Next Big Thing - Guest post with Jennifer Faye

Hi folks, today I’m hosting Jennifer Faye, a soon-to-be-published Mills and Boon writer. Jennifer writes for the Cherish line and she’s here to talk about her story via Next Big Thing which is a round of ten questions where writers talk about their wip. If you missed mine you can read about it in my October blogs.

Please welcome Jennifer and let’s learn more about her book.

Here she is :)

 Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to be here.

Ruchita, thank you so much for inviting me to stop by your blog.  And I must say that I loved your “Next Big Thing” Q&A. I can’t wait to read the rest of your story. Thank you again for tagging me.

A little about myself. I am Harlequin Mills & Boon’s newest Romance/Cherish author. I’ve had a passion for writing all of my life. When I got “The Call” last month, it was literally a dream come true. I like to write emotionally stirring romances that will bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your heart with each happily-ever-after.

If you want to read more about me, you can check out my website: www.jenniferfaye.com (soon to be updated)

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 The following answers pertain to my first sale to Harlequin Romance / M&B Cherish. Squee!!!

 Q. What is the working title of your next book?

 Rancher to the Rescue”

Available July 2013 U.S./U.K.

 Q. From where did the idea come?

 The story was something I developed this summer for the Harlequin Romance Fast Track. It was a wonderful story to write with lots of emotional twists and turns to keep me riveted to my computer.

Q. Under which genre does your book fall?

 I write for Harlequin Romance / Mills & Boon Cherish. I love the emotional depths you are able to explore within the line—from smiles and laughs to the occasional damp eye. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster with a happily-ever-after :)

Q: Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters for a movie?

 I’d picture Isla Fisher as my heroine Meghan. And Adam Rodriguez from 'CSI Miami' would be just right as her rancher.

 Q. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

 When a big, splashy wedding goes awry, the runaway bride is aided by a reluctant rancher, but their adventure has only just begun and as their complications mount, they’ll find out that their future plans are about to be revised in ways neither of them could have ever predicted.

Q. Will you self-publish or be represented by an agent?

 This book will be traditionally published via Harlequin Mills & Boon.

Q. How long did it take to write the first draft?

 Honestly, not long at all. At the time I was working one-on-one with my now-editor and I had deadlines to meet. I've always worked best under pressure. :) If you’d like to see how it unfolded. You can read about “The Call” here:

 http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/757-NEW-SALE!-Jennifer-Faye-SOLD-to-HARLEQUIN-ROMANCE-MILLS-amp-BOON-CHERISH!!!/page2

Q: With which books within your genre would your story compare?

 Oh my, I honestly don’t know. I’m really hoping that it is different and that’s the reason my editor and Harlequin Mills & Boon has brought me onboard.

Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

 Boy, these questions don’t get easier, do they? :)

 The inspiration behind this book had absolutely nothing to do with my characters. I was currently working with a fabulous editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon and I wanted to keep working with her. So I had to come up with a great story, something that would make her sit up and take notice. So she inspired me to write a fresh story with a unique twist.

Q: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

 Although the story is set in the American Southwest, it has a contemporary feel with a celebrity cook, who likes to turn up the heat in the kitchen. Things definitely never get boring for these two.

Ruchita, thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. I've really enjoyed my visit.

Thank you, Jennifer. Oooh a runaway bride, a celebrity 

cook. Sounds intriguing! I'm longing to read it already. 

Hope you all enjoyed Jennifer’s visit. July will be here soon and you can read this exciting story of runaway bride and her rescuing rancher for yourself. Love to hear from you, so don’t forget to leave a comment :)

The Next Big Thing

Today I'm posting in response to Nikki Goodman's tagging me on Facebook to take part in The Next Big Thing. You can read her post here. In  the Next Big Thing, writers answer ten questions about their work in progress and then tag five other writers to do the same the following week.

Here are my answers. Hope you like getting to know about Zaheer and Vishakha, the characters in my WIP.

Q. What is the working title of your next book?

       It's the first book and the running title is Her Dream Date. 

Q. From where did the idea come?

       I entered the Mills and Boon India's Passions III contest with this story. I was one of the three winners in the contest.You can read the story here .  It was only 2k words then.  Coincidentally, the idea was that a girl wins a contest. The story really took off when my hero and heroine materialized, and solidified, in my mind. They have great interaction and are absolute fun to write. In fact, it got to be an effort to limit their ongoing conversation in my head!

