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http://seriouslyreviewed.blogspot.com/2011/03/her-indiscretion-by-susan-palmquist.html?zx=9173d0e1d2543111

http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=1504

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October-I used to hate writing a synopis…but not anymore- RWA online

November-The Seven Deadly Sins of Fiction Writing-Florida Romance Writers

2012

January-Synopsis-Florida Romance Writers

February-POV-Low Country Chapter-RWA

April-Seven Deadly Sins-New Orleans Chapter RWA

June POV-Florida Chapter

October Synopsis-Low Country Chapter, also Seven Deadly Sins Heart of Carolina Chapter

Susan Palmquist(SP)-You’re both a writer and editor, which came first?

Zetta Brown(ZB)-I am both. I wrote my first novel at the age of ten. It was to be a trilogy. By my freshman year at high school, I had written the first two books and was half way through the third when I abandoned it. I couldn’t think of how to continue. I kept those manuscripts for years before deciding to throw them away—and I still regret the decision.

 I didn’t get into editing until I was attending SMU in Dallas earning my degree in English/Creative Writing. I landed an internship with a literary agent through one of my professors.  That gig lasted for a summer, and when I graduated, I started doing freelance editing assignments.

 SP-You and your husband have two publishing companies LL-Publications and Logical-Lust. Do you run them together or is one your pet project and vice versa?

ZB-We run both companies together. We also have another company, JimandZetta.com (started in 2009), that provides ebook conversion services and other services for authors and publishers. All of these ventures have grown to the point where they require our full-time attention. I recently took on another editor, Leslie Brown (no relation!), to help. Other team members include Rachel McIntyre who is the senior editor at Logical-Lust and our cover artist Helen E. H. Madden.

 SP-Which company was formed first and why the decision to add another?

 ZB-My husband Jim founded Logical-Lust in 2003 when he was recuperating from a long illness. It started as a pet project to keep his mind occupied while he couldn’t work, but then it started to grow. LL-Publications came later but was structured to be the parent company because it has a broader scope.

 SP-Tell us about LL-Publications and the types of books you publish.

 ZB-LL-Publications formed in 2008 because we wanted to publish other genres outside of erotica and erotic romance. LL-Publications publish mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action-adventure, literary, and whatever else takes our fancy. We’re not interested in following trends but some of the topics may be trendy. We just want to publish interesting and entertaining books. Both of our houses are GLBT- and multicultural/interracial-friendly and we would love more stories like these across the board. We don’t publish inspirational/religious, children, Y/A, or poetry.  And, although we tried, we don’t publish non-erotic romance at Logical-Lust.

 Please note that we are not keen on publishing War and Peace epics at either house.  If your manuscript is in excess of 100,000-120,000 words, consider breaking it up.

 Another good thing with having your own publishing company is that you can publish what you like even if there is not profit in it for you.  The Oil and Water…and Other Things That Don’t Mix anthology will come out in September 2010 and all proceeds will go to charities dealing with the Gulf oil spill crisis.

 Like most publishers, there are certain topics we will not publish if the writing is meant to glorify certain behavior. However, we are not anal about being politically correct. This doesn’t mean to be an excuse for shock value or that the author is free to be totally offensive, but we are not going to penalize a book because the hero/heroine smokes, a parent spanks their child, or a racially intolerant character drops the N-word now and again.  

 SP-Any particular stories you’re looking for?

 ZB-LL-Publications has been looking for mysteries for some time and I’m finally starting to get some good submissions. I’m also on the lookout for gothic suspense, thrillers, gumshoe, and more. Not everything has to be serious, either. Having a sense of humor is fine.

 I like literary fiction, too, but do not confuse the term “literary” with “unreadable.”

Some may try to call it “experimental,” but I may call it what my friends Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh at Beautiful Trouble Publishing would term a “hot mess.”

 All we want to do is publish stories we like that we feel can have a wider audience. There is no set formula. Most people don’t read only one type of book—neither do we. Our tastes are eclectic and you may be surprised as to what we like. I recently accepted a mystery featuring two Victorian “spirit photographers.” Read some of our titles. Query us if you have questions.

 For example, A Blonde Bengali Wife by Anne Hamilton is our first non-fiction title because it intrigued me. We hadn’t thought about publishing non-fiction until it came along. I may consider more but query first. The same can be said about historical submissions. Query first. If someone submits a historical, they better have their details sorted to be as accurate as possible.

 SP-When you receive a submission what gets your attention?

 ZB-People who follow our submission guidelines and ask questions if they are unclear about something make a good impression on me. If they tell me how they heard about us (like we ask in our guidelines) that really, really earns Brownie points…Hint. Hint.

 Authors who take a professional approach with regard to getting published I put to the head of the class. Publishing is a business and not a hobby. I wrote an article that was first published in the April 2010 Avoid Writer’s Hell newsletter called “Publishing and Professional Courtesy.” We have incorporated the article into our submission guidelines and it can be downloaded. We may be “small,” but we have certain expectations.

 As far as content, our editors don’t just want a “unique” story. We want fully developed stories with rounded, three-dimensional characters. I don’t like reading stories where the only differences between characters are their gender, age, and eye/hair/skin color. People are different, and they had better sound different too. Another pet peeve of mine is when I read a book where all the characters sound alike. Men, women, children—they all use the same pattern of words and the same vocabulary. Writing dialogue is a skill that should not be ignored.

 I look at how stories convey setting, atmosphere, description and whether or not I feel like I’m there. I look at how all these items are balanced—or not. A skilled writer can craft a short story or a novel providing just enough of each creative writing element needed to tell their story.

SP-How about Logical-Lust, any particular stories you’re currently looking for?

 ZB-We are currently looking for novel submissions. We’ve done several anthologies, story collections, and short stories, but we really could use more novels. But I should warn people that we are NOT looking for vampires and shape shifters. We’re probably one of the few erotic and erotic romance houses that will openly state this. Unless you have something really unique and fresh to bring to the genre—or you have an established following that you’re bringing to us—we will most likely pass on it. The motto for both our houses is “taking the reader down a different path.” Vampires and shape shifters sell, but it’s a well-trodden path.

