Danger: Women Writing

#37 – Using Random.org, I’ve picked a winner for $10 Gift Card, autographed copy of SINS OF THE FLESH, STRONGER THAN SIN Tote bag and an autographed copy of AZTEC GOLD.: Rachel Comment # 7 Please e-mail me your postal addresses so I can send out your prize.

I’m so excited to have my wonderful editor, Selina McLemore, here to share some fresh buzz from Forever Romance! Leave a comment on today’s blog for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card, autographed copy of SINS OF THE FLESH, STRONGER THAN SIN Tote bag and an autographed copy of AZTEC GOLD.

Selina began her publishing career as an intern for a magazine—Sesame Street Magazine. But soon instead of editing pages full of puppets, she was editing stories about heartache, heartbreak and the kind of love that can make you forget you ever felt any of those things in the first place. Now Selina is a Senior Editor at Grand Central Publishing, where she acquires literary and commercial women’s fiction and narrative non-fiction, multicultural fiction, and all types of romance. Some of the authors she’s had the privilege of working with are New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby; national bestselling romance author Jennifer Haymore; New York Times bestselling paranormal romance author Caridad Piñeiro; and New York Times bestselling author Stella Cameron.

Prior to Grand Central Publishing, Selina worked at HarperCollins Publishers and Harlequin Books. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she earned degrees in English and Spanish Literature.

Without further ado, here’s Selina!

So when I was asked to do this, I was told I could write about anything I wanted. ANYTHING. I thought about the customary topics, you know, the stuff editors typically write about: the kind of submissions we want, upcoming books, company news, etc. But I don’t want to do that. Or at least, I don’t want to do just that. Because sure, I do want readers to know that I’m looking for new books–lush, sensual historicals; dark, edgy paranormals; sweet, funny community-based contemporary romance. And sure, there are a lot of books coming out in the next few months that I’m excited about and think you’d love to read. But before all that, there’s something else I want to talk about: The Royal Wedding.

Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.

This isn’t a post where I go on and on about how much I loved the dress or the hats or Prince Harry (Well, maybe a little about Harry. Come on, how can you not love him? He’s the goodtime prince!) See, I was totally mocked for being so excited about the Royal Wedding. Not in a mean way—the teasing was all in good fun. But over and over again I found myself trying to describe why I was so enamored of it.

I loved the Royal Wedding because it marked a new beginning. Not just for William and Kate personally; it’s like a royal reset button for the British monarchy. Instead of royals entering unhappy marriages, having illicit affairs and trying to sell access to one another, we get a young couple who seems genuinely, happily in love. The even seem normal, in their own way. And so whatever is to come down the road, right now, at the beginning, we get to believe everything is good.

I like beginnings. I think anyone who likes romance does, too. Stories of people who take risks for a chance at a new life with a new love—or sometimes a new life with a former love, that counts too. I find myself drawn to novels that make me believe the characters are truly about to begin something wonderful, and in the next few months I’m lucky enough to have several authors beginning brand new series that do just that:

In July I have a new author who makes her Forever debut, Kendra Leigh Castle. Her novel DARK AWAKENING is the start of her new Dark Dynasties series. It’s the story of a woman who discovers she’s the heiress to a powerful legacy, and the sexy, shape-shifting vampire who vows to protect her.

Before I was lucky enough to be Caridad Piñeiro’s editor, I was one of her many fans. She’s kicking off a new series this summer too, when she releases THE LOST in August. THE LOST begins the Sin Hunters series, featuring dark, ancient magic and heroes with unimaginable powers.

As if that weren’t making summer hot enough, I have another new series starting in August, this one from historical author Jennifer Haymore. CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPROPER BRIDE is the story of a woman reinventing her life, and is the debut of a series featuring the Donnovan sisters. Trust me, wherever these girls go, scandal is sure to follow.

With that, I think I’ll bring my blog post about beginnings to an end. Thanks for inviting me to be a Dangerous Woman for a day!

If you’d like to know more about Forever, you can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ForeverRomance and follow us on Twitter @ForeverRomance. And don’t forget to download our free Forever Yours App, and put your picture on the cover of a romance novel!

#37 – Per random.org, Cathy P. is our winner! Email me at jennifer@jenniferhaymore.com with your choice of format (ebook or print) and your address to claim your prize. Congratulations, and thanks so much to everyone who commented!!

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I’d like to introduce you to my wacky, irreverent, completely amazing and wonderful agent, Barbara Poelle, from the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. Barbara helped me to get me my start by selling my first books to Grand Central Publishing, and sometimes I like to think I helped her get her start, too (but I’m sure she would have been just fine without me)!

Now, without further ado, heeeeeeeeeeere’s Barbara!

~Jennifer

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Jennifer: What made you decide to become a literary agent, and how does one train to become an agent?

