IWSG post - Do you consider romance writers purveyors of 'Mummy Porn' or do you consider us serious writers?

Hello everyone! 

Where do the months go? Already time for the August IWSG and to take our writer's temperature. What are we secure/insecure about this month? What can we share with each other in the common goal of improving our writing experience?

Thanks to the many who joined the discussion re blogging. I've determined to aim for more interesting posts and to keep my writing craft posts to a minimum. And I'm posting more photos which Deniz Bevan reminded me about. Ironically, I've had several requests to participate in book launches since posting, and some I have agreed to, but I will be trying my hardest not to be posting generic information and making sure I've read/enjoyed the book the author is selling.

This is my own edited photo of arriving on the Fijian island

 I chose (and renamed) as a setting for my romance novel

Most of my writing for the past few months has been plugging away at an editor's suggested re-writes on my Fijian Princess novel to fit the Harlequin Desire category. I feel like I  have to justify my choice to write romance when the corner of the blogosphere I move in seems to be peopled with sci-fi, fantasy, YA and MG authors. 

I've never understood why it was acceptable to have the James Bond fantasy for the 'boys', but the mainly female authors of Harleqin Mills and Boon et al are often considered a pre-conceived stereotype. Well, they're laughing all the way to the bank. Attending a Romance Writer's Conference is a Happily Ever After experience! The BIGGIE is in Sydney this coming weekend. No, I'm not attending, but Nas Dean is, and afterwards she is coming to stay with me, as she's a presenter at the River City Writer's Conference here in Brisbane which I am helping with.


Some Interesting Facts About the Romance Genre:

• There are more romance novels sold than any other genre, even though there's a perception that it's not a genre for serious authors - there's Romance Writers Versus Everyone Else. 
• There were an estimated $1.35 billion in global sales last year.
• Over half of all books sold globally are romance.
• Modern romance novels embrace reality, fantasy, paranormal--everything that 'other' fiction does.
• This genre continually morphs to satisfy their huge readership. There are all sexual persuasions (authors choose what category they wish to write in), there are teen stories, there are all ethnicities, ages, economic backgrounds, issues. Every sub-genre you can think of is represented - rural, historical, suspense, medical, erotic,...you name it, Harlequin et al has it. Even sci-fi!! There you go!
• The heroine must be feisty, intelligent, no one's victim--a kick-ass heroine in other words. 
• The hero doesn't have to be a billionaire, but it helps, as long as he turns out to be a fabulous guy under that aura of entitlement.
• There must be a Happily-Ever-After (HEA), but the story doesn't have to end with marriage.

                                                                            

Sipping kava in Fiji in the interests of authenticity for the kava party in my novel. My reaction is the same as my hero's.




So what do you think? Do you consider romance writers purveyors of 'Mummy Porn'?, formulaic storylines, the boring HEA ending, or do you consider romance writers serious writers? 

If you're interested in this topic, my post was inspired by reading an article by Kate Belle, romance author. You can read it here. 

Click on the badge to access other IWSG posts.

Thank you Alex and this month's hosts.

IWSG post. I finished my first novel, now comes...Writing the dreaded synopsis ..with links.

Hello writer friends!

Even though it's A - Z month, IWSG is going ahead. This gives me the opportunity to tell you...

...I finally finished my first novel! It rocked in at nearly 60,000 words. I have four other novels in the works, but I decided to finish my 2013 NaNo project - Fijian Princess, a romance set naturally enough, in Fiji (where I spent six wonderful weeks house-sitting for Nas Dean). I've always been a stickler for writing about what you know, or finding out what you don't.

Being a snarky editor myself, I didn't want to send my novel off into the world with mistakes in structure, formatting, and egad, even a typo or two, so I went the Manuscript Assessor route. For those who haven't heard of this option, this is an editing type of person who goes over your manuscript with a pair of fine tweezers, plucking out those unnecessary bits, finding those bits you have in the wrong place, then writing an 8 - 10 page explanation of the tweezing, with suggestions on how to wax lyrical.

