Resilience is not just for kids

When Mr7 is cross, he makes a noise that sounds like a camel exhaling. Humph. Accompanied by squinty eyes, inverted eyebrows and a general grumpiness of demeanour.

Today, I am humphing.

A rejection email will do that to a girl. Particularly first thing in the morning. Even coffee can't save you at that point. International time differences can be a bitch.

The ending is not happy for my latest romance novel. A little side project that I wrote with a friend and, initially, received with much enthusiasm and interest from the publisher. Time marched on with no official acceptance. And on. And on. And on. Until we'd almost forgotten the entire affair.

Until today. When we were told 'It's not us, it's you' and given our marching orders.

I was disappointed, I confess. Not devastated, but sad. We loved our hero and heroine. They did too. But apparently our hero and heroine loved too much, and in too many different ways, to fit the particular line for which we were aiming. Not so much 'hot' as ' burning up'.

So we're back to square one on the Romance front. Will we do another one? They're a lot of fun to write, so maybe. But we both have other fish to fry in the immediate future, so we'll put it on the backburner for now.

That's the thing with writing. You always need to be on to the next project, even while you're waiting to hear back about a manuscript. It helps to soften the blow if the answer is a 'no'. And if it's a 'yes', well, you're just that much further along to publishing your next book, aren't you?

Resilience. It's a real buzz word in parenting these days. We're all trying to produce kids who can bounce back after adversity.

Writers need it too. In spades.

The key to getting your fiction published

June is a month of bonuses. Well, here at the Fibro it's about bonus Writer Q&As anyway. As we head toward the end of financial year, I'm having a stocktake sale and there will be two Writer Q&As this month. Two this week, in fact. Are you on the edge of your seat?

The first person on the Fibro lounge is author Christine Stinson. Christine and I met at the 2010 Romance Writers of Australia Conference. In a line for something. Her first book, Getting Even With Fran, had been out a few months and we were chatting about Facebook and this and that and the other. Specifically, how she'd been writing seriously for 20 years before her first book was accepted for publication (in a two-book deal with Pan McMillan... the second book, It Takes A Village, is out now).

Twenty years. Unsurprisingly, Christine believes that persistence needs to be a key part of every writer's makeup. 'Dogged persistence' is, I believe, the phrase she uses. I figured this was a woman with plenty to teach us all about what finally worked, and what didn't, and the importance of 'waiting' well. And you know how I like to ask questions...

Given that it took 20 years to see a book with your name on it, how did you keep going? What made you think you'd get there in the end?
CS: "I don't know that I was convinced I would get there in the end... The only thing I've ever known for sure about writing is that I love doing it. Joining RWA in 1992 helped keep me going through the rejections: misery does love company. I've learned a lot from being in a critique group. We work hard, help each other through the tough times and make a point of celebrating each other's successes with gusto."

What was different about Getting Even With Fran, do you think? What finally got you across the line?
CS: "Getting Even With Fran was the first novel I ever submitted that wasn't a romance. I finally worked out that my writing voice wasn't best suited to the romance genre. Within three weeks of sending Fran to a publisher, I was offered a two-book contract. What sold the book, according to the lovely people at Pan MacMillan, were the 'strong female voices', the humour and the way the novel tapped into the concerns and issues affecting women in their late forties - an age group not particularly well represented in contemporary women's fiction."

Is being a published author what you thought it would be?
CS: "I didn't have too many preconceptions, so it's fair to say that most of it has been a surprise. I did expect to feel some satisfaction, as well as the pinch-yourself thrill I'd heard about from other writers, the first time I saw Getting Even With Fran in a bookstore... Instead, what I felt was mostly relief that the long wait was finally over, coupled with a sense of disbelief that the name on the cover was really mine.

"I definitely didn't realise how many things I'd have to learn to juggle at the same time: working to a deadline with the second novel, doing structural and copy edits on it, while dealing with the promotional work for the first novel and starting to write the third. Thank goodness housework's expendable."

Was the second book more difficult to write than the first?
CS: "Much more difficult. This time last year I was in intensive care with a burst appendix, peritonitis and sepsis. It took quite a while to get over that: I lost the better part of three months working time on It Takes A Village. But the people at Pan Macmillan were wonderful, giving me the extra time and help I needed to get the book finished, polished and ready for publication just before Mother's Day this year."

Do you agree that perspiration is as important as inspiration when it comes to writing?
CS: "I do. Writing's often described as a muscle: if you don't use it, you run the risk of losing it. Words don't always come easily; there are days when you can sit at the computer for hours and do nothing more productive than move a couple of commas around. All the same, it's important to stay sitting there and keep yourself in the habit of writing. If you're lucky, the good days will outnumber the really sweaty ones."