Barbara: All my life I have been a voracious reader. My mom loves to tell the story about when I was reading Stephen King and spilled my kool-aid all over and it was just puddling and dripping and she said, “Barbie! You spilled everywhere!” and I said, “Just one more page, ma.”

And “train” is a funny word. You have to kind of approach agenting like you should life in general: With 2% Common Sense and 98% Balls. ( Can I say balls here or should I use a romance euphemism? heh.)

Jennifer: What is your favorite genre to sell?

Barbara: That is the best part about working at my agency- we can take on any client with any project that we have a vision for. So that means I can have the privilege and the luxury of populating my list with things that rock my world rather than those I have to take on to fill an agency expectation in a genre.

Jennifer: Can you share some of your favorite success stories with us?

Barbara: Sure! This one time I had an author we’ll call Shmennifer Shmaymore to protect her identity and I was able to sell the plot of her book to one house and the characters to another for a total of 5 books. Oh, and did I mention this was ON A PROPOSAL? That is still something my boss just shakes her head and laughs about.

(Jennifer: Hmmm…I wonder who this Shmennifer character is????)

Jennifer: Do you use an e-reader or do you read paper books?

Barbara: For work? My ereader, and my ereader only. For play? ALWAYS paper. ALWAYS. It is just how I am built. My husband and I have boxes and boxes of books in storage, as well as two free standing bookcases and a built in bookcase always bursting. I also love when we have guests and they can see our eclectic reading style and I am a HUGE fan of lending out favorites. Hey if I don’t get it back I can always get another. Travis and I counted once and we think we lent out and then repurchased 5 copies of Life of PI over the years.

Jennifer: What kinds of books do you most enjoy reading in your spare time?

Barbara: Everything. If Susan Casey has a new non-fiction, then I will run to the store and push people down to get it. Huge Anne Lamott fan. But mostly I love walking through the shelves and piling books in my arms and then choosing what to read depending on my mood. But I love me some bathtub romance reading, a habit I started with Julie Garwood’s books back in college.

Jennifer: What kinds of books are you looking for right now?

Barbara: Well written ones! Ha- okay I know that isn’t helpful. Mostly genre fiction, but again, I get to be open to what works I represent so I really am looking for a unique take on a familiar theme no matter the shelf space it would inhabit.

Jennifer: How can an author make her query/pages really stand out, in your eyes?

Barbara: By keeping it simple, clean and professional. I always say, get in and get out. Your query needs to tell me the hook, the book, and the cook. The hook: one line with genre and word count. The book: five lines of plot summary. The cook: you! And I don’t care if this is your debut just let me know why this book, why you, and why now.

Great advice, and THANK YOU so much, Barbara, for joining us here at the Dangerous Women Blog today!

I’m going to be giving away three books that Barbara has recently represented, one by me and two by a couple of writers/friends who are also represented by Barbara and who I deeply admire!

AFTERTIME

~By Sophie Littlefield

DEFIANT

~By Kris Kennedy

A SEASON OF SEDUCTION

~By Jennifer Haymore

I’ll announce the winner on Monday night!

~Jennifer

#11 – Per random.org, Colleen is our winner! Email me at jennifer@jenniferhaymore.com with your choice of format (ebook or print) and your address to claim your prize. Congratulations, and thanks so much to everyone who commented!!

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And now we welcome Jennifer Miller, romance editor from Samhain Publishing!

Jennifer’s Bio from the Samhain Website: Jennifer Miller has lived in sunny Southern California ever since she earned her master’s degree in education from UCLA, but she is half Northern (Canadian) and half Southern girl by blood. After working in jobs ranging from investment sales to teaching to acting on stage, Jennifer finally settled into working with books—romantic fiction in particular. She has been with Samhain since early 2007.

Jennifer enjoys all romances with likable, interesting characters, lots of action, and loads of sexual tension. She is a self-proclaimed “conflict junkie” – her favorite books all contain powerful, seemingly unable-to-overcome conflicts. She especially loves books that make her sigh with pleasure at the end and believe in happily ever afters. She is a sucker for everything romantic.

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The Dangerous Women group came up with a few questions to ask Jennifer, so here they are:

• How do you choose what to publish and what to reject?

That’s a complicated question to answer! I suppose I can simplify it…There are lots of reasons to reject a manuscript, but there is one reason to accept a manuscript, and it’s this: You love the story so much you can’t put it down until “the end”.

• Is there an expected “heat level” for the books you accept?

No. Samhain accepts everything from super sweet to as spicy as it can go. When I’m reading a manuscript for submission, the heat level has no bearing in and of itself. I do look at whether the heat level is appropriate for the content of the story, the characters, etc. I feel like I can tell when an author puts in more sex scenes because she feels like “my book needs more sex”. That doesn’t work for me at all.

• How can an author submit to Samhain?

Samhain has very specific submissions guidelines. You can check them out at Samhain’s website, and you can find answers to almost all questions about submissions on the FAQs page. Generally speaking, we require the first three chapters of the book and a two-page synopsis.

