Behind the Scenes: In Want of a Wife by Meredith Resce

 

Today we go 'behind the scenes' as Jeanette (Jenny) O'Hagan interviews Meredith Resce

Jenny:  Congratulations on your upcoming release. What inspired you to write to ‘License to Meddle series’ and this second book In Want of a Wife in particular.

Meredith: Thanks for having me, Jenny. The whole middle-aged mum with adult children situation is one I have experienced first-hand. Coming up with great advice and hints towards this nice person, or that nice person, is generally received with not much enthusiasm. Sometimes the exact opposite. So this series is probably mostly fantasy, in that meddling and matchmaking is not often done with success. I know of three or four cases where matchmaking has worked and worked really well. But the middle-aged mum still likes to dream of young love and romance.

Jenny:  Tell us about the main character Luella Linley. Who is she and why does she feel compelled to meddle? Also, how many daughters does she have? And will there be a book 3?

Meredith: Luella Linley is a popular Regency Romance author and seems to have trouble in drawing a line between coming up with plot for her characters and plotting for her adult children. She is unrepentant about her daughter’s chagrin, not fazed by being told off for meddling. She has two daughters and one son. Yes, book three is in production at the moment, and you can see the pre-order cover live on Amazon now. All Arranged Book#3

Jenny:  I have to ask, is ‘In Want of a Wife’ a direct quote from the opening sentence in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?  How have authors like Austen and other romance authors influenced your writing.

Meredith: You’re quite right. In Want of a Wife is a direct quote from the opening scene in Pride and Prejudice. Austen is my favourite author, and Mrs Bennett is annoying and unrepentant about her matchmaking. Luella is not as annoying, but just as incorrigible. You will find in all three Luella Linley books, excerpts from Luella’s latest work in progress, Regency romance in Austen style, each plot bearing a resemblance to the contemporary plot that is going on.

Jenny:  That sounds delightful and sure to be a hit with Austen fans. My favourite book of yours is For All Time. Would it be true to say that most of your previous books have been historical romance? What challenges and joys have you found changing from historical romance to contemporary comic romance.

Meredith: For All Time was my one and only foray into time slip novel. I loved it. So much fun mixing contemporary characters with 1500s culture and context. Most other of my work has been historical drama, and while I enjoyed it, writing light-hearted contemporary romance is more fun. I like the funny side of the Brooker family. They are all blunt, a bit sarcastic and witty.

Jenny:  You’ve now published over ten novels, plus a number of novellas and short stories. How do you come up with fresh ideas?

Meredith: Actually, In Want of a Wife is the twenty first title released (this includes two novellas, a self-help book, a fantasy novel, biographical account and a faction.

New ideas were nearly always inspired by old buildings, in the case of most of my historicals. With this series, I guess when I started, I was in the middle of parenting single adult children, and I was inspired by their lack of moving forward towards marriage. They’re all married now, without any assistance from me.

Jenny:  That's an impressive output :) How would you say publishing has changed since you published your first book in the late 1990s? How are the challenges and opportunities changed for writers over this time? Do you have any tips for new writers?

Meredith: Publishing has changed soooo much since 1997.  The market has changed, so the way the book is produced has also had to change. The main change agent was the advent of digital marketing, eBooks, and algorithms. These things have decimated the bricks and mortar bookstore market, selling the paperback from the shelf. I used to pre-sell approximately 1700 copies to bookstores on new releases, without anyone having ever seen the cover. Now, I’m lucky if I can beg them to take 60-100 copies.

Algorithms now dictate how the book buyers will see what is new and available, and learning to provoke the algorithm to show your book in the top twenty is a game we’re all playing.

Also, when I started, I was one of two Australian Christian fiction authors, the other being Mary Hawkins. Now there are heaps of us. The writing is better, the range is better, and there is a wonderful group of Australian Christian writers. But the market is the most difficult it has ever been.

I only use print on demand now, and produce to the eBook platforms as well.  Australian Christian writers supporting one another, as you are doing here, Jenny, is the only way we are going to push through and see our work find a home in the hearts of Australian and international readers. Getting on Goodreads and getting activity going about your own books and other Australian writers’ books is going to be a great positive thing to do in the reality we live in now.

Tips for new writers – welcome to the time when the most opportunity to learn to write well is available to you through many different conferences, writing chapters and online resources. Work on your craft (this was something I did not have access to when I started). You may have to go forward with the understanding that you may be writing for a small audience of family and friends, and thank God for ever little opportunity you get beyond that. It is a tough market to publish and sell into, but writing is often its own reward.

 

Thanks again, Jenny, for having me, and for supporting Australasian Christian writers from here and New Zealand.

Jenny: You're welcome. Thanks you Meredith for taking the time share about your books and experiences.

Ten ways to succeed at a writing conference

That's right folks, I got to meet Francine Rivers!

Hey! I’m Jessica Everingham, I write romantic comedy, and last month I attended my first ever writing conference. 

The American Christian Fiction Writers conference is probably the biggest Christian fiction event around, and this year’s event kicked off in Dallas in September. 

From my experience, here’s ten ways to succeed at a writing conference:

1.      Chill out. If you have to run to the plane, forget your make up, and go to the wrong hotel (like me), don’t despair. It all works out. I met another author who also went to the wrong hotel, and we traveled to the right location together. Instant friends!

2.      Get there early. I arrived on Wednesday morning, and the conference didn’t start till Thursday afternoon. I met other authors in the hotel restaurant, proofread my writing samples, and got used to the whole conference experience. By the time the rush came on Thursday morning, I wasn’t intimidated by the hundreds of authors descending on the hotel.

