Love In Isolation

By Cassandra O'Leary 

The Romance Writers of Australia conference was a little different this year, as most things are in 2020, the year of the plague. COVID-19 Has meant many changes to our daily lives here in Australia, and especially where I live in Melbourne. For international readers who may not be aware, Melbourne has the dubious honour of being the home of Australia's worst virus outbreaks to date. 

I'm currently living in Stage 4 lockdown with my two boys, with a limit of one hour of exercise outdoors each day, or a trip to the shops for essential items only, a curfew after 8 pm and restriction on travel within a 5 km radius of my house. Masks are essential for anyone over the age of 12. My husband is having a different experience to me since his work hasn't stopped, being considered an essential worker, so he's out most days and still seeing co-workers and customers. I'm at home, my kids have online schooling only, and it's getting a little claustrophobic! And I'm mighty sick of Grade 3 maths tasks! 

The Romance Writers of Australia 2020 conference, dubbed Love In Isolation, ran from 12-16 August and it was a welcome distraction and mental challenge. Unlike previous conferences I attended in person, I didn't get the full experience of staying in a nice hotel with my writing friends, hanging out in the hotel bars or cafes. But the online content was great, and the conference team should be congratulated for pivoting after the Fremantle, Western Australian conference could no longer go ahead. Travel restrictions are in place between Australian states and international guests would not have been permitted to enter the country. Instead, the conference team organised an online version that included live streamed workshops and pre-recorded seminars, running on the Webinar Ninja platform. 

I particularly enjoyed locking myself in my bedroom with my laptop while my husband looked after the kids for most of the weekend, and immersing myself in writing and marketing topics. Liz Pelletier, editor and publisher from Entangled Publishing, gave a fascinating live workshop which covered what it takes to create and market a bestselling romance book. I enjoyed learning about her way of looking at genre fiction books as a type of content similar to computer software, with the story structure, function e.g. filling an emotional/relaxation need for readers, 'user experience' and packaging (such as branded ads and book covers) all having equal weight. There was a lot to think about and consider, especially for an author like myself being hybrid (self publishing as well as traditional publishing), as Entangled is doing things differently to many indies and their competitors.

Another highlight included author Rachel Bailey's session on Sparkling Dialogue, with examples from the classic movie Charade starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, as well as recent romance novels. Who wouldn't want to write funny quips like Cary and Audrey sling at each other? The combination of an online workshop with a Facebook group chat afterwards to ask questions, was a popular option with attendees.

The most information dense and complex presentation I watched was one by Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy, on Taking The Next Step in Facebook Advertising. This included an overview of how to set up multiple FB ads based on Interests and similar authors (think bigger names in your own sub-genres) and testing various artwork or short videos to see which are the most popular in terms of clicks and sales. I really want to go through his presentation again with a fine-toothed comb when I have a bit more time and brain-power, to learn his tricks and put them into action. 

The conference content will be online for three months, allowing time to go back and digest information or watch sessions missed the first time. This is fantastic, since I can work in ‘chunks’ and hopefully fit in some more conference sessions in between all my other mum-life stuff. 

Love In Isolation was a winner, but it left a kind of melancholy behind in its wake. I missed the real life connections with my fellow writers this year, the social interactions and the pure fun of dressing up and getting together with like-minded women (for the most part, but there are a few blokes usually at RWAus). My work hasn’t taken off like a proverbial rocket after conference this year, but instead I feel reluctant to write, hoping for inspiration to come in a difficult time. 

I suppose it’s always hard to write in isolation, but this year, I’m finding it more difficult than usual. Lockdown is starting to feel like an endless Groundhog Day, parenting and cleaning and cooking ad infinitum with little chance to escape the house or to retreat into a different mental space where happy endings are standard. This isn’t business as usual, and I can’t pretend it is, even if I am a fiction writer. I know The End will come soon, but all this foreshadowing is really starting to hurt my head! 

Author’s note: This will be my last regular blog for Romancing The Genres. I’ve enjoyed my time as a regular contributor here, but I find with ongoing health issues (headaches, autoimmune problems etc.) and the current lockdown with kids, I don’t have the time or concentration to devote to blogging. I hope to pop-in with a couple of guest blogs in the future though! 

About Cassandra O'Leary

Cassandra O’Leary is an author, freelance writer, avid reader, communications specialist and admirer of pretty, shiny things! In 2015, Cassandra won the global We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK, and her debut romantic comedy novel, Girl on a Plane, was then published in 2016.

Cassandra has also independently published novellas and short stories, all while chasing her two mini ninjas around her home city of Melbourne, Australia. You’ll find Cassandra drinking coffee and hanging out on social media, musing about books and buying shoes on the internet…oh yes, and writing.

