Please Welcome Sharon Archer with her Debut Book!!

It's PARTY time here at Love Is The Best Medicine as we pop the champagne corks and toast the lovely Sharon Archer. Her debut novel, Single Father :Wife and Mother Wanted is now on sale!!!!!

Holding your first book in your hand and then seeing it on the shelf is a HUGE thing and makes all those years of blood, sweat and tears worth it. (Technically as Sharon is in outback Australia and not the UK, she won't see it on the shelf for another six weeks BUT with a big kiss and a wave we thank Kate Hardy for some stellar work with her digital camera....)

So .......drumroll......Sharon Archer, come on down!!

Hi Fiona and Everyone! I'm just tickled pink to be here and I'd just like to say a really huge THANK YOU for organising this blog party for me! I've been a regular visitor to the Medical Authors Blog and I'm so excited that I'll be joining you to do a regular blog spot soon.

We're excited that you can join us, Sharon, especially as you're checking in from far flung places where you need a satellite phone! So fill us in....

When did you discover medical romance?

The very first medical that really stood out to me was one by Marion Lennox. It would have been years and years ago so I'm afraid that I can't remember the details. But I do remember that the characters were lovely, thoroughly likeable people working in a country hospital and I wanted so badly for them to end up together. There was never any doubt in my mind that their love would last and they'd have a very happy marriage.
It was an eye-opener to me because until then I'd been reading mostly the Presents line and the heroes tended to be stern, brooding, silent types – they were utterly gorgeous, of course, but demanding of their heroines.

What made you decide to write a medical romance?

Initially, it was because I'd heard you should write what you know and I'm a medical scientist with a background in microbiology and histology. I wrote a particularly awful chapter where I had the heroine stuck in a room plating up microbiology swabs while being browbeaten by a stern, brooding “hero”. She was a wimp and he was a pain and basically the story got mired in a petri dish of MacConkey's agar. And, thank goodness, that's where it stayed!

Then I tried my hand at other lines and wrote a Presents which I sent off to London with high expectations that my new career would be as an author. Heaven knows why I thought that – the story was singularly awful. A well-deserved rejection arrived for that!

I tried another couple of partials with the same result. I was a bit discouraged so I moved on to short stories and learned a lot about voice and worked on writing craft. There's something so much more manageable about 1000 words as opposed to 50,000.

I came back to have another go at category romance and wrote a couple of Sweet Romances which finalled in consecutive years of the Emma Darcy Award which was being run by the Romance Writers of Australia then. As you can imagine that was enormously encouraging.
Then I had an idea about a veterinarian and a country GP – and that was the story that sold.

I think the Medical Romance line has such great flexibility and scope. The stories range from light and almost humorous to darker, brooding and dramatic. From warm, family-orientated to hot, intense drama and everything in between. They can be set in the safety of our own back yard to somewhere exotic and dangerous. But they're all stories with an abiding belief in the love of a man and a woman.

How many books did you write over what length of time before you got ‘the call?
I wrote five full manuscripts – though I'm awfully tempted not to count that very very first story! I'm very very slow so this happened over a period of about twenty years. During that time, as I mentioned, I went off and did other sorts of writing for a while, short stories, articles, journaling.
It's been a real journey during which time I've made the most fantastic friends who've given me brilliant advice and encouragement - including lovely, talented authors, Marion Lennox, Anna Campbell, Rachel Bailey and Fiona Lowe! I feel very privileged to have come to this point.

Did the editors at harlequin pick up your m/s and ring you up and say ‘sold?’
SINGLE FATHER: WIFE AND MOTHER WANTED took two years to travel from the slush pile to “The Call”. It went through three lots of revisions in that time. And I have to say it was the most fantastic experience to work with suggestions from my editor.

What were you doing when the call came?

Burning off on our five-acre property to prepare for the summer bushfire season. I'd just come back to the house, absolutely filthy and smelling of ash and smoke, when the phone went and it was the editor at the London office. It took a while for the reason for the phone call to sink in and once it did, all of me went completely rubbery. I think my side of the conversation was mostly “omigosh, omigosh, omigosh” Utterly scintillating, I was!

