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Welcome to our New Faces column, where you can meet new romance authors and find out about their books. This time we're visting with Paula Roe, whose first release is Forgotten Marriage from Silhouette Desire. Paula, welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself. I was two when my parents and older brother migrated from the UK to Australia. From an early age I can remember moving towns a lot, thanks to my dad's employment. I thought it was a normal thing for any kid - first Modbury in South Australia, then a little country town in the gorgeous grape-growing Barossa Valley, to Wodonga on the Victorian/New South Wales border, to finally the gorgeous Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. I suspect I was a bit of a frustration for my parents - always getting comments like "needs to work harder and talk less" on my school reports (of course, it didn't help to have a super-intelligent brother but god-bless 'em, Mom and Dad never drew comparisons). Like so many of my friends, I left high school after four years to get my secretarial studies certificate at TAFE (government funded educational college) and started work as a typing clerk at the tender age of 17. Are you coming to romance writing from another job? Over the years I've been a secretary, personal assistant, office manager, computer trainer, theme park hostess, workshop tutor and aerobics instructor. Right now I'm proud to say I'm a full time author and mom, although I have been known to do a bit of website designing and have just recently finished a six-year stint as RWAustralia's newsletter editor. What led you to write romance? My first encounter with the romance genre was at age 11 - the school library had copy of Johanna Lindsay's Captive Bride, which would make the librarian either completely clueless or a champion of the genre That book did the rounds of all the girls in my class, as did the Angelique and Catherine series. I adored those stories (still do!), full of feisty women and arrogant alpha men. I spent my allowance at the second-hand bookstore, buying my favorite authors, then making little library cards with paper pockets to stick inside the covers so I could loan them out to my friends. I figured I'd either grow up to be a librarian or a writer Tell us about your road to publication. Even though I'd been writing since I was 14, I got serious about it after I joined Romance Writers of Australia. From then, it took me 15 years to get published - I reckon five of those were spent tinkering with words because I was more intersted in going out and enjoying myself. But after 86 contest entries (with some amazing encouragment from fellow authors Annie West, Trish Morey and Bronwyn Jameson), five rejections and four full manuscripts later, I finally got The Call on 9 September 2006. What kind of research was involved for your first book? Actually, not a lot. I was married to a Dane, so the Danish words that appear in the book weren't a problem. The locations - Coogee Beach and The Rocks in Sydney - are both familiar to me, having worked in the city for many years. It was really fun to set a story in places that I know and love, it makes the descriptions (the one aspect of writing I struggle with) that much easier. Tell us about your debut book. It's a lovers-reunited, secret baby, amnesia story. Lots of hooks there! The backcover blurb says: A tragic accident had erased pieces of billionaire Finn Sørensen's memory. Including all recollection of his wife. But what wife? The one he'd been told had married him for his money? The one who now owned a controlling share of his family's jewelry empire? Ally McKnight's image was burned into Finn's memory from photographs -- pictures that captured the passion between them. It was time she received a surprise visit from her long-lost husband. The one who wouldn't let her forget just what she owed him. Who are your influences as a writer? I adore the comedic style of Jenny Crusie , the lyrical eloquence of Ruth Wind but I wouldn't say my writing style is at all similar to theirs. I love the way Bronwyn Jameson writes - I learn a lot from reading her conflict and scene transitions. Actually, I learn a lot from many authors, including New Zealanders Yvonne Lindsay and Jan Colley. I'm blown away by the brillance of Kristin Hannah's ability to suck you right into a scene, the characterisation of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and the way Stephanie Bond structures a sentence. I also make a point of reading cross genres and at the moment, I'm loving Charlaine Harris, Sarah Mlynowksi and Maria S Snyder (but then, I've got a thing for first person POV!) What does your family think of having a published romance author in their midst? My dad, being an Englishman of little verbosity, doesn't say a lot. My mom is probably more vocal and I'm positive she's told all her friends. My brother, well... He was thrilled but this is a guy who thought the hero on my first cover "looks like that dude from Queer Eye". My nieces think I'm rolling in money now. And of course, my 6 year old wants me to buy him the latest Lego set... Tell us about plans for future books.
I'm absolutely thrilled that my next release is book five in the 6-part
Desire continuity series, "Diamonds Down Under." Titled Boardrooms and a
Billionaire Heir, it's a May relase. I'm so excited about it, as I've known
all the other authors (Bronwyn Jameson, Tessa Radley, Maxine Sullivan, Jan
Colley and Yvonne Lindsay) from before they were published. It's such a
blast to get asked to join the ranks of such talented authors! I'm
currently working on our website http:///www.diamonds-downunder I'm also working on a few other romances at the moment - shaping a former rejection into something salable, plus fleshing out some partials and whipping some of my contest-winning entries into shape. How can readers get in touch with you? I love to hear from people! You can reach me via my website at www.paularoe.com Paula, thank you for joining us, and best of luck with your books! Readers, we have a review of Forgotten Marriage here at TRR. September 30, 2007
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