Twitter – @cass_oleary

Facebook – www.facebook.com/cassandraolearyauthor

Instagram - @cassandissima

Website – http://cassandraolearyauthor.com

Creative life and mojo at 40 plus

By Cassandra O'Leary

Author's Note: I first wrote this blog in 2016 when my debut novel was released. Now I have a few more draft books under my belt, but I'm still working on juggling work/life/health and getting more work completed. The current quarantine and home school situation just makes everything more complicated!

Creative life and mojo at 40 plus by Cassandra O’Leary

Have you found your creative mojo? I got back into creative writing about three years ago, and the impetus for me was the looming Big 4-0 deadline. I don’t know what it is about a significant birthday to light a fire under my butt, but it worked. I wanted to try writing a novel. A romance novel, since I had an idea revolving around relationships.

I did it, and I’ve kept writing and have already found some success. But you know what? I did it with very little support from people around me, apart from my fabulous husband.

As a woman ‘of a certain age’ i.e. forty one and three quarters, I loathe the assumptions that go with being a woman at this stage of life, let alone one who wants to tackle a creative project or a career change.

Here’s a few crazy assumptions, just for starters:

- If you’re over about 30, you can’t start a brand new career because you’re probably ‘past it’.

- If you’re a woman, you’ll only be worried about ‘settling down’ and being married/having babies/buying shoes/raising cats/collecting kitchen accessories.

- If you’re interested in writing, you’ll only want to write (or read) ‘mummy blogs’ or ‘mummy porn’* (insert dismissive comment and raised eyebrows here).

- If you like to read, you’re probably 'only' reading romance novels, which as everyone knows are problematic or sexist or unrealistic or… (insert unfair assumption here).

- If you are a mum, a wife, and a part-time worker, a woman who enjoys fashion, or cooking, or wine, whatever, you can’t be anything else.

That’s it, done and dusted, get back in your box, woman. As Alicia Silverstone would say in the movie Clueless, “As if!”.

As someone who decided at the age of thirty eight to tackle creative writing in a serious way, and who has gone at it with the tenacity of a multitasking mummy-ninja, I can tell you all of the above are such clichés they’re not even funny.

I believe I can achieve things. I’ve already had three distinct ‘careers’ and will probably have a couple more. I work hard and I’m always interested in learning something new. I am ‘settled’, married with kids, living a suburban life, but that’s not all I am. I like to read everything — news, think pieces, literary fiction, romance, science fiction, blogs, non-fiction. I enjoy reading light-hearted and romantic books, for entertainment.

I can be lots of things, and I will be, probably all at once. I’ve always believed, strangely enough, that I am a person. I am me. I’m good at writing, I love reading and thinking of creative ideas. Always have done, probably always will do. My age and my gender have nothing to do with it. It’s other people who have weird, narrow-minded opinions.

Just do it – time waits for no woman

Sure, I’m busy. Sure, I have young children. Sure, there’s never enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to do, let alone the things I want to do. But that’s life. It rushes by at supersonic speed while you’re busy doing the washing or cleaning the kitchen, until all of a sudden it’s getting hard to remember the things you always wanted to do, but never found time for.

The good news is those things you never had time for are still there in your head. At least the potential things are. I realised that nobody has time, that you have to make time to write if it’s important to you. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather look back and think that I’m proud to have worked hard and written a book, rather than spent all of that time vacuuming the rug.

All I needed to do was block out the negative voices and get started. For me, that internal decision was all it took. It was time. Time to start, time to get going, time to write.

If you’re thinking about writing — perhaps characters have whole conversations in your head over your morning coffee, or you overhear conversations in a cafe and you have to jot them down in a notebook, or you keep a journal — my advice is, just start.

Write something. Anything. Maybe it will be a poem, or a short story, or a romance novel. Maybe you’ll dive straight into the madness of writing a novel in a month during NaNoWriMo or enter a writing contest like I did. Whatever you write, you’ll have something that never existed before in the world. Your work, your thoughts.

Here’s the thing about starting — it’s exciting. It opens up your mind to possibilities you may not have considered before. You may find that you have a whole pile of ideas waiting, based on your life experiences and the stories of people around you. There are benefits to having a few years under your belt!

Creative work can keep you sane

An unexpected by-product of getting creative, for me, is staying sane in an increasingly crazy world. Connecting to inner thoughts and writing them down, taking quiet time-out to read away from television and other distractions or simply taking a walk and letting your mind unwind can all be helpful for your creativity. They can also help reduce stress and keep you mentally well.

As a mother of two young children, I’ve found this surprising and most welcome. Carving time out for myself and my creative work has made me calmer, more mentally present and aware. And my kids love giving me crazy story ideas! I still need to write that book about an undercover, secret brick…

Define your own success

Success doesn’t have to be defined by bestseller status or winning writing awards. Although if some awards were thrown in my general direction, I’d probably reach out and try to catch them.