Tell us about your debut release, SINGLE FATHER: WIFE AND MOTHER WANTED

It's Matt and Caitlin's story. Veterinarian, Caitlin, is a life-long nomad who longs to find her roots. She travels to rural Victoria to look up the estranged family of her recently-deceased father, Martin Brown. The small town needs a veterinary locum urgently. Caitlin jumps at the opportunity to spend time getting to know her aunt, Doreen Mills, before revealing their family relationship and the sad news of Martin Brown’s death. Matters are complicated by Caitlin’s inconvenient attraction to Doreen’s foster son, MATT GARDENER. Matt is a rural GP and devoted single parent of nine year old Nicky. Lovingly fostered by Doreen Mills in between difficult periods spent with his feckless mother, Matt is very protective of his son and foster mother. Caitlin’s arrival in town challenges the careful plans he has laid out for his life.
And Fiona chimes in with, "I've read the book and it's a fantastic read! "

Tell us about revisions on the back of a motor bike?
Oh, Fiona, this has been a bit of a struggle for me. Life has a way of popping up with interesting challenges for us at the least convenient times, doesn't it?
We're travelling around Australia for Glenn's long-service leave. The commitment for this trip has been on the table for several years now.
I have to give so much credit and thanks to my long-suffering husband. The revisions for my third book arrived while we were on the road. The editor has made fantastic suggestions to strengthen my characters and I could see she was absolutely right about what she's asked for. But working on revisions in the tent in a camp chair is hard. And I'm a pen and paper writer so I find doing the changes on screen difficult.
We stopped to have the manuscript printed out. But then decided that it would actually be easier just to buy a small printer and do it ourselves on the road. Of course, when you're travelling on a motorbike with all your belongings in a small trailer, a printer takes up quite a bit of room. But we're in the tropics at the moment so we don't need many clothes!
And actually that has been a real eye-opener on the trip – how very little we can get by with in the way of “things”. I do miss my shelves full of books though!

Tell us where you are right now

I'm in the tent in Katherine, Northern Territory, famous for its steep red rock-walled gorge!

How is outback Australia?
I LOVE it! It's fascinating. And HUGE! This trip has given me a fine appreciation of just how big it is. I knew, of course, but I didn't KNOW if you see what I mean.
We've seen astounding, beautiful things, stunning colours, amazing geography. It leaves me feeling inadequate to find words special enough to describe it --- but I'm a writer so I keep trying anyway! The whole trip is an adventure, meeting people, seeing the sights, the fellowship of being on the road and the challenge of doing it all on the back of a motorbike.

But there are some standout things like:
– visiting the RFDS Visitors' Centre in Kalgoorlie. What an amazing group of dedicated people.
– Running out of petrol crossing the Nullarbor Plain. (we were rescued by Eddie, a well prepared Englishman and now firm friend!)
– Trying on a $100,000 string of pearls while we did a tour in Broome. I had a lovely fantasy about winning Tattslotto and then alas, the tour was over and the lady behind the counter wanted the pearls back.

– A seaplane flight over the Horizontal Falls followed by a hair-raising boat trip through it! WOW!

– A camel ride in Broome.

– The dolphins and pelicans at Monkey Mia.

– Seeing the Phillip Goatcher curtain in the Town Hall at Kalgoorlie – Standing near eons-old dinosaur footprints in Broome Honestly, Fiona, I could go on and on.... oops, hang on, I have been going on and on! :)

Will you be using some of your adventures in a future book?
Absolutely. Can't wait. I'm collecting impressions and books and DVDs and taking a zillion photos all with the excuse that they'll be great for research when we're back home. If I don't write at least one story, my webmaster (aka long suffering husband) will not be amused! LOL

So Sharon, I hear you have a signed book to give away :-)

I do! So to be in the draw....My wonderful webmaster will draw a name out of the motorbike trailer...please tell us about the most unusual journey you've made or mode of transport you've used.

Thanks for joining me at my party!!

Sharon xx

Sharon Archer is a New Zealander who now calls Australia home. Her debut novel, Single Father: Wife and Mother Wanted is available on shelf in the UK, at Mills and Boon Site and at Harlequin Australia. It will be on shelf in Australia and New Zealand in August.

It's the little things... by Lucy Clark

I don't know about you but for me, it's the little things which can make the biggest difference in my life. Hopefully, these 'little things' are good and not bad. The little thing of finding your toddler has been quiet for almost an hour, thereby giving you the chance to get things done (good), or the the little thing of finding they've been quiet for so long because they've been playing with the contents of their diaper (bad). Thankfully, my children are way past those stages but still, the little things they do, the way they still hug me (but not in front of their friends) and tell me they love me mean more to me then anything.

