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Monday, March 30, 2009
Good things, better things, excellent things!
Despite the financial ookiness of the last couple of weeks (yes, it's a word), there have been plenty of good things, too.
Abstract and I had our sixteenth wedding anniversary. The numbers are starting to sound kind of impressive now. I have a weird mixture of feeling proud about it (sixteen years!) and feeling there's nothing to be proud of because, duh, of course we're still married. I quite like him, you know?
It's usefully easy to remember which anniversary it is (although Abstract still manages to forget - what's that about?) because we got married when I was twenty, so it's always my age minus twenty. Which, oh heavens, sounds not so much impressive as scary - how grown up am I?
What else was good? Gloworm made me a really pretty card for Mother's Day, with two paper butterflies on a twig. I need to post a picture - it is really pretty, and the smaller butterfly is crawling along hopefully after the bigger one, no doubt saying "Mum, Mum, wait for me".
Both girls had parents' evenings, and both are doing extremely well. Super-well in English (as they darn well should be), and even well in Maths (goodness knows how, given their parents' spectacular failings in that department) and in Science.
Oh, my excerpt got two reader reviews over at the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. And they've fixed the geographical problem, so now anyone can download the quarter-finalling excerpts. Really, anyone, even if you're in the UK or Canada! Not that I'm hinting you might like to or anything...
Oh, and I sold my fantasy romance novella, Heart of the Volcano, to Samhain Publishing. Only the publisher I've been wanting to write for for two years, and only Ms. Evil Editor, Angie James herself. I may have cried.
As part of my job at Samhain, I keep track of the status of all the submissions. Which means every week the editors send me their personal submissions spreadsheets, and I transfer all the data into my master spreadsheet.
I would like to offer, as proof of Angie's true evilness, the fact that she didn't send me an email letting me know she'd accepted Heart of the Volcano, she just sent me her spreadsheet, more or less as normal. And there, in the spreadsheet, was the familiar data: Heart of the Volcano; Howson, Imogen; fantasy romance; unsolicited submission...with a date in the "Accepted" column.
I had to read it twenty a hundred million times (yes, that many times) , and paste the whole row into an email, and scroll madly up and down the spreadsheet to check it wasn't in the wrong column before I was sure it was true. So, yeah, evil. Evil, evil. But I have to forgive her because she's not just my boss but (eee!) my editor.
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Bad money-related things
So, I got Abstract to sit with me and go over various approaching expenses. Of which there are many. We want to decorate and re-carpet our bedroom (seriously, we moved into this house seven years ago - it's time for the bedroom to be pretty!), we need to get the cats vaccinated, Sparkler needs a new mattress and a new phone, Gloworm needs her first phone, Abstract wants to repair and extend the shed, we want to get our gas fire fixed, we have to pay the balance on our summer holiday, and I have to pay a missed year of national insurance contributions or I won't get a State pension (thanks, very well off ex-employers - after all, I was only looking after your children, why should you have paid what was legally required of you?). Also, our video player doesn't work and our DVD player is losing picture quality.
So, we made a list and worked out what needed to be dealt with this month (NI contributions, summer holiday), what could wait till next (new mattress, cats' vaxes), and what would have to wait till later (phones, bedroom) or much later (video and DVD players, much to the girls' irritation).
So far, so good. Except then I suddenly remembered:
- Sparkler's birthday (and hence birthday party) is in May and has to be booked now. She'll be thirteen. She's been promised a disco. Pass the Parcel and egg-and-cress sandwiches in the garden are not an acceptable substitute.
- The RNA conference is in July, and has to be booked very, very soon.
- We were planning on taking the girls for an overnight trip to London this Easter.
And then the monitor on the main computer died. And the washing-machine door ceased to fit properly, causing much leakage.
Listen, house fairies! Nothing else is allowed to break!
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| Thursday, March 19, 2009
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award - I'm a quarter-finalist!
In February, I entered my romantic fantasy novel, Within the Darkness, to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
On Tuesday I got an email that my pitch/blurb and 3000-word excerpt had got through to the top 500 of all the entries, making me a quarter-finalist!
