Good Enough For Love - Wendy Lee Davies

Renovating a country hotel challenges everything Amber knows…about family and about love
When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.
Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.
Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.
Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.
With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.

Recently I did an interview session with the writer of small-town romance “Good Enough For Love”, Wendy Davies. I hope these helps the readers to get to know the person behind that great romance a bit better.

My big thanks to Wendy for being patient and answering my questions.

Here is the written session.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

·       They rush into the whole “getting published” thing without understanding that this is just the first step to becoming an author. That the road ahead is long, often hard, and sometimes a disappointing journey with few rewards.
My advice? Know your market. Know your limits. Set realistic and achievable goals, ones that stretch you but aren’t impossible to achieve. Realize you are a small fish in an ocean of competing interests – not to put you off but so you can be honest and realistic about what you want to achieve. And keep writing and learning your craft.

·       They either under-sell or over-sell their abilities and / or their story.
My advice? Have someone else, a professional if you can manage it, read and assess your work. Alternatively, enter competitions, especially ones that give feedback on your writing. And accept the comments you receive with as much grace as possible, no matter how much you want to rant and rave or justify. Believe that the critique you’ve been given is there to guide you and assist you to be a better writer. Because it will. Getting a “reader” prospective on your story is a privilege and vital, well worth the risk and possible heartache.

·       They don’t go deep enough into their character motivations nor challenge their characters with hard to overcome issues.
This is something I struggled with, basically because I was too nice to my characters, wanting things to be easy for them. But when is real life ever “easy?” So, even though you’ve probably heard it ten thousand times already, keep asking yourself “why” when developing your characters. Why do they believe that? Why do the react that way? Why, what made them think that? Why would they do that? Why? Why? Why? Don’t just settle on the first thing, or even the fifth thing, you come up with. Dig deep and really understand where your character is coming from and what makes them act (or react) the way they do. That’s what will make them unique, different and interesting.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver readers what they want?

I want both. To be original and different and to write stories readers want to read. Doesn’t every author want that?

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I want each book to stand on its own. I want each book to contain characters that have their own, unique problems to solve and their own individual quirks and foibles. Even though, right now, I’m setting them in the same place – Willow’s Bend – hopefully each story will stand on its own merits.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

When I was four years old, just before I started school. My sister, 18 months older than me, was learning to write. I wanted to do what she was doing because it looked like fun. We didn’t have pets, but I had a doll I loved to bits. This doll was my best friend in the whole world. It was when I learnt how to write her name – Janie – that I first understood the power and magic a name had. Since then, I’ve gone on to understand that words do indeed have great power. They can lift you up and transport you to unknown heights or worlds. They can also destroy or undermine or criticize, unintentionally or otherwise. So, as with all great power, words come with in-built responsibility as well.

Did you come across any specific challenges in writing ‘Good enough for love’?

I could fill a book with the challenges I faced. I’d never written a romance story before, though I had years and years of writing corporate documents and website content behind me. I had no idea how difficult, challenging, heart-breaking, exciting or addictive writing a romance story could be. But some specific challenges were:

·     My characters wouldn’t behave. They kept side-tracking me and taking me down paths I never intended to follow. They were like naughty children, hiding stuff, refusing to do as they were told. And the plot just wouldn’t sit still. It kept jumping up and wandering off at the most inappropriate moments.

·     The story ending caused no end of trouble. It wasn’t until I finally understood what my character’s main, underlying problem was, what belief or story they were telling themselves that was stopping them from taking a chance on love, that I could devise a situation that forced each of them to face this. After that, it was a matter of setting, ensuring that what came before hinted or led the reader to this point, and then working out exactly how to bring about their happy ever after.

So, the biggest challenge I faced was understanding what this story was about. I didn’t plan it out. I just sat down and started writing. It took me longer to edit, restructure and shape this story into an acceptable, publishable and award-winning story than it did to write it in the first place. Like three times longer.

What motivated you to become an indie author?

Control – the ability to set my own timeline and being totally responsible for the outcome. Impatience – it felt like I’d spent years waiting to be picked up, waiting for a publisher to take a risk on me, waiting for the stars to align and for things to work in my favor – so I decided to step up to the plate and take responsibility for my story on my own terms.

How did you come up with the idea for ‘Good enough for love’?

Well, I was looking for something creative to take my mind off an uncertain future. You see, I’d lost my job and was floundering around, dealing with issues of identity (how do I describe myself now?) and wandering where I fit into this new world I found myself in. While flicking listlessly though the Writers Victoria magazine, I noticed an upcoming course on offer for a reasonable cost – Romancing the Page – and I thought why not?

