Friday, May 1, 2009

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

37 comments:

Nicola said...

I do love a man in uniform...but then, who doesn't? Hope you get lots of great submissions.

danie88 said...

exploding cakes? hmm id really enjoying seeing that hehe :D

and I as well love a man in uniform... i love their strong willed, stubborn, protective attitudes... *sigh* so amazing... :)

Silver James said...

I really need to get in gear and get my romantic suspense novels polished to get them submitted. Unfortunately, in my only "uniform" novel, my heroine is wearing it. Unless you consider a three-piece suit a uniform - lol. The hero is an attorney.

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Well, never let it be said we don't keep a party exciting. So what's your favorite man in uniform? Mine has to be th naval whites. Yum. My husband just chuckles whenever one comes on TV. Of course, a Sean Connery accent isn't too bad either. :)

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Silver, don't know your story but what about having him be a JAG officer? Lawyer and military officer. Seriously, though, we would love to see whatever you have whether he is in uniform or not. Oh my, that is sounding a little like our scarlet line.

Mary Ricksen said...

The best thing in the world is when you love you job. You just can't beat that.
I'll duck the cakes.

Kaylea Cross said...

Crimson rose rocks! I'm partial to men in uniform, which is why my heroes are military men.
Keep up the great work, ladies!

Anonymous said...

I am late getting the notice about today or would have visited sooner :(.

Congrats on the anniversary Wild Rose :)!.

Your Crimson sections cover all kinds of great plots for suspense and the ones I've gotten to read were awesome!

Oh I like marines :).

Unknown said...

I like secret operatives, lol. Great post. :)

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Glad you guys could join us. It has been a great day all around.

Amber Leigh Williams said...

I loved writing for the Crimson Rose line and wish I had a really good premise for the Men in Uniform series. I'm working on it!

Big thanks to you, Lori, for editing Denied Origin. You helped me sort out that crazy POV thing and made the story really shine!

Long live Crimson Rose!!!

Amber

danie88 said...

i love the Navy SEALs :)

Anonymous said...

Lori, as an ex Crimson editor, I must say the talent that crossed my desk in the sixteen plus months of service was astonishing. Crimson authors simply rock, as do you and your inexhaustible leadership.
Happy Birthday, Rhonda, RJ and the entire WRP team!

Joelle

Ally said...

I'm thrilled to be a part of Wild Rose Press and sharing in another birthday. I was here for the first and I'm as excited today as I was then, maybe more so.

I have found some absolutely wonderful stories and met amazing people along the way.

Thanks, Lori, for being such a fantastic senior editor. And thanks to all the authors for working so hard to make your stories the best they can be.

I also love a man in uniform, cops, firemen, military, doctors, bring it on!!! :-)

Rebecca J. Clark said...

I love romantic suspense, and if I ever come up with a suspenseful plot, I'll send it this way. :)

I, too, love a man in (or out of) uniform. Sigh.

:)Becky

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Thanks, Joelle. By the way, for any of her previous authors out there, Joelle hasn't left the house but morphed over to para. :) Hope it is going great over there, Joelle.

And Amber, thanks. The words were yours - I just helped you arrange them.

Silver James said...

Sorry, Lori. :( She's an arson investigator. He's an attorney for the insurance company. I'm married to a former JAG officer. I fear anything I write about that would be a comedy! However, I'm retired from both the fire service and law enforcement so I just need to get creative and busy typing!

Favorite man out of uniform...my DH! Though firefighters come in a close second!

Helen Pilz said...

Did I hear we're having a half-naked, uniformed hero jumping out of our birthday cake? I knew I was at the right party!

Hywela Lyn said...

Well it's getting late over here in the UK, but I'm going to stay up a little while longer. My line is Faery Rose and I'm hoping to pop in with Birthday wishes if they're not too late coming on.

I've manged to check into every line so far and join in the Birthday festivities. I love reading the Crimson Rose Line, I enjoy a bit of excitement and intrigue with my romance!

As for exploding cakes - if a handsome man in uniform jumps out of it - count me in! LOL

Helen Pilz said...

Great mind, Hywela!

Anonymous said...

Ahh now this is my favorite line = D haha!

Sharon Donovan said...

Hmm. Exploding cakes and poison in the cocktails! Oh my, let's get this Crimson party started! Okay, Lori, now I'm getting all kinds of ideas for new storylines. But you know me, I have to have my psychopath in there somewhere. Can he be the man in uniform? LOL Happy Birthday TWRP! Crimson Rose rocks under Lori's fist. All the best and continued success!

Lori Quisley Graham said...

the man in uniform is what causes the cake to explode, of course. What other reason could there be?

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Faery rose is coming up at the top of the hour and I know they are getting ready. Get out the toothpicks and prop your eyes open. Or better yet, we will send on the uniformed specialists over to help you.

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Sharon, your villain can definitely be a man in uniform. Just make sure the hero is as well. Glad to hear your juices are jumping. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Crystal-Rain Love said...

I haven't tried any in the Crimson line yet (shocking since I write mostly paranormal and suspense)but I'm sure they're great. All the other lines have been.
Any kind of uniform, huh? So even a Chippendales uniform? Where oh where would the hero hide his weapon?

Tess Thieler said...

Hi Lori! I'm so glad I didn't miss the Crimson Rose Birthday Bash with all the running I had to do this afternoon. This line will always have a special place in my heart since it is here, in September, that my dream of becoming a published author will finally come true. I sincerely love heart-pounding romantic suspense. I hope to be inspired to write about a man in uniform for the Crimson Rose line in the future. :)

Happy 3rd birthday to TWRP!

~Tess Thieler

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Yep, Chippendale would count. Weapon placement could certainly be an intriguing endeavor.

Tess, we are thrilled you are here as well. We have some fabulous authors in crimson so turly if any of you haven't had a chance to visit crimson, you don't know what you are missing.

Pamela Keener said...

Hmmm How about a hero that is a navy seal, swat team member or someone who if he tells you he has to kill you
PK

Lori Quisley Graham said...

There is one other plug I would like to get in here. (Yep, shameless...I know) Crimson also has some of the greatest covers. I was looking back through the line today and even if you don't read the blurbs, the covers sell themselves--the shadows, the weapons, the characters. Wow.

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Pamela, as long as he is the hero, you bet. There are lots of ways to "kill" your paramour

Unknown said...

Happy Anniversary Wild Rose! I love a party and I love love love suspense! I love a man in uniform! I have no favorite, I love them all!

lastnerve2000@gmail.com

Lori Quisley Graham said...

Thanks to all of you for joining me for Crimson hour. The cake is cleaned up now so it is time to go back in time to the world of Faery Rose. :)

Mary Rickeson is the winner of our hour here today.

Have a great weekend all!

Kassy Paris said...

I love stories of men in uniform. They are our quiet heros, doing their jobs and not expecting a big to do about it. Men in uniform make my heart go pitter pat--especially those Naval officers in dress whites.

Carol L. said...

Congratulations Crimson Rose.
Love a man in a uniform. Having 2 sons in Special Forces I can say that they both look so handosme and rugged in their uniforms. :)
Like Jodi said "Secret Ops" are pretty much my ideal of a man in uniform.
Carol L.

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to be a member of the Wild Rose Press family. My editor, Johanna Melaragno is soooo easy to work with. Okay, I ended a sentence with a prepostion, but you get what I mean. Happy Birthday to the Wild Rose Press and many more to come.

Jannine G. said...

I missed the Crimson Rose hour but still wanted to thank Ally and Lori for all their hard work on my story. Happy birthday Wild Rose!