The Assessor I chose, Louise Cusack is a much-published Australian (local) author whose writing workshops I have attended, and who knows her way around Harlequin et al. Louise doesn't just want your manuscript, she wants the Synopsis of your novel and the Query too. She will advise on both of those pesky little items.

I've struggled with the 'Dreaded Synopsis' for years, which may account for my lack of submissions. But if I wanted Louise's professional eye over my synopsis, I had just a week to get it done. Which I did. But then she asked me to cut it from nearly 2,000 words to 500. Egad! I thought all sense of the story would be obliterated with such severe culling, but there's still enough remaining to get the drift.

I found it useful to read others' synopses while struggling with my own, so am posting my final 500 worder. I hasten to add that I haven't had feedback from Louise on this. It may royally suck.

Fijian Princess

Bosco Brookes wants Adi Vakalevulevu. Adi Vakalevulevu wants Bosco Brookes, but he’s from another world. Will their differences prevent them from living their love story? Will the power of their shared passion overcome all obstacles?

Thirty-year-old Bosco Brookes, confirmed bachelor and millionaire architect, arrives on Fiji’s Italal Island for his sister Callis’ wedding. He has two passions in his life – being Callis’ ‘father’, and making millions. But when he meets Adi Vakalevulevu, the Fijian Princess, she becomes another passion. However, he can’t have Adi and his future resort. But Bosco always gets what he wants.

Adi Kaca Rani Vakalevulevu is twenty-three years old. Her life has been one of ‘duty’ – to her father the chieftain, then to her betrothed Ethan Naevo. Ethan makes her his partner in Italal Lagoon Resort to keep her close while he pressures her to marry him. Adi forgets all about Ethan when she finds the handsome Australian Bosco Brookes mesmerised by her. She would love a happily-ever-after with Bosco, but if he finds out her secret, Adi knows he will fly out of her life as quickly as he flew in.

Bosco is captivated by Adi; he is Adi’s fairytale hero, come to rescue her from her life of duty. Bosco’s original plan is to seduce Adi, but his deepening attraction surprises the playboy; he wants more than a casual fling.

Adi can’t believe her luck - attracting such a dashing tycoon. He’s out of her league, but it can’t hurt to indulge in a little fantasy, can it? Adi and Bosco’s flirting starts at the bar that first night and continues at the Kava party. Adi’s flirting stops cold with Bosco’s faux pas. She also learns he has a girlfriend, Australian supermodel Frieda Adolphson. Just Adi’s luck!

Next morning, Adi accepts Bosco’s fumbling apology. Bosco keeps quiet about his planned resort, keeps quiet about Frieda, but he can’t keep quiet about the potential disaster that looms over the resort thanks to Ethan Naevo.

On a day trip to dive at Uknan Island, Bosco and Adi’s mutual passion for each other is uncovered. Callis nearly drowns; Bosco hits rock bottom - he’s failed his baby sister.

Bosco’s life is changing; he can’t come to grips with the new direction his life is taking.

Bosco and Adi make love on a mountain top, make love on a stormy beach – metaphors for the highs and lows of their relationship.

The wedding and fist fight with Ethan behind him, Bosco’s quest leads him to the highlands in search of Adi who has disappeared. Here in her village, the crisis and resolution of the novel occur. He endures a hazing, then surprises Adi in her father’s bure. Adi confesses her lack of trust in assuming Bosco will reject her once he knows she’s the mother of Ethan’s child. Bosco, after his initial rage over her lack of trust, confesses his love.

All obstacles overcome, they make passionate love in Adi’s room. Bosco gifts Adi a sperm whale bone, the traditional Fijian symbol for trust. The engagement ring will follow. They both find their happily ever after.

 Forget the query. I ran out of time...

