Christmas Stocking books and authors - 7

My Christmas stocking author today is an Australian - which means that the the RWAus Conference where Anne McAllister and I spoke, she will have been subjected to Hugh-in-a-towel - probably by both of us. But I don't suppose she minded.
And no, I'm not going to use that as an excuse to post Hugh-in-a-towel again, instead I'm talking about another great Australian export - Annie West.

I've chosen today to blog about Annie for a very special reason - one you'll discover when you read her story of how she got The Call.

Annie lives with her husband and children on Australia’s east coast, north of Sydney. Annie grew up wanting to be an archaeologist or a national parks ranger or a bookseller, so of course she became a public servant. In the meantime she travelled and read books.

I’ll let Annie tell her story in her own words:

I discovered romance books in my teens. At the time I was discovering Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart at the library, I found the rose cover on a stack of category romances in my best friend’s house. Her mother read them voraciously and soon I did too. I loved the fantasy element, the exotic far-away locations, the fact that the heroine got exactly what she wanted and (yes, of course) the wonderful heroes. What did it matter if the guys at school were spotty, immature or dull when there were Spanish aristocrats, sexy Italians and other fascinating heroes just waiting to steal a girl’s breath away?

Fortunately I found my own romantic hero while studying at university. Despite the distraction I completed an honours degree in Classics. I was also fortunate to spend lots of time travelling, backpacking through Egypt and Greece, ‘tramping’ in New Zealand, sightseeing in Europe and living in Germany a couple of times.

Through school (English classics and romances) and university (Homer and romances) and work (parliamentary reports and romances) there was a common thread. I love a happy ending. I read a wide range of books but that always includes romance. Inevitably I wanted to write them.

I joined Romance Writers of Australia – one of the best things I’ve ever done. That put me in touch with other writers and provided a valuable source of know-how, inspiration and great friends. My first manuscript was over length,full of problems and immensely fun to write. Inevitably it was rejected but I learned so much from writing it.

Annie’s story is an example of how persistence and courage are needed in the world of romance writing and publishing - any publishing. There was almost ten years between those first attempts to write for Modern/Presents – or M&B Sexy as the line is called in Australia.
Here’s how Annie tells that part of the story.

One weekend I went to an all day writers’ workshop. It was fabulous and I felt the buzz of excitement as romance writers shared their enthusiasm. In the afternoon Miranda Lee and Emma Darcy spoke and inspiration hit. By the time I left I had an idea for a story.

Writing ‘A Mistress for the Taking’ was like coming home. The words flowed and I knew I was in my zone for the first time ever. I felt the story in my bones. Though you know what ‘home’ is like – lots of housework – or polishing! I entered it in a contest and even got a placing for the first kiss but to my disappointment there was no request for the manuscript. I sent it anyway – straight to the slush pile.

I was immersed in another story when Tessa Shapcott requested the full manuscript. I sent it and tried to repress those effervescent hopes – I’d had full books rejected before. A month later I received an email asking for revisions. At the end of November 2005 I sent a revised story. Of course I knew that busy editors don’t read whole manuscripts overnight and contact breathless authors the next day. But that didn’t stop me hoping.

I still remember December 8th – waking up and not following my usual routine of heading to the computer to check my emails and write. Why bother? There’d be no news. Finally I checked the mail. There was a message from Richmond. It was long so I started skimming ... thanks for the revisions ... (no ‘but’ yet) ... they worked well ... (where was the ‘but’?). I looked for the inevitable ‘but’ and couldn’t find one. I read it twice before I realised that the editor really meant it when she said she wanted to buy the book. It must have taken me five minutes for the news to seep in, despite the fact that the attachment was called something like ‘Mistress for the Taking acceptance doc’.

(Now do you see why I had to post today? Happy Acceptance Anniversary Annie!)

To my amazement I didn’t squeal with delight – the children were still asleep. Instead I dragged my husband over to read the news. He was just as excited as I was. After all, he’s lived with my writing obsession for years. The next days were a haze, punctuated by sudden bursts of glorious delight – ‘hey, they want MY book’! It’s a good thing I spoke to my editor after the news had sunk in a little – or I wouldn’t have made any sense at all

The book Annie has donated to the Christmas Stocking is her very first title – A Mistress for The Taking – so you’ll want to know more about that:

Made to be his mistress . . .
Inexperienced Marina Lucchesi must save her brother from ruin. Rich, handsome Ronan Carlisle wants to settle a score.
Rona’s Strategy is simple: if Marina poses as his mistress, he’ll ensure that the man who made them both suffer will pay. But Marina wonders, why would Ronan, one of Australia’s most eligible tycoons, want her?
However, she’s not in a position to refuse Ronan’s offer. . . or resist the overwhelming physical attraction pulsing between them . . .

A Mistress for the Taking was published in the UK in November, is out now in Australia, and will be published in Presents in December. Romantic Times has already given it a great review:

...filled with intrigue and romance. It’s great fun to watch Marina and Ronan struggle to control their raging desires while participating in a cat-and-mouse game they’re playing with the evil Wakefield. West does a good job of developing the romantic relationship between the protagonists, while maintaining the aura of suspense." 4 stars ~ Stephanie Schneider

Annie’s next book will be The Greek's Convenient Mistress, published in Modern Romance in January 2007 This is followed by The Sheikh’s Ransomed Bride in April, and For the Sheikh’s Pleasure in August. It may have taken her ten years or so to make it to acceptance – but in the year since then she’s certainly been busy!

You can find out more about Annie and her books on her web site

Happy Acceptance Anniversary Annie - and I wish you every good luck and success in your writing career.