Under Cover of Dark’s Lily Bennetti under Interrogation

Apr23

What does a writer do when a character is being a little evasive? Lily Bennetti, the heroine in Under Cover of Dark (working title) has built walls so thick around her, I can’t get inside her head. While the delectable Detective Mark Johnson is cooperating beautifully in the story, Ms Lily is playing hide and seek with me. So I did what any good detective would do…I put her in the interrogation chair.

  • What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Seeing my son smile again. Learning to live without fear and trying all the things on my bucket list.Lily Bennetti

Tranquility surrounded her, as Lily sipped her glass of chilled Margaret River wine. The classic dry white and TJ’s laid-back company made it easy to relax, despite the horror of their day. That, coupled with the glorious sound of Marty and Luke’s laughter blending with the deeper male voices, had her letting down her guard a little. God bless these people—these strangers—and their power of distraction. She welcomed the distraction as a band aid on the events of the day. How long had it been since she’d heard Luke laugh?

  • What is your current state of mind?

Scared, unsure, but I’m slowly starting to recover my backbone.

“Get out, Nic.” The deadly calm in her voice was belied by her shaking hands.

Albero’s eyes narrowed on hers. “You’ll regret it, Liliana.”

  • What or who is the greatest love of your life?

At this point, I’d have to say my son Luke. But there’s a certain sexy detective who has caught my eye.Under Cover of Dark

He’d rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to reveal strong, corded forearms, pumped now from tossing the football. His tie was stuffed carelessly in his pants pocket and the top three buttons of his shirt were undone to reveal a smooth, solid chest. That killer smile alone would have women on their knees. With a will of their own, her eyes followed the line of the buttons to the belt at his waist and she watched slim hips move with a rhythm that had heat surging through her.  Her hand shook a little with the force of it, sloshing the wine over the side of the glass.

  • What is your most marked characteristic?

I care…sometimes too much.

  • What is your greatest regret?

Not getting help for myself and my son sooner.  We wouldn’t be in this mess if I had…

Restless now, she stood and walked to the edge of the veranda. “Naïve and young, that’s what I really was. He’d never change and I did Luke more harm than good by staying.” Guilt sank heavily in her stomach. By staying, she’d put him in danger and destroyed them both emotionally. She’d forbidden him the chance to have a happier childhood.

  • Which talent do you have?

I’ve just discovered I have a talent for garden design! I’m looking forward to transforming the gardens at TJ and Scott’s teenage refuge.Lily's Garden Project

  • What qualities do you most like in a man?

Loyalty, honesty, inner strength and a caring nature

  • Who is your hero in real life?

Detective Mark Johnson, without him Luke and I could be in serious trouble.

“Mark?”

He turned to find her face inches from his. “Yes, Lily?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For helping us, for knowing what to do.”

  • On what occasions do you lie?

I didn’t exactly lie, but I withheld evidence from a police investigation to protect my son. It was necessary…to stay alive.

  • If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d like to be stronger emotionally.

  • What is your motto?

I never had a goal, let alone a motto before I met Detective Mark Johnson. Now, I can say—Fight for what you believe in.

Well, there you have it. Thanks to a wonderful brainstorming session with my muse, Kerrie, this morning, we’ve helped Lily find herself a little more. Lily and I are now off on an adventure of discovery. See you soon…

What’s next for Detective Mark Johnson?

You met him in Fly Away Peta. He starts a murder investigation in Under the Hood. When will Detective Mark Johnson have his chance at happiness and what’s next for the bad guys? Find out over at Romance Book Haven.

 

Under the Hood of a Negative Review

Mar30

Blowing_heartsThere are two types of negative reviews – comprehensive constructive ones and those that rip out your heart, stomp on it and leave you bleeding valuable ink from your veins. As a rookie author, I’m still growing my shell of defense against the latter. What the mixed bag of reviews has shown me though, is that I made the mistake of leaving too many loose ends in Under the Hood – at least for some readers. The balm for my weeping wounds was, of course, the positive reviews which (thankfully) outweigh the negative ones. So thank you to those readers too.

First let me explain that when I started out with Fly Away Peta, it was never intended to be a series. But a succession of rewrites soon changed that and I found the secondary characters demanding a story of their own as the plot thickened with every step. In Under the Hood, Detective Mark Johnson (Peta’s brother in Fly Away Peta) makes an appearance as he investigates the murder of Tiny Watts. Instead of solving it, he finds himself with Tiny’s notebook/diary that thickens the plot. It becomes impossible to solve the case in Under the Hood and Detective Mark Johnson demands his own story … which left me unprepared and may have lost me some fans :(

How to fix it? After exhausting my supply of Kleenex and chocolate comfort, I began analyzing the negative reviews. I’d like to thank the reviewer on Amazon US who took the time to tell me what she liked and didn’t like about the book. Your review gave me a great platform to work from. I spent the better part of fifteen years as a Quality Assurance and Warranty Administrator in the Motor Industry. Part of my job was to analyze the technician’s ‘stories’ to find the cause of the mechanical or electrical failure. On the quality side, it was how we could satisfy the customer on his next visit. I decided to use the same method to analyze what ‘went wrong’ in Under the Hood and how I could fix it.

