Bronwyn Jameson - Author (aka: I Love A Sunburnt Author)

Guest Blogger: PAULA ROE

2008-05-11T19:10:00.001+10:00

My guest this week is fellow Downunder Desirabelle, Paula Roe, here to chat about her books, her writing, her website designing and her awesome self. Make her feel welcome, feel free to ask questions, I know she will be checking back to say "G'day" during the week.

Hi, Paula and welcome to Bronz Blog. Let's start with a quick overview: who is Paula Roe?

Paula: Ahhh, me LOL. Former secretary/office manager/computer trainer/aerobics instructor. Now full-time single mom/writer/website designer/tutor. I tend to end up with lots of "/" Must be my Gemini trait (or the fact that I get bored very easily...)

Yep, I suspect the Gemini has something to do with it (not that *cough* I would understand.) So, were you always targetting Desire? Tell us about your road to publication?

P: The first thing I ever wrote (way back when I was 16) was a terrible cliche of my favorite 80s historical romances. Then when I started writing for publication (a strangely optimistic pursuit for a glass-half-empty gal), I targeted Temptation. Surprise! My raw story didn't fit the guidelines, but that didn't deter me. I found Romance Writers of Australia, pored over the articles, entered a squillion contests (Bron: she's not kidding folks, check out her website for verification!) and read, read, read. Then, of course, life intervened, I had a few years travelling, then working to pay off those travels, then a marriage, a baby, a divorce. When my son was about three, I really got back into my writing again, determined to make a go of it now I was a full time mom. So after three rejections (targeting Presents, Special Edition, Intimate Moments) and 86 contest entries (and some wins), I got The Call on 6th September 2006.

That "call" was for the book published a year later as Forgotten Marriage, and it really is a cracker. Many, many people agree, as evidenced by: Borders/Waldenbooks bestseller, RT Reviewers' Choice finalist, CoRW Award of Excellence finalist... What was the most exciting part of your debut?

P: :::blush:::: Thank you! Actually, this is the most exciting part - having people say they loved the story. I never get tired of it. Oh, and getting the covers. I'm like a kid in a toy shop when those covers arrive (I actually thought about copying them a thousand times, chucking them on my bed then rolling around, but the ink would get into places that's hard to scrub off...) And there's also the rush of seeing your book on an actual shelf. You just want to run around the store yelling, "That's my book! That's my book!" But with all these wonderful little bits of icing on the cake, no-one can get as excited as your writing buddies when you share your good news. They know exactly what it feels like.

Yes, we do. *g* The timing of your first sale could not have been better, in that you arrived in time to join the Diamonds Down Under continuity. How did that come about? What did you enjoy most about being part of the project?

P: Well, I was blithely going about my normal day, when Yvonne Lindsay emails to ask if I want to join this author-led continuity they had going. Seeing as it involved writers I already knew personally (except Jan, whom I'm now delighted to say is a wonderfully warm, hilarious person as well as a great writer!) I jumped at the chance. The offer actually came at a significant time, too, because it meant I'd have to write on demand, and to a set deadline. No more playing around, fiddling with words... I was actually getting paid for this! I also wondered if I could write quicker than one book every... hmmm... about 5 years or so. To my relief, I not only wrote that book in six months but the readers seem to love it, which is really where the proof lies.

That book is Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir out right now in America. What will readers love about this story?

P: Well, I can tell you what I loved about it. First and foremost, it's the characters, always the characters. One reviewer said I write 'complex characters' which is one massive compliment for me. And I really enjoyed Jake's huge conflict he carries around, the gorgeous love story that evolves between him and Holly, and of course, the dialog. I loooove writing dialog! I think readers will also get a thrill from the reappearance of the previous books' characters in the series. As a reader, I always love reading about that - it's like getting a phone call from an old friend you haven't seen in a while.

Yes! That's exactly how I feel about linked books, too. Well said, Paula. Back to Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir... It's set in your hometown of Sydney, right?

