shrieked, pushing hard against his chest.
“Annabelle,
you have no idea how much I want you,” Colin admitted, rolling his hips in an
provocative gesture that only caused him to feel more frustrated.
“You
want to seduce me, you do not wish to marry me,” Annabelle went to pull away
again, struggling harder but Colin held her tighter.
“I
would never seduce you. I would marry you in a heartbeat if I was not a Duke.”
Colin murmured beneath her ear.
Annabelle
laughed now, with so much bitterness and anger that when she tried to pull away
he had to let her go.
“What
do you call this then?” She motioned angrily to their surroundings.
“Is
this the part where you offer to make me your mistress instead? Or do you
already have one like most men of rank do?” There was no disguising the
jealousy in her tone or the disgust.
“I
would never insult you with such an offer.”
Annabelle’s
eyebrows raised high in silent question.
“And
no I do not have one.” He answered honestly, shocked she would ask.
“Well my lord... I’m sorry... Your Grace, from
what I have learnt in the past few weeks it would be very unusual for you not
to have one, and insulting in the extreme for you to say that you would marry
me if you could.”
“I’m
not lying, I have never had a mistress, but I am aware that most men do. And I
was speaking the truth, I would marry you in an instant if I had met you two
years ago.” Colin told her earnestly. She had to believe him, he was telling
the truth.
“What’s
different now?”
“Everything.”
Colin said bitterly, turning away from her.
“My
father once told me that I was born his spare, but he had no real reason to
need one. He had actually wished for a daughter the night I was born. In ten
generations the Dukedom has always passed from first son to first son. I am the
first second son to inherit in my family and my mother has spent my life telling
me I was not needed... or really wanted.”
“Oh,
Colin,” Annabelle reached out her hand to touch his shoulder, consoling him
with the touch he had never had.
With a
frustrated roar Colin grabbed her and spun, pinning her up against the wall.
“You
will never know how much I burn for you, only you.”
“Show
me,” she whispered recklessly placing her hands on his warm chest.
Author Bio:
In the real world I am happily married to my own hero, the mother of two beautiful little girls and a chiropractor.
However, I have always loved to read. Escapism in its safest form, I wanted nothing more than to pick up one of Eloisa James' books, or relax with Julia Quinn.
One day though I realised I had an idea, a series of friends that each had their own story to tell. I jotted down a few ideas, sat at my computer and guess what? The Spares was born!
I haven't looked back since.
Where can you find Georgiana Louis?
Thanks for visiting with me today! Oh and if you are in Brisbane you can find Georgiana Louis hanging out with me at the ARRC2013 this weekend. Pop on over and say hi!
Imogene
Imogene
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