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HEART
& Craft

Best Selling Romance Writers Share Their Secrets With You

Published by : Allen & Unwin Australia ISBN: 9781741757217

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

If you've ever dreamt of writing a romance novel, then this is the insider's guide for you. Valerie Parv has drawn together a 'dream team' of romance writers who each share their secrets to writing successful romance fiction.

Robyn Donald - Changing with the times
Helen Bianchin - Latin lovers and others
Valerie Parv - Packing an emotional punch
Lilian Darcy - Crossing the lines and getting it right
Meredith Webber - Code Read: writing the modern medical
Elizabeth Rolls - Tons of romance in the Regency
Kelly Ethan - Two worlds: weaving romance with fantasy
Valerie Parv - Keeping readers in suspense
Alexis Fleming - The big O - opportunities in erotic romance
Daphne Clair - Secret pleasures: the heart of the genre
Jennie Adams - A foolproof editing system

There are also invaluable checklists to keep you on track every step of the way.
PLUS ... all the authors' share their thoughts on:

Living, breathing characters

All in the point of view

Speaking of dialogue

Thickening your plot and conflict

Marketing your book

The writing life

Fiction editor, Julie Redlich
recommends this new book ...
Valerie, whose books have reached worldwide sales of 32 million, has assembled a group of best-selling novelists to tell you their secrets for success. Hints for top-flight Regency romance are here, and a prescription for medical-based stories. There are tips for creating characters, how to market yourself and useful website links. You may want to try your hand at fantasy fiction or daring erotica. Whatever style you want to try, these authors offer heaps of help.
Woman's Day , August 17, 2009

TEN published authors of romantic fiction contribute to this "how to" book. They tell how to get started, to refine and publish a romantic novel by sharing their experiences, their expertise. In chapters such as Latin Lovers and Others or Two Worlds: Weaving Romance with Fantasy, sound, practical advice is offered. There is a common thread of practice makes perfect and a few taboos, but the art of writing a romantic novel is skilfully outlined, if that is your dream.
KAYE BRIEN, Launceston Examiner,
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), licenced copy

READ MORE
about this fabulous book

Love struck? For those keen to know their Mills from their Boon, Australia's queen of romance fiction, Sydney author Valerie Parv, has gathered together a team of best-selling romance writers to share their secrets about writing successful romance fiction. Parv's book Heart And Craft includes tips by Robyn Donald, Helen Bianchin, Lilian Darcy, Meredith Webber, Elizabeth Rolls, Kelly Ethan,Alexis Fleming, Daphne Clair and JennieAdams. Parv, who has written more than 60 books and sold at least 25 million copies, has another book out in December called How Do I love Thee?, described by publisher Allen & Unwin as "a collection of romantic stories, from the cream of Australia's romance writers". Romance novels are usually about powerful men and (shorter) demure women and can have covers with muscular jocks wearing little more than cowboy hats in soapy bath tubs. Such titillating stereotypes clearly help Harlequin, the largest publisher of romance fiction, sell about 130 million books a year. [Sun Herald 05/07/2009]

Rewriting Mills & boom ...To help aspiring romance writers, Parv has put together a new book, Heart & Craft (Allen & Unwin, $24.95). While Parv says her book The Art of Romance Writing (1993) addressed a lot of the "how-to issues", this book was more "comparing notes" with other big names in the romance world like Lilian Darcy, Jennie Adams and Helen Bianchin, who contribute. "People want to know how you do it, how you cope with interruptions in your life, how you write around all the day-to-day challenges," Parv says.
SARINA TALIP, Panorama
The Canberra Times, August 15, 2009

Hear Valerie talk
about Heart & Craft on

THE BOOK SHOW
with Ramona Koval

and

ABC CONVERSATIONS
with Rafael Epstein
and Danny Katz