• What do you think? Does it make you want to read the story? That is the whole point of a synopsis. The editor asks: Do I want to read more? Uh uh...nah...or...Send me the first three chapters, and quick!

LINKS FOR WRITING SYNOPSES:

http://www.kathycarmichael.com/articles-and-seminars/articles-and-workshops/romance-synopsis/short-romance-synopsis-workshop/

http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/write-whisper-sample-synopsis.html?m=1

http://www.vivianbeck.com/writing/5_steps_to_writing_a_synopsis.htm

http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com/workshops/writing-the-tight-synopsis/ 

Please visit other IWSG posts here...

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression. 5 Editing Tips I've learned.

Hi there Insecure Writers and friends!

Some people hate the editing process, others (of which I am one) love it...er, maybe too much. When is enough, enough?

I 'finished' Fijian Princess at the end of November 2012. If you've written a novel during NaNoWriMo, you'll know that the ms I completed was pretty rubbishy...but it was an exciting story...I felt it had potential. Maybe it was going to be the first novel I actually finished...and got published. But I'm quite aware that:

"Writing is rewriting" - Eudora Welty.

I earnestly believe that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Publishers these days don't have a big budget for editors, so they are more likely to accept a good story that has been fully edited (publication ready is the term) - it's not just finding all those typos/misspellings/punctuation/grammar errors - there are development editors, structural editors, copy editors...ever look at the list at the back of a bestseller? It certainly takes a village to write/finish a book, a good seller anyway.

Most of us do the bulk of the editing ourselves. Who can afford to pay a heap of editors? That's where critique partners, beta readers, clever editing writer friends are worth their weight in gold. And don't forget the heaps of 'how to edit' books we have on our shelves.

The Insecure Writers Support Group - Finish that novel!

Hello there!

It's great to be back to 'normal' posting now that my NaNo novel is finished. I have participated in NaNoWriMo for several years in a row, but this is the first time I feel really happy with the first 50,000 words of my novel. Perhaps that's something to do with the fact that it's been simmering around in my head during my 6-week hiatus in Fiji in July/August this year. As I cruised the Fiji Islands at leisure and chatted to the locals, I was always on the lookout for locations/characters for the story I knew I'd write back in Oz.

Two kava ceremonies turn up in my novel. Hard to do if I hadn't participated in a few!

Funny, I was reading yet another 'how to' book before NaNo, and it said it would be difficult to write about some places, such as Fiji, without visiting. I know what the author meant. There are so many customs, ways of thinking, histories and characters that would be difficult to find on google.

So many quirky characters, so many ceremonial dresses,
so many things to experience - and write about.

Which brings me to the point of my post today - Finish the novel.

Margaret Attwood said it, others have said it - if you don't finish your story, why are you worried about whether it'll get published or not? Similarly, if you don't ever finish anything you start, what is the point of twittering away on social media (if you have opened accounts expressly to promote yourself) if you never have anything to promote? Luckily, I just twitter away promoting other authors and places.

So insecure writers (isn't that everyone?), get that novel finished - first draft, edits, re-writes, whatever it takes, but eventually call it finished and ready to launch into the world. Hopefully, you won't have as many unfinished novels as I have, but how about we work towards at least getting one completely finished? That aside, I consider my unfinished novels the best hands-on writing course I ever did!

• Tell me about your writing journey and aspirations. Have you finished your novel yet? Are you published?

Reading, 'Riting and tRavelling in Fiji. What have I been reading? Heaps of books!

When I'm not reading or writing I'm checking out the islands. Here's the singers welcoming  us to  South Sea Island

So this holiday is a bit different from my usual travels, where I spend every waking moment sightseeing. Seeing I have such a long time in Fiji, I'm able to pace myself - a day at home to read, write, blog, fb, tweet etc and the next day to hit the road, the towns or the islands.


