Crimson Rose Birthday Bash

Welcome to the world of mystery and intrigue as we celebrate the third birthday of The Wild Rose Press.

During this Crimson Rose hour, you will need to be on the look-out for exploding cakes, poisoned drinks, extreme terrorists…doesn’t it make your heart pound? The really great part is all of these plots are imagined by the incredible authors we get to spend our days with. If you haven’t had a chance to look through the Crimson page lately, I really have to suggest you do. We cover everything from political conspiracy to military intrigue to witness protection to plain ole murder and so much more.

One of my greatest joys is receiving the new queries from authors to see just how far their imaginations take new plots. So, you ask, what do we look for in suspense? There are, of course, the important aspects all lines look for—a clean manuscript (as in run spell check and delete all “notes to self” before submitting J), well done point of view shifts, etc. Specifically in Crimson, though, we are looking for a fresh plot or an old plot twisted into something new. Keep us guessing as to where the story will end.

The heroes we are looking for are the strong, protective, take charge, caring, gentle, compassionate, passionate, tender, knock-your-socks-off, take-a-bullet-for-you kind of guys. The heroines are…well…us. They need to be able to walk beside the hero and be an equal partner when it comes right down to it. A woman who cries at the drop of the hat doesn’t really work but yet one who does cry and show emotion is equally important. The great part about Crimson though is the villain. This is the line where this character can flourish. The sky is the limit on where this character can go but it does have to be believable. All in all, though, we have seen some wonderful characters be introduced through Crimson Rose and can’t wait to open the new query that comes through.

Currently, we are looking for “Men in Uniform.” We are open for all submissions at this point and would love to see some new authors come through our portals. However, the Men in Uniform is a new submission call featuring all men in uniform. This can be any type of uniform from astronaut to military to dog catcher to fast food cashier to…well, wherever your imagination goes. Have fun and if you submit, just reference this in your cover letter.
Crimson Rose is open for all manuscript lengths and all levels of spice—from the very subtle to the hot. You can send us your manuscript through queryus@thewildrosepress.com and if you ever have any questions, you can email me at lori@thewildrosepress.com.

In getting back to the birthday party at hand, I want to lift up my congrats, along with all of them that have been going up today, to The Wild Rose Press, Rhonda and RJ. I started just after the initial opening and I have to say it has been a great ride. Thanks, Rhonda and RJ, for finding a blooming place for all of us and for giving the gardeners the tools to flourish. I have been blessed.

I have met a lot of wonderful people and had a great time. The staff here is a great bunch of people and I want to really thank the Crimson Rose staff in particular. Ally, Johanna, Julie, Laura, Mary and Michelle are wonderful editors (keep the manuscripts coming so I can keep them all busy J). Thank you also to the fabulous authors that each of us get to work with every day. What a thrill! In more ways than one!!

Okay, I don’t want to rain too much sentimentality and flood the garden or spread too much manure so I’ll leave it at that. Glad you could join the Crimson Rose party. Remember to check your drink before you settle down for the fun cuz you never know…

Lori Graham
Senior Editor
Crimson Rose