But success can be defined in many ways, such as finishing a first draft of a book or a new piece of art. That’s something a lot of people will never achieve. Or the goal could be to get that book polished and submit it to a publisher. Maybe it could simply be showing a short story to some readers and having them enjoy your work.

And you never know what might happen. One day, someone might read your work (or see your art, whatever medium you work in) and absolutely love it. Seriously, it could happen.

Here I am, having written (almost) three novels and a few shorter works, taking a leap and jumping in head first to the world of book publishing and being an author. Wish me luck!

P.S. My kids didn’t starve and my husband didn’t leave me. But thanks for all the unsolicited comments and predictions of doom, naysayers and busybodies! #sarcasm

*P.P.S. I hate the term ‘mummy porn’ and believe it was invented by male book reviewers to belittle women writers who dare to write about sexual content…use that term in my presence at your peril!

ABOUT CASSANDRA O’LEARY

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance and romcom author, recovering corporate wordsmith and TV and film fangirl. She was the winner of the We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK and her debut contemporary romance/romantic comedy novel, Girl on a Plane, released in 2016. She's also indie published shorter works including Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella and Chocolate Truffle Kiss: A romcom novelette (now in Kindle Unlimited).  

Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she’s also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting ‘research’ trips, that would be splendiferous.

Proud member of Romance Writers of Australia and the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild.

Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com

A Funny Thing Happened One Night

...Or Outfoxing Mr Fox by Cassandra O'Leary

One of the things about having a houseful of pets, is they sometimes create mayhem. A case in point, our cute little chickens. Living in suburban Melbourne, Australia, we can only have a small chicken coop with a maximum of ten chickens. But sometimes even four or five are a handful. 

We first got a few young chickens when my oldest son was about 18 months old. The first lot were bantams (mini sized) chooks and included cuties named Princess Bubbles, Midnight and Ningah, named by our little boy. The chicken coop was down by our back fence and our vegetable garden. My husband, let's call him Mr M, is a keen gardener and generally good with outdoorsy stuff. He'd researched chickens, coop setup, fencing and all the particulars before we brought them home from a chicken farm in the country. 

Cut to one night, a few months after the chooks had been inhabiting their very swanky chicken townhouse (split level, a nice outlook on greenery, indoor plumbing/bird feeder and outdoor entertaining area/chicken run). Part of our back garden also backs onto our garage, where we have a sensor light setup to scare off any burglars and to help us see where we're going at night. So, if you walk by, the area floods with light. Mr M was asleep beside me when he somehow woke to full alert, panic stations… I was half asleep but wondering, what's going on? 

Then I heard the back door bang, followed by a great kerfuffle, maybe even a hullabaloo! Banging, thumping, shouting, something that sounded like a lot like GEROFFMYLAWNANDAWAYFROMTHECHICKEEEEEENZZZZ!!! 

Husband comes barging back into the bedroom a couple of minutes later, and I'm wide awake by this stage and flick on the light. Mr M is standing there, panting, ranting about the fox he caught dashing across our yard and how the floodlight scared him off...meanwhile he's completely naked (apart from his boots). 

So I reconstructed the sequence of events. Mr M ran out into the back garden, triggering the floodlight, so his naked self was highlighted in spotlight, when he may or may not have been brandishing a shovel. Mr Fox, our erstwhile neighbourhood scavenger, must have been terrified and fled the scene. Our chickens' feathers were ruffled, but otherwise okay. Luckily our next door neighbours weren't hanging over the fence filming...that we know of! 

You will probably all be relieved to know that we now have chicken wire dug down at least 30 centimetres (one foot) into the ground, making sure no foxes can dig their way in. 

Henceforth this story shall be referred to as the time my husband outfoxed Mr Fox. It will probably end up in a book one day! He just nods and sighs as I tell him this. He's so obviously a humour novel character, just like I'm a romcom heroine. Just ask me about the time I fell over a pile of shoes while trying to shoo a wasp away from my desk, then I fell on my backside AND banged my head against my bookshelf. It's a match made in romance novel heaven. 

P.S. We now have the third generation of chickens including Soy Sauce Chicken, Chilli Chicken, Fruit Tingles and Honeycomb. 

P.P.S I will not tell Mr M about the actual event that is World Naked Gardening Day. For Reasons. 

About Cassandra O'Leary 

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance, romcom and women's fiction author from Melbourne, Australia. Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest, HarperCollins UK, and published author of Girl on a Plane, Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella, and shorter fiction. She's a recovering corporate communications specialist, mum to two mini ninjas, and wife to a superhero. She may be writing, or else drinking coffee and buying shoes on the internet. She's currently working on two more novels. No, really.

Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com 

How do I edit…as a not super systematic pantser?