It's been a good plan. I've had time to keep in close touch with my Writing Group which meets at the Queensland Writer's Centre in Brisbane. We're collaborating on an epic fantasy novel. At this stage we are world building, profiling our characters and plotting. All good for pantser me. 


Partly in preparation for writing my fantasy characters, I've been reading fantasy novels. Several.

Nas' daughter had a Tamora Pierce lying around - Alanna, the First Adventure. This was timely, as I imagine my female princess character sharing some traits with Alanna, a girl pretending to be a boy training as a knight. Now I'll have to look for the rest of the series.

Free ebook

I also read Nancy Williams' Magic of Windlier Wood. I've had this beautiful little fantasy short story with enchanting characters and settings on my TBR list for sometime now. Nancy, whose novel Treasures of Carmelidrium was gorgeous, certainly knows about world building, something our Writing Group has spent a long time on. 



Blogger India Drummond's Contemporary Urban Fantasy, Book 1, Blood Faerie has been languishing in my Kindle for several months. I'm finally getting to read it. I haven't finished yet. It's not the sort of fantasy our group is writing, but I'm learning a lot about India's fantasy writing and world building. The main character Eilidh is on the run from faerie land, escaping a death sentence. But she finds herself having to make some big choices when she lives amongst humans and a mutilated body is discovered. (You can download India's book now from Amazon USA andAmazon UK  

Click to buy

I also caught an interview with Linda Gillard on Talli's blog. I instantly bought her book, The Glass Guardian. It's a romantic ghost story. Very intriguing. I loved it. It has some similarities to a romantic ghost story I've been writing to submit to Entangled Publishing. Can ghosts love? Good question.


Another romantic ghost story I read was a free ebook A Romantic Ghost Story by Jason W Chan. An entertaining read about a grandmother who's dying, but has died before. Now she's going to meet her love, who many years ago, died that she might live again.

Click to buy from Amazon

Then there's Love Knows No Bounds. A great anthology of novellas from Enchanted Publishing. 
I came across this anthology when I was checking out writing opportunities at Enchanted. Love Knows No Bounds is EP's current Featured Release. This is a fabulous anthology in their Flirts Category. Strong on romance, but full of quirky intrigue. It contains 3 stories:  TWEET by Boone Brux, BITTERSWEET by Brooke Moss and REMEMBER ME by Nina Croft. 100% of profits benefits the charity Autism Speaks.


Speaking of EP did you catch the fabulous Pitch contest over at Brenda Drake's? Several EP editiors will be on board to take their pick from several Pitches.The contest closes when the magic 200 pitches is reached. Just checked - they have 191, so closing soon!


So that's my reading for the fantasy/paranormal genres. I've been reading heaps more. I'll talk about them some time soon.


Nobody asked me to read or review these books. I bought them myself and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

• What have you been reading lately?
• Have you read any of the books I've mentioned?
• Did you enter the Enchanted Publishing Pitch Contest?

Bula from Fiji!. Bollywood in Fiji, Hollywood in Fiji and free ebook!

Bula from Fiji!

MOVIES IN FIJI

If you missed him on facebook,
this is the Fijian policeman
next door. Cute uniform!

Bollywood has overtaken Hollywood as the biggest movie maker in the world and I was surprised to see a Bollywood takeover of Fiji. There are currently several productions taking place (four simultaneously) and locals count themselves lucky to be asked to play extras for the princely sum of $30 (AUD $15ish) per day. Wages in Fiji are very low, even for professionals like policemen and teachers, so the Fijians are happy to earn a little extra to be an extra (pun intended). Anything that helps a struggling economy is a positive if you can get over the fact that to most of us such low wages reek of exploitation.

I shouldn’t have been too surprised at the popularity of Bollywood movies here, as 37% of the population of Fiji is Indo-Fijian compared to 57% of native Fijians. Every day there are Bollywood movies showing wherever you go to visit or eat as most of the businesses are owned by the Indo-Fijians. There are Bollywood movies on the television if/when I turn it on during the day. Not to mention the shops and handicraft stalls where you can buy saris and look the part! (Psst, I got to try on a sari of Nas’ and report it is very uncomfortable when you’re not used to it!)

