Hi

first blog post from me, and it's just a basic introduction.

My penname is Erastes and I write gay historical fiction. I started to write in 2003 when I discovered fanfiction (something that I'd never heard of before that) and in a few months I realised that I also wanted to write to sell, and I began "Standish" -a gay Regency.

Standish got published in 2006, and in those 3 years I'd been passing it around to try and sell I'd been writing short stories and…

Hi everyone...

Firstly, thanks to Erastes for pointing me to this site and to the conference.. x

A bit about me: My author name is RJ Scott, and I write Male/Male romance novels. I have ten books published with the awesome Silver Publishing, and writing is now my full time job. My books are all available as E-books and also in paperback, my goodreads page is…

Hello all,

I’m Tors (it's short for Victoria), I wanted to introduce myself. 

I’m an aspiring author, and I’m currently working on my first romantic ms.  I’ve previously written sci-fi, always with a twist of romance, and the transition is challenging. 

My current piece is a classic case of write what you know, as it’s about a forces relationship and the trials and tribulations which come with it.   It’s not autobiographical in anyway shape or form.

I’m looking…

As an Indie publisher, marketing is just as important as writing a good story that is well written and seriously polished. Without markting your book, no one will know about your potential blockbuster. I admit this side of Indie publishing can be dispapointing as well as exhilarating.

Today, I had a wonderful surprise when I checked out one of the newspapers I had sent details to about my book. The Redhill & Reigate Life, have, this afternoon, added an article not only…

Press release

London, 23 May 2011. Three new literary awards are announced today by the Festival of Romance: the Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Romantic Novel, the Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Historical Novel and the Festival of Romance New Talent Award.

The Best Romantic Novel and Best Historical…

Today, 21st May is the Ironman Lanzarote race. I have written about what you need to do if you want to receive and Ironman medal. Believe you me it is not for the feint hearted!

Please jog along to http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com and be prepared to be exhausted!

What is 'it'? 

Chemistry? Biology? Tension? Lust? Love?

All of the above?

What I'm talking about is the zinnnnnggggg! of attraction, when girl sees boy and something about him calls to something in her. And, happily for the continuance of the human race and its love life, there's an enormous variety of things that 'it' can be. 

For me, it's often in the smile. A nice smile, a wicked smile, a naughty twinkle ... I think that naughty must appeal to me on…

 There's no right answer to the question, 'What makes for a good romantic read?'; everyone will have their own views. I spoke to Elaine Saunders, professional copywriter and founder of Facebook's Post-Chicklit Book Group, to find out what she thinks.



Elaine, let's begin with the single most important quality that makes a romantic read really good - what is that for you?



I like a romance which…

And I look forward to visiting with all of you.

Patsy

What is the future of book formats? We know that ebooks and download audio books are growing in popularity but paper book formats are going through troubled times. This is a really interesting article by Emily Rhodes for The Spectator on the rarity of hardbacks now by women writers. According to Ian McEwan "when women stop reading, the novel will be…

When reading short stories/flash fiction etc., do you think Oh I could do that no probs! (?). Until a few weeks ago I hadn't realised how hard it is to convey a story, maybe a snapshot from a character's life in 400 words. Well I can tell you it's hard, darn hard work. But, it's a fantastic…

Yesterday evening I participated in a special evening at local writers group Leighton Buzzard Writers which was all about writing romantic fiction. The evening attracted a good turnout of writers and among them many men. "Do men write romantic fiction?" one asked.

"Yes," replied co-host Vanessa Byham. "But I can only think of one."

I could think of another one, which made two in our total…