By Cassandra O'Leary

How do I edit as a panster? I'm glad you asked, dear readers. I'm currently in the final throes of editing a single title romantic comedy manuscript (currently 96,000 words long) and it's been a saga. For starters, I began writing this novel in 2015, then left it halfway done for at least a year before finishing the first, messy draft. Then I sat on it again for about another two years! Note, I do not recommend this method...I only remembered the bare bones of the plot by the time I got back to it.

But a lot happened in the intervening time. I got my first book published with HarperCollins UK (not my first manuscript though, that's also put away and will never see the light of day), I wrote some shorts and novellas and nearly an entirely different book. So I guess I've learned a little since then.

From the first draft to something book-like

Coming back to the draft, I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t completely suck. There were some interesting characters (hello, I remember you!), funny dialogue and a setting that I think it a bit different. Then I struck the problems, and oh boy, they were many. Missing scenes and chapters out of sequence were the main issues, and honestly they’re a hallmark of my writing because I’m a real panster (I write by the seat of my pants, without an outline). I often open up brand new documents to write single scenes when I feel the urge, or when I get stuck. Then, I have to work out where to slot-in the new content, and smooth out the rough edges so it matches the preceeding and succeeding scenes.

I’ve re-jigged the structure of this manuscript quite a lot, so it’s book-shaped, has chapters that are roughly the same length, alternating point of view scenes, and hopefully with chapter endings that have a hook or at least an interesting last line.

Continuity—or where did that character go?

So, continuity is the first thing I look for. My heroine was apparently getting test results from the doctor before she even made an appointment! Also, I look at how my characters’ dialogue has changed—I notice if I’ve added in more slang or different speech patterns as I go along. This is me as a writer, getting to know a character’s voice. Then there is the problem with disappearing secondary characters. I’m just thinking of writing a new scene with my hero and his best friend, because poor Sam the mechanic was only in one scene, and has apparently evaporated.

Nuts and bolts

Next comes nuts and bolts stuff like fixing spelling errors, missing words, excessive use of some words (that, but, just, only—these are my worst offenders as repetitive words) and short sentences versus longer. I tend to write sentence fragments and direct thoughts as a character would speak them. This is a stylistic choice and not an error as such, but it can become annoying if the same type of sentence is repeated e.g. Oh. My. God. I have a character that would say this, but we don’t want it ten times on the same page! I’ll do another check for all of these things when I get to the final draft.

A special note on sexy scenes

I like the sexy times on the page…too much maybe. My sex scenes tend to be overly long in a first draft, as I get them out in a big, long, hard, marathon session (I love double entendres, LOL). This means, analysing a sexy scene like I would any other scene—where is the pace too slow, where is it all action, no emotion, or where is it out of character or lopsided, from only one character’s point of view (when writing in both main character’s POV).

If it’s all he-did-this-to-her, then he-did-this, it’s a little boring. And because I write romantic comedy, I like to add a little humour in the bedroom (or car, or office or whatever) when the characters get together. Maybe the heroine blurts out something completely inappropriate at a vital moment… This is where I also examine dialogue to see if it’s doing its job in the scene.

Hard copy for a close-up look

Once I have a second draft that mostly hangs together, it’s time for me to print out the manuscript in its entirety and mark-up edits on the printed page. Time for red pens and highlighters! This helps me see outstanding issues with repetition, the balance of dialogue versus narration on the page, plus I tend to notice stand-out expressions in print.

I recently attended a writing workshop with the fabulous author, Stefanie London, and she reminded me about something I’d learned a couple of years ago. Each author has their own literary techniques that they can amplify in editing e.g. alliteration. I LOVE ALLITERATION! Sexy, sensational scenes start slow…you see what I did there. The repeated ‘s’ sound gives a poetic sound to the line. I naturally write some lines like this, but it’s worth spotting and improving these patterns in edits.
Once I’ve marked up all of these handwritten notes, I edit the main document on my laptop again. We’re nearly there!

Finally, the read through

A great idea I picked up from a friend, is to send your completed manuscript to your e-reader or tablet, and read it like a published ebook. Don’t edit on screen, but keep a notepad handy to write down any issues you notice as you read. Hopefully by this stage it’s only minor typos that slip through, a quick fix rather than a major re-work.

The End! Except, now it might be time to write a query letter or synopsis…urgh.

About Cassandra O’Leary

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance and women's fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things.

In 2015, Cassandra won the We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016 and in translation in the Czech Republic as “Letuska”. Cassandra was also a 2015 finalist in the Lone Star writing contest, Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 finalist in the First Kiss contest, Romance Writers of Australia. In addition to her traditionally published work, Cassandra has indie published novellas including Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella, and short stories.

Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she's also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting 'research' trips, that would be splendiferous.
Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com

Kiss Me Again... Second Chance Romance

By Cassandra O'Leary

What would you say to the one who got away? Or the one who was never a 'thing' but you secretly hoped they would be… We're talking second chance romance.

