Women's Fiction or Romance?

So far I have written three novels but I'm struggling to fit them into the right genre, so that readers know what to expect. Can you help?

Each of my novels has a 'happy-ever-after' ending, so all three qualify as romances. But what kind?

I like to read historical romances but my own stories don't qualify as historic, technically, because they cover periods within my own lifetime.

Nor are they contemporary because they don't incorporate current lifestyle issues, the latest technology or modern slang words.

They are 'sweet' because they don't include explicit sex, but they are not cloying. 

They are set in different places with different, unconnected characters, so they don't fit a series. 

The cover style for the books is the only linking factor. I worked hard at those covers, wanting to convey a non-sexually explicit relationship and to link each couple to the setting of the book.

Romance is a genre many readers sneer at but my stories are simply stories that I, my babyboomer friends, and our children, like to read. About kind people. Unconventional people. About the notion of love. About the meaning of life.  Where families matter!

In a word (two words) - 'Women's Fiction', in itself such a broad topic that when I gave a talk at a library about my first book I was challenged as to what that term actually meant. Books appealing to women? About relationships? About families?

I'm doing my best to reach high standards with my own writing. Readers tell me that my latest book, Still Waters Run Deep, triggered by a photo in an old album of mine and available at your favourite online bookstore via this link https://books2read.com/Still-Waters-Run-Deep, hits the spot. As one reviewer said: 'This book is highly recommended for anyone looking for a well written story that doesn't shy away from big issues like infertility and infidelity. It will leave you thinking about life, love and longing, well after you turn the last page'. 

But, from a marketing perspective, I'm still not sure of 'my' genre. Hmm!

Try a Little Kindness

The marketing task for authors becomes more daunting by the day and sensible authors of romance books usually restrict themselves to a specific setting - such as rural (Australian outback or English villages or American midwest), or military, or contemporary city life, or aristocratic circles in the early 1800s, to name a few.  In a crowded market place it's much easier to establish a recognisable presence with readers that way.

Clearly I'm not sensible (I won't say I'm stupid, because I'm not! I was once a member of Mensa) because each of my three novels has a different setting - rural Victoria, financial markets in Sydney, a developing country (Papua New Guinea). Those settings were important to me because I understood them. I could recreate them authentically.  My next story is in progress, set in another place I know well, the Hawkesbury district near Sydney.

So settings are definitely important, and can even act as a character but, for me, it's the people characters that drive a story, regardless of whether you like them or hate them. Some authors go for the bad guys, the tough guys, the rich guys, the brave guys, but I prefer kindness to resonate in my stories. That's what I'm trying to build as the common ground, the link, between them. 

I need a break from all the nastiness and chaos swirling in our world. The idealistic hero Sam Baldwin in the American movie 'Sleepless in Seattle' appeals to me. So does the worldly-wise 'gentleman George' in the British TV series 'Inspector George Gently', set on north east coast of England. The calm competence of the humane and incorruptible policeman Christopher Foyle exuding his quiet style in 'Foyle's War', another British TV series, set on the south coast of England in the aftermath of the Second World War, is so sexy!

Yet kindness can be cloying without energy and drive. When Julie Andrews (as Eliza Doolittle) exhorts her faithful suitor Freddie to 'Don't talk of love, show me' in the classic musical 'My Fair Lady' you can sense her passion and frustration at his lack of action. The wickedly amusing but fundamentally kind-hearted Australian movie 'Strictly Ballroom' ends with the irresistible high energy, toe-tapping song 'Love is in the Air'. In the wonderful movie 'Mrs Harris Goes to Paris', Mrs Harris is unrelentingly kind but even she has her limits and goes into battle for a cause. 

The most recent example of how kindness resonates with us came with the death of the much-loved actor Sam Neill, recognised for his prolific output as a talented professional but lauded worldwide for his unrelenting kindness and humanity.

To conclude, I'll keep heading down the path of trying to be kind in my 'slow burn' romance stories, currently available at a discounted price on Smashwords, until the end of July.