 It needs to grab our attention on page one and move at a good pace, not plod along. Don’t overcomplicate the plot, and please don’t try and imitate another author’s style. Write the story you want to read, and if you find someone else who feels the same—you’ve made a sale!

 If you are considering submitting a historical erotic or a historical erotic romance title, please send it to my attention. Our editor Rachel McIntyre prefers not to read historical, but I will…if the story interests me.

 SP-You’re based in Scotland. I can only think of a handful of electronic publishers in the UK…I might be wrong. Do you think that’s about to change?

 ZB-I think change will be slow and painful for UK publishers. Personally, I believe the UK publishing industry is just like how New York used to be with regard to electronic publishing. The UK publishers and the buying market, for the most part, are resistant or dismissive to the changes taking place. The attitude to electronic publishing in the UK is Dickensian—which is apt since Dickens was a countryman. But the publishers are going to get the same rude awakening that New York did. The Kindle has finally made it to the UK along with the iPad. It is time for the UK publishing industry to adapt or die, much like Darwin (another countryman, ironically) theorized.

 SP-You publish both UK and US authors. Can stories be set anywhere, can characters be any nationality? How about British English versus American English spelling?

 ZB-Stories can be set anywhere in any nationality but must be in English. A Blonde Bengali Wife is set in Bangladesh and scheduled to come out October 15. I recently accepted a novella set in Antarctica.

 The differences between the US and UK language goes deeper than spelling. I discovered this while working at the University of Glasgow. I’ve found that the British will use more words and terms that may be seen as archaic in the US.

 We do have a few house rules when it comes to US/UK punctuation (e. g. quotation marks), but we do not expect our British authors to conform US spelling.

 SP- If we were thinking about submitting to either of your publishing companies and wanted to get a feel for what stories you acquire, what titles would you recommend we read?

 ZB-Since we’re a small publishing company, we only have a few dozen titles rather than hundreds so it shouldn’t be too hard (or expensive) for people to sample what we have. Like I mentioned earlier, our motto is “taking the reader down a different path,” and this is what we want to convey in the titles we publish.  Here’s what you can find at both houses:

 LL-Publications:

I mentioned how Logical-Lust isn’t looking for vampire stories. This can be said about LL-Publications too. However, but one of our best sellers is The Great Right Hope, the first book of a trilogy about a vampire hunter. The author Mark Jackman has presented a unique storyline and characters that are fresh to the genre. This has been confirmed by the number of positive reviews it has received. If it had been like any other vamp novel, we would’ve passed on it. Its sequel, A Fistful of Rubbers, comes out later this year.

 Perhaps one of our more controversial titles is Ordinary World by Tony McGuin that takes a twenty-first century approach to Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” This is not a title for the politically correct or the squeamish.  If you’re a fan of British satire and dark comedy—read this.

 Ben Larken’s horror Pit-Stop won the 2009 EPPIE for Best Horror and he’s gaining a strong following. His latest book The Hollows is the first of a series and he has another series starting this year called Pillar’s Fall.

 And we have several stories by the award-winning, best-selling author Darrell Bain who has a very imaginative mind and his latest title OOPS! is due out in August.

 Logical-Lust:

We have something for just about everyone at Logical-Lust spanning across many subgenres and ranging from m/m to orgy to everything in between. Our anthologies have been popular since Logical-Lust began in 2003. We’ve been lucky to work with some of the most talented writers and editors of erotica like Jolie du Pré, M. Christian, Cole Riley, and D. L. King.

 Our anthologies include:

Eternally Erotic

Eternal Bonds (BDSM)

Eternal Noir (dark and supernatural erotica)

Swing! Adventures in Swinging

The Cougar Book

Best S & M Erotica Vol. 3

Spank! (September 15)

 A future title is Too Much Boogie – Erotic Remixes of the Dirty Blues. This anthology will be filled with stories taking their inspiration from the “dirty blues” songs from the 1920s-50s that were full of sexual innuendo and double entendres with song titles like “Shave ’Em Dry” and  “Big Long Slidin’ Thing.”

 Our cover artist, Helen E. H. Madden has a collection of fantastic erotica called Future Perfect, and Brenna Lyon’s short story Time Currents won the EPIC’s eBook Award in 2010 for the Best Fantasy Erotic Romance.

 This is just a small selection. Visit our site and take your pick!

 While you’re at it, I won’t begrudge anyone who checks out my erotic romance novel Messalina – Devourer of Men or my literary short story Devil Don’t Want Her.

 SP-Judging from your Web site, you really get behind your authors regarding promotion and marketing. What can an author expect from you once their book is released?

 ZB-We help authors who help themselves. Writers who believe that self-promotion is beneath them and promotion is solely the publisher’s responsibility are fooling themselves. If you can’t bother to promote your book, why should we bother to read it, let alone publish it? We don’t have the time, money, or patience to stroke egos, but we will do everything we can to help those who are serious about reaching their audience. Some of our best sellers are by authors who published their first book with us so there is really no excuse for a book not to sell—unless the author stops selling it or the publisher drops it.

We require authors to show us a preliminary marketing plan. If you don’t know what to do, we provide a sample in our submission guidelines. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but we need to know the author has given at least some thought to promotion. Spending hundreds or thousands of dollars is not required to create a decent campaign. Word of mouth is free.

Authors who continually promote themselves and their work will eventually see results in steady sales and royalty payments, and this can be said regardless of how or where a book is published. Selling books takes work.

 We schedule a few events via AuthorIsland.com and GoodReads.com, and we’ll try to arrange for a few book reviews. We’ll provide the author with some promotional items, and we’ll even help them enter contests like EPIC’s eBook Awards Competition™ or other venues for recognition if possible.

