#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!!

*****

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

*****

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!!

~~~

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.

*******

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.

*******

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!~

#37 – Using Random.org, I’ve picked a winner for copies of THE CALLING Vampire novels, namely, DANGER CALLS, TEMPTATION CALLS and FURY CALLS: Sewicked Please e-mail me your postal addresses so I can send out your prize.

Today we’ve got a very special guest, Stacy Boyd, Senior Editor for Harlequin Desire and also my (Caridad’s) wonderful editor! Stacy is here to give us some hints on how to create a winning novel for Desire. We’d love to hear what you like about Desire or feel free to post any questions you may have about the Desire line or writing for Harlequin. Finally, we’ll pick one lucky commenter to win copies of some of the books that Caridad and Stacy have worked on together from THE CALLING Vampire novels, namely, DANGER CALLS, TEMPTATION CALLS and FURY CALLS!


Without further ado, here’s Stacy!

Seven Tips for Creating the Perfect Harlequin Desire Submission

1. Hook your reader right away!

Write a really great first line, first paragraph, first chapter. Readers, and editors, want to be invested in the characters, their conflicts and/or the premise right away.


2. Create a story with high stakes and lots of conflict.

In Desire, we love lots of sensual tension and romantic conflict, and there should be strong and believable reasons that the hero and heroine are at odds, as well as believable sensual attraction that makes them want to resolve their differences.


3. Develop an alpha hero with a heart of gold.

Desire heroes are sexy, powerful alphas with a core of emotional vulnerability. The hero may seem tough and stoic, but underneath that hard exterior, the reader can sympathize with the hero’s motives and flaws.


4. Surprise us!

Know your genre. Play with it. Make your reader feel like she’s never read anything like your book before. A surprise in the plotline, in the story’s execution, in the character development or in the author’s style and voice can really make a writer stand out from the crowd.


5. Be professional.

Successful Desire authors tend to write quickly, consistently and well. Including your publishing history and other relevant experience in your query letter, along with a short summary of your book, is the best way to introduce yourself. We look for writers we can build long-term, so let the editors know if you have more story ideas in the works.


6. Be a reader.

Read as much as you can, write what you love, keep honing your craft and maintain an attitude of persistence and professionalism.


7. Do your research.

If you’re interested in writing for Desire, you can find our guidelines on Harlequin.com, and you can speak with our authors, readers and editors by following us on Twitter (@DesireEditors) or “liking” us on Facebook (facebook.com/harlequindesire).


Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today, Stacy! We really appreciate it.

Monday is the deadline for friending Dangerous Women on Facebook!!

Those of you who are already on Facebook, are entered. But if you send someone to friend Dangerous Women, and let us know about it on the loop, you’ll be entered again!!

And some lovely prizes are hanging out there ~~ a Dangerous Women goodie package, a few Dangerous Author books…So sign up at http://www.facebook .com/pages/Dangerous-Women/81689670785.

Oh, and did I mention I have copies of Caridad and Lisa’s upcoming Nocturne antho, Awakening The Beast? Yup, we’ll pick one winner to have that in their hot little hands before it’s out.

How about a copy of Debra Webb’s Small Town Secrets? Or Michele Hauf’s Fairies Gone Wild??

So friend away, and send your friend to friend Dangerous Women, and then let us know by posting here.

Lisa Renee Jones will pick winners on Monday to be announced here and on the reader loop!!