Writing an Easy Read, by Helena Fairfax

Today, Helena Fairfax is stopping by with a special guest post on writing an easy read. If you've never read any of Helena's books, you're really missing out on some truly wonderful, sweet romances. And now, here's Helena!

Why writing an “easy read” is hard to do

I’ve become used to people’s reactions these days when I say I write romance. People who have never read a romance novel either ask me if I’ve ever thought of writing a “proper book,” or else they give me a funny sort of leer, as though I’m some sort of soft-porn peddler. Romance novels are held by many to be a pretty low form of the written word. Another cliché is that they follow a “formula,” and that anyone could just scribble a romance if they put their minds to it.

Anyone who has actually put pen to paper and written an entire romance novel will know that it’s incredibly difficult to write a successful romance. There is no magic “formula” for writing a good romance, but romances do need to follow a certain structure. The hero and heroine are kept apart for the entire length of the novel because of a conflict within their own characters (Lizzie Bennett’s pride, for example, and Mr Darcy’s prejudice, in Jane Austen’s classic romance novel). There will be a series of situations that test this conflict to the limit, eventually resolving in a happy ending.

All great romances follow this structure, but they’re not easy to write. A sonnet has a structure that consists of fourteen lines, each with ten syllables, following this pattern: a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g. 

It sounds simple put like this, but give it a try – it’s actually very difficult to create a moving or meaningful poem that flows easily using this structure.

If I think of all the romance authors I love, like Georgette Heyer, Jennifer Crusie, Kristan Higgins, Courtney Milan, Mary Stewart, etc, they all write great stories that flow easily, and are such engrossing reads that I never consider how they’ve actually been written, or the way they fit the romance structure so perfectly. I’m too engrossed in their stories to notice how they’ve been crafted. And that’s exactly how it should be. So when people tell me that my novels are an “easy read,” I’m pleased as Punch. It means my job of writing them has been done well. 

Bio:

Helena Fairfax writes engaging contemporary romances with sympathetic heroines and heroes she’s secretly in love with. Happy endings are her favourite, and when the ending of one of her novels won a reader competition for "The Most Romantic Love Scene Ever" it made her day.

Helena was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in Yorkshire. After many years working in factories and dark, satanic mills, Helena has turned to writing full-time. She walks the Yorkshire moors every day with her rescue dog, finding this romantic landscape the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

Her latest novel, A Way from Heart to Heart was released by Accent Press on 18th November.

Book blurb:

After the death of her husband in Afghanistan, Kate Hemingway’s world collapses around her. Her free time is spent with a charity for teenage girls in London, helping them mend their broken lives - which is ironic, since her own life is fractured beyond repair.

Reserved, public school journalist Paul Farrell is everything Kate and her teenage charges aren’t. But when Paul agrees to help Kate with her charity on a trip to the Yorkshire moors, he makes a stunning revelation that changes everything, and leaves Kate torn.

Can she risk her son’s happiness as well as her own?

A Way from Heart to Heart is available in paperback and as an eBook from Amazon http://authl.it/B00PQRJ0WQ / Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-way-from-heart-to-heart-helena-fairfax/1121193110 / Apple iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-way-from-heart-to-heart/id965774616 and other retailers


You can find Helena on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelenaFairfax
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenaFairfax
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/helenafairfax/
Blog: www.helenafairfax.com

Thanks so much for having me today, Mary!

You are so welcome, Helena!

Cover Reveal- SUPER BAD by Kai Strand

Today I'm super excited to be hosting Kai Strand for the cover reveal of SUPER BAD. I've been privileged to read an early draft of this book, and let me just say. Wow! This is one seriously hot book-with bad guys, good guys, and fire. Not only is Kai sharing an excerpt with her cover reveal, but you can enter to win some awesome prizes! Don't miss out!!

It's hard to be good when it's so much fun to be bad

After sliding the card out of the envelope, she stared at it for so long Lexa finally said, “Well?”

Sandra glanced at her friend before frowning again at the card. Finally she handed it to Lexa and stared at the flowers.

Seeing you last night was as refreshing as the clean smell after a rainstorm.

—Set

Lexi’s lip curled up. “What does this mean?”

“I’m not sure.” Sandra spoke tentatively. “He obviously has a thing for weather.”

“And you,” Lexa said.

“Maybe.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “What do you mean, maybe? He became a stalker at the party last night, and now he’s sent you your very first flowers.”

Sandra shook her head. “There’s something…I don’t know.”

A thought somewhere deep in her gray matter teased her, but kept getting overridden by images of Set’s beautiful face lowering toward hers in the dark of the hedge cave. She mentally scolded herself to focus, but then she remembered the feel of his power pulsing from him and making her skin thrum when he came within a few inches of her, and her concentration scattered.