You can buy Christine's books here at Booktopia. Or say hello to her on Facebook here.

All about books: Georgette Heyer

During my recent visit to the library, I picked up a Georgette Heyer novel. Full disclosure: I love Georgette Heyer. I used to go to RWA Conferences where delegates would be raving about her and think 'huh? isn't she like Barbara Cartland?". Then I tried one and discovered how wrong I was.

If Barbara Cartland is a box of Roses chocolates - over-sweet, over-moreish, and destined to leave you feeling slightly ill at the end - then Heyer is a box of top-quality, dark chocolate Belgian truffles - rich, interesting, totally satisfying at every turn.

Heyer, who died in 1974, wrote Regency romance. I almost wrote 'writes' there, because her books are timeless. Her world-building is such that you'll be checking the credits to see if she wrote during Regency times. Sometimes the language is annoying - the book I just read, Charity Girl, is littered with words such as 'fuzzing', 'cogging' and 'sleeving', with the occasional 'glumping' thrown in - but, overall, the arch tone, general wittiness and likeability of her characters drag you along for the ride. She just writes so damn...well.

Sunday Times columnist India Knight describes her as 'unbeatable'. I tend to agree. For romance, escapism and sheer fun with an historic twist, I've yet to find her equal.

Have you tried Ms Heyer? Do tell. And if you need further information, visit Tales From The Village and Madame Guillotine, who have also recently declared their affection for Georgette.

Fibro Five-Oh: Lisa Heidke

Today's Writer Q&A is wearing a new, eye-catching name. Did you notice? I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it, but I have a case of the Thursday blahs and a girl has to entertain herself somehow.

Anyhoo.

This, the latest in my series of writerly conversations, features Lisa Heidke, the fab Australian author whose new book Claudia's Big Break is on the top of my To Be Read pile, despite the fact that I've already read it three times. And yet, I still don't know how it ends.

To explain (and disclaim), Lisa is one of my crit partners, and I first read the manuscript for Claudia's Big Break around five years ago. The Romance Writers of Australia's online manager had put us together in a virtual writing group and we were sharing 'this is what I'm working on' snippets. In fact, Lisa was already writing What Kate Did Next (published as novel number two), and had a kernel of an idea for Lucy Springer Gets Even, her breakthrough novel. Claudia's journey to publishing nirvana took a little bit longer... but I'll let Lisa explain (I do allow her to get a word in occasionally).

Claudia was the first full-length novel you wrote, but the third published. What are the three main things you've learned between writing The End that first time, and publication of this book?
Lisa Heidke: 1. I thought it would get easier. I was wrong. There are no short cuts! Writing takes commitment, patience and discipline.

2. I didn't realise there would be so many drafts...endless writing, rewriting, deleting and fussing. Before I was published, I assume a manuscript needed two or three drafts, maximum. And maybe the manuscripts of other authors do, but Claudia's Big Break went through at least 15 drafts, five of them major.

3. I have also learnt that with the completion of each manuscript I doubt I have another 85,000-word story to tell. I find it incredibly daunting. So far I have managed to come up with ideas, but not all of them are winners.

Is there anything about being a professional author that has surprised you?
LH: "Yes! As an author, you  have to get out from behind your computer and generate publicity and interest in your books. I thought that once I'd handed over my manuscript to the publisher, my job would be done. But it's not. The onus is very much on the author to have their own website, create an online presence, and put yourself forward for speaking engagements... Now a lot of my time is eaten up trying to maintain an author profile."

Your books are known for their humour - is it hard to write funny?
LH: "I don't set out to write funny. I don't write puns or jokes. It's more observational and situational humour rather than laugh-out-loud funny. The characters I create lend themselves to drama and hysteria. I write about ordinary women who are thrown out of their comfort zone and I can find humour in that. But I try not to push it. I'm not out to make every page a giggle."

Do you think that 'chick lit' has moved beyond shoes and chardonnay to encompass deeper ideas?
LH: "Definitely! Chick lit is now such a broad term, encompassing mum lit, hen lit, lady lit, farm lit, lad lit... I don't mind how readers classify my books as long as they enjoy them. I am not trying to change the world, but I do write about real issues such as infidelity, divorce, teen sex, eating disorders and I think those topics have emotional depth. However, I don't mind the odd shoe reference being thrown in if it suits the plot line."

What's the one thing you do every time you sit down to write?
LH: "I make sure that the desk is tidy. I also make sure that I've tidied the house, put the dishwasher on, etc etc... delaying tactics, I know. Recently, I've taken to lighting a candle to signify the start of a writing session and that makes me happy."

Claudia's Big Break (Allen & Unwin) is out now. You can find out more about Lisa, her books, and her procrastinating habits (she's almost as good at it as I am) at www.lisaheidke.com