Update: Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for checking out Megan’s great post! A random winner was selected, and that winner is…Pamk! Congrats!
I’m very excited to have my wonderful Kensington Publishing editor, Megan Records, here with us today. Not only is Megan one very sharp editor, but she’s also an all-around fun person. When you check out her blog below, I think you’ll see what I mean. Megan Records is a lady with a great personality. She is also a lady offering some awesome prizes today. One lucky commenter will win: 4 Laura Kinsale books (those nice trade reprints), a shirt and tote bag from Heroes and Heartbreakers, and 6 Kensington books, customized to the winner’s taste.
Now that’s a great deal! Welcome, Megan! Thank you for taking the time to post with us today.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Editor
1) You may have written it, but we think of it as “our book,” too. We might not go as far as thinking of them as our babies, but they are definitely a favorite niece or nephew.
2) We hate those negative reviews as much as you do. I don’t go searching for reviews of my books. I find the good ones make their way to me, and I don’t want to know about the others. Of course, when you are hurt about a negative review, I’ll talk you down from the ledge with a very logical argument about how people have different tastes, and this is just one person’s opinion. But inside I’m restraining myself, because I’d really like to jump all over that reviewer and yell, “What the hell is this? How could you think it was anything but AWESOME?”
3) If you’re frustrated about something, we probably are too. In a perfect world, I would always get the exact cover I want, we’d have an unlimited marketing budget, sales numbers would always be fantabulous, and everyone would be on Oprah. I know that it’s not a perfect world. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling like my brain is going to explode in those situations where I’m unhappy, too, but I have to somehow try to keep you happy.
4) We wake up in the middle of the night with ideas for revision, and the perfect title sometimes just comes to us the shower. No exaggeration.
5) We want you to turn in your next book on time. But only partially because it messes up the schedule. Your editor is your #1 fan. We read your manuscript and immediately think, “I have to wait HOW LONG until the next book?!?!” And then we must distract ourselves with other work until the next deadline. So yes, we don’t want the system to fall apart because you deliver late, but we also have selfish motives for keeping you on track.
6) Your triumphs are our triumphs. When Zoe Archer called me to tell me she’d be nominated for a RITA, I screamed into the phone (apologies to Zoe’s ears). When I found out Cynthia Eden’s book for Grand Central had also been nominated, I started tearing up (the book isn’t even my book). When you get awards and accolades, we couldn’t be prouder.
7) Editors are hard core. Or slightly insane. Need proof editors love their work? Conferences involve traveling (a pain these days), giving up our weekends/time with our families, being “on” all day, the horror stories (every editor has one), and inevitably falling behind at the office even though we tried SO HARD to be all caught up before we left. Yet we still go. We still take work home; we use social networks in an effort to boost our authors. We don’t do all this for the money :]
8 ) We have a love/hate relationship with email submissions. We love that we can get something immediately, and it’s so much easier to keep things organized. It’s also much easier for people to spam submit, send nasty responses to my rejections, and for me to accidentally delete something.
9) We get the same sideways glances and weird questions when we mention our jobs. When are you going to graduate to literary fiction? Do you test out things you read in your books? Oh, so you’re a proofreader? (This last one really gets me.) On the plus side, my husband’s work colleagues think he is a hero when they hear my profession.
10) We love to give away books—but not because we are super generous. It’s either give them away, or have both the house and the office look like an episode of Hoarders.
***
Thanks, Megan! And if you’d like to learn even more about Megan, you can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/meganrecords. She provides great sneak peeks into the life of an editor.
So…want that prize? Just leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway! And have a great weekend!
Update: The NEVER CRY WOLF ARC winner is…Pam B! Congrats, Pam! And thank you so much to everyone who commented!
Hi, everyone!
Thanks for joining the Danger Women Writing blog party! Today, I thought I’d talk about one of my very favorite things…the sexy hero. Whether the guy is a cop, a cowboy, or even a deadly vamp, he’s a man who can always steal the show–and the heorine’s heart.
I like to write (and read about) heroes who are strong, smart, and able to handle any situation that I can throw his way. Alpha heroes are always fun, but I’ll confess to having a bit of a beta weakness, too. What can I say? I do like the guy-next-door-type.
I also like anti-heroes. Those bad boys who have more than a hint of evil in their hearts. These guys see the thin line between good and evil, but they often just ignore the line. A guy like this has to fight for redemption. I love that fight.