P: Yep. I love Sydney - although didn't love it so much when I had to commute five days a week ;-) It's much better wandering around like a tourist, discovering all the places that you only breeze by on a workday. I was such a city girl LOL! Now, the city has changed so much since the Olympics, with new improved roads and shopping areas, plus a cool monorail system to take you around. I also love the water, especially near Darling Harbour, so I gave Jake an apartment in the new Sydney Wharf complex they're building just a stone's throw away. Holly got an apartment in the nicer area of Surrey Hills, and Blackstones' head office has the honor of actually being where the real-life Sydney Hilton is.

I know you had a ball coming up with those location details and I got to the use the Blackstones' office in my book as well which was cool beans. I have a feeling that this love you have of design might be a factor, both in your writing research and in your other part-time pursuit of website design (Paula does brilliant websites, folks. Check out her own site as well as Diamonds Down Under.) How did you get started in website design and is that something you will continue now your deadlines are coming fast and furious?

P: It's the frustrated interior designer in me ;-) I loved art at school and loved the visual impact of color and shapes, but wasn't that great an artist. And with web design, I don't have to actually draw stuff, rather just shuffle things around until I like it (and my client likes it!). As to continuing it... I love the distraction of web design, it's like a mental break from writing. But I have to work it around my writing deadlines because I tend to say yes to lots of things without stopping to 'protect the work' (as Jenny Crusie advises). :-) I just redesigned Trish Morey's site and added a blog, plus am working on a Down Under Desirabelles blog in between deadlines...

About those deadlines... What new stories do you have in the works?

P: Heaps - I'm a Gemini! At this moment, I'm on a 30 June deadline for my next Desire, a lovers reunited/MOC (tentatively titled The Bad Boy Billionaire), plus a possible second book involving the hero's half-brother. Then I'll be getting stuck into an exciting Aussie Desire project which is the works for 2009 (but that one's top secret for now!) As if that's not enough, I'm toying with an erotic fantasy novella, and have planned out a Desire trilogy about three Gold Coast billionaires. Oh, and I still have those Temptations and Special Editions waiting their turn to shine... not to mention a couple of websites to design...

I'm tired just *thinking* about all that work, so I might just take a short nap (I may be a Gemini but I am so NOT the energiser bunny variety.) Meantime, a few short and snappy questions for Paula....

Desire is... all about the romance - keep it short, fast and tight!

I can't write without... procrastinating first.

On my desk you will always find... a weird black hole that attracts every scrap of paper I need to file but never do.

The perfect man is... an urban myth ;-)

My favourite books are... ones that keep me reading waaaay past my bedtime.

I'm looking forward to... the day I can waltz into a real estate office and pay cash for my dream place.

To be in the draw to win a surprise collection of books (I'm hoping this will be one of the book packs I'm bidding on in the Brenda Novak auction), tell us about your favourite books. What do they have in common? How does a book earn a spot on your keeper shelf? (NB: Comments will remain open until prize draw on May 31.)

Brenda Novak's Auction

2008-05-08T10:20:00.001+10:00

Probably you are all familiar with Brenda Novak's online auction to benefit diabetes research. Has been going for several years, and each year Brenda works like the champion she is to line up more, bigger, better items and to promote the heck out of the awesomeness that is her auction.

This year I got together with some of the Diamonds Down Under ladies to donate a gift pack which includes all six books in the series, a diamond-set necklace, Pink Diamonds perfume, a diamond keyring, and a copy of "the bible" we put together for the series, which includes research and character notes, synopses, backstory and all sorts of bonus extras. So, go bid! On this pack and loads of other fab stuff!!

Don't You Love A Bargain?

2008-05-05T10:01:00.003+10:00

Well, I do. Love sales, love discounts, love getting wonderful stuff for a bargain price. The eHarlequin store has a 40% off sale this month on loads of "Passion" titles released in the past few months. Loads of Desire (including my Vows and Tycoon), Presents and Blaze, and some Nocturnes, Intrigue, Historicals, Kimani and Romantic Suspense thrown in for good measure. (NB: I've linked to page 3 for *cough* obvious reasons, but check out the other 2 pages as well.)

