Flight reading

I leave on Saturday just before midday, and by the time I get to Dallas, about 48 hours will have elapsed. Not all of that will be on planes; I have almost 24 hours in Sydney, and 4 hours at San Francisco.

However, there's plenty of reading time ahead. I don't want to take too many books, for luggage space and weight reasons, so I've selected from the TBR pile:

Nora Roberts - Northern Lights
Rita Herron - Last Kiss Goodbye
Stephanie Laurens - The Perfect Lover
Carla Neggers - Abandon

Those should keep me entertained for a reasonable amount of the trip, particularly since I'm hoping to sleep for hours on the Sydney to San Francisco segment.

Two more sleeps...

...before I leave home to head to Dallas. I'm even vaguely organised; I haven't actually started packing the suitcase yet, but it's out from under the spare bed, dusted, and I've been stacking clothes that I'm going to take on the bed, ready to be packed.

The DH solved a couple of technical problems for me last night, so now I can charge my iPod without the laptop, and I have an additional, large memory card for the camera, so I don't need to take the laptop with me. I don't think I'll have much time for writing, anyway, and I'm assuming I'll be able to find an internet cafe or similar to check my email occasionally, so it will be a relief not to have to lug the laptop around and worry about it's safety. Given that I've developed a very painful right shoulder, I sure won't miss the extra weight.

I just did a quick calculation, and I suspect that I land at San Francisco at about 3am, body time. I'm planning to sleep as much as I can on the plane, but I'm not looking forward to that part - no airport is fun when the brain thinks it's the wee small hours of the morning! Ahh, the joys of travelling ;-)

Media whirl part 2

The media interest continues - yesterday TV station NBN filmed a segment for the regional evening news, and ABC Online contacted me and later posted an item on their news website. Today, I had an interview with ABC Radio Canberra, and tomorrow morning I have one scheduled with ABC Radio in Central Australian. I suspect that will be the last one, other than the Radio National one we have scheduled for next week, just before I go.

It's very cold here, and after all the excitement - and frantic workload at work to juggle around it - I took tonight off, and watched Dr Who on TV. Now I'm finishing my bedtime cup of chamomile tea, and listening to the wonderful music of Falling You at magnatune.com. I'm itching to buy some more music from magnatune - they have some great stuff, and 50% of the income goes directly to the artists - but I'll have to wait until after Dallas, when I might have some $$ again.

Media happenings

It’s been an amazing couple of days. My university sent out a media release yesterday morning, about my being a finalist in the RWA Golden Heart Award. I expected the local paper to pick it up, and perhaps the regional radio station, but the response has been overwhelming - I’ve done two radio interviews today, for the local regional radio station and the regional station for the north coast, a television news segment, an interview for the major news agency that feeds across the country, and I’m lined up for another TV news interview tomorrow, and a spot on Radio National next week, just before I fly out to Dallas.

The interviewers have been quite good, although Barbara Cartland or pink chiffon negligees have been mentioned in most of them. Because of the early British influence on the romance genre in Australia, the two most common things that non-romance readers tend to say when romance is mentioned is 'Barbara Cartland' and 'Mills and Boon'. However, I think I did an okay job in talking about the diversity in the genre.

I saw the TV segment on the local news tonight, and I was quite happy with it - although our TV reception for that channel is pretty bad, and it didn't record very well at all. And, of course, the sweater I was wearing made me look fat :-)

The cameraman took some pictures of me at my computer at work 'writing', so I had to write something. Yes, on the news was the close-up of the screen where I had written the amazingly elegant prose 'His chair squeaked as he pushed it back.' Okay, so I'm not going to win the Nobel proze for literature with that! However, it is very hard to just write creatively at the conclusion of a media interview, when there's a camera looking over one's shoulder.

So, it's all been quite an experience, and an incredible response from the media. I was expecting the local interest, but the rest is quite a surprise. And the pleasant part is that it shows that there is a growing interest in the media about the romance genre - which can only be a good thing. I hope I've done the genre justice today.

As far as I can tell, none of it's available online, so I can't put links up to the interviews. However, next week's segment is on Radio National, which is streamlined live, so I'll put a link for that up closer to the time.

Contest success

I found out earlier in the week, but couldn't say anything until it was officially announced:

My two entries in the RWAustralia Single (Title) and Loving It contest placed second and third. The manuscripts are Dark Legacy, the loosely-linked sequel to my Golden Heart finalling book; and Shadows and Light.

Both manuscripts have been challenging to write, for various reasons, and each has had a number of versions, so I'd entered them in the contest primarily for the feedback, to see if what I'd done with each of them worked. It seems so :-)

Big congrats to Melanie Scott, who won the contest. She's also a double Golden Heart finalist, and I'm really hoping I'll be giving her a huge cheer (or two!!) and pouring champagne for her at the awards night in Dallas. Mel was one of the first people I met at the first romance writers conference I attended, and she deserves every success.