She shook her head not wanting to relive those memories. “I don’t know. I don’t really think it’s me he wants.”

Lexa smelled an oversized rose unfurled in full bloom in the middle of a bouquet that somehow looked like a summer storm stuffed into a vase—all whites and lavenders, purples and deep blues. “It sure looks like he’s focused on you, Sand.”

SUPER BAD The unexpected conclusion to the Super Villain Academy series.

The world is in chaos. Violence and thievery reign. And with the supers still balanced, it’s only getting worse. Without good versus evil, the supers care less and less. In order to restore purpose, the world needs its super heroes and its super villains, but the one who balanced them in the first place is missing.

Sandra’s concern over finding her brother, Jeff, isn’t her only problem. Her pathetic excuse for super powers has left her needing a new ankle. And though she’s still very much committed to her boyfriend, Source, she’s growing unreasonably attracted to Set, the boy who double crossed Jeff by stealing his girlfriend.

When Sandra is taken and held as bait by kids who want to unbalance the super world, it becomes the inciting event that changes things for supers everywhere and forces them to answer the question, “Hero or villain?”

***

Super Bad is scheduled for release in June, but there have been whispers of it releasing sooner. Don’t miss out. Subscribe to Kai’s mailing list and be among the first to know.

***

King of Bad - Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. Is Jeff bad enough for SVA?

Polar Opposites - Heroes and villains are balanced. After Oceanus is kidnapped, Jeff learns the supers are so balanced, they no longer care to get involved. Ironically Jeff’s superpowers are spiraling out of control. Will they find Oci before he looses it completely, and will they find her alive?

***

Win a $10 Amazon gift card or an ecopy of either King of Bad or Polar Opposites. Plenty of chances to win. Open internationally. Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

How many of you scroll through your timelines and stop to look at an image that captures your eye? I know I do. Images for books, movies, photos friends have taken and shared pull my eye as I scroll through.

I am trying to make some images to share for the books in my Princess of Valendria series. One liners and an image that make you go, "Yeah, I want to read that!"

But, I need your help. I am going to share three different images for Charmed Memories. What I'd like is for you to tell me in the comments what you like (or don't like) about them, and which one is your favorite. Thanks!!!

A)

B)

C) 

D) 

E) 

F)

G)

Guesting on Helena Fairfax's Blog

Today I'm over at the lovely Helena Fairfax's blog talking about scheduling tweets. I'd love for you to stop by and share any of your time saving tips, too!

But first, be sure to swing by Goodreads and enter to win Helena's Giveaway. She's offering up a signed copy of her newest release, A Way from Heart to Heart.

A knock at the door shatters Kate Hemingway’s life when she’s told of her husband Stuart’s death in Afghanistan.

She struggles to care for their young son George with only Stuart’s aloof best friend Paul as emotional support.Piece by fragile piece, she tries to rebuild her life, realising Paul and her son have formed an unlikely bond. When Paul agrees to accompany Kate and a group of disadvantaged teenagers on a trip to the Yorkshire moors, he finally reveals something he’s kept secret for years. Kate’s own scarred heart begins to open up … but can she risk her son’s happiness as well as her own?

A novel about friendship, loss, and the human heart’s enduring capacity for love, this stunning debut explores one woman’s attempt at survival when her world comes crashing down around her.

Helena Fairfax writes engaging contemporary romances with sympathetic heroines and heroes she's secretly in love with. She likes nothing better than the warm glow of a happy ending, and when the final scene of one of her novels won a competition for "The Most Romantic Love Scene Ever" it made her day. Her first novel, The Silk Romance, was a contender for the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme Award. 

Helena is a British author who was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in the north of England, right next door to the windswept Yorkshire moors. She walks this romantic landscape every day with her rescue dog, finding it the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

You can find out more about Helena on her blog at www.helenafairfax.com, or on Twitter @helenafairfax.

Cover Reveal: FINDING THOR by Kai Strand

My good friend, Kai Strand, has a new book releasing from Whiskey Creek Press on March 12, 2015. FINDING THOR is filled with tragedy, thievery, and heart stopping action. I'm super excited to share the cover with you, and what a cover it is! But first, a little about the book.

Book Blurb

Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.

Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.

But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.

When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?

Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.

And now for the gorgeous cover! Drum roll...

Subscribe to Kai's mailing list and receive a free short story

About the Author:
When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Special Thanks

My last couple of weeks have left me feeling like this:

To say life has been a little frazzling is an understatement. But...I have the best friends in the world. My real life friends, my hockey friends, and my writer friends have been absolutely amazing, and I want to take this time today and say: