July 16, 2010

My ‘chat’ with historical author, Lindsay Townsend

It’s my pleasure to bring you an interview with a fellow Brit, historical author, Lindsay Townsend. She has a degree in medieval history and uses her background and love of the subject to pen wonderful romances that are full of adventure. www.lindsaytownsend.net

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 1st 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.

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June 4, 2010

My Chat with Samhain Publishing Editor Tera Kleinfelter

Seems like everyone’s a writer yet the author’s grapevine is a tiny one. Most days it’s talk about who’s looking for this story and that, while on others it’s chatting about a publisher’s reputation. One company that constantly gets high praise is Samhain Publishing Ltd., so this month I decided to check them out for myself. Here telling us about the company and what they’re currently looking for is editor Tera Kleinfelter. www.samhainpublishing.com

 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.

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April 30, 2010

My ‘Chat’ With Mariah Stewart

I think discovering a new author is a bit like finding comfortable shoes. For me a great author is one whose books you can’t put down until you’ve reached the final page. And just like comfortable shoes, you hope they’ll be around forever. Last fall, realizing I’d now read most of the books by my favorite authors, I went searching for ones I’d yet to discover. I typed in romantic suspense authors and the name Mariah Stewart popped up. I decided to read ‘Devlin’s Light’ first and I’ve just finished ‘Dead Wrong’ that was definitely a page turner. I still have three more of Stewart’s books waiting in my ‘to read’ pile. She’s not only a great writer but a delight to chat with too and I’m honored she agreed to the interview. www.mariahstewart.com

 

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.

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March 23, 2010

My ‘Chat’ with Gail Delaney of Desert Breeze Publishing

If there’s one certainty in the current publishing environment, it’s that once a month at least one new electronic publisher will set up shop. It’s a crowded market but every once in awhile one publisher grabs my attention. Desert Breeze Publishing did just that and did it the old fashion way by publishing top notch books that I couldn’t put down. I’d read three of their mystery novels and was intrigued not only by the quality of writing but the high level of editing too. I wanted to find out more about the company so here is my chat with editor in chief and co-owner, Gail Delaney. www.desertbreezepublishing.com

 

Susan Palmquist( SP)- My favorite question to anyone who starts a business…how did you get the idea?

 Gail Delaney (GD)-That is a very interesting question…Prior to opening Desert Breeze Publishing, I was published with another e-book publishing company that has since filed bankruptcy and closed – much to the surprise of the authors, but that’s another story. J  Anyway, while with them my family and I traveled across the country to visit with my closest friend – Jenifer Ranieri (co-owner of DBP, btw) who lived in California.

While there, I was sent artwork for one of my future releases.  The cover was… awful.  I hated it.  I won’t go into which book or why it was horrible, but sufficed to say it was bad.  It wasn’t appropriate for the story, the characters, or my style of writing – and it looked amateur and thrown together. Jenifer, who is a gifted artist, told me I should beg my publisher to allow HER to make my covers.  They refused.  Somewhere through the course of this conversation one of us said “We should just open our own company”.

That was a few years ago.  Since then, the publisher closed their doors and my family and I relocated from New England to California.  At every turn, another door opened leading us in the direction of opening a publishing company of our own. Finally, we both threw up our hands and said “Fine!”  We then began the ‘research’ stage… finding out all we could about opening an e-book publishing house.  We refined what we wanted to be about, and worked out as many kinks as we could before opening our doors.  It took months of preparation, but in the end, it was well worth it.

And now… here we are.

SP-Do you think the publishing business is easier today because so many books are now in electronic format or has this just made it more competitive environment?
 
GD-I wouldn’t call it easy… not by a long shot.  The business environment is competitive because you need to find new ways to make your books stand out amongst the others. 
 
 
 
 SP-You’re also an author. How long have you been writing and what genre do you write?
 