 We also have our newsletter, The Modern Reader, and our blogs for each house that our authors can use.

 These are some of the things we can offer to get the book launched. Beyond that, it’s up to the author.

 SP-I noticed you publish short stories and I know lots of writers are finding it harder to find homes for these shorter works these days. What are you looking for and what’s the word count?

 ZB-We’re open to submissions so anyone interested should read our guidelines or email the appropriate editor with a query. Generally speaking, titles of less than 40,000 words will be offered as ebooks only. We consider short stories and novellas in the same way as we do novels.

 Short stories – up to 10,000 words

Novellas – 10,001 – 39,999 words

Novels – 40,000+

 LL-Publications contact: editor(at)ll-publications.com

 Logical-Lust Publications contact:  editor(at)logical-lust.com

 Please be sure to replace (at) with @ otherwise the email address won’t work. Some people do forget!

 And our newsletter The Modern Reader now comes out about every 6-8 weeks and it’s aimed towards readers and writers. It contains news from both our publishing houses. Although there is nothing explicit, some people prefer not to have news about erotica and erotic romance so there is a short version that only covers LL-Publications. We try to have a giveaway with each issue.  The newsletter is available by subscription only.  Send an email to subscribe(at)ll-publications.com and let us know if you’d like the full or short version.

First one is a dark mystery/horror story called Stranges in the Night which is featured in Pill Hill Press’ Back To the Middle of Nowhere, here’s the cover

The second short story is featured in Bridge House anthology titled Mosiac and is a slice of life type of tale called Like Any Other Day.

Here’s the cover-

And I’m no longer writing blogs for Between the Pages but now have my own site where I’ll be featuring author and publisher interviews every week, plus book news, hope you’ll check it out at http://writersauthorsbooksandmore.wordpress.com

Susan Palmquist (SP)-You’ve been an avid reader all your life. Who were some of your favorite authors?

 RayAnne Thayne (RT)-My all-time favorite book when I was a girl was Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. When I was a teenager, I adored Georgette Heyer and Clare Darcy as well as Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters and Madeline Brent. But really, anything I could get my hands on!

SP-You worked as a journalist. Any interesting interviews you can remember? And have you ever turned any of these into plots or even sub plots for your books?

 RT-Working for a newspaper was such fertile ground for ideas. The last eight years of my newspaper career, I was the news/wire editor for a small daily paper and had to read all the Associated Press stories to select the ones that would run in our paper. I had folders and folders of ideas!

 I definitely mined those stories for some of my characters. My first book for Silhouette, THE WRANGLER AND THE RUNAWAY MOM, featured a heroine who worked as a physician on the rodeo circuit — that idea came directly from an AP feature story about traveling medical care providers on the rodeo circuit. Another book for Silhouette, THE VALENTINE TWO-STEP, had a heroine who was an equine vet practicing acupuncture. That was based on a veterinarian near me whom I interviewed for a feature story. I wrote a very memorable story once about a woman with Alzheimer’s who couldn’t remember her husband’s name anymore or take care of her most basic needs but when she picked up a violin, she could play heart-stirring, haunting music on it.

 People sometimes ask me how my early career as a journalist helped my fiction writing. My answer is that it was invaluable … I learned to write on deadline, whether I felt like it or not, I developed an interest in a wide variety of topics and I picked up an ear for dialogue through hours and hours of interviewing sources.

SP-Why did you choose to write romances?

 RT-Great question Since the time I read my first romance novel when I was probably eleven or twelve, I have loved the genre. I love reading (and writing!) stories about the healing, redeeming power of a happy ending. Romance novels have been a comfort and a solace to me during some pretty tough times and I love the idea that I can maybe lift someone else who might be struggling.

 People who pursue journalism as a career tend to lean toward the idealistic, believing they can make a difference in the world. I don’t mean to sound cynical but a few years in a daily newsroom can quickly beat that optimism and sense of purpose out of you. I hated losing that completely. Long before I ever sold my first book, writing romances in my spare time became my way of holding onto that hope that the world wasn’t just about the harsh ugliness that appeared on the pages of my newspaper every day. I have this quote on my desk, widely credited to Kathleen Gilles Seidel: “I may not change the world, but I can change someone’s afternoon.” That’s the reason I write romances, the hope that somewhere right now someone is reading one of my books and being transported away from the craziness and pain of life to a place where good people can find the happy endings they deserve.

SP-You sold your first book in 1995. What do you think of the changes that have taken place in the publishing world since then — for example, the growth of e-publishing? Do you think it’s harder or easier for a writer to get published today?

 RT-I am very excited by the changes in the industry and see them as putting more control in the hands of writers. Two or three years ago, I remember saying I just couldn’t get into reading books on a computer and didn’t know how it could ever be a viable publishing option. Boy, do I have to eat my words. I have an e-reader now and much prefer reading books on it to any other reading method. I’ve had a free book available electronically for the last two years (DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT, one of my first books for Silhouette Special Edition) as part of a publisher promotion and it’s been a huge boon to my career. I’ve picked up many new readers and I’m pleased to say my entire Silhouette backlist is now available digitally.  It’s a very exciting time to be a writer but also a very challenging one. I’m excited to watch the changes!

 SP-You live in northern Utah. I spent my freshman year at university there. It’s a beautiful part of the country; do you find it distracting or an inspiration for your writing?

 RT-Definitely an inspiration. If I’m stuck in a scene, all I need to do is go into the mountains and take a fifteen minute walk on some of my favorite trails. Something about the clear air and the scent of pine and sagebrush completely recharges me and I can always find a solution to my current plotting dilemma.

 SP-I’ve read many of your books, both the Silhouette romantic suspense and Special Editions. I’m always impressed how real your characters seem. By the end of the book I feel I know these people personally. What’s your secret?