I’ll share another confession. I like “more” than just your average mortal man. I like wolf shifter heroes. I like vampires. I like demons. I like the guys with the dark edge. In my upcoming paranormal romance, NEVER CRY WOLF, my heroine must bargain for protection from a guy who is (quite literally) the big, bad wolf. Werewolves can be dangerous, but they can also be loyal, protective, and downright wild.
What kind of heroes do you like? Share with me. I’ll pick one winner to win an ARC of NEVER CRY WOLF (due out on June 28 from Kensington Brava).
I love Halloween. Love it. I love the costumes. I love the decorations. I love the scary but yummy food. It’s all a big party for me.
When I turn on the TV now, I can always find a scary show. I can walk in a store and hear a witch cackle. I can find tons of yummy candy on special displays.
Oh, Halloween, you are so good to me.
Even when I was a kid, I didn’t get scared on Halloween. How could I? I was having too much fun? Now that i am a, well, bigger kid (?), I still don’t get scared. Though I do like to give scares. Isn’t that part of the experience, too?
I’ve never seen a ghost on Halloween, never felt a whisper from the other world. But who knows–maybe this year. If it happens, I’ll be ready for my scare.
But what about you? What’s your favorite part of Halloween?
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
THE NAUGHTY LIST–Available now from Kensington Brava
ETERNAL FLAME–Available 11/30/10 from Kensington Brava
Well, maybe they do (technically). Suck and bite. But I like that about them. You see, I just love vampires. I’m not tired of them. I don’t think they’ve reached their peak. I think they are pretty awesome.
I saw my first vampire film ages ago (let’s not discuss actual years). But I didn’t get hooked on vamps until Lost Boys came along. Who knew vampires could be hot? Then, of course, there was Spike from Buffy (more, please!). And there were Christine Feehan’s sexy Carpathians. And the flood of Dracula movies that were released. Now there’s the Twlight saga…
Too much? Not for me. I love reading about the new takes on the vampires. I love watching the shows and getting drawn into the worlds that are created.
Humans have been captivated by the vampire legend for centuries. Do I think we’ll ever say–NO MORE VAMPIRES? Oh, I sure hope not. If we did, we’d lose one of our sexiest monsters.
Stay vampires. Stay–for me.
What’s your take on the vamps?
Thanks!
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
THE NAUGHTY LIST–Available now from Kensington Brava
ETERNAL FLAME–Available 11/30/10 from Kensington Brava
Today, I’m celebrating. I just sent my completed manuscript to my lovely editor at Kensington Brava. I gave my Fallen Angel of Death a happy ending (well, as happy as the guy could get!), and now I get to sick back and relax.
Um, okay, not relax. Because I have about 6 story ideas already pushing in my head–and I can’t decide which one to write first! Don’t get me wrong, I love having lots of ideas. I just wish that my fingers could type faster so that I’d have the chance to write them all.
But, before I dive into a new tale, I will force myself to take a few nights off–recharging time. During this recharge, I will read many of the books that have made my TBR stack so high, and I think I’ll catch up on a few new TV shows. Anything special I should be watching? Or not watching?
For now, I am about to go and find a very good book to read. I hope you have a good one that you’re reading, too!
Thanks,
Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
THE NAUGHTY LIST–Available now from Kensington Brava
ETERNAL FLAME–Available 11/30/10 from Kensington Brava
Ah…October is nearly here. October is one of my absolute favorite months. And this October is coming for me at the perfect time. I know, that may sound weird–after all, October always comes at the exact same time, huh? But, wait…
I will be turning in my current project in just a few days. That means, come October 1, I get to start a brand new story. To me, October=Halloween, and Halloween=Monsters…so go ahead, take a guess about the characters who will be in my book.
Writing a story about vampires or werewolves in Halloween is a pure joy for me. The story just reinforces my Halloween High and I’m pretty much grinning the entire month. Love, love it!
So, now my question is…which monster do I want to write this time? I have some old favorites, but in my books, I do like to create some new beasties, too. That new creation is part of the fun! Maybe I’ll just pull a creature straight out of my nightmares or my (less scary) dreams.
Are there any other huge Halloween fans out there? If so, what do you like best about this time of the year?
Thanks!
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
THE NAUGHTY LIST–Available 09/28/10 from Kensington Brava
ETERNAL FLAME–Available 11/30/10 from Kensington Brava
Today’s post is directed at any aspiring writers who may be out there. I’ve often had people tell me that they would like to write a book, but they aren’t exactly sure where to start in the whole writing process?
My advice? Start by reading. If you want to break into the paranormal romance market, get your hands on as many paranormal romances as you can–read them! See what is selling. See how far the boundaries are being pushed. Can you push them more? Do you have a new spin you’d like to add to things?