Speaking of Dallas, in three weeks exactly I'll be heading to Sydney airport to get on the plane to San Francisco, and from there to Dallas.

From winter in rural Australia to a luxury hotel in a huge, bustling hot city - it will definitely be a contrast! I am becoming quite excited, although there's a huge list of things I need to finish before I leave. I don't usually pack ages before I go away, but because I'm taking summer clothes that I'm not currently wearing in freezing winter temps, I have started piling some things on the guest bed. I may even start making a list, soon :-)

Guest blogging

I'm GuestBlogging about my research over on Romance By the Blog today. Hop on over and visit!!

Dallas, here I come...

It's decided - I AM going to the RWA National Conference in Dallas in July. It will be a quick trip, just a week away, with a day or so in Dallas to get over the jet lag before the conference starts, and heading home on the Sunday afternoon.

I'm not looking forward to the whole flying half-way across the world thing, but it's good incentive to lose some weight, so I'll fit into those tiny airplane seats a little more comfortably! I've traveled several times on longer flights across to Europe and the UK, and coped okay, but I was slimmer then.

In between bouts of nerves, I am looking forward to the conference. This will be my first US conference, and 10 times larger than the Australian one I went to a couple of years ago. So, it will be quite an experience! It will also be my first visit to the US since 1983; I'm sure a lot has changed in that time.

Updated web site

I wasn't particularly happy with the website design I've had for a year or more, so in this last week it's undergone a major renovation. If I had the money, I'd get a professional to do it, as my visual design imagination and skills aren't at the professional level, however, I've had to do it myself - at least for now.

So, please check it out at http://bronwynparry.com

I welcome feedback on it!

(And now I'll need to update the look of this blog to go with it... )

Decisions, decisions

The RWA needs an author photo from each of the Golden Heart finalists, and, as I'm no gorgeous model with a portfolio of glamour shots, I need help in deciding what to send!

I'm still not used to the new hairstyle and colour (I had my long hair chopped off last Thursday), which adds to my indecision about what looks best.







So, 1, 2, or 3 - or option 4 - drag long-suffering DH out for another photoshoot?

(The sharp-eyed amongst you will note that I've used my absolute minimal photoshop skills to make my blemishes less obvious in no. 3. Hmmm. I'm not sure that's me.)

Golden News

Well, I said I'd blog again if there was exciting news, and there is!

I was overjoyed and honoured to find out yesterday that my ms, Falling into Darkness, is a finalist in the RWA's Golden Heart Award, in the romantic suspense category.

I still can't quite believe it!

Congratulations to all the other finalists, and commiserations to those who didn't final.

Finances are fairly tight, and getting to the US for the conference and awards ceremony is very expensive, so I'm not sure yet if I'll make it to Dallas. Probably not, but all hope hasn't quite been extinguished, yet!

Farewell - for a while

After a lot of thought, I've decided to take a break from this blog for a while.

I've found it a bit difficult to blog well here, for a range of reasons, but mostly because I've been conscious that with my PhD research on online romance readers and writers communities gearing up for major action this year, I've needed to keep my public image relatively neutral - which has meant not commenting on a lot of issues and topics around the genre.

Given that I'm not published (yet), and my writing progress doesn't make for scintillating reading, and the above-mentioned reasons for not commenting loudly on genre issues - well, that doesn't give me a whole lot to write about, on a writing blog.

So, I'm going to take a break. In between work and PhD I'll still be writing, and I'm currently sending a manuscript out to agents, so if there's any exciting news I'll post it here - and start blogging again, if there's a career to blog about ;-)

In the meantime, if you want to see the scenery and wildlife around here, there's my photoblog, and I also have a textile blog where I post about my occasional textile projects - and the pairs of socks I knit while I'm staring at the screen, writing!

Thanks to everyone who's visited this blog - see you again when I have a writing career to blog about!

Merry Christmas!

The second turkey I've ever cooked.



Our simple, delicious Christmas lunch.

Book recommendation

My most recent order from amazon arrived yesterday, including two copies of this book, written by my friend Joanna Sandsmark.

It's gorgeous! Beautiful illustrations, with the text a warm, gentle 'philosophy' that is delightful and meaningful.

I bought one copy for me and another to give as a gift, but I think I'm going to have to order a couple more. It's too beautiful not to share with others.

Five things you mightn't know....

1. The first actor I had a crush on was the guy who played Thierry la fronde in the (very early) 1960s French series, which was shown here as The King's Outlaw.

Yes, he's the one in the left front in the short jerkin and the tight tights - as all good heroes should be :-) Thierry was played by actor Jean-Claude Drouot, who apparently went on to become a significant actor in French theatre.

2. Much though I wish I could, I can't sing very well. I can hold a tune only if there's no other harmonies going on around me.