I'm Over American Idol

2008-05-01T22:42:00.002+10:00

Thought I was last week when Carly was booted. Now I most definitely am. That's all. (Except how cute was the phone call to Simon about his first kiss? Awwwwww.)

MORE Covers

2008-04-28T09:39:00.003+10:00

No, stop, don't roll your eyes. Don't click on to your next blog stop. This isn't yet more about the making of covers or about my covers, this is a HEADS-UP that the 2007 Cover Cafe Best Cover voting is open. (This is the one that used to be on All About Romance.) I have oohed and aahed over the beautiful covers; I have wrinkled my nose at the ones I think a bit meh; and I've looked at the "worst cover" category and felt for the authors who had no say while also thinking, I've seen plenty worse.

Toughest category to pick my favourite: Alternate Reality. Also contemporary single title had a couple I really loved and found hard to pick between.

Slightly disappointed that the series (category romance) is top-heavy in non-peopled covers. Not saying they're not gorgeous covers, just that I'd have liked to see some variety which included, for example, a gorgeous traditional romantic cover a la Harlequin Romance. I was also going to say, and a Desire (who me, biased?), but after a quick hunt I couldn't find one from 07 that I loved. Same quick hunt revealed these enticing examples from Harlequin Romance without breaking a sweat.

Guess I'm a bit of a fan of the traditional couples after all. :-)

Another Tycoon Review

2008-04-25T12:09:00.005+10:00

In case you haven't heard enough about this book yet, this review just in from Debby at Cataromance.

Misconceptions, and undeniable passion rule the pages in Bronwyn Jameson's Tycoon's One-Night Revenge.

After a brutal attack, Donovan Keane lost his memory of several crucial days. Now, months later he has pieced together the missing time. He knows he spent a weekend with Susannah Horton and afterwards lost a major deal to her fiancee. He is sure she spent that weekend with him to ensure her fiance's success. Since the final papers have not been signed as yet, Van resolves to arrange a night where he can have Susannah again and ruin the deal and her engagement as well.

Bronwyn Jameson's talent as a writer shines from the pages of Tycoon's One-Night Revenge as heat becomes flames and fascination keeps us glued to the pages to see if love or pride wins.

Read the full review.

On Cover Art

2008-04-25T12:02:00.003+10:00

There's a fabulous post at Liz Fielding's blog by a freelance artist who does cover work for Harlequin. I linked to another by the same artist at Pink Heart Society a few months back, but if you missed that one and are interested in the process of how a cover comes into being, go take a look.

Desire Editor Speaks

2008-04-23T12:15:00.003+10:00

This week at Diamonds Down Under, we have a Q&A with Desire editor Diana Ventimiglia. If you're interested in writing for the line, this is a don't miss opportunity to hear what the ed's are looking for AND -- special bonus! -- to go in the draw to win a critique. If you're a reader, there is a terrific book pack gioveaway instead.

Wouldn't I Love To Do This One Day...

2008-04-22T12:12:00.003+10:00

A writing course, a whole week, in Tuscany. Sigh. It's like my idea of bliss. Excuse me while I drift off to daydream a while about courtyards and picnics and Italian food and Alpine views and, oh yes, a little writing as well. I will not daydream about the complete unfeasability of distance and cost and suchlike. Sigh.

Review: Tycoon's One-Night Revenge

2008-04-17T08:55:00.004+10:00

Have I mentioned lately that I have a book out? And that you should buy it? :-)

In case you're wondering if it's your cup of tea or not, here's a review just in from The Romance Readers Connection. Deborah Hosey does a brill. job summarising the story setup.