Want to break into category romance but you’re not real sure of the difference between a Harlequin Intrigue or a Silhouette Romantic Suspense? Don’t just look at the writing guidelines (though that is, of course, a necessary step), but actually get the books and read them so that you can see the differences in story style and pacing. See how many secondary plots are listed and check out the secondary characters.
Same rule for the YA market. YAs are exploding like crazy. But…don’t just assume you can write a YA without actually ever having read one. Do your homework–read. Read a variety of authors in the YA market (because that market sure is huge!).
Come on…look at it this way, the next time you’re reading a book and your spouse tries to interrupt, you can look at him and say, “Dude, I am working. Don’t interrupt while I’m researching.”
Have a great day!! And if you have any writing questions, ask away!
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
BELONG TO THE NIGHT–Available now from Kensington Brava
THE NAUGHTY LIST–Available 9/28/10 from Kensington Brava
Right now, I am working on a Fallen Angel book–and having a fabulous time writing it. This is the second Fallen Angel of Death book that I’ve written (I believe the first has a tentative release date of Fall/Winter 2011).
I love my angels. They aren’t cute and innocent. They’re dangerous, bad, and sexy.
But–they are also research accurate (well, okay, I blended the research with my own twists; I do like to twist things up). The hero of my current book in the infamous Sammael. Yes, I like to call him Sam for short. Sam was an archangel, and his name loosely means “Venom of God”–didn’t know that until I started researching. I wanted to write about Sammael because he’s been viewed as both good and evil over time, and I sure do like that mix. After all, who is totally good or totally evil?
In addition to the angels of death, punishment angels also feature prominently in the stories that I’m writing. Trust me, you don’t want a punishment angel after you! Though a few of them are loose in my books…
So many angels. I didn’t realize quite how many were out there until I started exploring. Some of my favorite “types” (which means they are totally in my books) are: punishers, guardians, and messengers.
Oh, and for a bit of lore…did you know that if an angel is close, you will smell the scent of flowers?
If you have some angel lore to share, feel free! I love hearing more angel tales.
Thanks!
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
DEADLY FEAR–available from Grand Central Publishing (Forever)
BELONG TO THE NIGHT–available now from Kensington Brava
Okay, I want to know, when it comes to paranormals–who do you think is the sexiest? Vampires? Demons? Shifters? Something (someone) entirely different? I’m dying to know…what’s hot and what’s, well, not.
Is there a story that you’d like to see? Personally, I’d love more gargoyle stories. What? I have a thing for stone monsters.
I think some paranormal characters have a certain sexier edge, just by their very nature. Wolf shifters (or werewolves) are generally thought to be animalistic, wild. That’s hot. Vampires are dangerous but seductive. And demons…well can you get more bad boy than that?
But if you had a choice–who would you pick? Go ahead. Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
DEADLY FEAR–Available now from Grand Central Publishing (Forever)
BELONG TO THE NIGHT–Available 9/1/10 from Kensington Brava (mass market re-release)
Last year, I fell into the fire. I wrote two different books that featured fire as a central plot point. I like to think of that period as my pyro stage.
The books were very different. In one, ETERNAL FLAME (this one will be out in December!), my heroine is an Ignitor. Yep, that means she can start fires with the power of her mind, and she sure does like to watch things burn. So for her, fire is strength. It’s her power, and if anyone tries to hurt her or those she loves, she’s more than ready to let that fire burn.
But, in my second fire book, DEADLY HEAT (this book is the second in my Deadly romantic suspense series with Grand Central’s Forever line, and it will be out in Feb of 2011), my heroine is a firefighter, and her job is, of course, to stop the fires.
So we have one heroine who loves the flames and one who spends her days fighting the fires. Oh, these ladies were fun to write!
It was also nice to be able to write about a strong, sexy firefighter–a female one. Seems like guys are the ones who always get the “hot firefighter” tags–not this time.
Here’s a little video I found (one targeted for women) when I first began my firefighting research…I am totally amazed by the work that firefighters do every day!
So now I’m curious…what is the best firefighter story you’ve read?
Thanks!
Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.com
I’LL BE SLAYING YOU–Available now from Kensington Brava
DEADLY FEAR–Available now from Grand Central Publishing (Forever)
When you check out her blog below, I think you’ll see what I mean. Megan Records is a lady with a great personality. She is also a lady offering some awesome prizes today. One lucky commenter will win: 4 Laura Kinsale books (those nice trade reprints), a shirt and tote bag from Heroes and Heartbreakers, and 6 Kensington books, customized to the winner’s taste.
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