GD-I’ve written stories and such since I was in fourth grade, and wrote a fantasy novel when I was fifteen (which is still under the ‘proverbial bed’).  But, I began writing with the intent of seeking publication in January of 1996.  I remember that date so clearly because it was just a few months after my mother passed away. While helping my father organize all the necessary paperwork, I found a box my mother had kept for years.  In that box was everything I’d ever written… poems, book reports, short stories, and every draft of that fantasy novel.  It helped me see what my mother always had… I was a writer.It took many years before I got that first contract. All my novels fall under the big umbrella of romance, but I’ve written in contemporary romance, romantic suspense and science fiction/futuristic romance.  My favorite genre is sci fi romance, but I recently went back to my roots and wrote a contemporary romance.
SP-I recently read one of the Desert Breeze titles, Book One of the New Orleans Detectives by Melanie Atkins. I loved it and noticed you publish many mystery series. Have you been seeking mystery series or did this happen just by chance?
 
GD-I am a fan of series.  I enjoy them because as a reader I can become emotionally vested with the world and people the author creates.  So, I did actively seek series – especially suspense.  I have known Melanie for many years, and I was ecstatic when she contacted me about her New Orleans Detectives series.  In fact, I just signed another brand new series with Melanie that will begin releasing just as the New Orleans series ends.

SP-I know you’re closed to submissions until July 2010, but when you do start reading manuscripts again, what will you be looking for?

 GD-I would be excited about seeing a few different genres, the first probably being epic science fiction romance.  I love science fiction and I love romance – so when I can get them both together in the same place, I’m ecstatic.  J I like space operas and character-driven stories with sweeping storylines and elegant arcs to tie the books together.

 I also want suspense, and while my first choice is a contemporary setting, I’ll look at romantic suspense in any setting.  I love the thrill and edge of danger in a good suspense novel.  This can be an individual book or a series. I recently read an article that said 20th Century Historicals would be the next big thing… but I’ve been saying that for a couple years now, and have said since opening DBP that I’d love to see some historical fiction set in the first half or so of the 20th century.  Novels set around any of the major conflicts of the 20th century, novels intricately woven through the era of the Great Depression… anything along those lines.

SP-What are common problems you’ve seen with submissions?

 GD-Two things… first, not thoroughly reading our submissions page to understand just what it is we publish and what we’re looking for.  Second, not sending me a book that is polished and edited within an inch of its life. 

Of course, if you send me a manuscript that doesn’t meet our guidelines, which in the most basic of terms would be a fictional romance novel that is not erotica or erotic romance, then I will reject the submission.

Equally, if you send me a novel that has a wonderful concept that meets our guidelines, but your manuscript is riddled with problems – i.e:  head hopping, passive voice, poor grammar, etc – I will most likely reject the submission.  I have been known to take on a book that needs extensive editing because I see the potential of the book itself, but don’t bet on that getting you in the door.  Time is a precious commodity, and generally speaking, I need to sign books that are well written, well planned, and well executed.

 I will not reject your manuscript for not being formatted as I state on the website… but it’s got to be well written. 

SP-Any particular Desert Breeze titles you’d recommend writers read to get a feel for what you’re looking for?

GD-Oh, wow… that’s a tough one.  I’m exceptionally proud of all the books we offer and really feel we’ve gathered some of the best authors in their particular genres. I guess you’d have to look at each category.  For instance, for Inspirational Romance I’d say read either Deborah Kinnard, Michelle Levigne or Michelle Sutton.  J. Morgan writes great humorous novels with a paranormal twist.  In Science Fiction, read P.I. Barrington, Vijaya Schartz or myself.  And in suspense, Melanie Atkins is just chilling.  If you like a wonderfully sweet and outstandingly hilarious read, then you’ve got to read Sandra Sookoo.  She’s wonderful. 

SP-You don’t accept erotic romances or erotica but what about heat and sensuality levels in your books? What would be going too far and get an instant rejection from you?
 
GD-We grade our books on four ‘heat’ levels.
 
 Sweet novels have nothing more than a few brief kisses and physical intimacy wouldn’t exceed hand holding or an embrace.  Many – but not all – of our inspirational novels fall into this category.

 Warm novels would involve more heated kisses and embraces.  Physical intimacy may or may not occur in the book, but if it does it ‘goes to the door’ and no further.  Firmly shut that door and let the reader’s imagination go from there.

 Sensual novels have a higher level of intensity in the physical contact.  Kisses are intense, physical contact more frequent and with high sexuality and sensuality in its intensity.  If physical intimacy occurs, it will be ‘on the page’ but not in extensive detail – leaving the description more to implication rather than detail.  But… no purple prose.

Finally, the Intense rating would imply a much higher level of physical need, intense sexuality and more mature themes.  However, scenes of physical intimacy will be appropriate to the story and characters and will never be gratuitous in nature.  Many of our intense novels may have one detailed love scene, with the implication of others that go behind that proverbial door.  Descriptions will be more detailed than the Sensual rating, but always tasteful and never using terms and descriptions common to erotica or erotic romance.

I’ve actually never rejected a book for sexual detail unless the author clearly states their book is intended to be erotic in nature (usually because they haven’t read the guidelines).  What I will reject a book for is if the plot of the book is intricately tied to sex.  The book shouldn’t be about sex, about getting sex, about how sex is so important to the arc of the story that it couldn’t exist without it. 

 I’ve had numerous cases where I’ve enjoyed the book, but found the sex scenes to go a little further than I felt was necessary or appropriate for the rest of the novel – and for our guidelines.  In those cases, I’ve contacted the author and explained that while I’m interested in the book, I would ask for changes to those scenes should they accept a contract.  I would say that 95% of the time the author has been more than willing to make the necessary adjustments.  In fact, in most cases, the author tells me that they only put that much detail in the book because they felt it was necessary in the current market environment and they weren’t comfortable with it themselves. 

SP-Do you make the final decision about a manuscript or do you leave it up to your editors?
 
GD-I am the final say on all manuscripts.  Truth be told, right now I am the only editor.  I have copy editors who review the books after they’ve gone through edits between myself and the author – I’m a firm believer that at that point all manuscripts need a new set of eyes to make sure they’re correct.  I will be bringing on editors in the future, but for now I have such a high standard for editing that until I can train editors in the way I want things done, I do it myself.That probably makes me sound like a control freak, but I hold myself and Desert Breeze to a very high standard.
SP-Any recent acquisitions you’d like to tell us about?
 
GD-I just closed up submissions for all of 2010, and yes… there are definitely some exciting releases in the works. 
 I mentioned before the new series by Melanie Atkins, titled Keller County Cops.  I’ve also just signed a series written by new author Jennifer Harts titled Future Savior, which is a science fiction/fantasy series with a strong Christian-based theme.  Many of our already established series will be carrying through 2010 and beyond. The Love Bites series by J. Morgan is exceptionally funny and shines a whole new light on the paranormal world.  Esther Mitchell will be joining us in 2010 with a wonderful new fantasy series beginning in June of 2010. I could go on and on. 
SP-Any genres or sub genres you’d like to publish but as yet haven’t come your way?
 
 GD-I would like to see some more dramatic contemporary romance pieces.  Not suspense, but stories with a sharp emotional edge.  And in contract, some more modern cowboy romances. 
SP-What sets your books apart from others, what can a reader expect to find between the pages?
 
 GD-In a market flooded with erotica and erotic romance, Desert Breeze Publishing has tried to return to a more classic form of romance storytelling.  We like to say that books at DBP are classic romance novels told in not so classic settings.  We have vampires and werewolves and time traveling Vikings, but the stories are always character driven and all about the romance.  We want romance to be about the slow boil of falling in love… the rush you get when he looks your way and smiles or takes your hand unexpectedly. 
SP-What’s ahead for you?

GD-Over the next year, we are going to focus on expanding our catalog size by slowly increasing the quantity of books we release each month.  We are also going to be offering our novels at several outlets to best offer our books to as many readers as possible.  We are already at Amazon for the Kindle, but soon we will also be at Barnes and Noble for those readers with The Nook (myself included!) and I hope to be at several other sites in the near future.  Further ahead, we are considering options for growth such as going to print and expanding our offerings to include mainstream novels.  But, that is further down the road.

 

 

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February 23, 2010

My ‘Chat’ with Agatha Nominated Author Hank Phillippi Ryan

How do I begin to tell you about my first interviewee of the year? She’s had success in just about every venture of her life. Hank Phillippi Ryan is a multi Emmy Award (yes, 26 of them!) winning investigative reporter who currently works for Boston’s 7News.