• How long does it take from acceptance to actual publication?

That varies depending on where your manuscript fits into your editor’s schedule. I hate to give hard numbers, but generally speaking, for my authors, the time ranges from 6-12 months.

• How much influence do authors have on their covers at Samhain?

Samhain has a great group of cover artists. The authors fill out a very detailed art request form, and the artists use that as a guide to create a cover. The author, editor and artist work closely to come up with an aesthetically pleasing cover that represents the book well.

• What is the most annoying thing that newbie authors seem to do with submissions?

Shall I count the ways? ( Kidding!)
But let me list a few suggestions for the new authors out there:
(1) Follow the submissions guidelines for the line you’re submitting to.
(2) Include a professional-sounding query letter.
(3) Please don’t email me after you receive a rejection demanding a critique of your story. We simply don’t have the time to do that–that’s what critique partners are for.
(4) Don’t take rejection personally. Keep submitting and keep writing–never give up!

• What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened in a Samhain office/meeting?

We have one editor who is quite talented at taking the most bizarre plots that have been submitted to us and turning them into Dr. Suess-type poems! It’s hilarious, but I dare not repeat any of them here…

• How many books do you edit?

I edit an average of two books a month. I’m considered a part-time editor. Some of the editors edit more; a few edit less.

• What genres do you edit?

I currently edit for the Samhain Romance and the Retro Romance lines. I edit all genres of romance and erotica, plus science fiction, urban fantasy and fantasy with romantic elements.

• Do Samhain digital books go into print?

Yes, if the book is over 50,000 words (approx), it will go into print in trade paperback format several months after the digital release.

• Have you ever had a book hit the New York Times Bestseller list?

Yes! Just recently, Samhain has had two books hit the New York Times e-book list. I was very proud of my author, Maya Banks, hitting the list with her book, Colters’ Daughter, and Shelli Stevens (edited by Samhain’s Tera Kleinfelter) hit the extended list with Flash Point.

• What edge does Samhain give their authors?

Samhain employs a great group of people dedicated to releasing the very best quality digital books out there. Samhain has great distribution, the royalties are top-notch, and, perhaps most importantly in this fast-changing business, it’s a forward-thinking company.

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I’ll choose one commenter tomorrow to win the following Samhain books (a mix of genres edited by me!), in the format (print or digital) that you prefer:

-Hunting Season by Shelly Laurenston

(Paranormal  Romance)

-Colters’ Woman by Maya Banks

(Erotic Contemporary Romance)

-The Promise of Kierna’Rhoan by Isabo Kelly

(Science Fiction Romance)

AND…

-10 Days in Paradise by Dangerous Woman Dawn Halliday (signed!)-also published by Samhain but edited by my colleague Sasha Knight.

Thanks so much to the Dangerous Women for having me!  Please feel free to ask me questions! I love to talk about editing, authors, and Samhain. Or just drop by just to say hi.

Please remember to comment on yesterday’s post, too, for a chance to win a free ticket to the fantastic RomCon Romance Convention!

~And don’t forget-all comments count towards the e-reader drawing May 8th!~

#34 – Susan is our winner! Email me at jennifer@jenniferhaymore.com with your address to claim your prize. Congratulations, and thanks so much to everyone who commented!!
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I’m sitting in my office literally watching the bunnies and squirrels frolicking in my yard. Last week, we had a mother duck and her twelve ducklings take residence in our pool (Long story short–I was afraid the chlorine wasn’t good for them and my kids relocated them to a nearby stream. I just hope the coyotes didn’t get them!). The flower bulbs are starting to bloom and the bumblebees are buzzing around the wisteria, which smells like heaven.

Ahhh…spring is here! I’m hoping all of you are  enjoying it as much as I am, and if spring hasn’t sprung in your neck of the woods yet, I hope it comes soon!

Even though I’m really enjoying this spring, summer is definitely my favorite season. There’s nothing that beats nonstop warmth and a blazing sun! I adore beach weather!

On the writing front, I’m busily typing away on deadline for my next book. And I have a surprise for you all! It’s the world premiere of the cover of my summer release, Sins of the Highlander. I haven’t even posted it on my website yet! Check it out! Isn’t it pretty?

Sins of the Highlander is one of my favorite stories. It’s a story of friends who fall in love, but the disparity in their social statuses prevents them from being together. With a hot Highland warrior hero, the sparks really fly in this one. Yum!

I can’t wait until Sins of the Highlander releases. I’m really looking forward to summer for lots of reasons! What’s your favorite season and why? At the end of the day, I’ll pick one commenter to win the following:

Highland Obsession signed by me!

Highland Surrender signed by me!

Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Lotion, 7 oz.

Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Body Butter, 1.7 oz.

And a bit of fun swag…


Hugs, and I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend!
~Dawn