#RomanticFridayWriters challenge no 30 for Friday January 27 - 'Learning to dance when it's over...'

Challenge No 30 for January 27- Learning to dance when it's over...

Don't forget our next prompt which goes live on Friday January 27th. 

Prompt created by Jules Preston, partner of Laura.

Further to the challenge:

Picking yourself up again when it's all gone wrong can be a daunting task. Maybe a few favourite old tunes will help? This is a challenge where the sky's the limit. Let's have setting, music and dance. Will it be strictly ballroom, the charleston, the twist, or will your characters be thoroughly modern at a rave club? Can't wait for this one...

Linky list will go up on Thursday January 26th

Meanwhile I'll continue quaffing wine at Margaret River!

I wrote my jazzy little story before I left!

Denise (L'Aussie)

Featured Writer for Challenge No 29 for Friday Dec 13 - New Year's Resolution.

STOP PRESS! Because I was going away I organised the judging on Monday so therefore two late entries were not in the lineup. Sorry Maddy and Kiru, but I'm sure you'll understand! Thanks so much for your late entries. I'm not going to be able to read them for a few days...

Hi fellow writers!

I was surprised at the low number of entries this week but thank you for all who were able to take the time and share with us. I'm so glad we had Janu pen her passionate poem, Dream On, or otherwise the only poetry you would have had was from me.

As always I was touched by the entries. Roland's paranormal take on the theme was unique as usual, Anna's diary entry format was lovely, Francine spoke through one of her Regency characters, Christina, and Donna apologetically presented us with Josh and his Corona. Great tales (for which she needed not apologize.)

I asked Donna to help judge this week as it is a difficult task for one person. As usually happens, both judges chose the same people. By now you'll realise I haven't mentioned Joy or Laura, so it's just a matter of who is what.

Laura gets a prize this week for her stories on resolutions, chocolate and thighs...and Bob being sweet. A lovely mix. So Laura, we applaud your story and ask that you take the Runner Up badge this week and post it on your blog if you wish!

Featured Writer this week is the uber talented Joy Campbell. Publishing all those books has indeed made her a sharp writer and I'm sure if you read it, you loved the snippet with Celeste and her sister building bridges and sharing pregnancy philosophies. Thanks for sharing with us again Joy. I hope you'll take the badge again!

This week I'd also like to award the Encouragement Award to Janu for her wonderful poem. Please take the badge, Janu, and post it on your site.

So dear RomanticFridayWriters, I for one have already written my story for Jules' prompt - Dance...as it intrigued me so much. I hope you can spread the word so we can have many more entries on Friday January 27.

Have a great week of writing!

Meanwhile I'm having my first holiday of 2012, flying right across Australia from the East Coast to the West Coast (over 5 hours). After a few days in Perth and a cruise to Rottnest Island, we'll (hubs and I) be driving to Margaret River, where this ex-surfie town has reinvented itself as an organic paradise of vineyards and premium wines. Hmm. Just as well I made no New Year's Resolutions about wine!

Cheers!

Denise (L'Aussie)

#RomanticFridayWriters - Challenge No 29 - New Year's Resolution!

#RomanticFridayWriters are a talented bunch! Check out who got published in 2011 and 2012. Do you know more?

I've wanted to do a post about the exploits of our RomanticFridayWriters members for some time and now seems to be a good time, in between challenges!

Many of us, when we're not honing our craft by writing our 400 word poems or prose, are writing with the goal of publication, whether e-publishing or traditional publishing. I will give you the success stories I know and I'll ask you to update us all on applause-worthy successes I didn't hear about. I have used members currently posting or who have been absent whilst preparing to publish and I'm hopeful will return to posting on RFW. Some have been in touch.

So here in no particular order, is what I know of your publishing exploits. I'm not going to go to the trouble of linking them all. You can click on their link in the member's linky on the right.

• Ms Queenly has been extra busy finishing/editing her WIP. I happened to trip over her on twitter so asked for an update. Her mss has now been submitted. Good work Ms Queenly! We applaud you and wish you every success!
• Francine Howarth e-published 3 stories in 2011 and has a traditionally-published book out in July 2012. Her most recent e-book Regency Romance, Scandalous Whispers, is set in England. It is replete with officers and gentleman still! Read more about Francine's publications here:  http://francinehowarth.blogspot.com/. You will also find the full list if you click the Indie Lair badge on our right sidebar. Any indie author is welcome to promote their book at Indie Lair.

• Marsha A Moore is currently doing promos for her marvellous short story, Le Circe de Magie, out in January 2012! The artwork on the cover is Marsha's own, so she is one super-talented lady.  It is currently available free on Smashwords. Every success for your story, Marsha. I enjoyed your snippets from The Tranquil Lake when you shared them on RFW.

• Kiru Tyre has been super busy. She's an author of passionate romance novels. She has already published His Treasure through Breathless Press. It is also available as an e-book through Amazon. We haven't heard from Kiru for awhile as she was busy preparing her second novel for publication. So now we have A Valentine Challenge coming soon - out on January 30. On February 10 she releases His Strength. Kiru is currently asking if any RFWer members would like to host her on her up-coming blog tour. Contact Kiru directly if you'd like to help out.