 RT-First, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you! Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can answer your question!  I’m not really sure what I do. I can tell you that they become very real to me too during the writing process. Finishing a book is always such a mixed bag — I’m usually always so glad to be done but also very sorry to say good-bye to these people who have become friends. I love writing connected stories, just so I have the chance to revisit old friends.

SP-You seem to love the West and cowboys. Are these personal favorites of yours?

 RT- I do love living in the West. I grew up in the Midwest until I was thirteen and loved it there but the Rockies have definitely become home. I love the idealized image of cowboys. The reality is often not quite as romantic, alas.

 SP-You write both family based books and romantic suspense; do you have any plans to write a more mainstream novel?

 RT-I am writing single titles now as well as series romance but I’m definitely sticking with romance My first book for HQN, BLACKBERRY SUMMER, will be released in June 2011. It’s part of a trilogy called HOPE’S CROSSING, set in the fictional Colorado ski/tourist town of the same name (again with the Western setting!). The series is centered around a bead store in the town and I’m having a wonderful time exploring all the interesting stories there.

 SP-Can we expect to see more SRSs from you?

 RT-I learned early in my writing career to never say never but I don’t expect to be writing any books for SRS in the near future, at least not for the next few years. I’m contracted for four more Silhouette Special Editions and three single-titles, so I won’t have time right now to even think about anything else. I do love writing romantic suspense and can possibly see that somewhere down the line.

 SP-What are you working on right now? In fact, I’d love to hear about the new trilogy you’ve been working on. What can we expect to see?

 RT-These are warm, funny emotional stories about life in a small town. The heroine of the first book is Claire Bradford, a divorced mom trying to juggle her kids, her demanding mother, her ex-husband and his pregnant new wife and the challenges of being a small business owner in an uncertain economy. She definitely does *not* need a man to muck up everything — or at least that’s what she thinks, until Riley McKnight returns to town as the new Hope’s Crossing police chief. He used to be only her best friend’s pesky kid brother but Riley’s all grown up now and ready to teach Claire that she doesn’t need to try to rescue everyone in town.  I love Hope’s Crossing and the people in it, who have endured some tough times but are finally learning to come together.

 My new SSE series will be four more COWBOYS OF COLD CREEK books, focusing on the family of Trace Bowman, a secondary character I’m introducing in my October 2010 book, A COLD CREEK BABY. (BABY is Easton and Cisco’s story, for those who have read the others in that particular series of COLD CREEK books!).  I fell in love with Trace and wanted him to have a story of his own. Turns out he has two brothers and a sister who also wanted their stories told

 I also just finished another Christmas book, A THUNDER CANYON CHRISTMAS, a December 2010 release for SSE. This one is part of the latest MONTANA MAVERICKS continuity and I loved the chance to work with some really phenomenal authors.

 SP-Any tips for aspiring writers, any books you recommend?

 RT-I swear by GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon for craft, as well as Bird by Bird by Anne Lamot for motivation. Most recently, I’ve been reading THE FIRE IN FICTION by Donald Maass and SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder.  I strongly encourage beginning writers to purchase the RWA whole conference CDs each year. I always purchase them, even on the years when I’m able to attend the conference, and invariably find a wealth of information there.

 SP-Any tips for those wanting to become Special Edition authors?

 RT-Nothing original, I’m afraid. Read, read, read. SSE has some of the best category authors in the industry and you can learn tons by reading their books. This is also not an original idea, but when I was starting out, I would double-read books. I would read the first time for sheer enjoyment then immediately re-read to study craft: pacing, dialogue, characterization, etc. I actually still do this. If I read a book that really wows me, I try to re-read it ASAP to analyze why the book worked so well for me.

Susan Palmquist (SP)-Tell us about yourself and your background.

Justyn Perry (JP)-I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and countless years of experience in the publishing industry. I love books to no end and am thrilled that I can be part of something as great as producing them. I am self taught in graphic design and can learn just about any program in a week, so I enjoy trying new things and utilizing old techniques.

SP-What sparked the idea to start Breathless Press?

 JP-I saw a decline in the number of quality eBooks being produced and needed to make a change. With the onset of self-publishing, it felt like no one cared too much about quality. Granted, there are those publishers out there concerned with quality, but they are far and few between. I wanted to provide authors with a place where they felt like it was a second home and felt welcome. Not a place they dreaded and regretted signing with as a publisher. So, I felt a need to create a place for those authors.

SP-Why did you decide on the romance genre?

JP-The romance genre is a giant market. It sells billions of dollars worth of books a year. Romance not only serves a monetary purpose, but it also provides satisfaction. It provides happiness and pleasure to those reading it. In our current economic time, I felt it was the right time to offer more books that made people forget about their problems and allow them to take a quick vacation. The romance genre provides so much to readers and I wanted to be part of that.

SP-What sets a Breathless Press book apart from other e-books?

JP-We spend a lot of time on each book. Crafting it, editing it, building it up. I view eBooks as a house. You have to have a sturdy foundation (the publisher). From there, you have to build up slowly so that once it’s finished, it won’t collapse. The time you put into the book will pay off which is why Breathless Press strives for quality.

SP-You create some of the best book covers in the business. Take us through the process of how you turn a story into one of these beautiful images?

JP-Why thank you! I love art. Art is an amazing medium and allows so much expression. I will admit now, I don’t have the time to read every story that we publish. I will read close to every title, but I just don’t have enough time to read all of them. We have the author give our art department (me) a lengthy description on the hero, heroine, location and ideas they might think would work; after all, they know the story the best. From there, I search (and search and search) for the best images that fit the cover.  Sometimes it takes a few minutes (I have a large collection of images) but sometimes it can take days or even weeks.

Once the image is found, I doctor it up to make it look production worthy. This may include adding make-up, airbrushing, changing features, altering eye color, making the model smile or smirk, adding expression to the face, giving a breast implant (if needed). All of this is done in Photoshop. When someone says “Oh that model looks Photoshoped” chances are, they have been and I love doing that stuff (I am available for hire wink wink). Once the model is finished, I work on the background (if any), then the text and any effects I want done to the cover. Generally, a cover can take me anywhere from an hour (most of our covers were done in an hour or two) to a day or two. I don’t stop once I do start because I will lose whatever inspiration I had.