I've recently come through surgery and whilst in hospital - even though it was only for 5 nights - it was the little things which definitely made all the difference. From one day being held captive by IV drips, catheters, drains etc to the next, being able to walk to the bathroom on my own - that little achievement made me feel queen of the world. Having people visit, receiving cards which definitely made me laugh (bad when you have no stomach muscles) and singing balloons from my fantastic medical writing colleagues - these little things made my time away from my husband and kids all the more bareable.


We never know how a throw away comment or something we perceive as inconsequential might help someone else. My friend recently thanked me for reminding her about the crock-pot (slow cooker) she had in her cupboard because now she (who hates to cook) has been making roasts and stews and casseroles to warm her and her children through the Aussie winter months. She's thanked me a few times because when she gets home from work, it's all done, it tastes great and it's healthy. I, however, don't remember saying anything to her about a crock-pot but I do remember her being at my house when we had ours on, bubbling away cooking Hungarian goulash. For her this "little thing" has reaped a "big" reward.


Reading books, watching tv shows, absorbing movies - it's sometimes the little things that happen within these, that can have the greatest impact. I am so incredibly in love with two particular tv shows at the moment 'Castle' and 'Dollhouse' and I'm finding, through watching the way the storylines are weaved, from listening to the turn of the dialogue, to watching the expressions on the actors faces, that my love for the ability to create has been rekindled. It's a well known fact that as writers, we need to keep those creative brains active, we need to exercising that imagination on a regular basis but on the occassions when life hits you (sometimes with very large fits) it can be very difficult to keep that imagination in focus. Trying to create when your world feels as though it's crumbling around you, doesn't work. The story ends up dry, full of holes and your characters feel as broken as you do. I've been in this place - quite a few times - and often, that's when I need to take a break. When you're a writer, you never really get "time off". The imagination, the possibilities of a story, the ideas - they're everywhere you go and the notepads you jot things down in are always in your bag, your car, by your bed. However, sometimes, the need to stop, to let someone else fill your imagination with their work, is what can rekindle that love.

Laughing along with the antics of novelist Richard Castle in the tv show 'Castle' has been great. The writing is solid, the characters well drawn, the dialogue is fantastic but above all, the reason I'm so in love with this show is that it depicts writers as being intelligent. Thank you Andrew Marlowe (creator). That's the 'little thing' which I take from that show and that one thing helps rekindle my love for creating my own stories.



In the latest Lucy Clark release, I wrote about a woman called Jennifer who has loved and lost and returns to Sydney, wanting to keep herself locked away, safe in the world she's created for herself. However, she doesn't count on the childish innocence of two little girls - Lily and Lola - who with their "little things" manage to burrow beneath the walls she's built around her. Along with the twins, comes their yummy father, Jasper who loves the "little things" his girls have kept in his life since the death of their mother. In pretending to be a big stomping giant who carries little girls on his back, to chasing a streaking four year old through the house to deliver her safely into the bath - Jasper's life has been filled with colour. Together, they all share these "little things" with Jennifer in the hope that she will one day be a part of their family.

What are the "little things" which mean the most to you? A hug? A kiss? An impromptu "I love you"? A satisfactory win for your team? Watching your children play sport? Reading a good book? Listening to a favourite song? How do they impact your life? And just how full does your heart feel when you receive one of life's precious "little things".




A signed copy of my duo "A Mother For His Twins" and the follow-on book "Surgeon Boss, Bachelor Dad" are up for grabs.

Lucy

And The Winner is....

The winner of a free book for this week is Avi! If you'll come visit me at www.lauraiding.com and send me your snail mail address I'd be happy to send you a free book.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to make this Father's as Hero's day memorable.

Laura

Father's as Hero's

Hello! Laura Iding here, blogging about Father’s as Hero’s. Today is Father’s Day, the time of the year where families all across the nation pay tribute to dad’s everywhere.

According to the marketing department at Harlequin (and our wonderful editors), single father’s are one of the most popular themes for romance books. I know many of us have written quite a few of them. And have you noticed there are even some single dad themes on television and in the movies?

Remember Three Men and a Baby? That movie was one of my favorites.