Complaint: Too many loose ends, nothing was resolved

Cause: Lack of planning, secondary characters taking over the story, leaving the reader in suspense not knowing there was another book to come and (quite possibly my biggest mistake) not having the next book ready to go.

Correction:

  • Find the balance between leaving enough suspense to keep the reader engaged enough to read the next book and not leave them with a feeling of what-was-the-point-of-that?
  • Be prepared for a series. Secondary characters drop huge hints when they’re looking for their own story.
  • Make sure you have their story complete or close to complete when you submit your current manuscript. Too long a time lapse between publications means the reader may need a refresher to remind them of the plot.
  • Solve at least some of the mysteries to satisfy the reader.
  • Go over the manuscript and highlight the mysteries you can solve and the ones you want to keep for the next book. There’s nothing like playing with colour to make things jump out at you.

Can you think of anything else to add? Let me know by leaving a comment and go into the draw to win an eCopy of Fly Away Peta.

Under the Hood of a Book

Mar29

How often do you read the acknowledgements in an eBook? As more of us head towards reading devices, information in forewords, acknowledgments and dedications are side-lined as the upload heads straight for the first chapter of the book. It’s a little different in paperback. We have to page past them to start the story and are more likely to stop and read them first.

I’m encouraging you today to take a moment to read the acknowledgements in eBooks too. These are the window to the soul of the book and of the author too. We can read bios and blurbs which give us facts about the author and information on what the book is about, but the clue to the author’s ‘voice’ lies in what they write in their dedications. This is the main artery to the heart of a book.

Do you agree or disagree? How often do you read the information that comes before the first chapter? Is there too much or too little information? Leave a comment below to go into the draw to win a Kindle copy of Under the Hood.

I’d like to share with you what I wrote in my dedication and acknowledgements in Under the Hood:

Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to my critique partners, whose feedback has been magnificent. They’ve helped me identify the flaws and plug the holes, and have kept me sane when I thought about giving up. A special thank you to Kerrie P and Jennie Jones, your input was gold! To the members of RWA for their ongoing support and friendship, I have learnt so much from the best in the business.

I dreamed a dream and here I am. So many people to thank for guiding me on the road to success, including the team at Harlequin Escape, my friends Leah, Lina, Hazel, Tracy, Michelle & Claire—where would I be without my girls? My boys Gavin, Shane and Daniel—you guys are the greatest. I am so proud of you all. Jean (Mom) and Hylary (Dad) for reading to me and giving me the gift of appreciation for writing and creating stories, I love you both so much. For my family, extended family, wonderful friends and, of course, my readers who keep me writing … I love that ‘Oh, wow!’ moment whenever I hear how much you’ve enjoyed one of my stories.

About the Setting

Australian businessman and politician JJ Simons founded the Young Australia League and established a holiday camp deep in the shaded Roleystone valley in 1929. Simons called his camp Araluen, an Eastern States Aboriginal word meaning ‘singing waters,’ ‘running waters’ or ‘place of lilies’. Together, League members and volunteers built cottages, designed by leading Perth architect WG Bennett, using local timber and stone. They created pathways, roads, steps and terraces and filled the dream garden with native and imported plants to create a garden heaven.

The Grove of the Unforgotten still remains today, built in memory of Young Australia League members killed in World War I.

Now known as Araluen Botanical Park, this has to be the most peaceful garden in Western Australia. Many of the cottages have been restored, except for one that burnt down, leaving only the chimney stack standing.

http://www.araluenbotanicpark.com.au/about/

I chose a similar setting for TJ & Scott’s story, because of its history and original purpose. How wonderful would it be if young people could return to this peaceful place while they search for themselves through the trials of growing up?

Unfortunately, my story is fiction and TJ is no relation to JJ Simons, but his dream and my love for his creation provided the perfect background for this story of an extraordinary woman who has her own dream and a commitment that knows no boundaries. I hope you enjoy the story.

Dedication

for my Aunty Marita

who loved her Mills & Boon collection: we shared so many wonderful stories. I hope you are proud of what I’ve achieved as you sit at God’s right hand

for my Uncle Alan

I’ll always be your little tiger. You’ll never know how much your presence meant as I struggled through my teenage years

and Aunty Rochelle

for helping Uncle Alan find his ‘happy ever after’

An Edible Delight

Feb28

A girl’s got to have a naughty side, right? Mae West once said: “I have found men who Edible Delights - Volume Two_200didn’t know how to kiss. I’ve always found time to teach them.” With this in mind, I took on the challenge with a group of writers to create The Edible Delights Anthologies soon to be published by Secret Cravings Publishing. It was a test for me to see how far I’d come in my writing journey and how far I could push myself beyond my comfort zone.