I've been on a binge reading and watching spree lately, with the common theme of second chances. I love the tension and the emotional complexity of these stories, the push and pull between characters living simultaneously in the present and the past. Every look, every whispered remembering of what once was, or what might have been, adds layers to the superficial plot and dialogue. Now we're talking oodles of delicious subtext, people!

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen 

The king (or really, matriarch) of the second chance or reunion romance is Persuasion. Often overlooked by casual Austen readers in favour of Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion is a book that unfolds slowly, pulls at the heartstrings and hits you hard in the feels. It's a more mature take on love than some of Austen's other works.

In Persuasion, the heroine Anne Eliot is twenty-seven years old, which is on-the-shelf in terms of marriageability in the Regency era. Anne was once engaged at age nineteen, but was persuaded to break-off the relationship by her manipulating family. Eight years later, she still hasn't married and the love of her life, Captain Wentworth, returns to the village where Anne's family lives. Captain Wentworth was once a poor sailor, considered beneath Anne in terms of social status. In fact, the Eliots have fallen on hard times and are forced to sell their fine belongings and move out of their grand home—a job left entirely to Anne as the practical, capable type. Captain Wentworth has since made his fortune as a sea captain, so their roles are reversed from what they once were.

As a reader, I adore Anne as a no nonsense woman, a non-typical heroine who people see as unimportant and uninteresting. In fact, she's highly intelligent, caring and probably would have been a great business woman in another time. She's put her family above her own desires for so long, it's become second nature. Anne has to overcome social and trust issues, and her own narrow view of what her life should be, to finally find her way back to love.

Captain Wentworth represents freedom as much as love, since a second chance with him would also allow her to live her own life. And of course he's a noble hero, wounded by Anne's rejection but still so in love under a gruff exterior. When the story hits its climactic moment, near the end of the story, Wentworth declares himself in a letter that's heart wrenching:

"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago.”

Read it now, or try watching the excellent British movie version!


Persuasion, 2007 movie

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

This romantic women’s fiction book by the fabulous writing duo, Christina Lauren, is an utterly gorgeous tale of teenage sweethearts/best friends reunited.

There's a lovely setup in this book, when Macy meets Elliot (yes, there are some Persuasion and many other book references in here!), her new, nerdy but beautiful next door neighbour at her holiday home. He's literally sitting in her walk-in wardrobe reading a book, and later, the same space becomes her library, and their private refuge from the world. Macy's father paints the ceiling of the library with stars, and I was reminded of the line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

"When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun."

I'm not spoiling the ending or spilling the reasons why these two young people were separated, so you'll just have to read it for yourself!

Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci

Who loves all things Italian? Me! So it should be no surprise I fell in love with this book, set in Rome. We meet Avery at the start of this novel in a most surprising context (with an amazing and funny first line that I can't share here due to this being a PG rated site!) and her life goes up in flames.

Her husband was cheating, and she decides to leave him and her comfortable life to visit her old friend in Rome. There she meets Marcello, gorgeous and charismatic Italian architect, who just happens to be the man she could never forget. They had been lovers in college, until Avery had to go home to America and she never saw him again.

What I loved most about this book were the authentic Italian touches, from descriptions of places in Rome, to the food and the depiction of Marcello's extended family who come together for a local festival. Also, it's both funny and heartfelt. Avery has to make some big decisions about whether to follow the safe route and return to her old life, or to find a new direction and herself in the process. Recommended reading!

The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot

I haven't quite finished reading this novel, but it's great fun. Told in an unusual style mixing text messages, emails, newspaper articles, diary entries and even online reviews, this book is a modern version of an epistolary novel (a novel written as a series of documents, with other famous examples including The Color Purple by Alice Walker and The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky).

There's various point of view texts from many members of the heroine's and hero's families, so it's a fun look at the shorthand way we communicate these days and sometimes mis-communicate. Becky Flowers (love the name) is a woman who organises other people's lives for a living, but of course she kind of fell into it herself without a plan. Her high school boyfriend, Reed Stewart, is a multi-millionaire pro golfer who's back in town when his family asks for help with his aging parents. Old scores need to be settled, and the kooky old couple with a house full of cats and raccoons bring the couple together again. Anyway, I'm still reading but I'm definitely hooked.

Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

This story was gorgeous and also very British (which I love). The heroine, Georgina, meets up with her high school crush again when she applies for a job as a bartender at a renovated pub, owned by two Irish brothers. Of course one of them turns out to be her secret boyfriend, Lucas, from years ago. Only he doesn't seem to remember her at all. Can it be possible that one person can fall completely, madly in love, and the other person doesn't even remember it? Lucas is all dreamy but stern and standoffish (in a Heathcliff way, as noted in the book) whereas Georgina wears fluffy pink overcoats and is slightly off with the fairies. It's opposites attract and the kind of slow burn unfolding drama I love to read. With lots of laughs. And a dog.