 One in 500 is still pretty tough odds, but I'm really pleased to have got this far. The next stage involves reviewers from Publishers Weekly reading and reviewing all 500 full manuscripts by April 15th (I hope they're getting paid well!) and Penguin using those reviews to select 100 semi-finalists.
Further stages include the Penguin Judging Panel selecting three finalists (breathe), three finalists flying to Seattle, the general public (well, those who shop at Amazon) voting on the grand finalist, and (breathe, breathe) a publishing contract with Penguin.
Don't worry, the begging-for-votes stage is a long way off yet! But all the quarter-finalists' excerpts are available for free download at Amazon, and apparently Penguin will be taking into account customer ratings and reviews. So if you'd like to read my quarter-finalling excerpt and leave some feedback, I would be very happy!
Click here to go to the page for Within the Darkness.
Click here to go to my Amazon author page. You know, in case you'd like to read any of my full, published stories, available for instant download at low prices and formatted for your Kindle or iPhone... What? That wasn't begging for votes - that was an offer of quality reading material. Really.
Click here to read about the contest and to find all the other quarter-finalists' entries. There's a weird geographical restriction going on at the moment, so readers outside the US can't download the excerpts, but I'm hoping that'll be fixed soon so I can see what I'm up against!
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| Monday, March 16, 2009
Samhain editors actively looking for submissions!
At Samhain Publishing, despite all the great books on our current publishing schedule, some of the editors have spaces to fill. They're looking for talented authors and quality manuscripts where "it's all about the story".
For details of the editors actively looking to acquire manuscripts, and the type of manuscripts they'd love to see, check out the list below.
Please also check http://www.samhainpublishing.com/submissions for full instructions on how to submit to Samhain Publishing, whether directly to an editor or to the general submissions inbox.
Note: If you have any general questions about submitting (such as which elements make a manuscript unacceptable to Samhain), please don’t email an individual editor. If you can't find the answer on our submissions page, please email the general submissions inbox—editor@samhainpublishing.com—and our submissions coordinator will get back to you. Also, please don’t email the same manuscript to two Samhain editors at once!
The editors and what they want:
Lindsey McGurk:
For me, it really is all about the story. I’m ready to be wowed by unique, structured, conflict-driven stories in ALL subgenres and am especially fond of reunited couples, friends-to-lovers tales, mistaken identity plots and road romances or adventures that keep characters on the move.
I love the unfulfilled tension of inspirationals, traditional Regencies and other sweet romances, but my wilder side also craves sizzling erotic romance and romantic erotica. To support Samhain’s commitment to unique and varied offerings, I’d love to see more books with exotic settings, historicals set in unusual time periods, and non-traditional character types. Short stories (of at least 12k) and novellas are very welcome at the moment, and I’m also hankering for fairytale and other classic retellings, screwball comedies, and superheroes.
But I also love the excitement of falling for stories I didn’t know I wanted—menages with BDSM play, ghost romances, shifter heroes and demon slayers (and thank goodness, or I wouldn’t get to work with fantastic authors like Mari Carr, Carolan Ivey, Mandy M. Roth or Sydney Somers)—so don’t be restricted by what I want, just make your best effort to win me over by emailing your submission to: lindsey@samhainpublishing.com.
Heidi Moore:
I’m looking for strong heroines and even stronger heroes. I’m particularly keen on cowboys, vamps and shifters in any setting you can make work. Fantasy or futuristic, down on the ranch or between urban high-rises, whether you have a traditional couple, an interesting threesome or a hot pair of manly men—it’s all about the story. ;)
Some of my authors include Shiloh Walker, Jenna Bayley-Burke, Liz Craven, Ann Cory, NJ Walters, Evangeline Anderson and Ember Case. Email your manuscripts to Heidi at heidi@samhainpublishing.com.
Deborah Nemeth:
Male/male romance is selling very well for Samhain right now, as are Red Hots, so those subs are always welcome. I'm eager to sign more authors who write Renaissance/Georgian/Regency/Victorian-set historicals—especially red-hot Regencies, Regency romantic comedy, Regency suspense, or paranormal Regencies.