SP-Tell us about some upcoming books you’re especially excited about and why?

JP-I am excited about a few books. Our very first f/f book in our Aphrodite line, Strapless by Honoria Ravena, will be coming out in August. I am stoked to see how it will be welcomed in the industry since m/m is a hot seller right now. Another book I am excited about is Sable Grey’s new book: Her Laird, Her Lover. Any book by Sable Grey is an amazing one and I cannot wait to see how our readers devour it. The last one that is a big milestone for us is launching another line. I approached Kaye Spencer, western writer, to write us an erotic western to launch our brand new Branded line this fall. She agreed with a sly grin and began working. I have seen glimpses of it and am pleased to say that it will be one of our hottest releases yet.

SP-What do you look for in a submission?

JP-We look for quality writing and a great story. Without a great story, there wouldn’t be a good book and without quality writing, there wouldn’t be a story. The story has to maintain the reader’s attention throughout and make sure that there is enough twists and turns that the reader is left wanting more. It has to have appeal (not just sex appeal) and scream read me!

SP-Any story or sub-genre you’re eager to publish but have yet to find?

JP-We are launching another line (yes, three new lines) called Cyber – Satisfying all your future desires. The only problem is we haven’t been able to find any good quality futuristic/Science Fiction Erotic/Erotica. I see a market for it but have yet to had a single good submission (not saying my Acquisitions Manager doesn’t have one in her inbox right now).

SP-You publish various book lengths from short stories to full novels. Any word length you’d like to receive more submissions?

JP-Our best selling lengths are Temptations, Novelettes and Novellas. We love these lengths and would like to see more.

SP-Breathless Press is already home to some very talented writers. Why do you think Breathless Press is a good place for an author?

JP-We are like a fine hotel. We cater to most needs of authors and try and give them the best care we can. If our author is happy, we are happy and our readers will want to read their books. Each author becomes part of our family and is a friend and treated like one. I believe this allows us to have a better relationship with those authors and happy authors produce great books.

SP-Lots of publishers are now producing anthologies. Any plans for those?

JP-We have actually been contacted a few times for anthologies soo… yes. We are going to be opening submissions for some themed anthologies in the coming months.

SP-So what’s ahead for Breathless Press?

JP-What’s ahead…well, we just launched our Audio Books so readers can now listen to their favorite Breathless Press book while they work out at the gym, jog, drive, eat, sleep, breath… We aren’t picky where they listen. We will be printing a few titles this fall so watch for that on our site. Other than that, the rest is a secret . Oh, and a new website launching end of summer with a lot of bells and whistles!

 If any of you read non-fiction you might already know that Harlequin launched a nonfiction imprint. Here is my chat with executive editor Deb Brody.

Susan Palmquist (SP)-HQN’s had huge success in the fiction market? Why did you decide to venture into nonfiction?

Deb Brody (DB)-60% of all books sold are nonfiction, and we wanted a piece of that market.  Harlequin knows women like no other publisher, so it made perfect sense for us to be publishing books for all aspects of a woman’s life.  I like to say that the nonfiction program is providing books for the issues women are trying to escape when they’re reading a romance novel!

SP-When was the first book released?

DB-We launched with LOVE MATTERS by radio talk show host Delilah in October 2008.

SP-You’re releasing two books a month. Any plans to expand?

DB-We’ll be publishing 14 books in 2010 and are already scheduled for 24 for 2011.

SP-So far you’ve published a diversity of books, everything from The Total Brain Workout to Underneath It All, A Girl’s Guide to Lingerie. Is this your intent or are these the books that appealed to you the most?

DB-Our goal is a diverse list, though we are looking primarily in the categories of health, diet, self-help, parenting, and memoir.

SP-You’ve been publishing books by some well know HQN authors such as Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs. Did they write these especially for you or were these books they’d already written?

DB-These are books that have been contracted expressly for the nonfiction program.  One of our goals is brand extension of our bestselling author base. 

SP-Are there any types of books/subject matter you’re looking for and so far haven’t found?

DB-Nothing comes to mind right now, as we’ve got upcoming books in so many different categories.

SP-So a writer acquires an agent and is ready to submit to you. Does it have to be completed or will you look at a book proposal?

DB-Proposal is fine, and, in fact, preferred.

SP-If so, what do you want to see when you read the book proposal?

DB-A fresh idea or a new take on an old idea. And, most importantly, an author with a platform who can go out and really help promote and sell the book.

SP-And speaking of authors having a platform, is this something you require?

DB-As I mentioned above, it’s certainly something we like, but it’s not required if there are enough other reasons to acquire a book.

Susan Palmquist (SP)-Tell us about yourself.

Lindsay Townsend (LT)-I’m English, married, born in Yorkshire and still living there. I took a first-class degree in medieval history, worked in a library for a while, and then started to write full-time.

SP- When did you start writing?

LT-I wrote stories as a child, but seriously started in the mid-1980s.

SP-You write historical romances. Any particular reason you chose that sub-genre?

LT-I love romance and richly dramatic situations, which explains why I homed in on the medieval and ancient worlds.

SP-Many historicals are set during the Regency or in the Old West but you’ve chosen older time periods like ancient Rome, even Egypt 1560 BC. Any reason why?

LT-They just suits my tastes, and alongside the medieval studies I was reading Mary Renault and so on. I’ve always taken an interest in all aspects of history and in archaeology right through to the Middle Ages. Ancient Egypt is fascinating anyway. I’ve visited Italy and Greece, and married a classicist, so that’s about it. 

SP-You must spend lots of time on research…you must enjoy it. What’s the research process like? And have you ever come to a dead end when researching something for one of your books?

