New Releases to Look For

THE HIGHWAYMAN

Michele Hauf

ISBN 978-0-373-61815-6

Demon hunter/familiar

Max Fitzroy, the legendary Highwayman, had slain scores of demons with a razor-lined whip and a burning need for revenge. Now, to rid himself of the demon inside him—who’d cursed him with immortality and stolen all sensual pleasures—Max needed a witch’s familiar, the one creature he’d made a career of killing.

But the Highwayman wasn’t prepared for the familiar named Aby. The sleek and sexy conduit to the demon world saw past his demonic shadows as easily as he scaled the walls she’d erected to protect herself. Max needed Aby to grant him his freedom, and then he needed to slay her. But how could he destroy the only creature he’d desired in centuries?

Interview: Heather Osborn, TOR

Today we are welcoming Heather Osborn, editor for TOR. To submit to TOR follow their submission guidelines. Also we will be welcoming Heather to a special Q&A session with FF&P members on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. You will need to be a member of FF&P to view this session and participate. We'd like to thank Heather for taking the time to answer these questions.


1. You gathered a bunch of followers on Twitter when you announced you
were looking for a manuscript to fill a hole in your schedule. What was
your impression of the submissions you received from that call and do
you think that you would do something like that again in the future?

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of manuscripts I received. Yes, there were some clunkers, but the vast majority of them were well written – which, believe me, is not often the norm when it comes to un-agented or unsolicited submissions. I am actually still working my way through some of those submissions – all told, I ended up with around 80 manuscripts. I would have no hesitation in doing a public call for submissions again.

2. Because you've mentioned it before and it deserves being mentioned
again, TOR takes unagented submissions, but you don't want a query
letter, just the first 3 chapters and a synopsis. Why do you choose to
bypass the query letter? What do you gain by going straight to a partial?

Well, the purpose of a query letter is to inquire as to whether or not someone is interested in looking at your partial. Because Tor is always interested in looking at the partials, there is no real need for a “query letter”, per se. That being said, I do encourage a cover letter to accompany the submission. The cover letter would contain much of the same information as the query letter, but would not ask if I am interested in seeing the submission, as ideally, it would be sitting on top of the submission when I read it!

3. What type of stories are you looking for in romance right now? Is
there something in particular you'd love to see cross your desk? How
many romances is TOR releasing a month?

Hmmm, I really love all different types of paranormal romance. The main thing I am looking for (what all editors look for, actually!) is a compulsively readable, well-written story. I like all different levels of heat, from super sexy to sweet. As for what I’d love to see cross my desk…hmmm, a book from Patricia Briggs, Naomi Novik, Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh… I could go on and on! But more seriously, I just want a great read. Right now, I would love to see a great vampire, werewolf, or futuristic story cross my desk. For some reason, I don’t have a lot of them at the moment! The Tor Romance line currently publishes one romance a month.

4. You've mentioned an interest in Urban Fantasy. What particular traits
of Urban Fantasy are you looking for in a manuscript?

I love Urban Fantasy. LOVE. I try almost every new author out there, and what seems to draw me the most are strong female protagonists behaving in intelligent, realistic ways, intricate worlds, and a sense of real danger inherent in the setting and plot. Again, see Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, etc. I want to be sucked into an alternate version of the world, with a heroine who rings true as an authentic character. Not one who everyone adores, one who struggles with life, love, happiness, and possibly demons.

5. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Let’s see. Number one piece of advice: read your work aloud. It really helps to spot errors in the text as well as awkward and stilted dialogue. Make a book as clean as possible before submitting it. And that doesn’t mean running it through spell check. Get it critiqued, proof-read, beta read, etc. First impressions count.

And this isn’t really a piece of advice so much as a comment. 90% of the submissions I get start in the wrong place. Usually several chapters before they should. An editor will usually not read past a few chapters in order to find the real start of a story, so beginning a novel in the wrong place can be the kiss of death for new authors.

The other day on Twitter someone attributed this quote to (I believe) Teresa Medeiros: “Your book should start at the point where everything changes.” That is such fabulous advice. And I am willing to bet that if you think of the openings of any book you personally love, you will find that to be true.

6. Who is your all time favorite couple in a book?

That is such a tough question! I am a voracious reader, so there are tons of fictional couples I love. I guess for me, I have to go old school and say that my favorite couple is Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth from PERSUASION by Jane Austen. I know most people go for Elizabeth and Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but although I love P&P, Persuasion is actually my favorite Austen novel.

