Christina Hollis—You Can Do It If You Really Try...

Whenever I’m asked to talk about my work, someone in the audience always says: ‘I wish I could write a book…’

There’s only one answer to that. You can—so get started!  Writing a book is no picnic, but I've found it’s a lot easier than trying to lose the weight you’d put on from taking part in a picnic. 

Writing is a great pastime. It's helped me in lots of ways. I’ve met loads of good friends through local, national and international writing groups. Pouring out your thoughts onto paper or a screen is a wonderfully freeing experience. Many years ago, I had problems beyond the dreams of analysts—or so I thought.  I piled them onto one of my troubled heroines. Reading through and refining her life story a hundred times gave me new insight into my own, real world. From that moment, things looked up for me.  They got even better when that heroine’s troubles won me a short story prize. I was on the road to recovery, thanks to the healing power of words.

In my third novel, One Night In His Bed, the hero Garett tells Sienna:

‘You can have everything you want.  Just reach out.  There are no limits…’

myBook.to/ONENIGHTINHISBED

Writing fiction is a great illustration of this. You know the kind of book you like to read.  That’s the story you’re best placed to tell, so why not give it a go? Write from your heart, and you’ll engage with your audience. It’s always easier to work with themes and characters that inspire and interest you.  That’s why I write about complex men and independent women. Some days the rain never stops, and all I want to do is hibernate. That’s when I add exotic settings to the mix. Putting all these things together, and devising plot twists to stop my hero and heroine reaching their happy-ever-after ending too soon is the perfect distraction from everyday life.   

If you need any more encouragement to start a writing project, investigate the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. It’s the chance to have your manuscript, or its first few chapters, reviewed by professional writers. You can find out all about it here.  

Find out more at http://bit.ly/2e2KG15

Start now, and if you only write a hundred words a day between now and the New Year, you’ll have produced around eight thousand words. Polish and perfect them, and you’ve got a submission. 

I'll be posting my collection of hints and tips for Writing Your Book on my blog over the next few months. You can find the first one here, and for more writing news, tips and extracts, join me on my Facebook author page at on.fb.me/1Ee1urM

When she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping, Christina Hollis writes contemporary fiction starring complex men and independent women.  Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and she’s sold nearly three million books worldwide. Catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, on Twitter, Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at christinahollis.com

Her current release, Heart Of A Hostage, is published by The Wild Rose Press and available at myBook.to/HeartOfAHostage  worldwide, and from http://bit.ly/2e2KG15 in the US.

Bad Old Days, Good New Days! - Christina Hollis

I was stuck indoors all weekend nursing a horrible cold (donated by Son Number One). I couldn’t get to church, and there was definitely no gardening. That was a wrench, as during the week the weather was perfect for a late autumn tidy-up. I was looking forward to gathering leaves and putting everything to bed for the winter. We’ve had brilliantly starry nights and clear, cold days. On a couple of occasions the gate has been frosted shut when we headed out on the school run. While all that was going on, I was sitting behind a computer screen and looking forward to Friday. By the end of my working week, the bug struck. I lost the urge to do anything outside. Instead, I tried tidying my office. That’s a never-ending task. We don’t have much room, so my desk is squeezed in between an enormous chest freezer, the telescope my OH’s dear father refurbished forty years ago (and we can’t bear to lose), the Christmas tree in its box and all the decorations ditto, and any number of other useful bits and pieces which can find no other home.

My trouble is, I can’t bear to throw anything away. I have boxes and boxes of children’s drawings, birthday cards and other treasures. These can’t be sacrificed, so it had to be my stack of magazines. I’ve kept every one to which I’ve contributed over the years, but this was the time to say goodbye. As a compromise, my published articles now fill one box file instead of a tottering heap of publications.

While I was emptying my filing cabinet, I came across six, closely written foolscap sheets. There were columns for ‘page number’, ‘query’ and a big space for ‘remarks’. In seconds, I was taken right back the nineteen-nineties. That was when I used to write historical novels. I love research, but these pages were an illustration of how difficult it was back then. The good old days? I don’t think so! With no access to the internet and only a small dictionary, the only way I could double-check every historical fact and spelling was to make a sixty mile round trip (babies in tow) to the county library. That took ages, and we all ended up over-tired and frustrated. Now everyone who has access to a computer can find information on anything, in seconds. It’s a wonderful invention. The only question I’m left with is…weren’t computers supposed to herald the paperless office? It certainly hasn’t worked in this house!

Have computers made life easier for you, or just altered your workload?

Christina

http://www.christinahollis.com

A little preview - Christina Hollis

Things are getting really exciting prior to the launch of my next book, ‘One Night In His Bed’. This gets its UK release in December, so there are only a few weeks to wait until I get the ultimate thrill of seeing it on the shelves in my local bookshop!

Artwork for the USA edition arrived this week. February 2008 sees the launch of ‘One Night In His Bed’ in America, and I’m really looking forward to that.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll find between the covers -

“Within the circle of his arms, Sienna trembled.
‘I could go straight over to that door and escape.’ She tried to convince herself.
‘Of course you could – if you thought anything bad was going to happen.’
Garett’s expression was that of a leopard appreciating its prey. He had not moved since laying claim to her with his hands, but now the smile that had been playing over his lips faded.
‘But it is, isn’t it?’ Sienna said, and then cursed herself silently. She had meant it as a statement. What if he heard it as a challenge? She leaned back slightly against his grip, still trying to keep a decent distance between them.
‘That rather depends on how you define the word “bad”.’
His voice was as smooth as silk. When he let her go, Sienna almost regretted it. Picking up her glass of champagne again, he poured into it another cascade of foam before handing it over. Then he raised his own glass, scrutinising the lines of tiny bubbles fizzing up to the golden surface. His dark, intelligent eyes watched her over the rim of his glass as he took a long, slow draught of the fine wine.
‘I’m a man who always gets what he wants. And the one thing that connects all the things I want is success.’”

~~~
I hope that extract has whetted your appetite. ‘One Night In His Bed’ is available from http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/ and http://www.eharlequin.com/. If you visit my web page, http://www.christinahollis.com/, you can click on one of the links.

I have such a weakness for clever, successful men. A razor-sharp mind coupled with dark good looks is unbeatable as far as I’m concerned.

What do you find irresistible in a man?

Christina

New experiences - Christina Hollis

I was delighted to have my first romance accepted, and each subsequent book has brought its own special magic.

Today is another exciting day for me in a year that's been a whirl of new experiences. The Hardback copies of my latest Harlequin Mills and Boon Presents/Modern Romance have just arrived!

One Night In His Bed is going to be released at the end of this year, and I can't wait. It's the story of penniless widow Sienna, who gets more than she bargained for when she catches the eye of ruthless Garett Lazlo. Dark-hearted Garett doesn't do anything for free...

Everything I write automatically becomes my favourite of the moment, but there's something very special about actually holding a book in your hands and knowing you've written it yourself. By the time it arrives, the waiting and the worry make it almost as nerve-racking (but not quite!) as welcoming a new baby into the house.

What's the best thing that's arrived in your life?"

Christina

http://www.christinahollis.com/