At the first session I had to introduce myself and say what my romance story was about. I didn’t have a story! I didn’t even have an idea for one!! Where did it say I needed to have a story in progress? Nowhere. So, I was sitting there, heart palpitating, hands sweaty, until it was my turn. “My story,” I told everyone, “is about a city girl who inherits a hotel in the country and falls in love with a sheep farmer.”

I have no idea how I plucked this out of thin air, but I did, thankfully. The rest, as they say, is all water under the bridge now. Or is that “the proof is in the pudding”??

When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go? 

With Amber and Zach, I didn’t know them at all. I had a brief outline and idea of who they were and what their background was, but that’s it. They developed and grew and changed and became more real, more three-dimensional, as I wrote and rewrote their story. That’s probably why it took me so long.

This time, with Harry and Samantha (the characters in my next story), I’ve spent time digging deep into what they want, why they want it, how they got to where they were at the start of the story and what they need to learn or face by the end. I did all that before I started writing the story. It’s helped, because it’s brought up all sorts of issues and situations that I would not have considered had I jumped in and began writing their story like I did with Amber and Zach.

What is the most important thing about a book in your opinion?

The characters. How true to life, how identifiable they are, how realistic, understandable and logical the things they do to overcome their issues are. This goes for any story, be it a romance, horror, science fiction or any other genre; a movie; a comic; a short 50-word one, or a long, war-and-peace one. If the characters don’t grab your reader, then you may have to rethink the whole story.

What would you say are your interesting writing quirks?

·     The one word I try to avoid but can’t help including, is “just”.

·     I tend to write around the underlying issue, for pages and pages sometimes, before I get to the heart of the thing. Once I do, all that writing is often discarded or set aside, never to see the light of day.

·     I’m an editor, so I tend to go over and over my work until it’s ‘just right’. I loose valuable time nit-picking instead of just allowing myself the freedom to write whatever and however, mistakes and all. It’s something I’m working on, but it’s hard to stop the incessant editor screaming at me from inside my head as I write.

What do you think about the eBook revolution?

I love it. I’ve had a Kindle almost from the day it became available. I love the freedom it’s given me, allowing me to carry hundreds of books in my handbag wherever I go, and always having another story waiting to be read! It’s also opened me up to numerous authors and genres and stories that I would never have considered. I can easily try out new authors/books/genres and stories with e-books when before I tended to stick to authors I knew and trusted.

Million dollar question, are you working on another book?

Yes. It’s set in Willow’s Bend and involves the barman and a visiting country reporter. Here’s the [temporary] outline I’m using to keep this story on track:

She’s heading towards trouble. Again.

Country reporter, Samantha Wild, is determined to behave when she’s sent to cover the Valentine’s Ball in the small country town of Willow’s Bend. Getting her articles in on time and ignoring her inherent curiosity will land her that investigative reporter role she’s been working towards. But her immediate attraction to the blond-haired barman complicates all her good intentions. Because she’s itching to discover everything about him. And that sneaky feeling her interest goes a lot deeper than mere curiosity? That’s dangerous.

He’s hiding his failure. Desperately.

Harry Dobson is trying to be positive about his future. But keeping his mental breakdown that finished his military career a secret from his hometown doesn’t help. Then a feisty female reporter strolls into town, setting his heart racing and his protective instincts soaring. As for those stories about his seduction skills circulating around town? They’re a bit far-fetched, even for the town gossips. And having the gorgeous redhead close, keeping his fascination with Samantha quiet becomes more difficult every day.

Samantha can tackle most things. Harry’s proven his mettle many times over. But are they brave enough to take a chance on love?

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

That my writing was “childish”.

This was an off-the-cuff remark from a short-story lecturer during the time I was undertaking a Professional Writing and Editing course at the local college (and well before I even dreamt of writing romance stories). And yes, I DID finish the course, despite this criticism, which still hurts. But it did toughen me up some.

I like to write in plain, simple English. This is probably due to my background in corporate and website writing. Say what you mean as simply and clearly as possible right at the start.

But though my writing style looks simple and easy, I now know not many people can do this effortlessly and consistently. So, if my writing is childish, so be it. I’m happy being a child. They see the world differently than adults. Besides, children are often open to the magic that’s hidden from those pesky adults anyway.

What has been the best compliment?