7. I see you are taking pitches at Nationals. Do you have any advice for
the writers who will be pitching to you?

Well, my advice would be that since you already know Tor Books accepts unagented, unsolicited manuscripts, you shouldn’t worry! Honestly, unless you are pitching something that we absolutely do not publish (children’s poetry, philosophical texts, etc), I will ask to see at least a partial. Other than that, I would ask you to relax, to understand that editors are not ogres or demons, and everything will be all right. I don’t mind if authors read off of cue cards in front of me, although I don’t think it is truly necessary. Treat me as you would anyone who asked you what your book is about. I don’t need polished cover copy, I just want to know what your book is about!

Also, it helps if you have some detailed information: Is the book complete? What genre and sub-genre is it? What is the word count? (I prefer actual word count, but estimated is fine, too.) Is it the first book in a planned series? What is the heat level? These are all things you should know about your own book.

8. Finally, twittering shows us a different side of editors and agents.
Do you like twittering and what was your favorite ride at Disney?

I love Twittering! It is actually the only social media that I find works for me. I have a sadly neglected LiveJournal that hasn’t been updated since January, and I am on Facebook but I never use it. I use Twitter almost every day. I do feel sorry for people who follow me expecting a professional editor viewpoint. I do occasionally comment on work, but never in any real detail. Instead I choose to talk about deliciously insane things like cookiecakepie and the Cupcake Truck currently parked outside the Flatiron building.

My favorite ride at Disneyworld was Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. I have a hilarious picture of me on it – I honestly have never looked happier than when staring down the barrel of a screaming Yeti.

Thanks again, Heather. We hope our FF&P members will take advantage of the Q&A session on Tuesday.

Steampunk Explained

We are pleased to have Gail Dayton as our guest PAN blogger as she explains to us one of the latest trends.


Steampunk is one of the new trends in science fiction/fantasy, and in
paranormal romance, but there are still a lot of people out there who aren¹t
quite sure what it is. My latest release from Tor Paranormal Romance, NEW
BLOOD, is a Victorian steampunk fantasy romance, so I thought I¹d take my
guest slot here at the FF&P blog to explain steampunk.

The word itself is fairly new. It comes from the word ³cyberpunk² which
refers to science fiction based on the Internet, or computers. Steampunk, in
its most basic form, refers to historical science fiction or fantasy. Jules
Verne¹s books could be considered steampunk, had they been written today.

He has fantastical machines and science, but based on the technology of the
Victorian era. Naomi Novik¹s Napoleonic-Wars-with-dragons novels are
fantasy, rather than science fiction, but they are generally considered to
fall into the steampunk category. It¹s speculative fiction, taking place in
³real² historical eras.

In terms of film or television, the movies "League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen" and "Wild, Wild West" are both steampunk stories. They both take
place in historical, steam-driven eras, and use machines and science that
were not possible in that time. Even fantasy, since LXG has a vampire in it.

My book, NEW BLOOD, takes place in Victorian-era Europe in a world where
magic is commonplace. (Do not let the cover of the book scare you. There are
no rivers of blood in this book. Just a few tiny drops.) Most people have
the ability to work simple spells for eliminating mustiness, for example, or
warding away ghosts, but some have the talent to do more, to become
virtuosos of magic. But during the witch-burnings of the 17th century, the
last blood sorceress was killed, women were banned from practicing magic,
and the blood magic of sorcery was lost.

Jax, blood servant of the last sorceress, has been searching for a new
sorceress, and finally finds her in the Carpathian wilderness. Amanusa turns
away from blood magic at first, fearing its evil, but she wants justice on
those who¹ve ruined her life. When she sets the magic loose, she must flee
for her life across a ravaged Europe, with Jax who is bound to her by blood
and magic.

The story is a quest and a romance, the beginning of a series which will
continue in February 2010 with a murder mystery on London¹s dark East End
Streets, HEART'S BLOOD.

Have I cleared up any confusion? Have I whetted any appetites for steampunk
stories? (Like mine, hint, hint--) I sure hope so! :)

New Releases to Look For

As summer is heating up so are our FF&P authors. Take a look at what's coming out this week. Remember some of these may not be available until later in the week.

