New Book, New Name by Johanna Grassick

Good things come to those who wait...

As the Novelistas know, I've been working towards getting published for many years now, submitting my work for critique, attending writing courses to hone my craft, and entering competitions. I won't lie - it wasn't always easy to pick myself up after a publisher's rejection, even those (especially those?!) which told me I was very close but hadn't quite hit the mark of what they were looking for. However, last year, I got lucky when my short story, Rum Truffle, was short-listed for The Sophie King Prize.

Even better, the publisher, Corazon, who ran the competition, decided to publish an anthology of the top 10 stories and I saw my name in print for the first time.

Then I went to the Romantic Novelists' Association conference where I had the opportunity to pitch my work to Accent Press (you can read more about this here), and I was thrilled when they offered to publish my novel, Her Forget-Me-Not Ex, a heartwarming contemporary romance set in Provence.

Now I've been through the process of revising and editing my novel for the first time, and I'm so excited to be able to reveal my new cover:

Natasha has consigned her wealthy French ex-husband Luc to the past, so she’s horrified when he turns up at her village florist’s shop out of the blue, pleading for help. He never dared to tell his family about the divorce, and when he asks her to come to France and pretend they’re still married for a couple of weeks to please his dying father, she’s not sure she can say no. She certainly isn’t prepared for the warmth of his family’s welcome, or the attraction that’s still simmering between her and Luc.

But it’s just two weeks in a vineyard, no strings attached, right?

You may notice I have a new pseudonym. Attached as I am to the name I was born with, I have spent most of my life spelling it out to people, and when my publisher suggested that I think about taking on a new identity, I was more than happy.

So what do you think? Isn't it a lovely cover?

Her Forget-Me-Not Ex will be published 22nd May 2015, but it's already available for pre-order from Amazon UK and Amazon USA.

Meanwhile, Sophie Claire has a brand new Facebook page and Twitter account and she'd love to meet you there!

Pitching to Agents and Publishers at the RNA Conference 2014 by Sophie Claire

This wasn’t my first conference, but it was definitely the scariest! 

This year I had three appointments with publishers and agents to pitch my work: one finished novel and one which still needs a bit of work. I was asked to send in my work beforehand – most wanted a chapter and synopsis – and I must confess that, waiting for the first appointment, I was a bag of nerves.

What if they asked me to give an elevator pitch (when you condense the premise of your book into one line, exciting enough to intrigue a jaded publisher)? Or asked me a question I couldn’t answer and I made a fool of myself? It felt like I was preparing for a job interview. However, I know it’s invaluable to get feedback from industry professionals, and these ten-minute appointments are like gold dust.

In the end I wasn’t asked to give an elevator pitch, and in fact we had some really interesting discussions. One publisher asked what I knew about them, which was fine because I’d done my research on the company, listened to an online interview with the company’s Managing Director, and a very kind friend who is published with them had spent 30 minutes on the phone telling me about her experience of working with them. In another appointment I was asked what had inspired the idea for my novel because it was unusual, and we discussed my characters in more depth. One editor had gone through my sample chapter with a red pen and asked me to check some finer points, like the legalities of a quick divorce in the UK. 

In all my appointments I could see the agents/publishers assessing not only my writing, but how it would fit in the market – they were looking for themes and topics which are current, or a setting which is a little different from the ordinary. This is the business side of writing, which we authors don’t always consider, but it can’t be ignored and perhaps it’s of particular interest to me because I used to work in Marketing.

Another important subject – it came up twice! – was the importance of writing novels which are consistent in terms of genre or style. Readers want to know what they’re buying when they pick up a book, and they don’t like nasty surprises! So there’s a fine line to be observed between not churning out the same story over and over again, but not writing wildly different books with no unifying element either.

Sophie Claire and Sophie King

If authors do write across genres, and I believe this is happening more and more as self-publishing allows authors the freedom to experiment, one solution is to use a pseudonym. Or, in the case of Sophie King (aka Janey Fraser and Jane Bidder), several pseudonyms!

You might remember that one of my short stories came 3^rd in the Sophie King Prize earlier this year, and another highlight of the conference for me was to meet Sophie King in person for the first time. 

It’s always exciting to be in the company of established writers like Katie Fforde, and there were some interesting panel discussions at the conference this year, including this one about The Future for Romantic Fiction. 

Katie Fforde (left) in panel discussion

I was really sorry to have to leave the conference early for a family holiday. But before I vanished, there was time for an evening of glamour:



Dressed up for the gala dinner



On the Loose at the RNA Conference!