I love paranormal romance but would like to see something other than vamps—witches, ghosts, djinns, genies, cat shifters, dragons, fallen angels, whatever—only because I already have quite a few authors writing vampire series. In general, I prefer fantasy in richly layered worlds over sci-fi or futuristic-set romances. Romantic suspense interests me if it's well-paced, with high tension, especially when the romantic conflict is deftly interwoven with the suspense plot.
When it comes to straight contemporary romance, I’m looking for deeply emotional stories with fresh premises and real external conflict—not stories that rely on the same old I-was-hurt-before-and-don’t-want-to-trust-my-heart-again for the sole conflict. And, last but not least, I’m a sucker for romantic comedy that makes me laugh out loud.
Email me at deborah@samhainpublishing.com.
Laurie M. Rauch:
I’m looking first and foremost for a good story… a story that makes me laugh or makes me cry, but most of all makes me sigh at the end and know that two (or sometimes more…) people who were meant to be found each other and are happy.
I’m open to just about anything heat-wise, a good ménage (or more), BDSM, super-hot, a closed door or anything in between. I’m particularly looking for paranormals, urban fantasy, romantic comedy, chick lit, mysteries, romantic suspense, Red Hots or contemporary romance. And, you get to be a part of the Geekery!
Queries, questions, and submissions can be sent to laurie@samhainpublishing.com.
Anne Scott:
I love to edit a variety of different subgenres.
1) Shapeshifters. Werewolves, absolutely, but I enjoy other shifters, including cats, selkies, and anything that you can make work!
2) I adore m/m romance from red hot to closed door. If you have tamer m/m romances, I'd be excited to read them. I'd also love to see an f/f romance.
3) Romantic suspense requires a careful hand to keep both the romance and suspense strong. Ideally the romance and suspense are balanced and interdependent as they build together towards the book's ending.
4) Interracial/Multicultural. I'd love to see heroes and heroines from different backgrounds, cultures and/or races. In any subgenre.
5) Fantasy romance or fantasy with romantic elements. Take me away to a place that is different, with strong, fresh, intriguing world-building. Magic, other worlds, other beings, psychic powers. Show me something new!
6) Menage. I want menage that explores the emotional growth when three people are involved in a romance. It should be hot, yes. But three can make it complicated emotionally, and that is what intrigues me.
I’ve edited books by Cathryn Fox, Sami Lee, Mary Wine, Linda Winfree, Moira Rogers and Emily Veinglory. I’d be happy to receive submissions directly at anne@samhainpublishing.com.
Sasha Knight here. One of my authors (I’m looking at you, Ms. Ally Blue) has appointed me the title The Editor Queen of Samhain’s Gay Romance. I do love the manlove, and edit such fantastic authors as the aforementioned Ally Blue, J.L. Langley, K.A. Mitchell, Joely Skye, Josh Lanyon, Jordan Castillo Price, Claire Thompson, Z.A. Maxfield and many others. I’m always on the lookout for more gay fiction.
But that’s not all! I love urban fantasy, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, action-adventure suspense romances and space opera romances (sci-fi/futuristic with lots of action and romance), all with any level of sexual heat you want to throw at me. There’s plenty of room in my 2009 release calendar, and I’d love to see what you have to offer me.
Email me at sasha@samhainpublishing.com.
Angela James:
I’m probably the busiest of the editors, since I’m also the Executive Editor, so I’m throwing my info out there only for those who for some reason are interested in working with me in particular, even knowing I’ll be a busy editor. Since I trained them, I highly recommend all of the editors, you can’t go wrong with their skill, dedication and passion. They’re the reason Samhain’s books are outstanding.
I’m happy to edit just about any romance genre. I’ve been reading it since I was in fourth grade, I’ve learned to love everything about romance. But I’m also an avid fan of science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy, in both my pleasure reading and my editing. I edit about 60 Samhain authors including Lilith Saintcrow, Jaci Burton, Deidre Knight, Lorelei James and Lauren Dane.
Right now, I would particularly like m/m (any time period or heat level), futuristic romance, urban fantasy, and hot contemporary romance. However, I do edit in all genres across the board (though I’m a really tough sell on romantic suspense) and have a good number of bestselling books and authors at Samhain, in a variety of genres.