To Hunt a Wolf
by Elizabeth L'Inconnu
ISBN: 1894817591

Available
eBook $4.95
Absoulte X Press
http://www.absolute-x-press.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=83

or at
All Romance
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tohuntawolf-17503-149.html

Print
Amazon - not listed yet - shouold be available June 30th

Adrian Gentry and his two sisters are long thought dead by their family. Taken captive by a vampire when they were young, Adrian assumed that Adam was killed that day until he felt Adam dying. Badly hurt and malnourished, Adrian finally escapes, knowing it is only a matter of time before his master finds him missing and hunts him down.

When Natalie Cash finds a wounded wolf on her property, she tries to help him. Calling in the local vet to help proves unwise, but Natalie will do all she can to see the wolf nursed back to health.

As he heals, Adrian finds himself falling for his new owner and despite his dislike of the vet, he knows he needs the man’s help - he has a silver bullet embedded in his rump.
Stuck in his wolf form, how will he convince Natalie to have the bullet removed and how will she take it when she discovers the truth that he is not only a wolf but a werewolf — part wolf and part man? Will she be as free with her affections for him then or will she throw him out to fend for himself in a world he no longer understands?

Title: Midnight's Master
Author: Cynthia Eden
Release date: 6/30/09
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Blurb:

In a world of shadows, desire conquers all...
Tall, dark, and formidable, Niol Lapen is the last demon on earth most people would ask for a favor, yet the sexy little reporter who wanders into his club dares to do exactly that. Holly Storm already knows too much about his kind, and Niol has no wish to help her get in deeper over her head. But working alongside her may be the only way to stop a killer, even as it ignites a primal desire unlike anything he's known.

Holly has seen firsthand what Niol is capable of, but that doesn't frighten her nearly as much as her body's instinctive reaction to him, or the wild, fierce passion that would tempt her to follow him through hell itself. Something evil and relentless is prowling the streets of Atlanta. And as Holly's search leads her into danger that even Niol could never have predicted, she'll uncover a secret that could rip her world apart.

Author's website: http://www.cynthiaeden.com/
Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Midnights-Master-Cynthia-Eden/dp/0758234260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245853330&sr=1-1

Phantom Affair

Katherine Kingston
Release date: July 3, 2009
ISBN: 9781419923067

Robert is the best lover Kelly has ever had—handsome, thoughtful, engaging and a thrilling sexual dominant. Too bad he’s a ghost who can’t actually touch her. When Robert suggests that a risky sexual adventure that could offer him a second chance at corporeal life, Kelly agrees to it. He’s open about the dangers of the process, but success carries its own peril. Reality cannot possibly live up to fantasy, can it?

Note: Part of the proceeds from this book is being donated to the family of Lara Anne Punches, whose life ended tragically and too early.

Echoes of Passion
Eilis Flynn
9781419920097
$5.95
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7007-47-echoes-of-passion.aspx

On sale on July 2, 2009

He had to discover the truth behind the lies.

When Secret Sciences Police officer Daegon Bosaru hears rumors about the role that his dying father, the former Neotian ambassador to the Amalgamation, played in the Neotian civil war, he has to find out what really happened. To do so, Daegon must travel to the new home world of his clan — where he encounters a mysterious, passionate woman he has been seeing in his dreams for most of his life. She has information he needs — but she disappears whenever he gets close to her.

What does the mysterious woman know? And how do the accusations against his father fit in? Bosaru discovers that the crazed ex-dictator who led the home world into a civil war is still alive and plans to rise to glory again, no matter how many more people have to die for it to happen.

For the researchers in all of us, a non-fiction book by a FF&P author

Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales

by Pamela K. Kinney
ISBN: 978-0-7643-3281-4
$14.99
256 Pages

Back of Haunted Virginia's Blurb:

Virginia is unique with haunting myths, legends, and yes, even true stories that may sound like legends.

Take a ghostly tour of this historic state to learn about the Bunnyman urban legend and what happens to mortals at his Bunnyman Bridge in Clifton at midnight on Halloween. Discover the myths that surround Edgar Allan Poe and other famous Virginians.

See why Natural Bridge is actually a haunted tourist attraction; and what makes the Great Dismal Swamp so creepy: Is it the ghosts or Bigfoot? Meet the Witch of Pungo in Virginia Beach.

Find out that Mothman and the Jersey Devil weren't just seen in their own states, but actually visited Virginia at one time.

Read about witches, demons, monsters, ghosts, pirates, strange animals, and Civil War legends. Visit an amazing, frightening, and even intriguing Virginia that you never knew existe

Happy Friday

Just a head's up post. Next Friday we'll be posting an interview with editor Heather Osborn from Tor. On Tuesday July 7th, we'll have a special treat for our members. The new internal blog will be open and Heather Osborn will be available for questions and answers throughout Tuesday July 7th.