Q. Under which genre does your book fall?

      Mostly I like to write contemporary romance though I'm 

drawn towards paranormal too. This one is a contemporary, written along the Riva guidelines.

Q: Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters for a movie?

      Hmm, they'd be from Bollywood. I think Hrithik Roshan because basically I took the idea of Zaheer's colouring from him, those hazel eyes and streaked hair! It could be Ranveer Singh with the careless charismatic manner he had in Ladies vs Ricky Behl. Or Sameer Kocchar because of the height, but he'd have to wear contacts lol!  As for heroine, maybe Deepika or Diana Penty. I like the look Diana had in her debut movie. Vishakha has the same kind of vulnerable look, but with more calories to her :)

Q. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

      Fitting it all in one sentence is a bit tough, well here goes : A workaholic jilted doctor with no time for fun, finds herself fighting her attraction for a  flamboyant Bollywood actor. 

Q. Will you self-publish or be represented by an agent?

     Well, I'm cosy where I am now, coming to notice of an editor through the contest. Since my dream publisher is Harlequin Mills and Boon, working with one of their editors has been a realization of my hopes. Fingers crossed for getting published through this.

Q. How long did it take to write the first draft?

     I did a bit of rewriting for the first three chapters. Then I wrote the next three chapters. Wasn't satisfied with them and my editor kindly looked them over and she agreed to what I felt wasn't working. She sent me some suggestions. We talked over them and then I really got to writing it and finished it in around one month. I'm working on the revisions now.

Q: With which books within your genre would your story compare?

    As a story of a girl coming into her own, it has a very faint resemblance to Jessica Hart's the Secret Princess. But quite far off in theme and story. Actually I haven't read a Riva like this one. The background setting is Indian and because of that it's a different dish altogether because I wanted it should carry a flavor of Indian values.

Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

    My love for Bollywood, I guess, that was what made me give the hero his profession.

    Actually it was an observation that struck me about the difference in the way of the life of different social circles within the society. I had the occasion to attend a get together among professionals, mainly doctors. And then shortly afterwards, I was in a social function of mainly upper class housewives. I couldn't help comparing that the style of dressing for the women was so totally different. The doctors wore more muted shades and less bulky jewelry.  Their hair style and make up was understated. While in the other event, make up, jewelry, the apparels, everything was louder.  That was when I started to carve out the heroine Vishakha's character. She is a busy doc with no time for fashion dressing. But due to circumstances she starts questioning her total absorption in her work. Which leads her to a journey deeper in her own psyche.

Q: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

    Well, maybe the setting. Part of it is in Lucknow and I've tried to capture the old world charm of the city. As well as aroma of the delectable Lucknavi cuisine. Then a part is set in Mumbai with, hopefully, a flavor of Bollywood coming through.

Thanks for going through this with me, hope you liked hearing about my (hoping-to-be) book. And now I tag the next five who are:

Jennifer Faye

 Xandra James

 Jennifer Drogell

 Carmen Clavuot 

 Samantha Wood Veerasamy 

Really enjoyed this and looking forward to 'hearing' about others soon. :)

What's important - weather or season?

Follow the season not the weather. Why? Because weather temporary and the season is lasting. Though with the changing climate scenario the above statement is less and less applicable. More properly, what's more important - the mood or the nature of a person? A bit of wind in summer doesn't make you take out your thick woolens. What about the minor irritations which crop up in our day? Maybe the two have nothing in common. But something made me think of this analogy as a part of everyday circumstance. 

We were on a holiday and my son refused to do as he was told, pulling a frown and acting mutinous. While I felt reactionary anger, my daughter cautioned me, mama let it be. So I dropped trying to get him to do what I wanted. The next moment I realized he was probably tired from the journey to high altitude as well as the sightseeing walk we took. So no wonder he was acting up. Normally a sunny kid, the change in him was just on that occasion. Sure enough next day he was back so I could lay my momentary fear of having a rebellious tween on my hands to rest. *happy smile*

This did make me think. There are times like these when our loved ones have a falling out with us. If we exercise a bit of patience and lot of love, the cloud passes away. But sometimes (read often for me) we are too rushed and lacking the time to think it through and we have quite a storm on our hands before things cool down. Heaven forbid, they not do any lasting negativity.

So next time anyone in my family gets a frown, I'm going to think it's weather, not a season. At least I'm going to try to. Would you like to? Love to know what you think of my little analogy.