She’s been the vice president of the Midwest Chapter of the National Beatles Fan Club, she’s worked at Rolling Stone magazine. She’s interviewed famous people like Prince Charles and Warren Beatty. She’s undercover to catch some bad guys. Oh, and don’t let me forget to tell you that she also writes great books too. Her first Prime Time won the prestigious Agatha Award. Her latest, Drive Time is released next month (February 2010). So here without further ado is my chat with the very talented Hank. www.hankphillippiryan.com

Susan Palmquist (SP)-Growing up, did you ever think you’d be an investigative reporter?

Hank Phillippi Ryan (HPR)-Definitely—not. You know, I have a funny juxtaposition of desire to be in the spotlight—and sheer terror of being in the spotlight. I love my job in TV—and have to go live and unrehearsed all the time. Confession: I’m still terrified every time. I want to be perfect, and when you’re on live, you can’t possibly be. That’s one reason why I love investigative reporting—there’s more time to work, and dig, and polish, and produce, It’s like making a little movie, and I can make it as perfect as possible. Anyway, my sisters and I used to create musical shows when we were all young, and perform for our parents in our back yard. I did acting in high school and college. I wanted to be a DJ on the radio for a long time!  But I thought I would be an English teacher, or a lawyer for the Mine Workers union, or for awhile, a political activist. (My mother, though, says she always knew I would be a television reporter—but I think that was just her way of rationalizing that all I did as a pre-teen and teenager was read books and watch TV.) I knew from my first Nancy Drew that I loved mysteries. Nancy was my first best friend—I was a geeky unpopular kid, and it was such a relief to go home and hang out with Nancy. She was smart, and made it be okay to be smart. She was confident and inquisitive and resourceful. I loved that.  But being a TV reporter was not in my sights. Little did I know!

SP-How did you get started in that type of journalism?

HPR-I got into TV by chance. I had worked as a radio reporter (hired because, as I informed the radio station, they didn’t have any women working at the station! Hey. It was the seventies.) But after a few years working in Washington DC (on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide and then for Rolling Stone Magazine,) Rolling Stone closed its Washington office and I needed a new job. I went back home to Indianapolis, and applied for a job as a TV reporter. It was 1975. I had covered politics in Washington, and the news director of the station figured he could teach me to be a TV reporter. (This was incredibly risky—I had never taken journalism and didn’t know one thing about TV. But I wasn’t afraid and I knew I could do it.) Problem was, I should have been afraid! I quickly learned I had no idea what I was doing. I went home every night for the first two weeks, sobbing. Because I thought I would never understand it. Soon after—it hit me–oh, I get it! And I have adored it ever since. I took a chance, and found my calling.

I started as the political reporter (and was also the movie reviewer, of all things! At age 26.)  At various times I’ve been the medical reporter, a weekend anchor, and an on the road feature reporter.  When I came to Boston, I was the funny feature reporter–cat shows, sports features, poems, and anything quirky or funny. They used to call me “something out of nothing productions,” because I could find a story in anything. But starting in 1988, I covered the presidential election, doing long elaborate think pieces. It was terrific. And then I told my news director I didn’t want to be the funny one anymore. I wanted to be the serious one. And from that day on, I’ve been the investigative reporter. And I love it every day.

SP-When I was reading about all the things you’ve done as a reporter… like being chased by criminals, confronting corrupt politicians, etc, it’s almost like immersing myself in a nail biting novel. Have any of these experiences found their way into your books?

HPR-There’s a huge been-there-done-that element to the books—I’ve wired myself with hidden cameras, confronted corrupt politicians, chased down criminals…been in disguise, been stalked, and threatened and had many a door slammed in my face. I’ve had people confess to murder, and others, from prison, insist they were innocent.  So when that happens to Charlie, it’s fair to imagine me. Although the plots are completely from my imagination, those are real-life experiences!

SP-How did the character of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McNally come about?

HPR-What a great question. I have NO idea. She was born when I got a weird spam in my email. It was what looked like lines from a play by Shakespeare.  I thought–why would someone send a spam like that?  And it crossed my mind–maybe it’s a secret message. I still get goose bumps telling you about it. And I knew, after all those years of wanting to write a mystery, that was my plot. And that turned out to be the Agatha-winning PRIME TIME. But Charlie? Well, I knew I had a good story, but who would tell it? A television reporter, of course. And she just instantly popped into my head. Named, fully formed. I knew her perfectly. The other characters were more difficult to get to know. But now, Charlie surprises me a lot! And I love when that happens.

