Our special series profiling members of the Romantic Novelists' Association comes to a close.

No, we haven't misprinted the picture. And no, it's not Gill with a hard "G", like the guy from CSI. Gill Sanderson is one of the leading authors of medical romance for Harlequin Mills and Boon, with over 30 novels to her credit. Um...his credit, since Gill Sanderson is really a strapping, weight-lifting bloke called Roger.

Roger says loves being a man in a woman's world. He's often asked how he can write love stories from a female perspective. His take is that we're really not that different. "A love story is essentially about two people getting to know each other, each getting to understand how the other person feels, reacts", he says. "It's about developing empathy, about sharing feelings. A man can understand this, just as well as a woman."

A former college lecturer and mountaineerer, Roger's writing career flourished following a bit of a gamble with early retirement. Giving himself three years to become a professional writer, his first novel was accepted four months before his self-imposed deadline. It wasn't his first shot at writing though. Rather fabulously, before turning his pen to matters of the heart Roger used to write the scripts for Commando comics. "Achtung jawoh dummkopf - Arrgh", as they probably don't say in Germany.

Great Writing: What's it like to be a man in a woman's world?

Gill Sanderson: I've had no difficulty being accepted, we've all got things in common. When I joined the RNA ten years ago, I sidled into the first meeting feeling very self-conscious. I was welcomed at once and have felt at home ever since. Incidentally, there are half a dozen other male romance writers in the RNA. The interesting thing is that we're all big, apparently excessively male.

GW: What inspires you to write?

GS: Simple. I like making things. I'm no good at woodwork, metalwork, mechanics or electronics so I make stories. To my mind, writing is a craft, not an art. It can be learned (though it takes time). There's more perspiration than inspiration.

There seem to be two schools of thought about writing. Half of my friends get a general idea,  decide upon a background, most importantly, get to know their main characters. Then they start writing, not having a definite idea how the story will progress. Sheila Walsh, a friend of mine who writes Regency Romances, once told me that she had her heroine knock on the hero's door - and when he opened it, said, 'I want you to elope with me.' Sheila claimed that when she started that page,she had no idea that this was going to happen.

I belong to the school that plots carefully, gets detailed chapter outlines and then carefully follows the plan. I need to know what is going to happen.

GW: What is it about the romance genre that appeals?

GS: Romance is universal. Everyone has been in love, everyone knows what you're writing about. This contrasts with, say, crime or war novels. Not a lot of us have committed murder, fought in Iraq. Whether they admit it or not, everyone is interested in Romance. And so there's a big market.

I belong to the school that plots carefully, gets detailed chapter outlines and then carefully follows the plan. I need to know what is going to happen.

GW: How do you manage to stay fresh in a genre often considered formulaic?

GS: All genres can be described as formulaic but it's a pointless accusation. You work with the material you have - so far no writer I know has invented a new emotion. A writer takes the raw stuff of life and tries to  show that there is sense, order, meaning to it. For me, every book is new.

GW: What is your writing routine? Are you disciplined in your work? How do
you prevent 'real life' from intruding?

GS: I get intensely irritated if I'm interrupted so I start by getting the family out of the house.  Then I every weekday I sit at my desk at half past eight and work through till one or half past.. This is my best time. In the afternoon I go to the gym, run, do some research, check over what I've done so far. More writing in the evening. I've never had writers' block.

GW: Tell us the story of how you got your first novel published.

GS: More interesting is how I got my first paid work published. It was a short story in the Guardian and I got paid fifty pounds for it - quite a substantial sum in those days. I decided to give up lecturing at once and live by the pen. Then I decided just to work till the end of term. A good thing too, I didn't earn another penny for the next fifteen years.

GW: There's a certain preconception that certain kinds of romance novels are 'easy' to write. What would you say to that?

GS: Some romance novels are easy to write? Try it.

Some books are so easy to read  that it seems as if there's a direct transfer from writer's to reader's mind.The prose just doesn't get in the way, it's unobtrusive. So a reader thinks that anyone could do it. As I said, try it.

Harlequin Mills and Boon is genuinely on the lookout for new writers. And yet they reject 5,000 manuscripts a year - because someone thought writing them was easy.

GW: Are there any story themes or styles that appear more commercial or
easier to sell to a publisher?

GS: Anything will sell if it's good enough. If you look at the best-seller list, it's surprising how many apparently non-commercial books do rather well.

GW: Does writing romance novels pay the bills? What would you say to someone who intends to quit their job and write full-time?

GS: When I sold my first book to Harlequin, and went to have lunch with the editor, one of the first things she said was - don't give up the day job. You're only as good as your last book.

I took early retirement and worked full time for three years before I sold anything. Some people do extremely well out of writing. A vast number do not.

GW: How important is getting an agent?

GS: I've never had an agent. Working for Harlequin, I've never needed one. If I worked for another publisher, then I might approach one. But I'd do so only when I'd had a number of books published. Having an agent won't get a poor book published.

GW: How important is self-publicity?

GS: I've been on TV, radio, in assorted newspapers. I doubt I've sold a single extra book. You do best when people remember your name and look out for your books.

GW: What are your do's and don'ts in writing a romance?

GS: Do remember that the romance - the relationship between a man and a woman (usually) is at the heart of your story. Concentrate on this.

Remember that even the slowest reader can detect insincerity. If you're not convinced yourself, you won't convince the reader.

GW: What's the most important thing you've learned about writing for publication?

GS: Writing is a trade/craft/profession. It is not an easy, well-paid means of indulging yourself. Make sure your research is accurate, your manuscripts tidy, your deadlines kept. Be polite to your editor - she does know best (usually). And keep the Inland Revenue happy by sending detailed, honest, on-time returns.


You can find out more about Gill/Roger from the Harlequin Medical Romance Authors site, although it's tricksy design is enough to make a usability practitioner's head bleed.

For more information about the Romantic Novelists' Association, and for details of upcoming events (including the Commercial Women's Fiction workshop in October) visit the RNA website.