LT-Research is totally different for a writer of fiction than it is if you’re studying for a degree. I decide on when to set a book, the basic plot and locations and what my main characters will be like. Then I read, Google and pick brains until I have enough material to put the whole thing in a historical context, especially if that context feeds back into the plot. In ‘A Knight’s Enchantment’, for instance, I was able to use the fact that churches in England were all closed for a time when King John was excommunicated by the Pope.

SP-You live in Yorkshire, England, an area with its own interesting history. Any plans to set a book in York itself?

LT-Not at the moment, but no doubt I will one day.  

SP-You’re published with one of the publishing industry’s most well known companies, Kensington/Zebra Books and also electronic publishers like Bookstrand. Maybe you can tell us about the different experiences you’ve had with both types of publishing.

LT-Both publishers have been excellent to write for, and the main difference is speed. As a traditional publisher, Kensington works with long lead times and it seems ages between submitting a manuscript and seeing the book reach the shops. Without warehousing, paper costs, print runs and the like to factor in, an electronic outfit like Bookstrand can publish more quickly. Both publishers have been responsive, careful and professional, and I’ve enjoyed my experience with them so far.

SP-Your latest book, A Knight’s Enchantment is released on June 1^st by Zebra. Can you tell us about it?

LT-It’s set in England in the West Country and opens in 1210. My heroine Joanna is an alchemist and she is also very family-minded, loving her father deeply. She has an interesting heritage, one which is dangerous to her. My hero, Hugh Manhill, is a younger son of a lord, needing to make his own way in the world. He is a warrior and a rescuer, a man of action, whereas Joanna, because of the disciplines of her work, must be more thoughtful. They begin in opposition, as enemies wanting different goals, but that changes over the book. I loved writing ‘A Knight’s Enchantment’, as I’ve loved writing all my knight books.

SP-You’re a member of many writer’s groups. Do you think it’s important to connect with your fellow writers?

LT-It’s very important for me to connect with writers and readers regularly. First, I like to be as outgoing and helpful as I can. Second, I’m living over in the UK and publishing in the US, so the internet – blogging, writer’s groups, contributing to websites – is my main point of contact until I get a chance to visit. The only drawback is that I’m five hours ahead of New York and eight hours ahead of Los Angeles, so I’m usually in bed when my readers get on the web for the evening and I have a pile of emails waiting for me in the morning. 

SP-Any tips for aspiring historical writers?

LT-Choose a period that you love to read and research. Write to your strengths and choose a time that allows you to show them. One of the reasons I love writing about the medieval and ancient worlds is the sheer epic side of events in those times – it gives me lots of scope for women in jeopardy, which I love writing, and adventure, which I also enjoy. If you as a writer love showing intrigue, for example, then a corrupt, dangerous court (Tudors, Dukes of Burgundy, Byzantium, Charles II) might be a perfect setting. If you enjoy by-play between your hero and heroine then a Regency, Victorian, 1920s-30s setting might be perfect. Try to find very intimate, telling details about the period you’re writing, so the reader can identify with your people. Give your hero and heroine universal, timeless desires, needs and goals, but always be aware that they live in a different time and be sure to show those differences. If you wish to show the brutality of an age, you can show it in the actions of secondary characters, and sometimes in your main characters. Be aware of the language you use – would a knight in armour say ‘cool’ or ‘brilliant’? If you’re aiming at a particular publisher, then have a look at their writers and see what language they use – usually a clear, direct style is best.

Here are some publishers who do historicals and will look at a manuscript without an agent’s involvement:

Avon

Dorchester

Avalon

Harlequin

Bookstrand

Desert Breeze

The Wild Rose Press.

SP-Any reference books or sites that you find helpful to historical writers?

LT-The short answer is no, because it depends so much on historical period, locations, plot, characters and details. I have lot of books dealing with general historical topics and background, (including children’s books that are often a wonderful source for social history) and add all the time. For ‘A Knight’s Enchantment’ I added books on alchemy, for the next book it’s tournaments and the Black Death. I also use the internet to hunt down factual bits and pieces, illustrations, and likely books to buy.

SP-What’s next for you, any time periods you want to tackle?

LT-The next book is already written and comes out in July 2011. That’s set in the mid-fourteenth century. After that, I have a couple of ideas, one of which involves taking a minor character from my first medieval and giving him his own book. It’s all a bit fluid.

 Susan Palmquist (SP)-When did you start working at Samhain?

 Tera Kleinfelter (TK)-I started working at Samhain in 2007

 SP-Any particular genres you work with?

 TK-I work with all genres. I won’t close myself off to anything. A great story is a great story no matter what genre it’s in. That said; I particularly like contemporary, romantic suspense, m/m and ménage, any combination.

 SP-Samhain publishes everything from romances to sci fi. What’s your best selling genre?

 TK-My personal best-selling genre is m/m and m/m/f, but I think a lot of that has to do with those authors and how they promo and their popularity.

 SP-Any genre you think is under-represented at Samhain, meaning that you’d like to see more submissions?

 TK-Wow. That’s a tough one. I try to keep up with everything that comes out and reading a lot of our books, but I simply can’t, so I can’t be sure about that.

 SP-When I visited the Web site I noticed you have some upcoming anthologies.  Red Hot Fantasy Tales, Steampunk Romance and Red Hot Winter Tales. Maybe you can tell us more about them?

TK-I can tell you they’ll be really good. =) Other than that and what information is on the website regarding them, I don’t actually know anything else. An anthology is that particular editor’s baby, so they are really the only ones that know all the particulars about it.

 SP-Any other forthcoming anthologies you can tell us about?

 TK-Of my own? No…I do however have an idea that I’m pitching that I think everyone will love and I’m pretty sure hasn’t been done before. =)

 SP-I’m hearing lots about ‘steampunk’. I immediately think of the show from way back when ‘Wild Wild West’. Do you think it’s the next ‘big thing’ in publishing? And what do you look for in a steampunk submission?