Ciao! :)

Before you hit send

No writing advice this in case the title misleads you. Just sharing what happened before I got to the stage of hitting 'send'. 

Anyone who's written a full manuscript would have faced some amount of headache. When you sit down to write, it seems like a mountain. The good thing is you discover it can be broken up in small daily portions and munched comfortably. So you plan. If you set yourself goals, the stress increases. Well, some of it is good stress because it keeps you on the track. But some... suffice to say, it can really give you hypertension with the adrenaline racing through your body in case you don't 'make' it. Take my advice, don't make realistic goals. Make verrryyyy comfortable goals. This is from one who's been there.

So here's how it has minced along.

First, the upsets in the daily routine. Not that they are meant to be there. I have it planned I won't let writing interfere with anyone's time of me - if you know what I mean. No takeaways will be needed. Food will be cooked and ready at meal times. Laundry tended. But somehow characters begin to occupy more time than  I have allotted them. I'm getting complaints of you don't listen, mom. And angry retorts like yes, I did tell you about my test tomorrow. Weren't you listening? I can neither confirm nor deny. Have I been talking in my head to my H/h? Or more correctly hearing them talk? And missed hearing kids? *groan*

Then come more moments of the Inconvenient Muse. Staring at the boiling water till you suddenly realise you're supposed to be putting noodles in there, not stand planning out the dialogue you left unfinished when you couldn't get your brain cells to work at the keyboard.

Hubby's patience wearing thin because of kids' constant grumbles and the H/h black moment nearly becoming your own. Everyone getting sick of no outings, which I'm too stuffed with my story to think of organizing. Also I'm missing shared jokes and things because although physically present, I'm sometimes catching up on FB and twitter during family time. *hangs head in shame.*

Forgetting that I'm busy for myself and flying off the handle a few times. *oops* 

Then at last, the moment of light. Dun dun n dun. The lifting of dark cloud. End is in sight.

Everyone gets to see a more cheerful me. I even make kids favorite cheese dish to relax myself and appease them.

Finally, finally the much awaited day, when I hit 'send'. *crazy dance*. I make kids banana shake to celebrate and send out for chocolate. Hubby heaves a sigh of relief.

Whew! *mops forehead*

So how was your ride before you hit send? Smooth sailing or something like I went through? What about the multi-published authors? Do you still get butterflies in tummy before you hit send or is it just another day?

Would love to hear from you! :)

We went to see Punjabi movie 'Jatt and Juliet' yesterday. I don't go for Punjabi films much and went rather for my hubby's choice. But unexpectedly I really enjoyed the movie, especially for the lively comebacks of hero and equal stand-up by the heroine. Diljit Dosanj and Neeru Bajwa have done a great job playing the male and female leads. The highlight of the movie is the purely Punjabi humour. Director Anurag Singh has staged the perfect comedy timing throughout. For a light-hearted fun watch it took the bag, especially the romantic couple's daggers drawn interaction which was quite likeable, the hero calling the heroine 'dumnia' a Punjabi word for 'beehive' for most of the movie. Spunky, lively characters, great quips which were spin-offs on Punjabi language added to the amusement. Being light on the plot elements and some repetitive sequence in the scenes were the drawbacks but didn't take the charm out of viewing. Here's a song from the film on youtube with cute bangra steps executed well by Diljit.

Hi, 

Here's a Lucky Seven Challenge.

I was tagged in this post by Melissa Lockhart. 


The challenge : Post seven lines from an unpublished work of fiction. 
So, now to the rules

• Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript (fiction or non-fiction)
• Go to line 7
• Post on your blog the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they are – no cheating      
•  Tag 7 other authors to do the same

 So here's mine:

"You weren't saving it for your marriage? That's the usual reason for remaining inexperienced."

"You needn't think you've denied my prospective husband the chance of being my first." She dismissed with aplomb. "I've just been too shy because of my strict upbringing. My parents were very strictly religious and when they left me to mami even there the household was very uptight moral code."

"All this time you've been itching to get out of the confines?...

And now I tag:


Teresa Morgan
Maria Perry Mohan
Alex Butcher
Yasmina Kohl
Linda Soper
Bisi Leyton
Gabrielle Battistel


If you've been tagged before, pass on to someone else, please. No pressure. Just enjoy! 
Have a lovely week! :)