Families Matter

Oops. I've been missing in action on this site for far too long. I'm blaming it on Gran duty - families matter, and I've been living temporarily in Sydney for over a year, helping my sole-parent daughter with her four teenagers - two sets of twins aged seventeen and sixteen. All are learning to drive at the same time, each requiring 120 hours of supervised driving instruction. Nightmare territory. Add a large dog, plus ongoing home renovations, and chaos results.

 

This is me with them many moons ago. They are all great kids but, looking back, they were much easier to manage when they were babies!

 Am I excused for not putting many words on the page lately? 

I'm prompted to write now because there's a story in this week's news about mistakes made by an IVF clinic in Australia. Many other examples pop up in online media stories concerning mistakes made in IVF clinics in the USA. In my own extended family, an IVF clinic in the UK made a mistake with permanent consequences for all concerned.

Intrigued by the heart-wrenching dilemmas of infertility, I used an IVF clinic mistake as a major theme in my romance novel 'Trading Secrets', available through this link. I think my story might have been regarded as a 'tall story' until this week's news item emerged, citing similar maladministration, but I won't spoil my plot by divulging the exact details. 

Many people spend years yearning for children of their own, and I've written another book where the underlying theme is the struggle over infertility - 'Still Waters Run Deep'. Like 'Trading Secrets', it's also available at major online bookshops. 

I'm on the lookout for similar books. A favourite has been the rural romance story and characters in 'His Best Friend's Baby' by Barbara Hannay. I was intrigued by the complicated story in 'He Gets That From Me' by Jacqueline Friedland. I've also read 'Once Upon a Holiday' by Claudia Burgoa, written in first person and full of explicit sex but amusing in parts. 

Given how widespread in our communities is the problem of infertility and how many couples use the services of IVF clinics, I'm surprised there aren't more romance titles in this vein. Any suggestions? Or any feedback on the two stories I've written on this topic?

For more details of my books, check out my website
(shared with Louise Wilson, my non-fiction writing name) 
and follow me on Instagram.

Families Matter!

Goodreads Giveaways Part 2

I’ve been away from my home in Melbourne for months, busy helping my daughter in Sydney with her four teenagers, two sets of twins born 14 months apart!

Here we were in Paris together, 4 years ago, before they all shot up to 6ft and more, much taller than their Mum.
I don't show my grandkids' faces on my social media - but I don't have any recent backview shots! 

With a bit of spare time on my hands today, here’s an update on my recent experience with Goodreads, when I gave away 100 free copies of my new release 'Still Waters Run Deep' to American readers. 

Six months later my results out of 100 are:

Three ratings! 

All from women in their mid-forties, fitting  my target readership group, so I give some Brownie points to Goodreads for selecting them as potential readers. 

Two women, who have read 660 books and 760 books respectively, gave me a 5-star rating for 'Still Waters Run Deep', so my book withstood tough scrutiny from these avid readers.

One 3 star rating came from someone who has read 98 books - see her comments below. 

Two reviews! 

‘Thank you Goodreads for this giveaway. This book was a story about love, loyalty and heartache. Sara and Jacks story was beautifully written. This story takes place in New Guinea and Australia. The authors vivid description of the New Guinea landscape was very enjoyable.’ (5 stars)

‘GoodReads giveaway book. This was a sweet star-crossed lovers story. Imagine meeting your soul mate after you both were married to other people and then longing after each other for years. …[Spoiler alert omitted] …. It all comes together nicely. The story is well written and I enjoyed it. My only criticism is the reunion of Sarah and Jack seemed to have stretched on too long. I mean, we all knew it was coming. Why take ten years in the story to do so? All in all, an enjoyable read.’ (3 stars)

Verdict

Maybe I expected too much, but I call that a disappointing outcome for a book sent to 100 people. My Giveaway copies were sent to one reader with 6 books on her TBR (to be read) pile, to one with almost 151,000 books on her TBR pile, and to 98 others in between. Recipients averaged 14,021 books on their TBR pile. Surely the Goodreads algorithm can do better than this! For a start, why does Goodreads allocate a giveaway book to someone with almost 151,000 to-be-reads, even if she has read 1,567 books?