3.      Network like crazy, and have a professional-looking business card. I collected almost 90 business cards, and gave away even more. The real point of the conference isn’t the teaching—you can download the conference audio for a fraction of the price of attending a conference. It’s about meeting people. Some of my informal chats later led to opportunities with agents and editors.

4.      Market yourself. I write romantic comedy, so every day I wore a bright, fun dress that looked professional but also stood out. It represented my genre and my style. My business card also has a fun photo on it, so even before I said, “I write romantic comedy”, people had a good idea of what was coming.

5.      Be over-prepared. I’d been told that I would never need a physical copy of my book proposal at the conference, but I brought it anyway. (Over packing is kind of a compulsion). On the last official conference day, an agent I wanted to meet ran a class on proposals. After the class I grabbed mine and took it to him to get his advice. He read it and asked me to send him information on my book.

Aussie writers represent! From left is me, Rose Dee and Narelle Atkins.

6.      Meet as many professionals as you can through appointments. Every attendee has the chance to sign up for two agent and two editor appointments, plus extra paid appointments with authors, mentors and specialist professionals. On the day, you can line up at the appointments desk to get extra meetings. Definitely do that.

7.      Talk to everyone, whether they are the agent/editor you are aiming for or not. Industry professionals talk to one another. In my case, one person talked about my work to another and it lead to a great—and unexpected—opportunity for me.

8.      Go to the after-party. By the time the gala finishes, everyone is tired. Go hang out anyway. You might get to chat with your favourite author over a drink!

9.      Stay late. I attended the post-conference session, which ended at noon, but my flight didn’t leave until 10.30pm. Those hours hanging out in the hotel lobby with the other late-leavers give you a chance to really get to know people. It also gave me a chance meet one of my favourite authors and have an unscheduled meeting with an agent.

10.  Have fun. Don’t pin all your hopes on one agent, editor, or conference. The point is to learn, put yourself out there, grab the opportunities that arise, and trust God with it all.

Jessica Everingham is a 24 year-old Australian who writes romantic comedy for a messy world. Her manuscript, Hating Jeremy Walters, was a finalist in the 2015 My Book Therapy Frasier Award. Jessica loves it when readers and writers connect with her on social media or shoot through an email message. Smoke signals are also acceptable.

Website: jessicaeveringham.com | Facebook: Jessica Everingham Writing | Twitter: @JessEveringham | Email: jessicaeveringhamwriting@gmail.com

Comedy in Writing

By Jessica Everingham

Someone just whispered the secret of comedy to this monkey.

Unfortunately I don’t speak monkey (despite what my housemates may claim.) So my only consolation is this adorable photo, and the inspiration to go find the secret to humor myself.

Let’s face it, good comedy in writing is difficult. Good comedy in Christian writing, where everything is squeaky-clean, is even harder. So what is an author to do?

A great place to begin is with the experts. Find a book, a podcast, a blog—any professional funny-bone tickler willing to share their secrets. The American Christian Fiction Writers conference session recording called Humor in Fiction is what got me started. (You can view their conference recordings in the sidebar at this link: http://www.acfw.com/conference)

Once my eyes were opened to the analytical side of humor, I began to observe and study it. Real life and TV gave me plenty of material to jot down a list of ‘what makes stuff funny’. Hilarious books were another goldmine—Jenny B Jones is a stand-out in Christian fiction, while Sophie Kinsella is great for a giggle in the mainstream market.

Then I practiced.

I’m still unpublished, so I have a lot more practice ahead of me. But as I’ve put my mind to it, the feedback has grown increasingly encouraging.

Comedy in writing isn’t for everyone—not all novels are meant to be funny, and not all readers want light-hearted books.  But if you’re keen to give it a whirl, here is a list of thigh-slapping crack-ups I’ve observed in the world of writing.

1.      Hyperbole is the most amazing form of humor EVER!!!!!

2.      Sarcasm. Jenny B Jones does not use this at all.

3.      Using specific nouns, e.g. “Kate knew she was the picture of class, jogging down Johnson St in $3 Target thongs, Broncos footy shorts and her Elders Rural cap.” (OK, I used sarcasm there too but it was better than, "Kate knew she was the picture of class as she jogged down the street wearing her daggiest clothes.”)

4.      A serious character in a ridiculous situation. (Or a ridiculous character in a normal situation, e.g. Thor taking the train in Thor 2.)

5.      Physical comedy (with the exception of anything banana-peel-related.)

6.      Under reaction. (The character of Phil Coulson in ‘Agents of Shield’ is a champ at this.)

7.      Over reaction. (Think the dad out of ‘King of Queens’.)

8.      Any case of ‘that escalated quickly’.

9.      Good old-fashioned insults.

10.  Unexpected honesty, particularly from a young child or older person. (Again, Ms Jones is a legend in this area.)

11.  Ridiculous situations, particularly ones that don’t occur by co-incidence but by a series of decisions the character made. (Sophie Kinsella does this like a boss.)

So what about you? What’s the funniest thing you heard or saw this week, either in fiction, film or real life? And what are your tips for comedic writing?

Jessica Everingham loves God, romantic comedies and writing, and is combining the three in her work-in-progress, Hating Jeremy Walters. She loves to connect with fellow readers and writers via Twitter (@JessEveringham), Facebook (www.facebook.com/jessicaeveringhamwriting), email (jessicaeveringhamwriting@gmail.com) and her website jessicaeveringham.com.