Romantically Yours

Issue #05
May, 2005

Dear Romance Student,

It's hard to believe that May's almost over. It's been six months since "Writing for Love or Money" was launched and I've heard from many of you telling me that your manuscripts are close to completion, and you are chomping at the bit to submit them to an editor or agent.

To help you get that process started, I've published a more comprehensive overview of the houses that are currently acquiring. Simply scroll to the end of this newsletter and see which publisher is your perfect fit.

Good luck ... and happy writing!

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Tools of the Trade

Sound Bites for Romance Authors
Things I Wish I'd Said

This month's tip is provided by Waldenbooks best-selling author Linda Conrad. For more about Linda, visit www.lindaconrad.com.

"In my career, I have learned much from" other authors. Sharing tips with aspiring authors is a great tradition in the world of romance writers. So here are my best of the bunch (in no particular order)":

  • Start your book with a dead horse in the living room. (Rebecca York)
  • Always open any book (even straight romance) in the middle of the action.
  • Write Chapters 1, 2, and 3 -- THEN throw out Chapter 1. (Annie Steinmetz)
  • Research the market. (Robin Perini and Ann Wiley) Build a database of the books you read. Send for the guidelines from those publishers and try to write a book that you would be happy reading.
  • Know your characters. (Maggie Price) Clip pictures of how you see your hero and heroine from catalogues or magazines. Keep the pictures over your computer, visualizing as you write.
  • Focus during the writing process. (Debbie McComber) Schedule your writing around other commitments (children, day jobs) but use a calendar to schedule how many pages you intend to write on which day.
  • Finding your voice in writing is like analyzing your handwriting: It's unique, filled with your personality. (Jina Bacarr) You wouldn't copy someone else's handwriting, don't try it with voice.
  • Walk, jog, run, and dash. Always include a mix of action and calm. (Joanna Wayne)
  • Play the game by your own rules. (Merline Lovelace) Don't wait over three months to hear from an editor or agent! Call them, and then send the manuscript to someone else. Don't sit on your second or third manuscript while you're waiting! Keep writing!
  • And, finally from yours truly:

    When building the conflict and the plot for your novel, write down seven things that could happen.

    Then toss them all out and think of another one. Your first ideas are ones the reader will have thought of as well. Don't get caught up in the trite or clichéd.
Upcoming Conferences

Alicia Rasley: Top Ten Plot Problems and How to Solve Them
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance of Romance
Location: Radisson Hotel, Corning, NY
Fee: $65-$85, late fees apply
Date: June 5, 2005

Interactive workshop. Bring your outline/synopsis.

FMI Contact:
Thea McGinnis
607-739-0463
Email: thea7890@aol.com
members@aol.com/starrwa

Kathleen Gilles-Speidel: How to Make Your Happy Endings Happier
Sponsor: Heart of Carolina Romance Writers
Location: Bond Park Community Center, Cary, NC
Fee: $10-$20
Date: June 11, 2005

FMI E-mail: programs@heartofcarolina.org | www.heartofcarolina.org.

Plottioing Your Novel: Your RX for Success
Sponsor: Capital Region RWA
Location: The Desmond, Albany, NY
Fee: $55-$80
Date: June 11, 2005

Speaker: The Plot Doctor Carolyn Greene.
Book sale/signing.
FMI: Contact Victoria Noxon at:
ConferenceVN@cr-rwa.org
www.crrwa.org

As promised last month, I had an opportunity to interview romance author Wayne Jordan, who was fortunate enough to sign a two-book deal with BET's Arabesque line. And that's the first time around.

Yeah, Wayne! Here's a little about this talented author:

Wayne is a high school teacher of Literature, Language, and Theater Arts. He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, and holds a B.A. in Literature/Linguistics and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics.

He lives on the beautiful tropical island of Barbados, with its white sand beaches and golden sunshine. To quote Wayne, "This perfect setting allows for the romance stories germinating in this crazy creative brain of mine."

Wayne is also the creator and editor in chief of www.romanceincolor.com. His first release, Capture the Sunrise, will be coming out in November 2005.

It's the first part of a four-book series that he is writing, to be entitled "The Buchanan Brothers."

Watch for it. Now, on with the interview!