SP-Is she anything like you? Has she ever done anything you wouldn’t do to get your story?

HPR-When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in—when “you” are held at gunpoint, when you track down the bad guys, when you solve the mystery… and I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction. It didn’t really happen.” But a couple of things: I’ve been a TV reporter for more than 30 years. (Yes, really.) And so it would be silly, in writing a mystery about TV, not to use my own experiences. Think about it—as a TV reporter, you can never be wrong! Never be one minute late. Never choose the wrong word or miscalculate. You can never have a bad hair day, because it’ll be seen by millions of people! It’s high-stakes and high-stress—literally, people’s lives at stake–and I really wanted to convey that in the books. And everything that TV people do and say in the books is authentic and genuine. (Of course, Charlie can say things I can’t say, and reveal things I can’t reveal.) We’re both devoted journalists, and over-focused on our jobs. But Charlotte McNally is different, too. She’s single—I’m happily married. She’s ten years younger than I am, and so is facing different choices and dilemmas. She’s braver than I am, certainly. Funnier. And a much better driver.

SP-You’ve got four books under your belt, you’ve won an Agatha, and been compared to Lisa Scottoline. Will there come a time when you say goodbye to journalism to focus full time on your fiction?

HRP-Ain’t that the question! I still smile in delight every time I see my Agatha teapot. And when the starred review in Library Journal for DRIVE TIME compared me to Lisa Scottoline, well, I burst into tears. But I still love my job in TV. So–you could ask me that question every day, and every day I’d have a different answer. And I guess the bottom line is: who knows? 

SP-Any plans to write a non Charlotte McNally novel?

HPR-Yup. Absolutely. It’s in the works. You heard it here first.

 SP-Any other genre you want to tackle?

HPR-Yup.  :-)   It’s in the works. You heard it here first.

SP-Your husband’s a criminal defense attorney. Does he read your work or give you any tips or even ideas for plots?

HPR-He’s the most patient man on the planet. Yes, he’s really the only person who reads my pages while they’re in process. When I first started writing PRIME TIME, I’d give him my five pages or so a day, and I’d hear him laughing and I was so delighted!  And he would tell me every day how terrific it was. Then, about fifty pages in, I went in for my daily pat on the back. And he had a funny look on his face.  “Honey?” he asked. “Is something going to happen soon?”  So I knew I had some work to do. Ideas for plots? Ah, no, not really. I’m always running ideas by him, to see if he thinks they’re plausible and believable.  And sometimes he’ll come up with just the perfect little thing I need to pull something together. But we think very differently. He’s much more–wedded to reality.

SP-Your first two books were published by Harlequin Next but then the line was axed. Did you have other Charlie McNally books planned or already written? What was your reaction to the news?

HPR-Oh, yeah, that was briefly terrible. I got the news the day–I know it sounds crazy but it’s true–the day I finished book 3, AIR TIME. I was really happy about that, because I’m not sure I would have had the emotional wherewithal to persevere in the face of an imprint that was dying.  I–well, I freaked out. Then I went on a mental hunt for the good news in it, which was not terribly successful, I must say. But then–as so often happens–the good news emerged. A week or two later, my agent called to tell me the series had been moved to MIRA!  That was fantastic. And the rest is history.

SP-You’ve won accolades from some of the top writers in the business including some of my favorite authors like Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton. Any tips you can offer for writing top notch mysteries and creating a great character like Charlie?

HPR-Well, thank you! Yes, it’s great, and Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton are my idols. (They’re also wonderfully generous, and truly authentic. I have three little talismans on my desk that Sue Grafton gave me, and I look at them every day.) Tips? Well, I read an interview with the poet Anne Sexton some time ago–and she was asked, “What, truly, can a creative writing teacher give her students?” And her answer was:” Courage.”  I think that’s so wonderful. And I think my advice would be similar–just don’t be afraid. Fear is a waste of time. Write your book. One page at a time. You can do it.

SP-Any mistakes you’ve made along the way, have you learned anything from them?

