Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Celebrating Writing Friends 6 - Michelle Styles


I suppose I could say that Michelle S was a virgin till I deflowered her! If you’ve read my post about Julie Cohen then you’ll understand this reference a bit more. But for those who haven’t – I founded a scheme of support and information for newcomers to the RNA annual Conference. The RNA Virgins. 2004 was the last year that I was actually actively involved in this scheme as the ‘Virgin Mother’ and that year , when the conference was held at Leicester. Michelle was one of my Virgins. She is also, I’m delighted to say, one more of my Virgins who I have seen become published authors.

Michelle writes Historical Romances. But, being Michelle, she writes them with a difference. She has launched her career with the first Roman romance that HMB have published. And this is in spite of everyone telling her that M&B would never accept a Roman story. As someone who became a writer in spite of (or perhaps because of) so many people who told me that I would never become a novelist. This appeals to me and I’m thrilled to have seen Michelle prove them wrong with not just one Roman accepted but three, with more in progress as I write.

Like Julie, I met Michelle through the eHarlequin message boards and then through the RNA. We had already been in contact by email for some time before I met her in Leicester. So I knew that although she lived in North East England, she was in fact born in America, near San Francisco, California and she had lived in Britain since 1988 when she married. So I knew that she wanted to write Historical Romances and I also knew that she had an idea based around a Roman Gladiator. But this was the book that she had been told M&B would not publish. I knew that HMB were expanding the historical line and that they were accepting a wider range of time periods so when I met the Senior Editor in charge of Historicals, I was able to ask if it was worth Michelle submitting. The answer was a very definite yes, so I’m delighted to feel that I played a small part in getting Michelle’s first book The Gladiator’s Honour on its way towards publication.

Michelle tells me I did more than that - she says:
You were involved in it beyond just speaking to Linda. Way back in August 2003,
you gave me some valuable advice. Basically to concentrate on writing for the
line I really wanted to. Also when I first started writing, you put something on
eharle about voice and conflict (looking at the conflicts Prince Charming could
have) Light bulbs started flashing in my mind. And I was off.

That’s one of the slightly scary things about Michelle – she remembers stuff! I’ve had lots of conversations about writing with her and most of it I’ve forgotten - but she’ll come back at me with something that she’s remembered that I said years ago. One thing I do recall saying though is that if you want to write romance you should write from the heart and this is something that Michelle has very taken – well, to heart! She has taken a favourite historical period – one that isn’t generally well represented in romance fiction - created a vivid and powerful fictional world, peopled by living and believable characters and so stamped her own mark on the category of fiction she writes for. The Gladiator’s Honour has a background of detailed historical accuracy but it also has those believable characters and the emotional appeal that draw in the reader to care about the characters, no matter which century they live in. What more could anyone ask of a Historical Romance?

I asked Michelle why she first chose the Roman period to write about:

One of the main reasons I decided to start writing historicals is that you told
me -- to look into my heart and aim for the line I really wanted to write for. I
had always thought Roman historicals could be very popular but the one ST title
I had read wasn't done very well and I became determined to try.


I’m convinced it’s that ‘look into my heart’ bit that matters. Writing Romance isn’t something you do cynically or because you believe it will make you a lot of money – though there are plenty of people who will try it because of that - it is writing from the heart that makes a book sing and I’m so pleased that the books that Michelle has put her heart into have worked and are now being published.

The book in the Bag of Books is Michelle’s first Roman title - The Gladiator’s Honour (which is also out in Audiobook format, on CD)and there are more titles coming up. A Noble Captive is a UK paperback in January 07.
Sold and Seduced is a UK paperback in April 07. Both of these will also be published in America, but there are no confirmed dates yet,

Sold and Seduced is a book I’m specially looking forward to reading. Last October, I spoke at a Day Workshop that Michelle part organized in Newcastle. During the day, we had a discussion about a book that I had written and that was due out in December – The Antonakos Marriage. As a result of our talk, Michelle went away, thought about the plot line I’d mentioned, and wrote Sold and Seduced. This is how romance writing works. It’s not plot stealing – there are few, if any, romance plots that haven’t been used by someone else already. But it’s taking a plot, working on it, putting your own individual spin on it, using your own ‘voice’ and turning it into something new and something that is authentically ‘you’ that creates a great romance story that readers enjoy.