3. I was dux of my school in 6th grade.

4. I've always been a romantic. When all the other girls were going through the 'I hate boys' stages, I didn't. (Maybe that was Thierry's influence.... :-) )

5. I started writing when I was about 7 or 8 years old. We moved to a new suburb, and a girl two doors down, a year older than me, was writing a story about the Beatles. She had hundreds of pages of dialogue. So, I began writing too - first I did fan-fic of Lost in Space and Danger Island (because there just wasn't anywhere near enough romance on screen for me), but I quickly began creating my own stories. If I recall correctly, my first hero's name was Max.

Now I'm going to tag.... Grace Tyler.

Tagged by Jennie

Jennie Adams has tagged me. She wants me to reveal 5 things that no-one (or hardly anyone) knows about me.

Hmmmm... might have to think about this. What secrets shall I reveal?? Is there anything interesting about me that not many people know??

Stay tuned...

(And in the meantime, go and visit Jennie's blog.

Jo Beverley's 'The Shattered Rose'

Many of the big name, American, historical romance authors are hard to find here. Borders only has stores in the capital cities, and they're the only place I've come across that actually has a 'Romance' section. Sadly, I don't get to the city very often. Our local bookstores have some romances sprinkled in with 'Fiction', but not a large range. However, I've managed to hunt a few historical BNA down in the past months, as I'm trying to expand my reading across the genre and at least be familiar with some of the authors being talked about on various blogs and email lists.

The romance book that's stood out for me this year is Jo Beverley's The Shattered Rose. Out of interest, I had a look recently at the amazon.com reviews for this book, and discovered that it was a 'love it or hate it' book. I loved it. It's not an easy book, and it certainly isn't a light, comfortable romance - hence the negative responses from those perhaps expecting something more traditional and undemanding.

However, for those who like their romance real rather than fantasy, then The Shattered Rose is satisfyingly challenging. The historian in me really appreciated that the characters were people of their times; these were medieval nobility, with the world and religious frameworks of the period, not modern people dressed in medieval costume. I loved the way that Beverley drew both Galeran and Jehanne and their responses to the situation they found themselves in; their story was heart-wrenching and the resolution of their difficulties in keeping with both character and time - even if as challenging to the reader as to Galeran and Jehanne themselves.

The secondary romance was rather less satisfying for me; although it was fun, it felt too light for the drama and depth of the primary story. However, the book still rates as probably the best romance I've read this year.

If anyone has recommendations for more books with that level of realism, please feel free to make them!

I found Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm in a second-hand bookshop a few weeks back, and picked it up because of all the positive comments at the Smart Bitches and other places. When I'm finished with my current deadline, I'll reward myself with it.

Celebrating with Kelly

My friend Kelly Hunter's first book Wife for a Week burst onto Australian shelves this week. (Okay, it was a bit slow getting to our town, but made it eventually!)

I had lunch with Kelly and fellow writer Michelle today to celebrate - a thoroughly pleasant lunch, with two wonderful writing women to chat with and a gorgeous, happy baby to cuddle. Can't think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon :-)



Signing my copy of her book (every romance writer should have a feather pen!)



After lunch, we went to the local K-Mart to admire the book on the shelves.

Congratulations, Kelly, on sticking with your dreams and writing such a warm, wonderful and fun book! May there be many, many more.

Congratulations, Jennie!!

When I went to my first romance writers' conference, I didn't know anybody. I'd never even met another romance writer. One of the people I met was Jennie Adams, who was wonderful and introduced me to others and made me feel welcome and included. Jennie and I also met up again at the RWAus conference in Melbourne last year, and have maintained a great online friendship.

Jennie's first books for Harl/Sil were published in Australia last year, but the first one to be published in the US only came out this month - The Boss's Convenient Bride.

Today, I found out that The Boss's Convenient Bride is #10 on this week's Waldenbooks Romance Bestseller's list.

WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO JENNIE!!!!
It's a great book, and so it's no wonder it's doing well. And the author is such a wonderful, generous person as well as being an excellent writer. Well done, Jennie! It's definitely a day to wave that pink feather boa around!

Updated look

I've just updated the look of the blog - I was getting a little bored with the old theme, and at least this one has some colour similarity to my web page. I was trying to edit the stylesheet to include some of the photos from my web page, and make the designs more similar, but it was too hard after a long day at work, especially given that CSS and I have only a nodding acquaintance!

I may do some more changes later, when I'm not so tired. In the meantime, I'm off to bed - it will be another busy day at work tomorrow.

Golden Anniversary

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Friday night. It was a wonderful night, with 50 or so friends and family including cousins I haven't seen for many years who travelled from Melbourne for the event. The photo above is my parents with my sisters and I. (I'm the one who looks just like my Mum!)

My folks are two very special, amazing, and inspirational people and it was a great joy to celebrate their anniversary with them.

And, yes, they're a significant contributing factor to me writing romance :-)