How Not To Write For Mills & Boon!

A couple of decades ago I was teaching a Creative Writing class and one of the students asked me if I would lead a session on writing for Mills & Boon.

I’d never been a reader of pure distilled romance, so I went to the library and grabbed an armful of M&B plus some Barbara Cartland for good measure, and took them to the counter. I felt really embarrassed. ‘These aren’t for me!’ I lied to the assistant.

Anyway, the following week we had a fairly in-depth look at the requirements for this genre. (Some of the blokes in the group had stayed away. I hoped they’d be back the following week.)

Meanwhile, back home, I decided to write my own M&B novel.

The premise was ridiculous enough. The owner of a large manufacturing company had died, leaving the factory to his two favourite employees (male and female, I should say – I don’t think M&B were into anything other in those days) ON CONDITION that the two married – and remained married for the following 5 years.

I really enjoyed writing the book. In addition to the love/hate relationship between him and her, I’d included a potential strike at the factory, industrial espionage, domestic abuse and a mother crippled with arthritis.

Needless to say, Mills & Boon rejected my effort. ‘You need to focus on the two main characters,’ they said. ‘They must appear in every scene, and every scene should affect their relationship.’

THE RELUCTANT BRIDE is the first book I published on Amazon, and it’s still getting readers. Paperback £5.99, Kindle £2.38 (USA $8.91/$2.99)