Frequently Asked Questions

 Thanks for all your great feedback on my site!  I love to hear from people either via email or on the guest book!  I get many of the same questions from visitors in email.  I hope this page will help answer some of those questions:

Q: Are you published?

A: Unfortunately, the answer to this one is no... so far.  I am actively seeking publishing houses for two of my books, editing two more, and happily engrossed in writing a fifth.  I'm also on an agent hunt.  At some point I think it's all going to work out.  When I am published, I will post something on the website letting everyone know about it!

Q: I'm a published author, and I want you to review my book.  How can I go about setting this up?

A: When I started the page, I basically only reviewed the books I picked out at the bookstore or at Amazon.com.  I wasn't picking any of them based on anything but personal preference.  I don't have anything personal against any particular author or romance type, although I do mostly read historicals.  That's also what I write.

I've had several requests to review specific books by authors.  If you'd like me to read your book for a review on my site, I can arrange that.  Please email me with the name of your book and the name you published it under.  If you are really anxious to get your book read, please send me a copy.  I have a limited romance novel budget per month and I may not get to it for several months otherwise as I usually have books I am extremely anxious to read that I will probably spend my money on first.  But I will read your book if you send it to me.  :)

Q: I'm an unpublished author and I'd like you to read and critique my manuscript.  Do you do this?

A: Again, when I created this website I never expected such a great response from other authors!  It's very exciting.  I'm not an editor or a published author, but I would be willing to read your manuscript and give you feedback, although it will be based on my own preferences and things I've learned as an author and critique partner.  Unfortunately, I am very swamped for time and so I will have to charge a small fee to read and critique unpublished manuscripts.  Please email me privately and we can discuss the specifics.

Q: I'm an unpublished author, can you help me get my manuscript published?

A: I wish I could!  If I could help you, I could help me.  If you have specific questions about the trade or publishers, go right ahead and ask.  I'll do my best to answer.  My biggest hint is to join Romance Writers of America.  In the time I've been a member of this organization I've learned more about the industry than in the whole year before I joined doing research on and offline.  Plus, you'll get support and the knowledge that there are many other people out there trying to do what you're doing! 

Aside from that, just read as many books in the specific genre you're writing (historicals if you're writing historicals, contemps in you're writing contemps, category if you're writing category).  Reading romances will give you the feel for the rhythm and themes romances follow as a general rule.

Finally, if you don't like romances, please don't write them.  You may think it's an "easy" market to break in to, or that "anyone" can write them.  Those are two big misconceptions.  If you don't like romance, your contempt will come across in your work and editors and readers will sense it.  Write what you love!!!!

Q: I write (fill in the blank here) stories.  Would you have any recommendations for a publisher?

A: I've only really done research on romance publishers, but many of them, such as Avon, Hardshell, etc, publish a wide variety of genre and literary fiction.  You can still link through to their pages and check out what other types of fiction/non-fiction they produce.  Another good hint is buy the Writer's Market, a book that lists where you can try to sell your book, short story, etc.  Finally, read what you're writing.  It's really the best way to figure out who's buying your type of story.  When you read a new mystery, erotic fiction piece, whatever, check the publisher.  If you're writing something similar to what they're publishing, you'll have a much better chance of getting in!

Q: How do you write romances?

A: Read, read, read, read!!!!!  If you read them, they'll spark ideas for you.  Buy or check out books on romance writing.  Those things can help, but if you love to write and can think up a plot, you have a good start.  Writing in any form is hard work, without the regular paycheck or feedback a regular job gives to keep you going!  I only know that from my experience you wake up every day... and you do it.