There’s nothing I love more than a challenge, especially one that drives me outside the square. So I looked for the weakest point in my writing and set about improving on it. Thanks to the wonderful support of my group of writerly friends, I conquered my worst writing nightmare – love scenes.

My naughty side warred with the good girl in me and finally, we reached a compromise. How far would I push myself to overcome this mountain? Well, I guess you’ll have to wait until July to see :)

I am honoured to be amongst some great writing talent in the Edible Delights Volume 2 with Bianca Sarble, Kate Belle, Alysha Ellis and Imogene Nix. Writing as Seanna Smythe, my contribution, NEVER ON A SUNDAE, is the story of Evie and Aidan, and rates at a heat level of maybe 4 hot chilli ice-creams.

Blurb:

Delicious delights you’ve dreamed of but Never on a Sundae. Well, they had that right! He was confident that what he was about to ask for wouldn’t be your average ice cream dream.Attractive Young Couple Kissing

Evie is on the run…from love. When things get a little too hot with Sydney-sider, Aidan, she escapes to Newcastle and buys an ice-cream parlour called Never on a Sundae. But Aidan is not about to give up on the woman he loves and tracks her down. His methods of persuasion are enticing and guaranteed to melt chocolate.

Escaping Under the Hood

Jan20

When FLY AWAY PETA was accepted for publishing by Eternal Press last year, I didn’t Under the Hoodthink my publishing dream could get any better. I was happy, I had a book out there and people were reading and enjoying my hard work. A tick for my bucket list. So when I submitted to Harlequin’s new Escape Publishing digital first line, the last thing I expected to become was an Escape Artist.

When I got the email to say Under the Hood (working title Taming the Tiger) was accepted for publishing by Escape, I was over the moon. I am now part of a wonderful group of pioneers for the Harlequin brand.

Will this be my Next Big Thing? Gosh, I really hope so. I had a wonderful time writing this story. It’s fun and feisty, with a whole lot of heart and a bit of suspense and intrigue thrown in. While I wait for the arrival of my cover art, here is a little sneak peek:

Blurb:

When Scott Devin buys a struggling car dealership in a semi-rural area in Western Australia, the last person he expects to see in charge is a stilletto-wearing, mini-skirted foreperson. Exactly the distraction a struggling, male-dominated workshop doesn’t need! But there’s more to TJ Stevens than meets the eye.

TJ Stevens has two major goals in life: to preserve her grandfather’s heritage and protect the program – and she’ll go to any lengths to do it. Scott Devin’s presence is a threat to everything she’s worked hard to achieve, so keeping him at arms length shouldn’t be a problem…or would it?

Fly Away Peta in Perth Libraries

Jan6

What a year 2012 was! It certainly took me on a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime and opened Woolshed_shopfrontdoors I never dreamed of having a key to. First there was my debut novel Fly Away Peta, followed closely by my short story competition entry, Rough Diamond finaling in RWA’s Little Gems Contest. I attended my first writer’s conference and joined a critique group. So many firsts last year :) But 2012 wasn’t finished with me yet and I had some very exciting news in December which I will hopefully be able to share with you Imageall soon.

But, back to Jaime and Peta. I took readers on a journey to Williams shortly after release day to ‘see’ where the story was born, after which I put my hero, Jaime Caruso in the armchair and had him answer a few questions. Pop in and take a look.

I played Santa during the Christmas break and dropped off a few printed copies of Fly Away Peta at local Perth Libraries: Willetton, Bullcreek, Victoria Park and of course, Williams Library. Manuela at the Williams Library very kindly sent me this photo of it on the shelf! How cool is that? I got to see my dream come true.

I wonder what 2013 has in store? What is your dream, goal or aspiration this year? Share your answer here and go into the draw to win a copy of Fly Away Peta. Competition closes Monday, January 14 at midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time.

PS: If you have a moment, have look at what readers have to say about Fly Away Peta on Amazon and Goodreads

Regards, Juanita

The time has come to face her worst fear and the clock is ticking…

Peta Johnson will go to extreme lengths to protect her daughter Bella. When Bella is kidnapped, the search for her takes Peta back to the small Western Australian country town of Williams, a place she’d vowed never to return to. The town where her dreams were shattered and her nightmare began. Back to the place she’d been destined to meet two very powerful, yet very different men. One would break her heart, the other would destroy her soul. Both would change her life forever. The search for Bella brings them together. Secrets and lies keep them apart. Can Peta and Jaime renew their love in the face of danger or will he let her fly away again?

Set in the rural, West Australian town of Williams, Fly Away Peta is a story of hope, courage, trust and forgiveness. Find out more at www.kees2create.com.au