Not content to read romance, in 2023, I decided it was time to have a go at writing my own.

I’d been dabbling with fiction since 2014 (you can read about some of those efforts in my pre-2024 blogs) but never really finished anything.

I’d fallen into the trap of thinking romance writing was perhaps ‘less than’ other forms of fiction writing.

But then I realised that was stupid.

Shouldn’t I write what I enjoyed reading?

In February 2024, I did my first romance writing course, and later that year attended my first Romance Writers of Australia conference.

Not only did I learn so much, but I found an incredible community. And I realised if I was going to be part of it.

Since then, I’ve:

• entered the RWAus Emerald and Ruby awards
• finished the first draft of a new contemporary romance (which I’m pitching at the next RWAus conference in Hobart
• completed the fantastic How to Write Love course
• become the RWAus South Australia liaison.

And somehow in between all that, I’ve read stacks of fantastic (mainly romance books).