GEOGRAPHY LESSON, LOL!

Fiji consists of two largish islands, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu (where Nas lives and I'm hanging out). Vitu Levu has Nadi (the tourist capital) where Nas has her home, and Suva, (the political capital). However, these are just 2 of 300+ islands. The scenery is what most people consider paradise – golden sandy beaches, reefs, jungle-type mountains complete with waterfalls – all making beautiful locations for movie making.

Long before Bollywood invaded Fiji’s sparkling shores, Hollywood was here! Here are some movies made on the Fijian islands which you may recognize:

• ·         Robinson Crusoe (1932)
• ·         The Blue Lagoon (1948)
• ·         The Blue Lagoon (1979) - remake
• ·         The Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991)
• ·         Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
• ·         Cast Away (2000) – the island (Monuriki) is now unofficially called Tom Hanks Island and after a day trip there everyone wonders how Tom and his volleyball could drag themselves away. There is actually an island already called Castaway Island so they can't change it to that!
• ·         Contact (Jodi Foster’s ‘heaven’ sequence)

For the Bollywood fans, the major movie currently being shot around Suva, Nadi and the islands, is Table 21, starring Rajeev Khandelwal and Tina Desai.

The reason why Hollywood stopped choosing Fiji for locations is because of the instability of its government. Since independence from the Brits after 96 years of colonial administration , then the first steps to Fijian self-government in 1960, there have been four coups, with Commodore Frank Bainimarama in charge since he declared himself President in 2006. Democratic elections are set for 2013. Registration is currently underway. Great news!

Maybe Hollywood will return!

As will I. On our go-to list for next week:

·         Cocktails, dinner and watching the fire dancers at Denarau (an island close to Nadi Town)

·         A bus trip all the way around our island, Viti Levu – via the Queens Road to Suva, then return via the Kings Road through the mountains.

·         A full day sailing on the Seaspray 83 foot classic schooner, visiting 9 islands, including a traditional Fijian village.

Plans are known to go awry, but that’s the plan for now! As you can imagine, there’ll be some awesome snaps.

The lucky couple at Denarau where you catch the boats for the islands.

Moce (Goodbye) and Vinaka (Thank You) for reading a little about Fiji.

 FREE EBOOKS!

Carole Anne Carr is offering her ebook Candle Dark for free for three days from 6th July until 8th July. She is also offering her ebook First Wolf free for two days—July 12th and 13th. So be sure to check them out!

Insecure Writers Support Group - Writing with Passion. I'm passionate about Fiji and shouting out for bloggers like Roland Yeomans...

Hello! Happy Independence Day, Americans! You're very passionate about your nation, so I've chosen Passion as my topic today seeing the founder of IWSG is Alex J Cavanaugh, American citizen.

This month I'm talking about passion. Who can live without passion? Passion for life, passion for food, passion for family, passion for friends, passion for God, passion for travel and passion for writing. Well, you can put them in order to suit yourself. Each one of us will have a different priority. But if you're reading this, chances are somewhere in the hierarchy you have a Passion for Writing. And you therefore need passion to permeate your writing...

Here are some quotes on passion from brainyquote.com.

It is a fact often observed, that men have written good verses under the inspiration of passion, who cannot write well under other circumstances.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
Oprah Winfrey

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.

T. S. Eliot


Roland Yeomans:


Someone with a huge passion for writing is our friend Roland Yeomans. Roland has a competition going and there's just 1 day left to enter his End of Days contest..


Basically all you have to do to be entered in the contest is to post about the contest.  However, if you have read his novel End of Days and post a review on Amazon, you will also be entered into the contest.  Do both and you're entered twice.

The prize:  A signed Robert Downey Jr poster, or a signed hard copy of The Art of Michael Whelan.