"After a brutal mugging, millionaire businessman Donovan Keane doesn't remember the weekend he'd just spent with Susannah Horton. He has pieced together the details and he's convinced that she sabotaged his bid for The Palisades hotel he desperately wants. Susannah never heard from Van after that weekend despite the promises he made, so she got on with her life and accepted a friend's marriage proposal when he agreed to bail her business out of financial trouble. Van's summoned her to get to the nitty gritty of what went wrong with their original deal, and though he might not remember their passionate weekend, he can easily imagine taking the lovely Susannah to his bed. Now that she's engaged and The Palisades Hotel is part of the marriage contract, there's only one thing to do: keep Susannah with him and somehow stop the wedding...and try not to lose his heart once again.

TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE is an intense and entertaining read. It combines an amnesia plot, sexual tension, the beauty of Tasmania, and an already-familiar set up from Jameson's Princes of the Outback trilogy to make it a must-read Silhouette Desire. Bronwyn Jameson always provides compelling reading, and TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE is this and more!"

End of shameless self-promotion.

Idol Does Mimi

2008-04-16T21:45:00.004+10:00

An hour of Mariah Carey songs? Oh, boy. I almost didn't watch. I thought, geez this is almost enough that MJ might be glad to be gone. (JK.) I can't quite see him doing Mariah Carey, but then I couldn't imagine David Cook or Jason either and look what they did! Yep, I was pleasantly surprised because, as you may have guessed, Mariah's songs are not amongst my favourites and I expected train wreckage. Not so. They all did pretty good and I've just realised that its not the songs I dislike. Who knew? So, my favourite tonight: David Cook, hands down.

Mother's Day Giveaway

2008-04-16T07:04:00.004+10:00

We have a winner in my giveaway of the HM&B Mother's Day pack and that winner is...

squiresj

Congratulations! With over a hundred comments to go into my barrel of numbers that was a most lucky draw. Please email me at the contact address up the top right of this page with your address and I will send your prize pack. I think there are 8 books in all so a lovely early Mother's Day gift for you or for your mother.

Cover Likenesses

2008-04-14T09:31:00.004+10:00

In the comments to my last post about cover art, Dena asked how I felt about my covers and whether they'd been true likenesses to my characters. (She didn't ask that exactly, but her comment led me to that question.) I decided to put my 14 covers to date into one image and in the long, fiddly process--graphic artist, I am not!--thought about that question.

I haven't had any real shockers, in terms of wrong hair colour etc although when I analyse them one by one I see how few matched the image in my head. My first cover, In Bed With The Boss's Daughter, is still one of my favourite covers even though the cover model is too elegant and not brawny enough for how I imagined my slightly-rough-around-the-edges Jack Manning. But I love the cover because of its subtle sensuality.

The best likeness, by far, is A Tempting Engagement. That is Mitch and Emily, just as I pictured them. The worst? Zane is absolutely not right -- he has longer, lighter hair and is NOT Mr Clean Cut. The title is Zane: The Wild One, after all. Most of the others are, to quote Randy Jackson, "just okay" as far as character likenesses go.

The only cover that I hated on sight and still despise. The Rugged Shadow. Is that ugly or what?

To counteract that *shudder* horror, two of my all-time favourite covers are for foreign editions of The Rugged Loner. The character likenesses in these two are perfect for Tomas and Angie, yet I imagine they came out of the stock file. I wonder if they got it right by chance, or if they read the character descriptions?

How A Romance Novel Cover Is Made

2008-04-12T17:30:00.002+10:00

Dorchester author, Marianne Mancusi, is a TV producer for her day job, working on a show called Better TV. Recently she and Better TV partnered with Dorchester Publishing to do a story on how a romance novel cover is created, from concept to final product. Haven't watched it myself yet (need to connect some speakers that work because it's really not the same without sound!) but I will. I'm always fascinated by behind-the-scenes stuff and thought I may just share that fascination with some others out there. If you do watch it, let me know what you think.

IDOL: Randyisms I Never Want To Hear Again

2008-04-10T22:34:00.004+10:00

"Check it out, dawg."
"What's happening."
"It was okay for me, just okay."
"It got a little pitchy."
"Tryin' to keep it real."

