Writing Romance by Bestselling Author, Alexandra Sellers

First Alexandra, can I say how great it is to interview another romance author, especially one that writes sheikh romances!

Great to meet you, Katheryn!  And thank you for having me on your blog.  As Jane Austen says, "If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?"  For "heroine" read "sheikh romance novelist"!

First, I believe you have been writing for quite a few years, including writing romance novels for Harlequin.  

Yes, my first book was published in 1980, by Dell. And my second was then commissioned by Harlequin, and after a few more books I went to Silhouette, which was then a Simon & Schuster imprint. Harlequin had to buy the whole imprint, I like to think, to get me back…

Chasing Rainbows and Finding Success: Meet Bestselling Romance Author Kathleen Long

This weekend it is great to welcome another wonderful romance author, Kathleen Long. First of all Kathleen, congratulations on the huge success of your bestselling novel, Chasing Rainbows, an Amazon, USA Today and WSJ bestseller! Obviously you won’t want to give too much away, but for people who haven’t read it yet, could you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you, Katheryn! The past several weeks have been a humbling, exciting time in my life.

Chasing Rainbows is the story of Bernadette Murphy’s journey out of a life that’s stagnated into a life brimming with possibility.

Here’s the blurb:

What’s that saying about the devil you know? For Bernadette Murphy, it's the devil she never expected that changes everything. Her father’s sudden death leaves a gaping void in her life and is one in a series of events that rock her world. But with the discovery of her father’s book of cryptograms, Bernie realizes his encoded lessons in living may be exactly what she needs to survive.

When Bernie finds herself in trouble at home, out of work and banned from the mall after a confrontation at the cosmetic counter, she discovers what her father always knew. In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow, or you don’t.

For Bernie, the singing is about to begin.

Meet Cat Brown: Author and Romance Junkie

I’m thrilled to welcome romance junkie, Cat Brown, who is not only a romance author, but also the founder of Romance Junkies, the online site for everything to do with romance novels. First of all, you have published several romance novels using the name Samantha Storm, including Eye of the Storm, which has had brilliant reviews. Could you tell us a little bit about Eye of the Storm?  

It’s a 79,000 word paranormal.

Book Blurb: A car bomb hurls Katlin Campbell, a young redheaded beauty, into a world of chaos. She is forced to go on the run, her head filled with dangerous information passed onto her by a dying man.

Her only chance of survival — Ryker Duncan, a retired bodyguard. A sexy man with killer biceps who is only interested in keeping her alive long enough to find a way to retrieve and sell the information in her head to the highest bidder. Ryker can’t seem to keep his hands off Katlin, but he is torn between his growing feelings for her and the guilt he still carries over his wife’s death.

Writing refresher

I'm currently rereading Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  I first read it about 5 years ago and thought it was about time for a refresher course as I start on my next romance.  I've read loads of books about writing, but this is one of the few that I think is worth a reread.  If you don't have a copy, I would recommend it if you write romance fiction, especially the Harlequin/Mills and Boon type of romance.  Kate Walker is a successful writer for Mills and Boon 'Modern Romance' (Harlequin 'Presents'), so her book is especially helpful if you write that type of book.

I personally don't write for Harlequin/Mills and Boon, but that's another story for another day.  If there are other good writing guides that you would recommend, please let me know.

Now I'm going to go back to reading Kate's book.