Category: All
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That story has been told a million times! It’s time to get original
Yes, I’m afraid it probably has. It’s been done before. It will most likely be done again. Does anyone bother to wonder why on earth we keep reading stories if they are, in fact, all the same? Here’s the thing: they are and they’re not. Shall I explain? Plot and…
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Indie Book Corner: Shattered Blue by Jane Taylor Starwood
Romantic suspense is by far my favourite genre. Apart from legends like Nora Roberts, finding good romantic suspense can be tricky. Good indie romantic suspense? Tough. Blending the romantic, which is tied strongly to solid character development, with the fast-moving, plot driven suspense aspects is no easy feat, I’ll admit.…
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Get serious, it’s only romance
Romance writers and avid romance readers are used to criticism. When naysayers are being polite, they suggest romance is fluffy make believe. Harsher critics will go for the jugular and claim that romance is simple, trite and adds nothing meaningful to the literary world. Well, ask a publisher and they…
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Review: Waratah House by Ann Whitehead
I’m all for a good period drama and Waratah House certainly delivers on this level. The world of Australia in the late 1800’s is interwoven elegantly into the story, with the effect being that you are immersed in the period effortlessly. Whether it’s enduring the hardships of the journey from…
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The exhilaration of terror: tips for creating tension and suspense
This week I return to the Sydney Writers’ Festival for my wrap up of the session on Tension and Suspense, where authors Caroline Overington, Hannah Richell and Julienne van Loon revealed their tips on how to keep readers turning the pages. And they should know – take a look at…
Belinda Williams 