That said, I though this week's show was okay for me, just okay. Not that some of the performances weren't good--they were--just that they weren't songs I liked...apart from Angels. As Simon said, one of the best pop songs, eva, and because I love the original it was hard to listen to David A's version. Not his fault, mine.

My favourites last night: Kristy Lee and Michael. Least favourite: David Cook and Carly, because of their song selections. Who will go? Ooh, tough, but I'm afraid it might be Carly. :-(

I Need A Name...

2008-04-08T22:10:00.000+10:00

...a surname for a guy, something strong but distinguished, with a leaning toward English origin if anything. For extra encouragement I'm offering a reward, a choice of books from my backlist, for the name I like best. Contest closes April 12. Disclaimer: I may not end up using the chosen name, but I'll still do the giveaway.

While I'm here, a heads up that I'm blogging today at 2 B Read about the concept of "the eternal present" in books. Would love your input. Comments this week go in the draw to win a desire Duo with includes my The Ruthless Groom.

What's Up With This?

2008-04-08T11:27:00.001+10:00

I have been trying to publish that last post ever since Thursday. I kept getting a zillion error messages when I tried to publish it; couldn't republish the whole blog; nothing worked. I ended up so exasperated that I decided enough-with-Blogger, I'm going to switch to Word Press. Plans are in progress. Today I decided to seek some expert blogger help and, since I had blogger open, I hit PUBLISH one more time...and it worked. Hooray! Just when I thought the dust had killed it stone dirty dead.

Just to make this post about something other than my trials and tribulations with blogger...

I heard on the news the other day that, despite my best efforts in taking cloth reusable bags to the supermarket whenever I shop, that last year's usage of plastic bags rose by 40%. What's up with that?

Dusty Idol Thoughts

2008-04-03T07:25:00.005+11:00

Yesterday was the most godawful day down here in the land of Oz. Gale-force winds howling around my office windows, blowing dust through every hint of a crevice. I swear it got into my eyes while I was sleeping last night. My first job today (after washing my eyes) was dusting, not because I'm housework obsessed or anything, but because I hate the feel of grit beneath my fingers on the keyboard.

Apparently it was even worse further south. This picture is of Melbourne; if you look hard you can just make out the cityscape in the background through the dust.

Moving on from boring weather details to Idol. I was trying to think of a clever segue from dust to Dolly, but that would be just disrespectful and Dolly always seems so nice. And she's so tiny.

Anyway, a whole show of Dolly Parton songs? I thought this might prove a trainwreck but I liked their interpretations, mostly, with only Ramiele and Jason not so much. Who'd have thought the guys would shine on Dolly songs? Both Davids and Michael were terrific. Can't pick one from those three as my favourite performance.

I think the bottom 3 this week might be all girls. Ramiele, Syesha, Kristy Lee.

Tycoon's One-Night Revenge, Out Now!

2008-04-01T05:52:00.003+11:00

I am jumping the gun slightly. I admit it. It is not yet April 1 in America which is the only place TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE is available this week...except for the eBook version, which is available everywhere right now. But since I won't be on-line to publish this tomorrow, I took liberties and pretending it is April 1 already.

I am also taking the liberty of posting the Dear Reader letter from the front of the book, which explains a little about how this book came about. It has been a looonnnggggg time coming, the process almost drove me over the edge of sanity, and I can hardly believe it's finally out (almost.)

Also, I believe the eBook version doesn't include the letter. Which is wrong. Everyone should get the whole package. So here it is.

Dear Reader,

If you've read my PRINCES OF THE OUTBACK trilogy then you may remember Susannah Horton. Although she didn't appear on the page, Susannah played a vital, indispensable role as Alex Carlisle's intended bride. In The Ruthless Groom, she was the catalyst that brought Alex and Zara together...and one of the obstacles that kept them apart.