So what makes father’s as hero’s so popular?
I think women are drawn to alpha males, strong and protective. Yet at the same time, women obviously want more than a cave man approach. We want a man who is sensitive. Kind. Loving. And what better way to show the strong hero’s softer side than to give him a child?
Is there anything sexier than a strong man who is reduced to mush when holding his infant son or daughter in his arms? Be still my heart.
The roughest, toughest man looks completely different holding his child, don’t you agree?

I lost my father last year, and I miss him terribly. He was always a hero in my eyes. He was a gruff man, having spent many a year in the Army and despite having three daughters, liked to run our house like some sort of Army boot camp. I can still hear him saying, “All right, troops! Listen up. Who’s on KP duty tonight? Get to work. I want this kitchen so spotless we can eat off the floor!”
He had all kinds of Army phrases he used to order us as his troops around the house. We never dared to talk back to him, not that he’d ever hurt us. He just wasn’t the type to take no for an answer.
So he was definitely Mr. Tough Guy Army Sergeant. But when I look back at the pictures of when I was born, and when my younger sister’s were born, I see my proud father cradling us in his arms, and you can just see how he would do anything to protect us. And throughout the years, even when I brought my first boyfriend home and my dad decided that was a good time to clean his hunting rifle (in summer?) I always knew that no matter what he would be there for me. And he was.
Speaking of single dad’s, my newest release, Emergency: Single Dad, Mother Needed is on sale at eHarlequin right now.

So let’s hear from you. Please share a story about your favorite father hero, from either real life or the world of fiction entertainment and win a chance for a free book!

Until next time--Laura

I'm feeling generous!

Beck Braxton has chosen this weeks winner - er, make that winners!

He influenced me, with those wonderful eyes, to give THREE books away this week. Why? Because I love this book, and I want as many people as possible to read it, AND it won't be coming to North America.





So! Drum roll, please ....





Emily A


Classy1125


Chey


Please contact me via my website: http://www.lynnemarshall.com/, and click on the contact page. Leave your addy and I will happily mail out the book.

Vacation or "Stay-cation" that's the question...by Lynne Marshall

Most people think of summer as the time to travel. I realize this is an International blog, and that those of you in the lower hemisphere of this great green planet are looking toward winter, so this may get confusing, but here goes anyway!

I plan to spend my summer writing. I’ve done my character thumbnail studies, considered their ever-important motivations, drummed up loads of conflict, and torn my hair out writing the dang two-page single spaced synopsis. Now I’m looking for pictures to create my collage. I love to have a huge poster board loaded with photographs to jog my mind and reinforce my visuals while I’m writing. I know many authors love to write with music in the background, but I prefer silence – I keep the music in my head, if you will. Though I am skilled at multitasking, my senses get overloaded too easily and I wind up being distracted by a beautiful musical phrase or someone’s fantastic voice, or extra poignant lyrics … well you catch my drift. Maybe I have ADD and don’t know it? I have enough problems keeping those character voices in my head under control, so I like to work quietly. But once I’m done writing for the day? I dance!

I have a lot of goals for the next two months – 50,000 words worth! But I’ll be rewarded with a trip to New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine to visit family in August. I hope you’ve all made plans for some time for fun this summer. I know with the current economy many people are planning “Stay-cations” and I think that’s a fantastic idea! There is so much to do wherever you live, even if it’s a picnic in the park or a day of hiking and taking pictures of gorgeous rocks! Don’t forget to break up your regular routine with excursions to new places from time to time. It’s great for your creative soul!

As part of my “Stay-cation” I’m hosting a young woman from Milan, Italy for the month of July for an International home stay. I am looking forward to learning about her culture as I share mine with her. If I can’t go to Europe, I’ll bring Europe to me!

So what is everyone up to this summer?

Any comment will get your name in the drawing for a copy of Temporary Doctor, Surprise Father, my current June UK release.

FYI The male cover model doesn’t exactly do justice to my idea for the hero, Beck, so I thought I’d show who I had in mind when I wrote the book. However, the female cover model for January was right in keeping with what I had envisioned!









And since I won’t be blogging next month, I’d like to remind everyone that Assignment: Baby, will be available at eharlequin.com under Medical Romance in July. OK, let’s hear some vacation or stay-cation plans!

And now that I’m finished writing this blog I’m off to –

that’s me. No really…

And the winner is.....

Eva S! Can you email me privately, please, on maggie.kingsley@btinternet.com, giving me your postal address and I'll get that box of goodies on its way.
And thanks again for everyone who contributed. It was a lot of fun!
Maggie Kingsley