Edited to change days of the week :-) TGIF

Science Fiction is Everywhere

Join us as we welcome guest blogger PAN author Eilis Flynn to the FF&P blog.

Have you ever watched a TV show called Good Eats? It's on the Food Network,
and it's a quirky show about cooking. It's got humor and science and
learning how cooking works and even a recipe or two along the way. It's an
acquired taste, though, since it's filled with puns and silly jokes.

In a recent episode -- one devoted to the history of punch -- when Alton
Brown, the host, is explaining what goes into the drink, he mentions that
spices are necessary to make punch. At that point, one of Alton's sidekicks
intones, "Control the spice, and you control the universe." To which Alton
responds, "You gotta lay off the sci-fi!"

Now, you and I know the reference: Dune, by Frank Herbert. And I have to
confess I was falling asleep at that point, but The Hub's cackling at that
woke me up, and he had to rewind (or whatever the TiVo version is) so I could
hear the joke too. I laughed -- but I wondered the next morning how many of
the show's viewers did get it. And what it means when a cooking show slips in
a science fiction reference. There had to be an assumption when that
episode was being written that enough of the viewers would know the reference; the source had to be famous enough that enough people would get it.

Until that point, I would have assumed that the only science fiction works
with enough notoreity would have been Star Trek, Star Wars, even Battlestar
Galactica, and those specifically because they were visual media oriented
(ie, TV or movies). And I guess Dune now, because there have been enough movie and TV adaptations of the series that it's worked its way into the memories of the average viewership. (Or Good Eats has a viewership that skews that way, which is possible, considering how many people I know who have talked about the show.) (But have you SEEN those adaptations of Dune? The best you can really say is that the David Lynch motion picture introduced a very young Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and the Sci-Fi version ... uh, I can't remember what we can say about that one. And the third version ... I could have sworn there was a third one. Anyway.)

The point I want to make (and yes, I do mean to make one, no matter how convoluted) is that science fiction is everywhere. Like romance, it may be a genre that doesn't necessarily get a lot of respect, but no matter what, it is part of our society. Everyone knows Mr. Spock (especially, these days, as played by Zachary Quinto); everyone knows James Tiberius Kirk (the original and/or the update); and the Force is always with us, no matter how horribly George Lucas tries to mangle his own work. (Who here liked Star Wars parts 1, 2, and 3? Anybody? Anybody?) And who would have thought that Frank Herbert's work would be referenced in a cooking show, of all places?!

Science fiction is everywhere. It's part of our lives. Like romance, as
long as we can look up at the sky and wonder what's up there, it will be with
us.

Eilis Flynn
ECHOES OF PASSION, on sale on July 2, 2009
INTRODUCING SONIKA, on sale now at CerridwenPress.com
http://www.eilisflynn.com/, eilisflynn.blogspot.com, www.myspace.com/eilisflynn

2009 On the Far Side Contest

Got fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal? Then the On the Far Side contest is for you!!
Welcome dragons, witches, ghosties, vampires, shape shifters, unicorns, and any creature your imagination can conjure up in a galaxy far, far away, in a time long past, or in your very own backyard.

OTFS IS ALL ELECTRONIC!! NO MAILING FEES!
NEW: OPTIONAL synopsis, website banners for finalists/winners
First Round Judges: trained and/or published

Requirements:

*Must not be published in full length fiction (40,000+) for the genre entering/or not published in genre entering for past 5 years
*Entry fee: $20 members/$30 non-members
*First 20 pages of manuscript
*OPTIONAL synopsis (NEW)
*Entry received by DEADLINE: August 20, 2009

Final round judges are acquiring editors and agents of all genres of paranormal romance. Take this opportunity to get your best work in front of:

Erotic: Kelli Kwiatkowski, Ellora’s Cave
Romantic Elements: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency
Futuristic: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
General Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester
Time Travel: TO BE DETERMINED
Fantasy: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Young Adult: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary

***Prizes***
All finalists receive a certificate and an OTFS finalist website banner (NEW).
Winners of each category receive a check for $20, a pin, an OTFS winner website banner (NEW), and a certificate.2nd Place receives a check for $15 and a certificate3rd place receives a check for $10 and a certificate
For details and entry forms, go to http://www.romance-ffp.com.

Arwen Lynch & Michelle Miles
2009 On the Far Side Coordinators