You’d think that winning a major romance writing award would be, wouldn’t you? While it was amazing and astounding and overwhelming to win the Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Award for the Best Unpublished Manuscript in 2017, and it did validate my writing and gave me confidence, the best compliments have come from those individuals who took the time to write a review of my book on Amazon and Goodreads. Things like “Great characters, and a great story, makes for a good read”; “This is a fabulous story, one that had me turning the pages and left me one happy reader”; “The writing had my dramas of the last three weeks melt away” and “[Wendy Lee Davies] knows how to tell a story and you feel like you are right there hearing the sounds, smelling the scents, and hearing the conversations” are the best compliments an author can receive.

That’s why reviews are so important, not just for the author (speaking from personal experience, these are wonderful to read and go a long way towards keeping me motivated and my writing on track), but also so other readers can discover previously unknown authors as well.

What would the main character in your book have to say about YOU?

She’d probably tell me to just get on and get the job [of writing the next story] done. She’d be disgusted with my procrastination but would understand it. Maybe. She’d be disappointed in my lack of any clear objectives and would no doubt tell me to sort myself out quick smart. But I also think that Amber and I would get on well. I’d hope we’d be friends at the very least. We’d connect through wanting to make things better, to trying our best to be more understanding, kinder to others.

But really, I dread to think what Amber would really say about me. Because her single-minded determination is a little intimidating…and scary.

Nowadays authors mostly select city life or cityscape as their story background, but you chose something as far from that as possible. So why exactly did you choose your story background to be from the rural countryside of Australia? Is there any deeper significance to it?

Gosh, what a good question, and one I’m having to think hard about to answer.

I live in a big city, the second biggest in Australia. I’ve always lived in the suburbs, though when I was young I lived across the road from a market garden (a commercial produce farm) and we often had cows wondering past our house. This place went from ‘country town’ to ‘suburb’ just after I was born, I believe.

It seemed natural to set my story in a country town. I didn’t even give it a second thought. It was what immediately came to mind and I just went with it. It wasn’t until I was part way through writing the first draft that I even discovered there was a whole sub-genre specifically dedicated to small town, rural romances. But once I discovered it, I devoured books in this sub-genre whether the author was American, English or Australian.

Is there a deeper significance to me choosing to write a small-town, country romance? Probably. Maybe, within my heart, I’m a small-town girl and have been out of place all my life? All I know is now that my husband and I no longer need to be close to the city for work, we are planning on moving to the country. We’re looking forward to it. Even though we know there’ll be a period of adjustment, we’re sure the lifestyle will suit us admirably. Or maybe it’s because we’re longing for a slower pace of life, somewhere we can ride our bikes, enjoy the open skies and the vast sunsets (I’ll leave the sunrises to my darling husband) over open countryside? Who knows?

I’m sure that the slow paced lifestyle will suit you absolutely. And thanks for the sneak peak to your next book.(laughs) I’m already excited to read it. I’m sure all your other fans are too.

Again Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule for this small interview session.

If you want to buy the book here is the link

e-book version:

Amazon:          http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D9C85TG for US$2.99

Amazon UK:    http://www.amazon.com.uk/dp/B07D9C85TGfor £2.25

Amazon Australia:        http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07D9C85TG for $3.99

Not an Amazon fan? That’s fine. You can purchase an e-book version from other well-known e-book sales venues via: https://www.books2read.com/u/b5MAV6

Paperback version:

My story is also available in paperback for $19.80 from the Australian Amazon store (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0648354008).

Or from the UK Amazon store for £7.50 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0648354008)

About the Author

Wendy Lee Davies began writing romances as a lark after leaving her communications and editing job of many years. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, but plan to relocate elsewhere in the next few years.

She enjoys cycling, especially cycle touring which she did a lot of in her younger, some say more foolish, years. Now that she’s older and wiser, Wendy is wearing out the bike paths around her home town, making good use of her amazing pedal-assist electric bike. She's also traversed most of the incredible rail trails available in Victoria, and one in New Zealand as well.

If she's not writing, or riding her bike, Wendy can be found enjoying a coffee in some cafe. Or taking landscape photographs. She’s even been known, on occasion, to annoy her writing friends with long, detailed editorial comments on their latest writing endeavour. But don't worry. They get her back, tenfold, when it comes to critiquing her latest romance-in-progress.

You can catch up on her latest news via her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/wendy.davies.5688), on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/wendyleedavies), or via her website (https://www.wendyleedavies.com).She loves hearing from readers, so don’t be shy about dropping her an email (wendyleedavies2@gmail.com).