SARA News ~ 2014's first WHOPPING issue

Have you got your SASS on? No? 

Well it's time to get SASSY with the first
SARA News for 2014. It's a beauty!

It's a Rosey ol' week

Lilliana Rose's No Friends hits the top 10 lists for Every Day Poet.

Join the crowd and read Lilliana's poem if you haven't already read it.

Not only that but she has a whopping cool cover for her novella, Circus Escape. It will be out in the 'A Loose Screw' collection with Less Than Three Press in April 2014.

Can you tell it's a steampunk? Yep? Well it's also a romance. Double yay!

V for Victoria

Our own Victoria Purman has been nominated for the Favourite New Romance Author for 2013 by ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association).

Way to go Victoria!

Check out the full nominations here!

She was heat 3 in the Booktopia's Australia's Favourite Novelist. She even made the long list....











Not only that, but she was spotted in the Sunday Mail on Sunday 5th January.

Look out, Victoria is taking over the world.

Fire and Snow continues...

Khloe Wren's latest release is now the 2nd installment of the Fire and Snow series, Cinderella's Guardian out with Rogue Phoenix Press.

Blurb

After watching his older brother win the heart of his mate, Conner White can’t wait for his turn. When he finally has his first dream of his mate, he is both relieved that he knows who she is and worried as he hasn’t been able to get near her since he caught a glimpse of her at his brother’s wedding weeks earlier.

Tina Anderson is beyond miserable. Her mother abandoned her after a life altering injury that left the vibrant gymnast in a wheelchair. Her father has been forced to leave her to go work off shore. She’s been left in the care of a harsh bitter woman who is only after her father and will do whatever she deems necessary to take her place in his life. No matter the cost.

Conner and Tina’s road to happiness is filled with twists, turns and pot holes, but are they strong enough to pull each other through it all?

Buy links:  Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble 

Now a little trailer love...

Carla's Catch

Carla Caruso's Catch of the Day was listed as a Best Summer Reads over at The Hoopla.

"If Summer Romance is where your heart is at in the holiday season, then Catch of the Day has to be the exact book for kicking back on the banana lounge with long cool drink and time on your side."

Go SA and Kingston. Speaking of Kingston, this month Carla had her first book signing in the small South Australian coastal town of Kingston SE, where her novel, Catch of the Day, is based (and also where my media career started). It was a sell-out and even made the local newspaper, Coastal Leader, where Carla used to work. Here are some piccies.

A Star is Born!

Susanne Hampton has a her cover for her debut release, Unlocking The Doctor's Heart, coming in March!

And it doesn't end there! You're all invited to her first book launch...

Scandalously Divine

Tamara Gill has signed a contract for her Regency time travel romance, A Stolen Season,  to Entangled's Scandalous imprint.

More details of this as it comes to hand!

Also here's the lovely cover for Fallen, Book Three in the Daughters of the Gods series - coming to us in March!

In Other News

We had our New Year's lunch and you can see piccies over on Facebook.


Eleni Konstantine as HelzKat Designs has designed a new cover for DarkSider Shona Husk.

What a wickedly great start to 2014!

UP-CLOSE with medical romance writer Susanne Hampton!

How long were you writing romance before you received ‘the call’?

My interest in writing romance began around 1994. Until then it had been a passion of reading romance novels - in particular, Danielle Steel. I joined the Romance Writers of SA and looked forward to the monthly meetings to learn more about the industry and be encouraged by this amazing group of women from all walks of life. They helped me immensely and their support was invaluable. I met Mills & Boon authors Trish Morey and Lucy Clark when they were beginning their careers.

My first manuscript was mailed almost 19 years ago to Mills & Boon. This was long before emailed submissions were accepted and it took many months to receive my first rejection. When the letter arrived I was devastated but picked myself up and went to work on the next story. This partial was also rejected and it became a pattern, but with each rejection came a longer letter from the editors explaining why it wasn’t suitable and suggestions on how I could improve the storyline or writing.

Career and family took precedence and in 2000 I took a break from writing. In 2004, I moved to Los Angeles where I lived for two years with my daughters. I joined a local writers' group in California where I met Mills & Boon medical author Lynne Marshall. This inspired me to return to writing but it wasn’t until 2011 that I actually submitted another manuscript. Another rejection followed but again it had a lengthy explanation of the reasons why it wasn’t suitable and the suggestion that I should submit another partial for consideration. I did and on 8 July 2013, I received ‘the call’ from London.

Why medical romance?

One of my favourite authors when I began writing was Marion Lennox. I really enjoyed her writing style with touches of humour and medical settings. My background is in the dental specialist field so I thought it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to research the world of medicine. I also love drama, emotional tension and the pace of Grey’s Anatomy and ER.

Where and when do you write?

Only a few months before I received ‘the call’ my husband bought me the most beautiful mahogany writing bureau and it is my little piece of serenity. I don’t use it for anything but writing my books. Nothing else happens…. no paying bills, nothing boring or practical. Just writing manuscripts. When I look up I can see the books of the writers I admire most behind the narrow glass doors and this inspires me to keep writing.

It is my creative zone and I find I can completely shut out the world and forget where I am. I write most days. During the week, this is after work and on the weekends I devote Saturdays to writing. I absolutely love writing and never find it a chore. The day the second book was accepted, my editor told me to take a well-earned rest and the first thing I did was begin a synopsis for the next book. It’s addictive!

Will you let your daughter - Aussie musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist Orianthi - read your books?

Just as Ori allows me to hear the songs as she writes them, I am happy to let her read my work. She is an avid reader of all genres, but has a leaning towards biographies and spiritual subjects so my books will be something very different!

How do you keep busy when you're not writing?

My role as senior program officer within Aboriginal Programs keeps me busy from 9-to-5. In my spare time, away from writing, I enjoy dressmaking. I studied design and construction at TAFE SA for three years before I was married and I design and make jackets for Ori to wear onstage. I’m also a volunteer at the Capri Cinema at Goodwood.

Susanne's hotly anticipated books to look out for...

* Unlocking The Doctor’s Heart – medical romance due out in March 2014 in North America, UK and Australia.

* Back In Her Husband’s Arms – medical romance due out in June 2014 in North America, UK and Australia.

And find her on Twitter here!