Tree Love by Cassandra O'Leary (that's me!)

My own short story is a sweet bite-sized read about a couple who fall in love after first meeting at university. The hero (Dan The Man Mancini) ‘drops in’ on the heroine, Natalia Bianchi, years later, when he falls out of a tree in front of her! I hope the story conveys some of the longing and the temptation to try out another life that's typical of second chance stories, as well as being a fun, romantic read.

I'm working on another second chance story too, which will be either a long-ish novella or a full length book. We'll see when I finally finish writing…

About Cassandra O'Leary

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance and women's fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things. 
In 2015, Cassandra won the We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016. Cassandra was also a 2015 finalist in the Lone Star writing contest, Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 finalist in the First Kiss contest, Romance Writers of Australia. Her indie published romcom novella, Heart Note, is out now! 
Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she's also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting 'research' trips, that would be splendiferous.
**Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest. Nominated for BEST NEW AUTHOR in AusRomToday 2016 Reader's Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction** 
Read more at: cassandraolearyauthor.com 

Another Little Piece of My Heart

By Cassandra O'Leary

This month's blog theme is 'What touches my heart?' and it's a tricky one, because the answer is many things, many people, books, movies, music... There isn't only one answer. There isn't only one thing to feel or to love. This post is dedicated to all the little things that add up to something joyful and touching in our everyday lives.

A quiet sunset

My last little family getaway was to Lakes Entrance, a few hours away from where I live in Melbourne, Australia. One of the highlights of the trip was staying across the road from a lake with a pier, just right for fishing with the kids. Watching the sunset over the lake was so relaxing, it made me want to go for sunset walks more often.

A funny movie

Is there anything better than snort-laughing along to a funny movie? I think not! This week I watched Pitch Perfect, a film about the exploits of competing Acapella singing groups at a university campus. It stars the wonderful Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson (Aussie and funny, yeah!) and is chock full of silliness and great songs. Yes, I was singing along to the Ladies of the 80s songs in the riff-off scene. If you haven't seen it yet, it's great fun.

A great piece of music

I'm remembering the concert I went to last year, sitting in the front row at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. The great sax player and composer, Branford Marsalis, was on tour all the way from New Orleans. One of the songs he played was an original composition with multiple layers and a few classical bits and pieces thrown in...amazing! His quartet absolutely killed it too.

This YouTube clip of In The Crease is an example of the type of tune, or more like an immersive experience. When you're right up close to musicians in this league, it's emotional and intense. This piece is not quite the same as the show I saw, but I hope you enjoy it.

My kids laughing

Honestly, sometimes my boys behave like little monsters, but other times they are completely adorable and hilarious. Is there anything cuter than kids laughing so hard, they're in hysterics with tears running down their faces? Lately I've been thrilled to see my kids reading funny books to themselves, and then just busting out laughing. Latest #kidlit recommendations are Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, anything by Tom Gates, and of course we're re-reading Harry Potter.

A good book and time to think

The time after everyone else goes to sleep and I read a good book, just because I can and it gives me pleasure. Lately I've enjoyed reading these fabulously fun romantic comedies:

99 Percent Mine by (Aussie) Sally Thorne

On The Same Page by (fellow Aussie) Penelope Janu

And a puppy?

Yes, my family have decided unanimously to become a dog family. We already have quite the menagerie, with a cat named Tom Sword, a parrot named Storm, many fish, and eight chickens of various sizes and stages of cluckiness.

My kids adore animals and we thought...why not? It's good for kids to learn about looking after a pet, the responsibility it entails, but also having a new friend to love. This could be an absolutely manic and crazy choice. Will the dog attack the cat? Or vice versa? We shall see.

Please enjoy our first photo of our puppy, coming to live with us in a few more weeks. We're thinking of calling him Archie.

Another little piece of my heart...

All of these things are little pieces that make up a whole lot when added together. What makes your heart fuller, more capable of love, or reminds you to live life to the fullest?

About Cassandra O'Leary

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance, romantic comedy and women's fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things. 

In 2015, Cassandra won the We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016. Her indie published novella, Heart Note, was a top 50 bestseller in the Holiday Romance and Humor Fiction categories on Amazon. 



Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she's also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting 'research' trips, that would be splendiferous. You'll find Cassandra drinking coffee, buying shoes on the internet...and oh yes, writing. 

Read more at: cassandraolearyauthor.com 

Best Books of 2018

By Cassandra O'Leary

When asked for the list of the best books of 2018, according to me, I admit I was stumped. Not because I didn't read...I read a total of 95 books last year going by my Goodreads list. But I tried mixing it up, reading across sub-genres and trying different, new-to-me authors to diversify my reading. 

So, thinking about 'best' is difficult when comparing apples and oranges, let alone apples and chocolate cake. Still, I did try! Not all of these books were new releases, since they may have been sitting on my to be read list for a while. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my slightly quirky list. Here goes...