See Roland's blog for complete details, and for links to all his published novels, including the latest New Orleans Arabesque.

So at the moment I'm in Fiji. Many of you know I'm passionate about travel. I'm visiting with blogger friend Nas Dean from Romance Book Paradise. Now I know Fiji is a paradise. Thanks Nas for having me and trusting me with your home while you head to the U S of A! Bon Voyage. I'm able to spend a lot of uninterrupted time writing in paradise.

Nas and I on Wailoala Beach, Nadi, Fiji

Sharing Indian nibblies for morning tea in Nadi, Fiji.

So I'll be combining my passion with travel - meeting new people, experiencing new cultures - with my passion for writing . Can't wait to set some of my stories in this Fijian paradise. 

Sunset over Denarau, Nadi, Fiji. 

• What are you passionate about? Where does your passion for writing fit on the hierarchy?
• Thanks for visiting my blog. Click on the IWSG badge to find more posts on various topics.

#RomanticFridayWriters - Challenge No 39 - STUCK IN THE MIDDLE!

Ah, the joys of technology. This is pre-scheduled to publish when I'm in the air, a couple of hours from Fiji. No way I could miss my RomanticFridayWriters post. I had great comments on my Geffron and Marsilia story last challenge for the Perfect Ex prompt, so I continued the saga to suit this week's prompt but I don't exactly adhere to the specific guidelines, sorry Donna. Some readers said they loved the names Geffron and Marsilia - Geffron is an early English name and Marsilia is a traditional early Italian name and today's new name, Luigina, means 'famous warrior' in Italian and that's how I see her.

You're most welcome to check out the challenge at RomanticFridayWriters website and you may have time to pen a story for us this weekend (Linky closes on Sunday) or in two-week's time for the special prompt, Greener Pastures.

So, my On the Streets of London story continues with the addition of one character...

Crowded House

‘I’m back! Miss me?’

Geffron heard the call he’d been waiting for. He listened to the familiar clop as her bags hit the floor.

‘Geffron? Are you home, honey?’ He caught the uncertainty in her voice and smiled. Underneath all that blather she was a vulnerable child. Oh, he’d missed her!

She’d be pacing the hall, checking out his hated Escher prints. He’d not been game enough to hang them until she'd left, taking her graffiti-inspired abstracts with her.

He heard the clump of leather boots on the polished floor. She’d be angry that he’d ripped up the ugly purple carpet. Plop! She’d sunk into his new yellow leather chesterfield – he’d tossed out her ridiculous hippie-esque orange bean bags. She’d be looking around, waiting for him to come running, faithful puppy that he was.

‘Geffron! Where are you?’

‘Marsilia? What a surprise!’ He tugged the belt on his smoking jacket and closed the bedroom door.

 ‘Geffron! Why are you dressed like that at 5 o’clock in the afternoon?  Are you ill?’ He loved her delicious concerned frown.

‘Things have changed around here Marsilia. Since you’ve been gone –‘

‘New floor, new carpet, new lounge. What else is new?’

‘I am.’

Marsilia looked like she was going to vomit. How satisfying that the sight of another woman distressed her so.

‘Who’s this?’ He cringed a little from her furious purple eyes.

‘Luigina. I met her after you walked out on me.’

‘She is me, Toad.’

Luigina strolled to Marsilia’s side. ‘Ah, so you are Marsilia.’ Her eyes raked Marsilia from her curly red mane to her green thigh-high boots. ‘Geffron, now I see why you confused me for Marsilia.’

Geffron reclined on the chesterfield, admiring the picture his two girls made. Same height, same fabulous hair, same Mediterranean skin. He was one lucky hipster.

Marsilia raised her green boot and kicked him, hard.

‘Ow! What was that for?’

‘I’m not going to be stuck in the middle here. What was I thinking? I didn’t miss you at all.’

‘You can’t leave me again, Marsilia! I need you!’