This coming week I’m attending a webinar run by Alessandra Torre - 'Unlock 125M Readers using Goodreads'. Maybe Alessandra will have some answers for me.

Meanwhile I'd love you to read 'Still Waters Run Deep' - a story tapping into that powerful sense of longing for something - or someone - we might want badly, but can't have. It should appeal to anyone who is childless - but not by choice. And to anyone who likes armchair travel to unusual parts of the world.

Follow me on BookBub

My worst nightmare involves any kind of salesmanship - unless it's for a good cause, outside myself. Many years ago one of those dreaded employment aptitude tests found me out - and I scored almost zero for selling. Luckily I did better in other areas!

Therefore you won't be surprised that I struggle a bit with the obligation by all authors to use social media to spread the word about their books.

A few days ago a friend encouraged me to join BookBub. This site is a great place to follow your favourite authors and be informed when their new books are coming out.  Although my next Louisa Valentine 'romance' is a while off, I plan to offer the BookBub community an occasional 'special' on one of my existing books -  'Retreat into Paradise' - or 'Trading Secrets' - or 'Still Waters Run Deep'. All three novels are love stories about marriage, children, divorce, parenting, infertility and women in the professional workforce.

A few followers have found me already on BookBub - I'd love you to join them and mark me as one of your favourites. Here's the link - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/louisa-valentine

Tea Drinkers Galore

Long-term residents of Melbourne, like myself, are very familiar with that city’s world-famous coffee culture. But, despite their traditional coffee pot shape, the silver pots in front of my daughter and I contained tea and extra boiling water.  (This was a special birthday celebration - hence my glass of champagne.)

High tea for two, in Melbourne

I was raised in a family of tea-drinkers, where the pot was warmed before adding the tea leaves and the water was added to the warmed pot straight off the boil. We used a tea strainer and a teapot cosy. We emptied the teapot of its cold contents by tipping the dregs onto acid-tolerant plants in our garden.

As an adult I never make coffee at home, only tea, but as I live alone I’ve succumbed to the convenience of tea bags.

The characters in my stories tend to be tea-drinkers too. Take these examples from ‘Retreat into Paradise’. In Chapter 3, city-slicker Hannah wakes up to her first morning in the country:

Needing a mild injection of caffeine, she made a cup of tea. Her friends back in Melbourne, all coffee-drinkers, often laughed at her old-fashioned ways. The melodious warbling of the magpies enticed her outside, to listen to their glorious welcome to the new day. She sat at the corner of her balcony, cradling her cup, still in her nightshirt and flip-flops, still a bit forlorn despite the magical sound of the birds. Beyond the pool and the valley below, little wisps of mist defined the course of the river in the distance.

It was all so different. Should I unpack, or should I get out of here? What was I thinking? She recalled last night. Instead of feeding a friendly cat, I’m suddenly dealing with a spitting cat … Pat. She scanned her surrounds. How will I cope with country life? Snakes in the house. Spiders in that pool. Those big cows of Pat’s mooing over there. From her corner position she could see them, and she glared in their direction as she took a sip of her tea, as if glaring would make them vanish from her sight.

The hot liquid sliding down her throat and the early morning light bathing the serene landscape gradually soothed her. She remembered why she’d come to Wallumatta Farm. She’d managed to deal with Alex, to dispatch him from her life. She could deal with Pat. Good old Pat. Of course she could. Philip? Perhaps not. He was far more attractive than any man should be.

View from Hannah's Balcony

In Chapter 4, Hannah’s new neighbour Pat calls in unexpectedly:

‘Hello, Hannah. Since it’s too hot to be out in the paddocks at this time of day, I thought I’d take you up on that coffee offer.’ She surveyed Hannah’s sweaty face, dirty damp clothes and dusty boots at the same time as she sniffed the air. Her eyes swivelled towards the freshly turned earth and pointed to the new garden. ‘Been busy, I see. Philip will be impressed.’