HPR-Hah. That’s another long blog for another day. Mistakes? Ah, on a huge level, people always yell at me for working all the time. ALL the time. Is that a mistake? None of this would have happened without that. Would I change it? I have to say no. So is that a mistake? I’m not sure.  On a tiny level, I should have put together a mailing list of bookstores. Still haven’t done that. Wish I had. 

 SP-What’s next for you?

HPR-Exactly what I’m trying to figure out. DRIVE TIME comes out February 1, with fantastic blurbs from the much-missed and iconic Robert B. Parker and Suzanne Brockmann and Margaret Maron and Carla Neggers and a rave starred review from Library Journal. So I’m hoping people love it. (And I’ll be visiting lots of places across the US–hope some of our readers come visit! And then…we’ll see. I can’t tell you how excited I am.

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February 15, 2010

Five Books Review

 

Sleeping With Fairies received a five books review from Long and Short Reviews.  Here’s the link-

http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/sleeping-with-fairies-by-susan.html

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January 24, 2010

My ‘chat’ with Angela James of Carina Press

If there’s one thing that gets romance writers talking, it’s anything connected with Harlequin. So it wasn’t too surprising that the Internet was buzzing when news of Carina Press hit the web. JIf there’s one thing that gets romance writers talking, it’s anything connected with Harlequin. So it wasn’t too surprising that the Internet was buzzing when news of Carina Press hit the web. Just in case you haven’t heard, Carina Press is a new digital only publisher. Their philosophy is simple ‘no great story should go untold’. They’re not only looking for romance novels, but other genres too and best of all they intend to publish previously released material too. Here, Angela James, executive editor, talks about Harlequin’s new venture. Check out www.carinapress.com for submission guidelines.

Susan Palmquist (SP)-Your first titles premiere in spring 2010. Can you give us preview of what to expect, what type of books we’ll see? Any well known authors or bestselling books being re-released?

Angela James (AJ)-We’re just beginning to make our first acquisitions, so I don’t have too many specific titles and authors to share. We haven’t acquired any reissue titles yet, as we were concentrating on original material first. Now that acquisitions of original material are underway, we’re going to begin looking at all of the emails we’ve gotten in regards to backlist titles/reissues. I can say that we’ll be focusing on romance, but will have a nice mix of non-romance as well, including historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers and women’s fiction.

SP-When word got out about the creation of Carina Press the Internet was buzzing with excitement and little else was discussed on just about every writer’s group I belong to. Why did Harlequin (HQN) decide to create a separate entity from its parent company?

AJ-Harlequin has done an excellent job of staying ahead in the digital market and I think moving into the digital-only space was a natural extension of that. They’ve seen digital grow and realize there’s a market of readers who are eager for more content, and different genres, and books that the traditional market may not be able to support.

SP-I know lots of writers are wondering if they get published with Carina Press will it increase their odds of becoming a Harlequin author. Any truth to that?

AJ-I suppose anything can happen!

SP-You’re looking for all types of stories, anything from romance to sci fi. I’m guessing you’ll be seeing more romance submissions than anything else and not just because of your connection to HQN. Will there be a set number of books released in a specific genre each month? And if so, does that mean a writer stands a better chance by submitting say a mystery or sci fi manuscript?

AJ-No, there is no specific formula for the release schedule that we’re going to follow. It will all depend on the submissions and what we get that’s excellent.

SP-Speaking of romances, the guidelines mention you love to see cowboys, vampires, babies…Harlequin staples, anything new you’d like to see?

AJ-Harlequin staples or romance staples? Remember, we are going to focus on romance, so of course we want things that romance readers love, and those do include cowboys, vampires and babies. As for new things, how about aliens, ancient beings and mythological creatures? Really, as long as the story is good and the characters interesting, we want to see it!

SP-Carina Press Web site also says that digital publishing allows books to be brought to market faster, so if you see a new genre developing, readers can read them a lot quicker. You’re a veteran of the publishing business, any genres about to hit the big time, any hybrids you see on the horizon?

