For Writers and Aspiring Authors
Review by acclaimed romantic suspense author J. L. Campbell:
If you haven’t yet launched into writing romantic suspense, get this manual. It’s a book I would have loved to have when I first started writing in the genre.
Ayala defines romantic suspense, lays out what it isn’t, and provides detailed information on how to develop the characters. She also gives an overview of the main romantic suspense plots, how the structure of the story takes shape and gives guidance on crafting your novel.
The information is laid out in a linear manner so you don’t feel lost as you navigate through the various steps that lead to you what a complete story will look like. Basically, Ayala outlines all the necessary steps that are involved in crafting a romantic suspense story. There’s even a section on how to develop a series.
This writer has several other teaching books you can lay your hands on after reading this well-organized teaching manual. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Dangerous Love: Writing Romantic Suspense.
***Thanks to Rachelle for letting me read this book. I needed this when I started writing in the genre.
Guidebook for writing Asian romantic characters: covering history, culture, stereotypes, harmful tropes, and multicultural romance.
Comments from multi-genre USA Today Bestselling author Jade Kerrion:
The sections on stereotypes, descriptions, and covers were the most useful to me as an author, even as an Asian. The insights of first gen vs fourth gen Asian Americans, in particular, was helpful in showing the evolution of perspectives through generations, and how that would impact the character's context.
From the author:
I wrote this book to give an Asian American perspective on writing Asian characters in romance. Many writers want to be inclusive and write more characters from different backgrounds, so I view this as a guidebook on how to write Asian characters in a way that is respectful of their culture and background. I hope this book is helpful and opens the door to increasing representation of Asian heroes and heroine in romance.
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Read Rachelle's Multicultural Romances
Review from Tarl on Goodreads:
Novellas... often a dirty word when it comes to writing and publishing.
The question is, why?
Ayala presents a really good argument as to why novellas are important and are on the upswing with today's social media obsessed reader. She presents a number of excellent reasons as to why novellas work with today's reader and how they benefit most self published authors.
I have to say I was impressed. Very impressed.
Unlike a lot of 'how to' books, Ayala breaks down the formulaic way a lot of romances are written (and out of most books, Romances generally run by formulas) and presents them to the reader. This helps a number of ways, especially to anyone breaking into the scene and wanting a bit of a hand coming up with how to properly pace a story.
Review from hot romantic suspense author Chantel Rhondeau:
I love this book! Best tool for brainstorming that I've found. I've taken Ayala's on-line writing class twice and produced a book each time, and my favorite part of the class was always the daily questions. Now, I can do them on my own time and even more than one a day if I want to.
I have learned so much more about my characters that I would have never thought to ask and I've even gotten a few extra scenes that were prompted by a question. It definitely enriches my work. Even if the answers aren't included in the story, my characters are more fleshed out in my mind, and I believe that comes through to the reader.
Definitely recommend! This is a must for your writing arsenal!
From the author:
A question a day keeps writer's block away.
One of the best ways to keep your characters fresh and unique is to ask them to speak to you. Interview them or nose into areas of their lives you have no business to snoop. You'll be surprised what you might find.
Tina's review from Goodreads:
I love this book! I'm working on writing my first romance, and I felt a little overwhelmed. Luckily, Rachelle doesn't make you feel like you have to have experience in writing romance. I also really love how she includes lists of popular tropes, occupations for heroes and heroines, and even first date suggestions! It gives off a warm and welcoming vibe, and one thing I really like about this book? Rachelle does NOT emphasize rules or word counts. Rather, she encourages you to have fun with your work, offers tips to keep the writing fun and to keep you motivated, and insists that you contact her if you have any questions. I have personally conversed with her, and she is a very nice lady. She also reminds you that if you don't write a romance in 30 days, it's NOT a failure. You just pick yourself back up and keep going.
This book made me feel like I could definitely write a romance in 30 days. It made me feel more confident about my writing in general.