You can email me at angie@samhainpublishing.com but please, please, please read the submissions guidelines first!
Other acquiring editors not listed:
Bethany Morgan
Tera Kleinfelter
Linda Ingmanson
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| Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The wickedness of inanimate objects
Just a random selection of wicked inanimate objects over the last week:
The dishwasher, which sometimes, instead of its intended rinse/wash/dry cycle, does a whole new cycle consisting of rinse dirt off dishes/stir into grainy soup at bottom of dishwasher/throw violently up into whole of rest of dishwasher so it coats plates, cups and wineglasses/ blast with heat so coating bakes into thin, gritty, almost-impermeable layer which then requires soaking and washing-up by hand in manner of Victorian scullery maid. What do I even have a dishwasher for?
The router that gives us our wifi network. Sometimes every wifi gadget in the house works blazingly, fabulously fast wherever you are. Sometimes you can sit next to the router as it blinks its little lights and pretends to be working, being told "signal weak" or "no detected networks". I may, possibly, have managed to fix this, but I won't believe it just yet.
Not quite a single inanimate object, this one, but I'm going to count it anyway: the whole DRM-locked, too-many-damn-formats world of ebooks.
I bought the last three books in the Twilight quartet at Fictionwise, in Mobipocket format to read on my handheld PDA. One of them got caught in the Fictionwise/Overdrive problems, so Fictionwise replaced it with the secure ereader format.
So, Sparkler can now read one of the Twilight books on her iTouch, but not the others. And if I have a Mobipocket crash or if files get corrupted, I will not be able to re-download a Mobipocket version of that book, so will only be able to read two of the books, despite having bought (not rented, bought) all three.
I absolutely understand and agree that the first sale doctrine doesn't apply to ebooks, and I don't ask for the right to lend them outside my immediate household, or email copies of them to friends, or sell them on, but I do think that once I've bought a book I (and my immediate household) should be able to read it on any and all of the desktops, laptops, PDAs, iTouches and iPhones that belong to my household. And if it weren't for multiple formats clashing with each other, and DRM locking everything so you can't convert, I'd be able to.
Last week my boss (the evil but nice Angie James) gave me Fictionwise vouchers for my birthday. Which is a fabulous present, full of win and instant gratifcation. And I whizzed round FW happily filling my cart with Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, Love is Hell by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld et al, and Poison Study by Maria Snyder.
I got to the checkout and was told that Poison Study was only available in Microsoft Reader, not Mobipocket. I have Microsoft Reader on the PDA, so I didn't worry. FW did warn me to download a particular free MS Reader book first, to test it would work on my PDA, but when I tried it was geographically limited so I couldn't. So I bought Poison Study anyway.
Turns out the operating system on my PDA won't cope with secure MS Reader files, and illegal errors me when I try to open it. So I'm going to have to read Poison Study on my laptop instead. Which is not a huge problem, and is actually my own fault for not checking out the specs more thoroughly beforehand, but again, if it wasn't DRM-ed I could convert it into a format the PDA could read. And, again, if there weren't so many clashing formats (or if all bookstores provided all of them, like Samhain Publishing does!) I'd have bought everything in one universal format and it would be readable on everything.
And the frustrating thing is, I know the technology could cope with providing this, and we only have all these obstacles in the way of reading because manufactuers and booksellers choose to put them there. I understand it's an attempt to prevent piracy (and I so agree with wanting to prevent piracy!) but all it does is prevent me, an epublished author, an ebook reader, an employee of an epublishing company, who would never want to cheat the author, publisher or bookseller of their profit, from reading my legally purchased ebooks in the way I want to.
As a funny - or possibly really disheartening - addendum to the piracy issue, I was reading reviews of the Stanza ereader iPhone app yesterday. And one furious-sounding person had posted: "Totally rubbish. I wanted to read Twilight and it tried to make me pay for it. Stupid thing." To which someone else replied: "Yes. It's an ebook-reading app, not a piracy app." They didn't say duh, but I like to think it was implied.
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Scented Danger
a Red Riding Hood Anthology story
from Drollerie Press
Within the Darkness
Blood of the Volcano
Shadow-Weaver
A Cloak of Feathers
Linked
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