‘Just beautifying that particular patch for my own pleasure and enjoyment.’ Hannah had no wish to enter a game of competition over Philip. ‘I’ll put the kettle on. Coffee, or would you prefer tea?’

‘Tea, thanks.’

‘Tea bag okay?’ Pat nodded. ‘Wait here on the verandah, in the shade. I won’t be long.’

A few minutes later Hannah returned bearing the tray with two bone china mugs of tea, milk in a jug, sugar in a bowl, a box of tissues for wiping sticky fingers and a small plate of sweet temptations. Indulging her own sweet tooth, she’d purchased a few assorted slices at the bakery while in town. Cut into quarters, they made tempting bite-sized offerings. Her mother had taught her something about style as a hostess, even if her cooking skills were a bit rusty.

Pat stared at the tray resting on the table. ‘You like to play ladies, I see.’

Hannah decided to let that sharp comment go through to the keeper. They took their cups and settled into an awkward silence.

To read more of this amusing story, get your copy of 'Retreat into Paradise' here.

For updates on her books, follow Louisa Valentine on Instagram.  

Goodreads Giveaways

As an avid reader, I’ve belonged to Goodreads for many years. Goodreads promotes itself as the meeting point for the world's readers and I like using the site as a handy way of keeping track of the books I’ve read. Usually I give a rating, and more often than not a few words of review, as feedback for the author concerned. Speaking now as a writer, we crave hearing that our books have not dropped into a black hole - that someone has read them!

Goodreads also runs a Giveaway service. An author can offer free copies to Goodreads members but a condition of entry is that applicants agree, in return, to add the book to their ‘To Be Read’ pile. At present, although the author of a Giveaway does not have to live in the US, only US residents are eligible to win a Giveaway. (There is talk of change to this restriction.) The scheme is meant to be especially useful for authors needing to spread the word about a forthcoming book.

As a resident of Australia I have never entered a Giveaway but, as a newbie novelist, this sounded like a good way of reaching American readers who would otherwise never hear about my new book ‘Still Waters Run Deep’. It was due to be published on 1 May and I decided to offer 100 free digital copies to Goodreads members, the offer running from 4-31 March. 

On opening day 29 people added my book to their 'To Be Read' pile. It seemed like a good start. A further 490 readers entered in the four weeks to come. 

My Giveaway closed at 6pm, 1 April, Australian Eastern Standard Time and Goodreads notified me at 7.43pm that there were 519 entries, with 100 winners (names listed) who had all received a free copy of my book delivered to their Kindle. As a bulk listing, Goodreads had shelved a further 471 as 'Want to Read'.

So far this seemed to offer much better value than Facebook advertising!

I crossed my fingers and hoped for some reader feedback in the month between 31 March and 1 May. 

One reader did respond, bless her heart - on 28 April, with a five-star rating - but no ‘review’. 

There has been nothing since, despite the Goodreads promise to remind entrants about this book on its release day, 1 May. 

This very disappointing result prompted me to analyse the profiles of the winners, using an Excel spreadsheet. 

What a surprise. The average age of those who received a free copy of my book (and stated their age) was 44, the oldest aged 69 and the youngest aged 20. Fair enough. On average the entrants had listed 348 books as 'read', but this covered a range from 0 to 2,439. BUT - the 100 winners had, on average, 14,021 books on their ‘Want to Read’ pile! Some were multiple winners of Giveaways although they’d read very few books. I noticed six who’d won, on average, 566 free books each although they already had thousands of titles on their ‘Want to Read’ list. Surely these people should be excluded as potential winners. 

It fascinated me that the only person who appears to have read and rated my book was aged 45, has read 660 books and has only 6 books on her 'Want to Read' list. As a Gen X reader she suited my target group of Gen X and Boomer readers. She was clearly an avid reader. What’s more, she was likely to read my book because it would not be buried in her huge pile of unread books. People like her are the perfect target for authors offering their work for nothing – if only Goodreads had a better algorithm!

P.S. 'Still Waters Run Deep' is available via this link - https://books2read.com/Still-Waters-Run-Deep and you can dip your toe into these still waters here.