Cheryl, Valerie-Anne, Annie, Jo, Juliet

What's the collective noun for a group of Novelistas Ink members? 

The excitement of a name badge and a lanyard!

An invasion of Novelistas seemed appropriate at the RNA Conference 2014, held at Harper Adams University in Shropshire. Almost half the group were present, and our enthusiasm upon arriving probably made up for the members who couldn't be with us. We were all determined to make the most of our time there, whether we were veteran conference goers or complete virgins like me. I possibly overdosed on coffee simply because it was there, on offer, without my having to get up from my desk and switch on the kettle (too much effort at times). So I must have been on a caffeine high during a number of talks and workshops, as I'm still trying to make sense of my notes.

I asked a couple of the others for their own views on this year's conference, and here are a few more photos they've shared with me...

Cheryl: 'Excellent venue at Harper Adams University.' 

A spacious, modern location

Did you know this area still holds the UK record for being the coldest spot in the UK? (26C!) But not when we were there!

The conference was well organised and well attended. Goody bags spilled over with books and other items. Delicious, locally sourced food. Great company. I talked too much and listened a lot. I was impressed by the lecture theatres. Friday and Saturday's talks and workshops mostly centred around e-publishing and the future of the industry. I found these fascinating. 

However it was Sunday's talks that grabbed me the most; they were more 'hands on' and centred on the nuts and bolts of writing and publishing. I particularly enjoyed the practical workshop during Kate Long's talk. We were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the main character in our books. Amazing! I didn't even know up until that point that my character had a plain pink bedroom as a child. It helped to know your character in more depth. It's definitely something I shall use.

Gala dinner

Aren't we spoiled!

Annie: 'For me, going to the RNA Conference is about re-connecting with friends I only chat with virtually over the year.'

After my first conference, where I came back exhausted, I've learned not to try and go to every seminar and stay up late chatting every night over a bottle of wine! I pace myself much better, and enjoy networking with old (and new) friends, hopefully gleaning a nugget or two which I can apply to my writing over the coming year. And I never learn what I think I'm going to learn. Never!

As for Jo and Juliet...

You can read Juliet's post here on the blog, where she tells us all about the Blists Hill event on the Friday morning, and Jo - an experienced conference goer, who always meets up with friends there - enjoyed the fact the Novelistas blended so well into the established circle.

Glamorous ladies

For me, one of the highlights was seeing the Novelistas Ink Blog on a screenshot, on the huge screen in the largest lecture theatre, during Ian Skillicorn's workshop. Although we knew we were going to be mentioned, we were so stunned when we saw it up on the screen we forgot to take a photo of it to show the others. #EpicFail. 

I'm sure one day soon I'll be blogging about things I learned at the conference. I'll decipher my notes eventually, and my head will stop spinning. But I do know one thing now - it wouldn't have been the same without my brilliant Novelista friends to share it with.

Thanks for being there. (And for the camomile tea at midnight, Juliet! Much appreciated.)

Valerie-Anne x

www.valerie-annebaglietto.com
Twitter: @VABaglietto
Facebook: Valerie-Anne Baglietto Author

Blists Hill and the RNA Conference 2014 by Juliet Greenwood

Fellow Novelistas Cheryl Lang,
Valerie-Anne Baglietto and
Johanna Grassick

This year was my third RNA Conference. My first was many years ago in Durham as a new writer, wide-eyed and bewildered, and astonished that everyone was so friendly and writers weren’t all impossibly rich and glamorous and Hollywood and looking down their nose at me! I never thought then that in my next Conference (two years ago in Penrith) I would be giving a talk myself as a published author. This year, I enjoyed meet up again with all my lovely friends in the RNA, meeting all the new ones made online, and learning more about the changes taking place in the publishing world.

Juliet Greenwood and
Annie Burrows
in costume at Blists Hill

With fellow Novelistas Annie Burrows and Freda Lightfoot, I also had the chance to go to the author’s event at Blists Hill, the reconstructed Victorian village in Ironbridge. We all had a great time with plenty of interesting chats with visitors passing by on their way into the village. In my costume as a suffragette, I found myself part of the exhibits when I went to look around. The policeman on his bike looked slightly confused and pedalled away quickly, but I had some interesting conversations about brick throwing and universal suffrage with the visitors. It was a glorious summer’s day, and I definitely felt myself entering the world of ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’. My glorious hat with the ostrich feathers is now safely packed away – all ready for its next appearance!

The hat!