• Roland Yeomans is the most prolific member I know. At last count he had published about 11 e-books in 2011, most of which I've read. One of my favourites is The Legend of Victor Standish. You know by reading Roland's RFW entries that his prose is darkly lyrical and mesmerising. What on earth (or in hell) has he got in store for readers in 2012? Well, I just nipped over to his blog again and see he has Last Exit to Babylon on today's post. Go have a read. It's scary/awesome, and that's just the cover.

• Joy Campbell is another member we've not heard from for awhile. She too has been busy publishing books/stories. I know of two - Hardware, which I was lucky enough to win, and Don't Get Mad, Get Even. Now I see she has another coming out in 2012, Distraction. Go Joy! But please come back and share with us!

• Donna Hole likes to write short stories, but she is also working on a novel, Not Her Mother's Fate. Donna had a short story published in 2011 for Open Heart Publishing, an Honest Lie and probably others I don't know about. Donna is busily submitting more and more short stories and I wish you every success in 2012 Donna! I'm sure we'll be jostling for position in many anthologies.

• Denise Covey (ahem, that would be me), like Donna, is primarily a short story/flash fiction writer even though I have 3 novels in various stages of dress/undress. I've had success publishing in Australian Women's Fiction Magazines and various online anthologies. The latest was Vine Leaves Literary Journal which I'd encourage you to submit to. They take prose/poetry/art works. On my L'Aussie Writer blog I have several places to submit in my right sidebar. Don't forget RFWer though. 

• Kittie Howard is another RFW member we haven't heard from for some while, due to her penchant to take trips with her husband and her determination to get her Christmas story e-published in 2011. She met that goal and I was delighted to download and read Remy Broussard's Christmas over Christmas. What's next Kittie?

So there you have it. I know at least one of our super talented poets is published or about to be, but I couldn't find any reference when I was searching your blogs for this information. I think our dear Adura Ojo is about to spring some good news on us. I may be wrong. I know Adura keeps up with the posts, so please update girl!

DISCLAIMER: 

Now if anyone has been missed out by my lack of knowledge or lack of memory (rather a lot going on in this head of mine ATM) please leave a comment, tell us all about it. Anyone I have mentioned and have printed misinformation, please set me straight. I just wanted to laud your efforts in the publishing world and look forward to hearing more successes. 

You can tell us about your rejections if you want. We all have those. Helps us not to feel like we're the only ones wallpapering our office with the R slips!

Don't forget to post this Friday for New Year's Resolution prompt!

Denise (L'Aussie)

Featured Writer - Ties That Bind - Challenge No 28.

Hello All! Happy 2012!

I was surprised and gratified to see so many entries over the holiday period! You're a wonderful group!












Thank you to our new followers. I hope you may decide to post to a prompt that catches your eye in the future. New Year's Resolutions coming up, followed by a prompt by a guest prompter, writer Jules Preston, partner of our own Laura Bambrey. Jules has sent me several, so I'm so excited to have fresh input. Keep those poems and stories coming!

Don't forget to support each other. RFWer posts primarily for each other to read the different takes on the prompts. Make sure, as time allows, you get around and read each other's entries and leave a comment. It's nice to follow each other's blogs, twitter and facebook etc. It is good to tweet entries if you like them, so make sure you have a twitter button enabled at the end of your post. I am still trialling the Vote system, mainly as a back up for me not having Francine's input any more. This poll lacks truth if voters haven't read all the entries. By going around to read up to three times for my own benefit in choosing the FWer I see that some entries have only been visited by two or three RFWers. Can we improve on this?

The Ties That Bind challenge brought forth some great writing, prose and poetry. One of the beauties of writing in this group is that you are encouraged to challenge yourself. Both Anna and I tried a little poetry this week. It is refreshing to have a go. I warn you that my next entry is all poetry.

This week we had visits from other-worldly figures, we had humour, we had heart-pumpingly beautiful poetry. We have some stupendous poets in the group, and hats off to Andy who's often the first to post each challenge!

This week Andy didn't make Featured Writer, but I'd like to award him the Encouragement Award. This is because Andy exemplifies the word encouragement. I see his generous comments to you all, he encourages me by posting to every challenge (except for when he was very ill), and he's a great roving ambassador for RFWer. Thank you Andy. Please accept this award and display it on your blog.

 Runner up this week goes to two gifted writers. Firstly, Heaven, who's poem made me tingle. What a great use of the prompt. That line: 'your lips bend close and savor my red wine lips' got a lot of well-deserved comments. Sharing Runner Up is Donna Hole, with her creepy blood-oath tale.

Which brings me to, tada! Featured Writer. I could have chosen Heaven, Donna or...Laura. I went with Laura as she SO cleverly used the theme to the extent real 'ties' were involved and this worked in a perfectly circular story. The romantic element was present, alongside a very annoying character to add interest. Congrats Laura. I hope you write a lot more for us in 2012. Please take the badge and display it on your blog as you wish.

Let's congratulate all the winners. I hope you enjoyed this challenge as much as I did. 

As I am running RFWer alone now I'd really appreciate any suggestions you have to improve it. Feel free to drop me an email if you have something constructive to say, or you can offer suggestions in the comments which might lead to an interesting discussion. 

• My main aim for the group is to practise our writing, to improve our writing, and to help each other. What is your main aim?
• I'm enjoying the fortnightly postings. It gives me more time for other ventures. Is it working for you?

My email is: den.covey@gmail.com

May New Year's happiness continue!

Looking forward to your comments/emails:

Denise (L'Aussie)