 TK-There has indeed been a lot of hype around steampunk lately. It seems that everywhere I turn and every time I read an article, someone is talking about steampunk. Could it be the next big thing? Sure, why not. J I have to admit, I love the idea of steampunk, but I’ve never actually edited it, and I’ve never received any submissions for it. We have other editors, like Sasha Knight, who love the genre. I would rather let editors who have a passion for it receive those submissions.

 SP-And what about vampire tales and urban fantasy? Have they had their 15 minutes of fame? Or will Samhain continue to actively look for these stories?

 TK-Samhain will now and forever continue to actively look for well-written, unique, and wonderful stories…no matter the romance sub-genre. I personally enjoy vampire tales and urban fantasy and have those stories in my repertoire of contracted manuscripts.

 SP-In your role as editor you probably see no end of these paranormal stories. How can a writer put a new spin on them and make you take notice?

 TK-I’m really not sure about that anymore. I love paranormal, but I feel like I am seeing the same stories over and over. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything original out there anymore, though I know there is. There always is. It just takes someone’s imagination and a fresh spin on an old idea. I’d like to see someone take something very UNparanormal and give it a paranormal twist.

SP-Thinking about some of the recent manuscripts you’ve acquired, what got your attention, what made you say, I have to offer the author a contract for this one?

 TK-Unless a manuscript catches my attention and makes me say “I have to offer a contract on this one” I don’t contract it. Every manuscript has to have that something that grabs me. I know that seems vague, but it really is as simple as that. There is no “one” thing, because every story is different.

 SP-What don’t you like to see in a submission?

 TK-To me, a submission includes the query letter, so I’m going to include that too. =) The very first thing I look at is someone’s e-mail and what e-mail addy they are sending it from. I don’t like seeing an address that is obviously a family e-mail, or one that is sexygrrrl69@whatever.com. It takes two seconds to set up a free e-mail account at Yahoo! or G-mail (my personal fave) and shows that you take your writing seriously. As for query letters, I’ve posted about the on my personal blog and the Samhain weblog, so I won’t bore you with that here. =) Then comes opening the manuscript. If I see a grammar error, misspelling or word misusage on the first page, it’s going to put a bad taste in my mouth. I also don’t like to see manuscripts that start with a dream sequence of someone fantasizing about someone. I think it’s overdone and rarely done right.

SP-I love the warnings you have on each book, like deep emotions, edge of your seat suspense. Some of them make me laugh out loud. They’re very original. Does each editor write these?

 TK-Actually, our authors write these. Sometimes we editors tweak them teeny teeny bits, but by and large, the authors come up with the warnings, and we encourage them to be as creative as possible with them.

 SP-So for the readers out there, what makes a Samhain book different from the rest?

 TK-One of the biggest I can think of is quality. We take the editing of every facet of our books very seriously. And we are very particular about the books we offer contracts on. Our cover art is also amazing; the art department does a wonderful job and we have some amazing talent working for us.

 SP-Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? Anything you’d like us to know about Samhain Publishing?

 TK-You’ve covered a lot here. There isn’t really anything I can think of off the top of my head to share that I haven’t already said in one way or another. Samhain is a wonderful place to work and be involved with and I’m really excited for what the future holds.

Susan Palmquist (SP)-Although you’re now famous for your mysteries and romantic suspense novels, you began your career with contemporary romances. Was it a conscious decision to start in the romance genre?

Mariah Stewart (MS)-You know, I never really paid any attention to genres or other labels. So when I wrote that first book, in 1990 or 1991, in my mind it was just a love story. I didn’t realize I’d written a “romance”. Not that I didn’t read them – I did. I just never categorized the books I read as anything other than fiction. I read mysteries, detective novels, romance – pretty much everything across the fiction spectrum, but I’d never consciously put labels as such on them. So I never thought about writing anything other than fiction.

SP- Was it difficult to get published, how long did it take?

MS-Well, yes, and no – see above! Because I wasn’t accustomed to thinking in terms of genres, it didn’t occur to me that there were certain reader expectations that needed to be fulfilled. So I was surprised when so many editors passed on that book but told my agent the same thing: I loved this story, loved the characters, loved the author’s voice, but I cannot buy this book because of the ending. Did I mention that at the end of that first book, both the hero and the heroine were…well, they were…um, dead? Yeah. Both of ‘em. Murdered in cold blood. So it didn’t take long for me to figure out that my chance of selling that book might increase dramatically if I changed the ending. My agent had submitted the manuscript to an editor at Pocket who told me she’d buy it and the next one if I’d change the ending. So I did…and she did, and that was 27 books ago – and I’ve never killed off a heroine or a hero since!

SP- I love the comment on your Web site where you say you found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. Was it a slow transition from romances to mysteries? How did it come about and were mysteries harder to sell?

MS-I do love murder and mayhem – I’m not going to deny it! But since I always had a touch of something – mystery or suspense elements – in all my books, including the first one, the books just more or less evolved over time to full blown romantic suspense. At the time I wrote my first romantic suspense (Brown-eyed Girl), those types of books were just beginning to grow in popularity, so it wasn’t a hard sell.

SP-I can’t help but be impressed with all the books you’ve written and the fact that you sometimes publish three or more in a year.  I’m sure others think, wow, how does she do it? Are you a fast writer and do you have any tips about finding time to write?

MS-I’m fast when I have to be, which is mostly all the time because I write two or two and a half to three books each year. I don’t have a problem finding time to write because it’s my full time job. But when I first started, we were renovating a hundred twenty-something year old house, I worked full time, and we had two kids in a private school that was a forty minute drive from our home, and another thirty minutes from my day job. Looking back, I don’t really know how I did it, except that I wrote after dinner and the kid’s homework, and I wrote on every weekend – every holiday and vacation day. Any time off that I had was spent on my books. I think it’s one of those things that if you honestly want to do it, you make the time, and you cut out all those other things that distract you from writing or take your spare time. I think most writers find they have to sacrifice something – everyone has to decide for her/himself whether the sacrifices are worth it in the long run.