That’s writing from the heart – and Michelle’s great Roman books show how that really works. Good luck Michelle. I’m thrilled to see Historicals trying new things so that the line is not just the Regency Romance line. And I’m delighted that you had the courage of your convictions to really ‘write from the heart’, break into the market with something different and so a less easy ‘sell’ and put your own special vision into the Historical Romance line. Romance writing is a living, growing genre. It needs new ideas and new blood to keep it that way and Books like Michelle’s, like Julie Cohen’s, are at the heart of that growth and so the genre’s survival. I hope the Romans – and the Viking books that I understand are coming up next - are as wonderfully successful as they deserve to be, for Michelle’s sake and for the strength of the line in the future.

9 comments:

Michelle Styles said...

As ever Kate is making me blush.
She has been a wonderful mentor and an inspiration. Typically she is very modest about the lives she has touched and changed with her words of wisdom. I know she certainly changed mine -- started me asking wy and gave me the courage to write in my own voice and do it my way.
One of my treasured possessions is the little heart pendant she gave me to welcome me to the Harlequin Mills and Boon family. Every time I wear it, I remember her own generosity and to write from the heart..
So here's to you --Kate Walker -- a truly magnificent mentor and a woman I proud to call a friend!

Anonymous said...

Kate - Reading all your posts about writing friends makes me more determined to get published and hope that over the years I get to have friends such as you have. I have been reading your 12 point guide and have been taking to heart some of its advice, esp the part where it says giving the h and H time to get to know each other.

Jessica Raymond said...

What a lovely post. Here's to Michelle!

Unknown said...

I've loved reading about your writing friends, Kate, and how they came to be so. Of course, you do realise that you are also mentor to thousands of unknown 'friends' courtesy of the '12 point guide' too! It's encouraging and inspiring to have such a tireless and positive ambassador for the genre. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

It's because it's Roman that I want to read Michelle's story. I'm tired of Regency and this looks like something fresh.

Which brings me to the comment you made on my blog. Thanks for everything you wrote, Kate. It gave me the virtual kick up the backside I needed to stop thinking in terms of what HMB usually publish and think about what I enjoy writing, instead. In view of that, I've changed a few things back to how they originally were before I started getting too hung up in "formula" and will be sending it off the original version.

Thanks for helping. You're an angel :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely post, Kate. And hear hear, both on your comments about Michelle and the wise advice that it's important to write from the heart. (If you don't - especially in a romance novel - it shows and your readers feel cheated.)

You've just reminded me that the RNA Leicester conference in 2004 was the first time I met Michelle, too. (I too was one of that brood of Virgins...)

Kate Walker said...

MichelleS - now you're making me blush! I'm so so pleased that you put your heart into your books and that your voice is so successful. Here's to more Romans!

Julie d - I wish you every success in your own writing. And if The 12 Point Guide helps you succeed I'm be really happy. Good luck


Hi Jessica - yes - here's to Michelle and much deserved success


Hello Imogen - nice to see you here
and thank you - I'm delighted to kmow that the 12 Point Guide is helping you too. What a lovely thought that there might be hundreds (I suspect thousands is a bit of an over-estimate) of unknown friends I've helped too.

Blue - yes - it's the courage to go for what you really want to write that helps put the heart into what you do write.

Sharon, you are so welcome - and food luck! And I hope that many other readers feel like you do. We all love a Regency roamnce but there are som many other wondeful periosn in history that need good writers to portay those times.

Kate H - hear hear to you too. And wasn't 2004 a good year for Virgins? Mind you - so was 2003 - 2002 . . .

Anonymous said...

Hi Kate and Michelle S.

I just loved The Lady Soldier!!! So I am really looking forward to her new book!!

Billie Jo

Anonymous said...

Julie I love you Greg from Nantes in France

 

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