The romance genre is what I know and love!
Since I was a child, I’ve always been most interested in “the romantic bits” of books, movies and TV shows. I remember reading Little Women and being decidedly pro-Laurie and Jo (Jaurie? Lo? There must be a ship name out there somewhere!). I get Jo’s decision now, but at the time I felt the acute disappointment of having one’s ship well and truly scuttled by a writer. A few years later, I discovered Georgette Heyer and Victoria Holt, then Mills & Boons, and the rest—as they say—is history…
Like many romance readers, I decided one day to try and write a romance myself. This led to a number of drafts and the excitement of plotting story ideas. I was fortunate enough to place in several RWA and RWAustralia contests, and I won a few too, including a Maggie Award. I eventually did have a couple of stories published.
But I learned rather quickly that I did not have the requisite qualities for a career in writing, because:
a) I’m a slow writer;
b) I’m great at beginnings, a little less so at endings;
c) Profound writer’s block does exist.
But when one door closes ...
I then worked as an editor for several publishers, doing developmental and copy editing on everything from traditional regencies to M/M shapeshifting erotic romance. This eventually came to an end too, because every publisher I worked for went belly-up as authors discovered that self-publishing is affordable, relatively easy, and a much more profitable way to go.
I’ve always been interested in how graphic designers turn disparate parts into a unified whole, and so I started studying Photoshop and design informally. If you’re looking for someone who understands the romance genre and understands how romance covers work, then you may just find what you’re looking for in my collection. I work solely on romance covers, because romance is what I know and love.
About me personally… I live in a beautiful part of Australia near the sea. I enjoy sewing and watching old movies.
And reading, or rereading, the occasional romance.
