2024 COVERS

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We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Magic Thursday: A Big Week

by Keziah Hill




As you may know, last week was a big week for me. I was one of five launch authors for Escape Publishing, a new digital imprint (can you have an imprint if you don’t print?) from Harlequin Australia. Open to all authors and readers, Escape wants to bring Australian voices to an international audience.


The launch was amazing.  A big cocktail party at East Circular Quay (I even had a cocktail named after my story!), a day of glamming up and LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of photographs.




Even a You Tube video! Rhian Cahill and I had our picture and a story in the Sydney Daily Telegraph and I’ll have something in my local paper too (which is a lot more confronting – everyone will know I’m an erotic romance author. Time to come out.)


All of this flurry of activity was a wild ride. Apart from enjoying it immensely even if it was a little stressful, it’s given me a great sense of validation. Validation can be something a little thin on the ground for a lot of writers.


We hunch over our computers most of the time, tapping out words we hope someone will like. Many of us, particularly if we are RWA members, enter competitions and when we get feedback, we focus on the negatives instead of the positives. If we submit to agents and publishers we live with frequent rejection. We work in an industry that is fairly ruthless in the way it deals with us. Often not deliberately, it’s just the nature of the beast.


So getting some validation is priceless. But I was struck by something Kate Cuthbert, Escape’s wonderful acquiring editor said on the launch day about why she likes working with Australian romance authors. We have a sense of camaraderie and support for each other which is not always that common in other genres and in other countries. That’s certainly something I’ve always experienced since joining RWA in 2004. Through some hard writing times, my writing mates in RWA have provided support and encouragement when validation was non-existent.


So, here’s to us! (She says raising a Chains of Revenge cocktail) 



Now to a give away. Make a comment and go into the draw for my novella Familiar Strangers.
http://keziahhill.com/familiar-strangers-on-sale



~~~
Great post, Keziah. I'm lifting up a Chains of Revenge cocktail. 
~Eleni

Keziah Hill can be contacted at her website,  on Facebook,  and on Twitter.  



6 comments:

  1. Hi Eleni! Hi Keziah! Hey, Keziah, it's been such a buzz seeing you the queen of the airwaves over the last week or so. You SOOOOO deserve it. I read Chains of Revenge ages ago and loved it (as you know). Love a full-blooded hot romance! I'm so happy that you're enjoying the ride - and wow, a cocktail named after your book? That is fantastic! xxx

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  2. I think you hit the issue on the head. I recently updated to a new email addy and realized how many of my friends were writers. Congratulations on a great read. This success will spur you on to finish that terrific thriller.

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  3. What a yummy looking cocktail.

    RWA is amazingly supportive ... the sort of community you wish existed, then can't quite believe you're part of.

    And don't you all look so glam in the photo! Very cool.

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  4. Congratulations Keziah. Chains of Revenge is a very hot read! And how cool to have a cocktail named after your book!

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  5. Thanks everyone! It was a wild week.

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  6. Yay for getting validation, Keziah. So happy for you.

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