Luigina raised her pink Dr Martens boot.

‘Don’t you need me?’ Her boot caught his shin bone. Oh, the pain!

‘Oh God! Of course, Luigina. I need…I love…both of you.’

‘Geffron, baby, you love yourself. You don’t need anyone else. Ta rah.’

‘Wait up, Marsilia!’ She clattered down the stairs.

©DeniseCovey2012

WORD COUNT: 396
Full Critique Acceptable
(I may want to use this story in the future).

HERE IS THE LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE CURRENT CHALLENGE. ADD YOUR LINK HERE!

get the InLinkz code

Reading, 'Riting and tRavelling in Fiji, lucky me!

‘I love to go a’wandering along the mountain track

And as I go, I love to sing, my knapsack on my back.’ 

…so the song (Happy Wanderer, Scout Songs) goes. And so do I. It’s time for me to go a'wandering again – this time to Fiji.

I haven’t been to Fiji before, have you?  My wanderings usually take me far, far away into the Northern Hemisphere. I've been saving the Pacific Islands and Asia for when I can no longer stand 20 hours on a plane! 

But for this trip I decided to explore closer to home, one reason being I wanted to meet someone who lives there – someone who invited me to check out the Fiji islands some time ago. This time the planets aligned, and I emailed that special someone who said – yes, yes, yes, come on over, but you’re not just staying a week (as I’d planned) you have to stay 6 weeks as we’re going away and we need a house sitter! 

This caused some consternation as you can imagine – man, who wants to stay in a tropical paradise in a beautiful home with 330-ish islands in close proximity for 6 whole weeks? What will we do to fill the days? Huh? Oh, that’s right, great idea! So my mid-year jaunt turns out to be a surprise to me at least – all of July and half of August in Nadi, Fiji.

And who would be this mysterious someone who set this mid-winter tropical tryst in motion, you ask? I know, you want in on the action too! You want to peek into my address book! Well, this mysterious someone you probably know, that most generous blogger in the bloggerverse, Nas Dean.  Not only does she tirelessly promote romance writers on her RomanceBookParadise blog and collaboratively review romance titles on her Romance Reader blog, she tirelessly gives of her home and her resources to introduce writers to her hometown, Nadi, Fiji.

So, dear jealous followers, I leave for Nas’ on June 29^th (gulp, that's this coming Friday, friends, better get cracking!) and return to my sub-tropical Queensland paradise on August 19^th. Fiji – ah, a pretty good ‘summer place’ to spend winter and winter is being a bit nasty here on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland ATM - bleak, Scotland-type winter days with oppressive clouds. 

   

Nas assures me her home is wi-fi’ed to the max so there should be no break in my blogging and hosting of RomanticFridayWriters schedule. If you'd like to write flash fiction/poetry for RFW check out the 2 upcoming challenges in my right sidebar or go here to the RFW site. My RFWer stories will take on a romantic paradise setting I’m sure. I imagine grass skirts (and that’s just on the men!), palm trees dipping into the pristine blue waters and glorious sunsets over the Pacific – except for grass-skirted men, much the same as home, but with an exotic flavor.

My plans always go awry, but at this stage I hope to catch up on my Kindle reading list, do lots of writing and lots of island hopping, not necessarily in that order! I'll miss my Writing Group. We're collaborating on a high fantasy novel, but have our own Facebook page so I should be able to continue to add my bits and pieces.

I hope you’ll enjoy my little photo essays during my time in the wonderful Fijian islands.

Thanks Nas, blogger extraordinaire!

Found this recent photo of Nas and her daughter on the
Romance Reader blog.

And I’ll fill my incoming suitcase with books for your libraries and schools and do my bit for the retail economy on the return journey.

Until I have my own fab photos to post, I'm using one from google images which is supposed to be copyright free, fingers crossed. 

• So do you know Nas? Have you been to Fiji or any of the Pacific Islands?