AJ-This question often makes me feel a bit like a magic eight ball, remember those? Also, I have great fear that someone is going to write down my prediction and come to me in a year or two and say “Nyah, nyah! You were wrong! You were so so wrong!” Ahh, the fears of an editor. But, to answer your question, I’ve recently seen a resurgence of interest in romantic suspense, which was interesting to me. I don’t know that it’s going to “hit the big time” but it does seem to be circling back around. If you asked what I’d like to see, I’d love to see more action-adventure romances. Somewhat in the vein of the old Harlequin Bombshell line, but even more action- packed and sexy–like National Treasure meets Tomb Raider with some of the spicy bits shared. I’ve always loved those adventure-quest movies, there’s something so transporting about them. I’m still always hoping for a fantastic space cowboy story (Firefly anyone?) but I’ve been asking for them for almost as long as I’ve been in publishing and I’ve yet to see one! And last, I love a great fantasy or futuristic romance and I think there is potential for those genres–and all the ones I’ve mentioned–in the digital space. SP-Okay, you’re a writer who’s been rejected by Harlequin and your Web site says you have greater flexibility with the books you’ll accept. Lots of writers might take that as the rules are a lot less rigid. With there be more flexibility in what type of stories get published? And what will continue to earn instant rejections? AJ-I’m not sure which rules we’re talking about! The beauty of digital-only is that it allows for greater flexibility in things like what books you choose to publish and how many you publish, though there are still things to consider. For instance, we’re not going to publish as “romance” a book where the heroine is killed at the end. That doesn’t mean that we won’t publish it, only that it won’t be as romance. We’ll still be respectful of readers in that regard. But perhaps Harlequin rejects a book, not because it isn’t good but because it doesn’t fit within the category parameters of a particular line. Then, sure, Carina would love to see it.

SP-Seems like there’s going to be a lot of collaboration between Carina Press and its authors. Plus, you’re going to help them with promote their work. What’s the advantage of being published with Carina?

AJ-I asked one of our first authors acquired, Shannon Stacey, for an assist with this question and here’s what she said: “From an author’s point of view, the advantage of being published with Carina Press is the opportunity to work with a team coming from a long and successful print program teamed up with Angela James, whose work in digital romance publishing is incomparable. It’s a unique opportunity to be a part of a new and exciting venture, without the risk that comes from working with unknowns.” To that I’d add that the team behind Carina Press, not just myself, but the others working on all aspects of Carina, from editorial to acquisitions to marketing to formatting all have a wealth of experience in print and digital publishing, and we are dedicated to and have a plan for making Carina Press successful.

SP-For readers, what will set a Carina Press book apart from other digital titles? How will they differ from a HQN title?

AJ-I think the biggest difference between Carina and other digital publishers is going to be the variety of genres available. And I believe readers still think of Harlequin and category books synonymously, despite the fact that they do publish single titles in a variety of genres. Carina will showcase single title books, in both romance and non-romance genres, without the category line restrictions but that are also able to be somewhat out of the box in regards to settings, time periods, and character details.

SP-Do you expect to see a loyal following of HQN readers buy Carina Press books?

AJ-One thing I have learned in publishing is that you can never expect anything! We hope that Harlequin readers will want to buy Carina Press books, certainly, and we will do our marketing best to convince them to do so.

SP-Will the decision to accept a manuscript be a team decision or down to just one editor?

AJ-Currently, the acquisitions process is a team process. An editor recommends a book for acquisition, another team member reads it and gives their recommendations to the team and then the team discusses it. Recently, we had a book that an editor recommended, and the second team member to read it didn’t like it, so we had to have a third team member read it and be the “tie-breaker”.

SP-I heard just today that you’ve already had so many submissions your server crashed. Do you anticipate closing the doors to submissions at any time or will you always be open to receiving manuscripts?

AJ-I don’t know that our server crashed. Did it? I don’t think so. But to answer your question, I can’t predict what will occur in the future. Right now, we have 8 editors and 8 acquisition team members reading submissions and trying to keep up. I don’t anticipate that we’ll always have the same amount coming in as we did initially, so I foresee that slowing down. But it’s impossible to say what might happen a year from now and if we need to take a break.

SP-Books will range from 50,000-100,000 words, any plans to go with shorter books or will they only offered at HQN with the Briefs, Undones and Bites lines?

AJ-Our word count is actually 15,000 words on up and it doesn’t cut off at 100,000 words. We’ve had an interesting number of 100k+ submissions, actually!

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