Sweet and funny:

Pretty Face by Lucy Parker

This romance set in the world of the London West End theatre features Lily, a gorgeous actress known for getting naked on TV, and serious thespian, Luc. It's a classic enemies to lovers story with a fake relationship thrown in, when they have to play it up for the cameras. There's a simmering sexual tension in this book, plus believable theatre details that had me hooked. The course of true love never did run smooth...

Buy from Amazon

Compelling futuristic world-building:

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

I've been reading the complete Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh, a futuristic, science fiction meets paranormal romance series. Heart of Obsidian is a stand-out in the series for me, because of the way the author handled the build-up of tension between factions in the outside world in this story, plus the tension between the bottled-up, emotion-less (apparently) trained killer, Kaleb, and the emotional, caring but highly intelligent woman who is his match. I'm soooo excited that Ms Singh will be a keynote speaker at the Romance Writers of Australia conference in August this year!

Buy from Amazon

Best Aussie contender:

Playing Dirty, Amy Andrews

If you've been following the Sydney Smoke rugby series like I have, you've probably been waiting to learn more about Val, daughter of the coach. We finally get to learn more about Val and her broken relationship with her well-respected but strict and bossy father. Well, we get to the bottom of this story, and it's a tear-jerker. Amy Andrews blends her ususal witty voice, sexy and fun banter and the more serious family issues in this great read.

Buy from Amazon

Addictive and sexy:

Wrong To Need You by Alisha Rai

I'd read a couple of Alisha Rai's books before this one and enjoyed them, but I think this is my favourite. Jackson returns to a small town where his family are a big deal, but he was accused of a crime (unfairly) many years before. He's in love with his brother's widow...and she may be falling for his strong, silent charm too. I loved the quiet chef who's actually a superstar overseas, but doesn't want the notoriety or fame. A great Beta hero and sexy, slow-burn romance. I recommend the whole Forbidden Hearts series.

Buy from Amazon

Oddball read...worth a go:

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

This is a kid lit book, aimed at roughly eight to twelve year olds. I read this one aloud to my two boys and they adored it, and I did too. For adults who enjoy fun fantasy in the style of Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. Jupiter North is a fantastic ginger hero too!

Buy from Amazon

Best romcom read:

Dr Strange Beard by Penny Reid

I'd have to say Penny Reid's books are some of my favourite romantic comedies, and the latest book in the Winston Brothers series was a winner. Roscoe is one of the most unusual and sensitive romance heroes I've ever read -- he has a perfect, detailed memory of events from his childhood and emotional recall with total accuracy. This makes for an interesting problem...he won't let himself get close to anyone. Simone, his childhood best friend, is an exception. Sort of. Love, love, loved this pair and the classic Penny Reid humour.

About Cassandra O'Leary

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance, romcom and women's fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader and film/TV fangirl. You'll find her in Melbourne, Australia, drinking coffee, chasing her mini ninjas and buying shoes on the internet. Oh yes, and writing. 

Cassandra was the winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest, and also a finalist in contests run by Romance Writers of Australia and Romance Writers of America. Check out her romcoms, Girl on a Plane and Heart Note, plus shorter fiction on her website: cassandraolearyauthor.com 

Steamy Christmas in Australia

By Cassandra O'Leary

Potpourri Post

This month the Genre-istas are re-posting a mixed bag of popular posts from the past. So here's my Christmas post from last year. 

Author's note: today is almost 100 degrees F and we're inside playing on the new X Box and also Harry Potter Scrabble. We hope to visit the beach when it's not so hot!

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Well, one day I might see a white Christmas if I travel to the other side of the planet during the holiday season. But as an Aussie, my experience of Christmas is quite different to many of my American and European friends and readers.

I’ve been thinking about Christmas in Australia lately, since I’ve just written and released a Christmas-themed novella set in my home city of Melbourne, Australia. There’s shopping and mayhem, plus a little romance. Also, steamy weather changing from thunderstorms with lightning to hot sunny days over 35 degrees C (95 degrees F), maximum strength sunscreen and hat required. This is Christmas to me!

As I write, we’re experiencing a spring heatwave with temperatures over 30 degrees C already. I can tell you I don’t feel like doing any Christmas shopping. Or writing. I must admit my brain turns to mush in the heat, so it's just as well the holidays are coming.

Christmas as an Aussie kid

Leading up to Christmas, we often made our own paper chains and Advent calendars at school and then decorated our lounge room with them. My favourite decoration was the pretty angel doll that went on the top of the tree. It was always exciting to decorate our Christmas tree in December. When I was younger we had a massive pine tree in our backyard, so Mum and Dad would cut off a good sized branch to be our tree. The whole house would be filled with the scent of fresh pine.