The possibility of creating a happily-ever-after for Susannah only struck after I'd finished writing The Ruthless Groom, and during the final edits I hurriedly added some hints of her future story. At that stage I had no idea what her story would be,
only that she'd run away from her wedding because of "a mystery man." That man
would have to be very special, I knew, and her reason for running high-stakes.
And that was all I knew.

To those readers who've been eagerly awaiting Susannah's story—here it is! I hope you enjoy her journey from a conveniently arranged engagement to a marriage based purely--and inconveniently--on love. I also hope you enjoy your reading journey to Tasmania, Australia's southernmost island state. Stranger's Bay and Charlotte Island are both fictitious but, I hope, reflective of the wild natural beauty and dramatic scenery for which Tasmania is known.

Cheers from the Land Down Under,
Bronwyn Jameson

This Week We Had Rain...

2008-03-29T10:41:00.002+11:00

...when last week there was only dust.

This is our farm taken from the air a week ago, when a friend flew past on a dirty, dusty day. Hopefully after this week's lovely, slow, gentle rain we may be green in another week.

RITAs and Idols and Spaceage Swimsuits

2008-03-27T10:01:00.004+11:00

Three disparate subjects it would seem, but they do share a common link. Competition. I'm not sure how or why competition fits into pursuits such as writing and singing. I know there's no definitive: this book is better than that book, or this singer is better than that. It all depends on who is reading or listening and in the case of competition, who is judging.

My mixed feelings don't stop me hanging out for the announcement of RITA finalists each year. These are the books which gained the highest scores from the fellow RWA members who read them in first-round judging. That's five readers, five opinions, five scores. But because it's a peer-judged contest, we authors do love RITA.

I entered books from 2002-2006, got some truly horrendous scores and then in 2006 I was the world's luckiest writer and a triple finalist. I decided it could never get any better and so I haven't entered since. Yet yesterday, when the calls to finalists went out, I had the jitters something fierce. Probably on behalf of all my mates who'd entered. Congratulations to all the finalists, with a special Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi-oi-oi shout-out to Kelly Hunter, Anne Gracie and Anna Campbell, and to Golden Heart finalists Tracey O'Hara and Helene Young.

Have you checked the finalists? Any books you read there that you read and loved last year?

This week I've been glued to the nightly coverage of the Australian swim championships, also our Olympic trials. We have top swimmers, no question, but they've been swimming Very Fast Indeed this week in their high-tech swimsuits. Apparently they were partially designed by NASA. Apparently they cost $600 each. Apparently in the past 39 days, 13 world records have been broken, 12 by swimmers wearing them. My husband says they should be banned. I say they should be made available to all swimmers, not just the countries that can afford them, so in Beijing everyone is on the same playing field...or pool.

Between RITA and the swimming, I almost forgot about Idol last night. I missed Ramiele but caught the rest. Loved Michael's Queen tribute but then loved David Cook's interpretation of Billie Jean even more. He's not my favourite personality but props to him for crafting the old classics into contemporary versions.

I'm worried that Carly might go. Really did not like her last night, horrid song at the best of times and she looked soooo tense that I couldn't watch her. Worryworryworried about her surviving. Do I look as tense as she did?

I'm Buying This Book!

2008-03-26T14:22:00.003+11:00

Not only because it's all pretty and pink, or because the headline book is Helen Bianchin's current #1 Waldenbooks bestseller The Martinez Marriage Revenge, but because every purchase is an entry to win a cleaner for a year!!! Is that a cool promotion or what? Haven't read the small print and really hope that HM&B authors are not excluded. Um, it is a Harlequin Australia promotion so the cleaner prize is probably restricted to ANZ readers. :-/

But since I'm reaching for my credit card to order myself a copy and it does look like a cool collection of stories and a perfect Mothers Day gift, how about I buy two? The second I will give away as my Mothers Day gift to one lucky reader who visits and comments on any of my blog posts between now and April 15.

To give you something to comment about: a cleaner for a year sounds like THE perfect Mother's Day gift to me, but perhaps you disagree. What would you like a year of -- a massage a day, a personal trainer, flowers delivered daily to your door, your own personal chef, laundry service, gardener, chocolate delivery service? What would put a smile on your face every day this year?