SP-You’ve been on the New York Times bestseller list, been called the Queen of Romantic Suspense, achieved the Lifetime Achievement Award and been inducted into the Hall of Fame by the New Jersey Romance Writers and having said all that, this might be a silly question, but is there anything else you’d like to achieve?

MS-Well, I always wanted to be a rock singer, but since I’m tone deaf, that was probably never an option! Actually, I’m really happy where I am right now, and I guess the one thing I’d like most is just to be able to keep writing from now until they have to pry the keyboard from my cold, dead…well, you know.

SP- Like me, you grew up reading Agatha Christie books? Any other favorites? How about now, what authors do you enjoy reading?

MS-Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, Mary Stewart (no relation), and Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables is still one of my most-loved books).I have a lot of friends who are writers and if I start naming names I’ll leave out a few, so I’ll just say that I read widely across the board.

SP-Romantic suspense is said to be making a comeback, I know lots of Between the Pages readers are also aspiring romantic suspense writers. What are some of your secrets to writing romance suspense and mysteries?

MS-I wasn’t aware it had ever gone away! I don’t really have any secrets, I’m sorry to say – just opinions. I think the success of any book rests with its characters. If they’re well written and true to themselves, and you’re true to yourself when you’re writing the book, you’re on your way. After all, if a reader does like or can’t connect with the characters, do they really care if they outwit the serial killer, fall in love, or live happily ever after? If you’re writing true romantic suspense, you want to have an equal balance between the romance and the suspense (though I admit my romantic suspense always seemed to weigh heavier on the suspense than on the romance). I don’t plot before I start writing, so I can’t give any tips there. I think it’s just important to tell a good story and make your characters real. You want to avoid stereotypes in plot and in your characters. Oh – and make sure that your villain is equal to the hero and the heroine and visa versa. There’s no glory in outwitting a stupid or wimpy bad guy! The villain needs to be clever, but in order to best him (or her), your hero and your heroine have to be even more clever.

SP-One thing I love about your books, besides that fact they keep me turning the pages is your smooth writing style, it’s a joy to read. Any writing tips you care to share with us?

MS-Susan, thank you so much for those kind words. The only thing I feel I know well enough to share is that you need to be true to yourself and your voice. I think voice is like any other muscle – the more your write, the more your voice develops and strengthens. Don’t try to write like someone else, or try to follow what someone else has done. Don’t write to the market if what the market says is hot is just not you. By this I mean, I know that both historical romances and hot, dark paranormals are very popular, but I couldn’t write in either sub-genre. It just isn’t me – though I’ve read and enjoyed both.  

SP-You often write series of books. Was it something you always wanted to do?

MS-Once I started writing, yes, I wanted to do series, mostly because I’d become attached to a group of characters or to a setting and I wasn’t ready to move on.

SP-You have another trilogy, The Chesapeake Diaries, being published in March 2010 and another book in the series in August 2010. Can you tell us about them and the story behind the series?

MS-The Chesapeake Diaries are, for me, a return to my own roots. My first books were contemporary romances, and the ones I most enjoyed writing – Devlin’s Light, Wonderful You and Moon Dance – were connected through the Enright siblings. They were fun and while there was a bit of mystery in each of them, they were definitely lighter books than my FBI or Mercy Street books (though I really see the Mercy Street books as almost a blend of the contemporary romances and the FBI series). As a family, we had a really dark year last year – without going into a lot of detail, my dad fell ill in June and passed away at the end of September. My brother had been ill for several years, and was terminal at the same time my dad was hospitalized, and we lost him the week before Christmas. So for the past year and a half, I’ve felt burned out on the dark and dreary and needed to write books that could help take me from those dark places, books that didn’t depress me, and books where I didn’t have to make anyone die. I didn’t want to do any more research into the minds of people who committed horrendous crimes. I think after close to twenty such books, I just burned out and needed to refocus my writing. I’d been thinking about doing a series based in a small town, and a friend pointed out that I’d already created the type of community I wanted in LAST WORDS (thank you, Victoria Alexander!), which was one of my FBI books. I loved that town – St. Dennis – because I love the Chesapeake Bay area and all the little towns along the water. The Bay is not far from where we live and we have favorite places where we enjoy meeting friends for lunch or dinner throughout the warm months, so the setting was a no-brainer for me. There were characters from LAST WORDS that I wanted to revisit with a different focus. In the Chesapeake Diaries, I’ve been able to bring in characters from all my series. For example, the heroine of COMING HOME, the first book in this new series, is Vanessa Keaton, who’s the half-sister of my police chief hero of LAST WORDS, and the hero is Grady Shields, an FBI agent whose wife was murdered in one of the DEAD books. The second book in this series, HOME AGAIN, brings back Dallas MacGregor, a character from my second book, A DIFFERENT LIGHT, which was first published in 1995 and just reissued in January. The third book in the Chesapeake Diaries, ALMOST HOME, will be released in 2011 – once you read the first two books, I think you’ll know whose book comes next, and you’ll know who her hero has to be! These books are similar to the books I wrote in the mid-late 1990’s, in that the focus is more on the character’s relationships – their loves, friends and families – and the community in which these people live. There might be a mystery of some sort in each of them, but the focus on these books is more on the characters – the little bay town, St. Dennis, becomes a character in itself (and did I mention that both my dad and my brother were named Dennis?). Oh – and before I forget, the publication date for HOME AGAIN was changed to September 28, 2010.

SP-Any other genres you’d like to try in the future?

MS-Having just changed direction somewhat it’s hard for me to look ahead to something else right now. I’m looking forward to working on the Chesapeake Diaries for a while – there are so many good characters in St. Dennis, and so many stories to be told that I can’t look beyond this series. Right now there are three books on the schedule, but there could be more.