Our family usually went to Catholic Mass on Christmas Eve. I’ll admit it wasn’t much fun – too hot, too crowded and too many hymns and long-winded readings were boring to a child. But some years we went to the children’s service when kids would dress up as Bible characters like shepherds and angels, and that was fun.

As a kid, we’d often have a barbeque lunch for Christmas dinner or Boxing Day, when we’d see a few more members of our extended family. Lots of sausages (snags) in bread, hamburgers and salads, seafood platters and cold ham.

My favourite Christmas desserts were always Pavlova (fruit and cream-topped meringue dessert) and cheesecake, maybe ice-cream too. I never did care for hot Christmas pudding or fruit cake.

Despite being from England, my mother doesn’t like the traditional English hot dinner in the Australian heat. I don’t blame her – I wouldn’t want to cook roast beef and Yorkshire pudding in stifling hot weather with no air-conditioning either. My cousins and I would sometimes play a backyard cricket match after lunch. None of us were very good players but it was still fun.

Later, after Christmas dinner, we’d relax and eat leftovers, play with our new toys and then go to the beach over the next few days. I loved when we’d go to our family holiday house on the Mornington Peninsula, a gorgeous spot close to the ocean beach. Since it was also school holidays, we’d sometimes stay there for a week or two.

Christmas Eve – making our own traditions

As an adult, my boyfriend (now husband) and I started our own tradition of hosting Christmas Eve parties at home. We have lots of food and wine, catch up with old friends and family and the kids run around outside until late. The Christmas Carols in the Domain (a Melbourne live concert) is usually playing on TV. We do a Kris Kringle exchange of presents for all the kids. Last year we gave everyone water pistols, so they all got soaked but it was hot weather and good fun.

My two little boys love laying out their Christmas pillowcases ready for Santa Claus to come after our party winds down. We also leave out a few snacks for Santa and his reindeer near our Christmas tree. We’ve found Santa likes red wine and chocolate cake, while Rudolph prefers a carrot.

Last year my boys received BMX style bikes (still with training wheels at the time). This year it might be skateboards as well as Lego and other fun bigger kid things. Exciting! I'm sure we'll be riding and skating at the local park on Christmas day.

Getting ready for summer holidays

The kids will be on summer holidays for six long weeks from the end of December, so it will probably mean a slow-down in my writing. It will probably also be hideously hot and sticky, so I’m hoping to take off to the beach somewhere for a while.

I won’t be travelling anywhere white or snowy this year, but I’ll watch a couple of Northern Hemisphere Christmas movies and live vicariously through them…while I sip white wine or eat gelati by a beach somewhere!

What are your Christmas traditions and favourite holiday treats? I'd love to hear from you all.

Christmas novella - Heart Note

My holiday release is titled Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella. It's out now at all major ebook retail sites and already has some wonderful reviews. The story is about Lily, a perfume counter manager at a major Australian department store. In the lead-up to Christmas, it's all about gift sets, keeping the grumpy customers happy and maybe...finding romance and catching some criminals!

Blurb

A funny, romantic comedy Christmas novella, perfect for fans of Love Actually . . . from the award-winning author of Girl on a Plane.

Love is like a fine perfume. The top note draws you in, an instant attraction, but the Heart Note is the true essence. Like true love – a great perfume should be a woman’s perfect match.

At least, that’s what perfume counter manager, Lily Lucas, tells her customers in one of Australia’s largest department stores. 

It’s almost Christmas, the store is bedecked with baubles and Lily has about eleventy billion gifts to wrap and sell. She and her team of spritzer chicks are glamorous, professional and hoping they don’t have to wear the hideous red onesies and reindeer antlers the store manager has in mind.

The high point of Lily’s work life is Christos Cyriakos, ex-cop, security guard, possible Greek god. He's a mystery box she’d love to unwrap. But can she trust him?

All Lily wants for Christmas is to kiss Christos (and more), catch a band of thieves running amok in the store, and live happily ever after. Is that too much to wish for?

Heart Note is on sale for a few more days! Only 99 cents at Amazon or free in Kindle Unlimited. 

Buy links 

Amazon US - https://amzn.to/2LCfwj4
Universal link - mybook.to/HeartNote

About Cassandra O'Leary

Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest. Nominated for Best New Author in the 2016 AusRomToday Reader's Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction. 

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance and women's fiction author from Melbourne, Australia. You'll find her drinking coffee, dreaming of Italy and Spain, and raising two mini ninjas with her superhero husband. 

Cassandra loves romantic comedies and is having fun writing her own romcom books. Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella, was released in November 2017. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was released in July 2016. It was also translated into Czech!

In 2015, Cassandra won the global We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. She was also a 2015 finalist in the Lone Star contest, Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 finalist, First Kiss contest, Romance Writers of Australia. 

Read more or sign-up for Cassandra's newsletter at cassandraolearyauthor.comcassandraolearyauthor.com