Tycoon's One-Night Revenge, Browse the Book

2008-03-24T15:44:00.002+11:00

I love cool, new stuff. I can't always work out how to use cool, new stuff. I don't always have the time or patience to work out how to use cool, new stuff but that never dampens my initial enthusiasm.

On that note and with appropriate fanfare, let me introduce you to eHarlequin's Browse the Book widgets, available for all April releases including my Tycoon's One-Night Revenge. As well as reading the first chapter, you can view the cover blurb, other books' by page, the dedication, dear reader letter (author note) and bio.

There is also a search facility, although I'm not sure how that might be useful to readers. Perhaps if it's a series and you want to see if characters from previous books make an appearance, you could search their name? (Example: in Tycoon, you can search for Alex and Zara from The Ruthless Groom.) Any other thoughts on that?

Is this something you'd use to check out more details on upcoming books?

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

How's The Chocolate Going Down?

2008-03-23T18:33:00.000+11:00

Big shout out to my friend, Trish Morey, the koala counter, who sent me this gorgeous Easter joke. My favourite. And tres appropriate as my favourite Easter chocolate is the Lindt bunny. What is yours?

For Writers: A Few Thoughts on Setting

2008-03-21T12:49:00.002+11:00

Last weekend I posted at Diamonds Down Under about Australia's quintessential romantic settings, applicable to real life but also as used in romance novels. That got me thinking about how much the setting can add to a romance. In some case it defines the romance...or perhaps the characters and the tone of the romance demand a specific setting. Perhaps it's not a core ingredient like character and conflict and a resolution that leads to a happy ending, but an essential one, IMHO.

I say this despite an interesting exercise conducted on our recent writing retreat. We were asked by our discussion leader to list ten essentials we look for when reading. Setting did not appear on many lists, although items such as colour, layering, depth, atmosphere did, and in my mind these are the things created through setting.

Interesting, some of the writers/readers said things like "I don't care where it's set as long as I'm drawn to characters". Or the situation, the plot, the storyline. Or perhaps they love any story where the dialogue is funny and smart and snappy. I argue that this reader's enjoyment will also be enhanced if setting is well applied. Not with a heavy hand, but as a light veneer to compliment the rollicking adventure or the intense passion or the quirky wit of the characters.

Would Stephanie Plum be Stephanie Plum without Trenton, NJ?

Have you seen or read No Country For Old Men? Could that story have been set anywhere else?

In these and many instances the setting chooses itself, it is part of the characters or essential to the plotline or defined by the situation. My examples: Tycoon's One-Night Revenge required a remote wilderness location to allow the stranded/isolated storyline to work. Tomas Carlisle in The Rugged Loner is an outback cattleman as harsh and unforgiving as his outback home.

In category romance it can even be part of the series guidelines. Quoting from the guidelines posted on eHarlequin.com, Presents are all "set in sophisticated, glamorous, international locations" and all Harlequin Americans are set, where else, but in America. "They're set in small towns and big cities, on ranches and in the wilderness, from Texas to Alaska--everywhere people live and love."

That's the overall story setting. Equally important is the setting within scenes, which grounds the reader by showing where the action is taking place or--better still--draws her into the storyworld so she experiences the action along with the heroine. Setting creates atmosphere and can be used to add texture, depth and sensual detail. Definitely something I look for in my reading and when I examine the authors who I've loved through the ages--from Lucy Walker's outback to Ruth Wind/Barbara Samuel's south-west--I realise just how essential.

PS: I'm giving away two of my books which I feel best exemplify my own use of setting to enhance story, The Rugged Loner and Tycoon's One-Night Revenge, to one commenter on the DDD Blog. Drawn 22 March.

And if you don't win the free copy at DDU, you can buy Tycoon's One-Night Revenge in eHarlequin's Hot Men for Hot Prices promotion for just $2.66.