Romantically yours,

Marcia King-Gamble
Director of Student Services and
Editor of "Writing for Love and Money"

Interview with Wayne Jordan

RY: I'd first like to offer my congratulations on your contract for the first two books in your Buchanan Brothers series. Very well deserved, I might add. Can you tell our students how you felt when the call came?

WJ: I felt excited, speechless, and humbled that an editor thought my writing was good enough to publish -- more so because I sold on a synopsis and three chapters. Then I went on the Internet and emailed all my friends.

RY: What did you do to prepare? How long were you writing? Were you sending out weekly submissions? Entering contests? Attending conferences?

WJ: I've been writing seriously for almost 10 years, but took two years off to pursue a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. I've been preparing for publication for years. I learned the craft by joining online writers'

communities, joining RWA and the Outreach Chapter, attending conferences and doing workshops ... and reading books on the craft of writing. I've entered two contests. In 2000, my first manuscript, Capture the Sunrise, placed third in the Single Title category of the Outreach Chapter's annual contest.

In 2001, after I graduated, I spent a year polishing the manuscript and entered the Heart and Soul Contest of the Romance Slam Jam Contest ... and won! I submitted to Arabesque in October 2003, and received the official CALL two days before Christmas Day of 2003.

RY: You're a school teacher with advanced degrees.

Why write romance?

WJ: That's an easy one. I see romance as just another genre of the books I read. My B. A. is in Literature and that's the subject I teach. But, most important, I love romance. I love happy endings ... and "literary texts," as we so like to call them, can be fairly depressing at times. I'm not sure that I want to be entertained by the so-called "profound works of literature." When I sit down to read and relax, I want to be transported to a world where there are happy endings. Maybe that's idealistic and fanciful, but that's who I am! Wayne Jordan ... the romantic ... the dreamer!

RY: You've also always been a big supporter of romance writers. You've helped many launch successful careers. Thank you, Wayne. Tell us about your being Editor in Chief of Romance in Color (www.romanceincolor.com). What prompted you to launch this site?

WJ: I started reading romance when I was about 15 years old. I have an aunt who is just three years older than I am. She's more like a sister, not only because we're so close in age but also because my mother became her guardian when their mother died. My aunt would bring home Mills & Boons from school.

So when I ran out of books to read, I'd pick one up.

What I liked about those stories back then was that they transported me to places I'd only heard about in geography class.

Of course, those books featured white main characters. When the Arabesque line started in 1994, I was so excited! In 1998, when the Internet was slowly becoming a feature of every household, I came online and noticed the lack of African-American

romance sites ... so I started Romance in Color. A few days after I started the site, Melanie Schuster asked if she could be a reviewer, and I welcomed her to the staff. We're now both writing for BET/Arabesque.

RY: It is said that to stay on top of the game, an author needs to be in New York. Yet several best-selling authors live in other states, a few in rural areas. And, like you, some live abroad. There's Fiona Hood-Steward in Switzerland, Carole Matthews in England, Roslyn Carrington (a.k.a. Simona

Taylor) in Trinidad, Fiona Brand in New Zealand, and you in Barbados. What's your advice to fellow writers who might feel a bit disconnected?

WJ: Get online, subscribe to author lists, and join RWA and one of the online chapters. That's how I was able to reduce the miles I live from New York.

RY: Since you've picked a genre that is pretty much female-dominated, how do you plan on handling the raised eyebrows when the reader finds out you're a man? Will you be using a pseudonym?

WJ: At first, it was a bit embarrassing, more so when I was younger. But to be honest ... it really doesn't bother me these days. My family and friends support me, and all of my literature students, boys and girls, want to read my book. They're all proud of me.

And signing with BET has made me a hero in their sight since that's the television channel they watch most of the time. Of course, I hear "Sir is an author. He's rich!" (If they only knew.)

RY: From a writing perspective, what have you seen men bring to this female-dominated industry that is different? What are you bringing to the table?

WJ: I'm not sure we're bringing something different.

I want my stories to be romance, just like the female authors. What I do hope to do is allow the readers a closer look into the strong but vulnerable psyche of the romance hero.

RY: Over 15% of those enrolled in "Writing for Love or Money" are male. What would you say to these men to keep them encouraged and writing?

