Books Read in 2009

I was hoping to have read stacks more books this year but, similarly to last year, life got in the way. Will have to aim to read more this year.


Highlighted in red were my fave reads which is not to detract from the other books which were still enjoyable. So, without further ado, here goes:


1. Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis
2. Flashpoint by Jill Shalvis
3. Confessions of a Millionaire's Mistress by Robyn Grady
4. Playboy Boss, Live-In Mistress by Kelly Hunter
5. Untamed Billionaire, Undressed Virgin by Anna Cleary
6. The Boss's Bedroom Agenda by Nicola Marsh
7. A Night With the Society Playboy by Ally Blake
8. Hired: The Boss's Bride by Ally Blake
9. Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
10. Two Weeks In The Magnate's Bed by Nicola Marsh
11. Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance by Kate Walker
12. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
13. The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge by Trish Morey
14. The Billionaire's Baby by Nicola Marsh
15. The Secret Mistress Arrangement by Kimberley Lang
16. The Mile High Club by Heidi Rice
17. Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition by Heidi Rice
18. Savas' Defiant Mistress by Anne McAllister
19. Heart and Craft: Bestselling Romance Writers Share their Secrets With You, edited by Valerie Parv
20. Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone
21. Hot Nights With A Playboy by Nicola Marsh
22. Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal by Heidi Rice
23. Between The Italian's Sheets by Natalie Anderson
24. Exposed: Misbehaving With the Magnate by Kelly Hunter
25. Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge by Lynne Raye Harris
26. Memoirs of a Millionaire's Mistress by Anne Oliver
27. The Antonakos Marriage by Kate Walker
28. Antonides' Forbidden Wife by Anne McAllister
29. Hot Boss, Wicked Nights by Anne Oliver
30. Bought: Damsel in Distress by Lucy King
31. Getting Red-Hot With The Rogue by Ally Blake
32. At The Boss's Beck and Call by Anna Cleary
33. Revealed: A Prince and A Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
34. Public Affair, Secretly Expecting by Heidi Rice
35. The Millionaire's Mistletoe Mistress in Christmas With The Boss by Natalie Anderson
36. Devil In A Dark Blue Suit by Robyn Grady
37. The Secrets of Successful Romance Writing by Emma Darcy
38. Hot Boss Boardroom Mistress by Natalie Anderson
39. Married: For Business or Pleasure? by Nicola Marsh (part read)

Now off to put in a dent in my TBR pile...

Editing Blues

My wordcount meter hasn't been budging lately. The reason for that is that I'm trying to edit my second chapter. Trying being the operative word.

I'm following Margie Lawson's Deep Editing: The EDITS System through her lecture packet that I purchased. I've only got one word to describe how I'm feeling at the moment: overwhelmed. Cliches abound, too much introspection, not enough witty dialogue. Right about now, I'm hating everything about my chapter.

So I've decided to try and rewrite the chapter and see if it reads better than how it does at the moment. This editing biz is harder than writing. Now I now why they say 'Writing is re-writing' (though I can't remember who said this, so apologies because I don't know who to attribute this quote to).

How do you go about editing/revising/re-writing your manuscript? Have you got a systematic method or is your way random?

Desperately Seeking Writing Mojo

I've lost my writing mojo.

Life seems to have gotten in the way once again. I'm mentally, emotionally, psychologically and physically fatigued from all the constant challenges I've had to face in the last 16 months. Just as I think the worst is behind me, then something else happens. It's all finally taken a toll.

I know that sometimes writing needs to take a back seat - especially when there is no energy left. But I wish I'd stop feeling so damn guilty about it.

I've decided to write at least 100 words per day. Because not writing feels so bad. And I lose track of my story and where I'm going with it if I take too long away from the WIP.

The point of this post is not to whine, believe it or not. I want some suggestions from those who care to share them. What do you do when your writing mojo goes AWOL?

Plot hole bigger than the Ozone Layer

More than 15,000 words into my WIP and I've realised that I have a massive plot hole. And it's integral as it relates to the reason my hero needs a marriage of convenience. Now, I can hear you asking: How did she not pick this up earlier - like in the planning stage? Unlike my previous mss, I did actually plan this one. I spent ages brainstorming with my teacher, getting to know the characters, their backgrounds, and the internal and external conflict. And yet...I knew there was something wrong, something niggling away at me.

S'pose it's better that I picked it up now rather than at the end. Now in order to address the plot hole issue, I'm coming up with ideas that are making it more and more complicated. And I keep remembering the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

So I can either keep trying to bust my brain trying to come up with a way to fix this thing. Or I can change the reason entirely as to why the hero needs the MOC. Which means I need to go back and rewrite. Grrr...whoever says writing is easy ought to be shot!

Oh well...might as well get back to it.