WJ: Just take a look at the cover of my book with my name on it, and know that it's possible. I've been thinking seriously about starting a support list online for male romance authors.

RY: I am dying to hear about your plots, and I'm just bursting with questions. Can you give us a preview of your new stories? When will the first volume be released? Is there a recurring theme?

WJ: I'm contracted with BET/Arabesque for two books, and since I love series, I have them planned as the first two volumes of a four-book series entitled "The Buchanan Brothers." Capture the Sunrise comes out in November 2005, and the second one, Embrace the Moonlight, comes out in 2006. I already have the plots of each story worked out. The first story is about two wounded characters who must learn to live and love again. One of the most important features of the stories I write is that the hero and heroine grow as individuals because of some situation or conflict in their lives.

RY: Will your stories be written primarily from the male point of view? And I hope I'm not making you blush, but ... what was it like to write the sex scenes?

WJ: Yes, most of Capture the Sunrise and Embrace the Moonlight is written from the male POV, since that's where I'm most comfortable. I'm assuming it's just as easy for a male author to write parts of a book from a female POV as it is for a female author to write from a male POV -- but, I have to admit, writing love scenes from a female POV did feel weird at first.

RY: Now that you have us intrigued, what are your plans to promote your books?

WJ: I've not even thought that far ahead in any detail. I know that BET is doing a special promotion, since my first book is a 2-in-1 volume featuring their first male author. I'm on sabbatical from July until January 2006, so I'll be at RWA Nationals in July and in New York in October/November to coincide with the release of the book. The official promotion starts at the America Book Expo in early June.

RY: Share with us some of your writing habits. Do you have a time set aside each day to write? Do you have special place where you work?

WJ: I have an office where I work on my writing, usually at night. I try to write 5 to 10 pages each time.

RY: And, finally, what else would you like our students to know about Wayne Jordan ... the writer and the man?

WJ: I live on the island of Barbados, and most of my stories will be partially set here. I am aware that my audience is American, so my knowledge of the U.S. will play a part in balancing my settings.

I'm a born again Christian. I love to sing and act. I also teach Theatre Arts and Communication. And you can visit me at www.waynejordan.com or www.arabesqueauthors.com, or write me at author@waynejordan.com.

Who's Acquiring
  • Avalon Books -- Actively seeking contemporary romances, historicals, mysteries, and series westerns.
  • Avon Books -- Accepting historicals and contemporaries featuring dark heroes. Looking for new voices in mainstream fiction. Some editors are looking for high concept romantic suspense and chick-lit as well as vampire, witch, and werewolf stories.
  • Regency/Victorian and fun chick-lit. One editor is looking for contemporary Latina and African-American stories. Another one wants sexy Scottish and Medieval romances.
  • Mills & Boon Medical Romance -- Actively recruiting new authors.
  • Harlequin NEXT -- Looking for an extension of series fiction. Stories encompassing all the stages of a woman's life. Stories should be warm, entertaining, and inspiring.
  • Ellora's Cave Publishing -- Accepting all erotic romance genres: vampire/shapeshifter, futuristic.
    Interested in gay/lesbian romances.
  • Barbour Publishing Inc. -- Looking for medieval, Victorian, western, and Civil War stories.
  • Dorchester Publishing -- Currently seeking time travel, historical, futuristic, and paranormal.
    Please note actively acquiring for Smooch, a new young adult imprint.
  • New American Library -- Looking for Signet Regencies, contemporary romances, and general women's fiction
  • Tyndale House Publishing -- Seeking inspirational contemporary, inspirational historical, romance, and romantic suspense.
  • Warner Books -- Acquiring historical and contemporary romances, including romantic suspense and paranormal.
COMING NEXT MONTH:

In June, we'll interview an editor who has worked for some of the major publishing houses.

ABOUT ROMANTICALLY YOURS

Romantically Yours is a FREE monthly newsletter for students of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s Romance Writing Course – “Writing for Love and Money.”

We want to hear from you. Please send comments, news, research, or story ideas directly to Marcia King-Gamble at romanticallyyours@awaionline.com.

American Writers & Artists Inc.
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Phone (561) 278-5557
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© 2005 American Writers & Artists Inc.