Memorial Day

Memorial Day

Yesterday morning, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute things for our family barbeque. Just outside the door was an older veteran—probably in his seventies—handing out red poppies and asking for donations to their veterans’ group. I overheard him telling another gentleman about his time in the war and how many in his group died either on the battle field or from injuries received while in combat.

Standing slightly behind the veteran was his wife. She, too, was handing out poppies. As her husband talked she would reach over and stoke his back or gently touch his elbow. There was so much love and adoration in her eyes as she looked at him, it warmed my heart. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be a military spouse whose significant other is deployed for any length of time. To stay home, holding down the household, never knowing if your loved one is coming home.

On this Memorial Day, we remember those soldiers who fought and gave their lives for our freedom. We owe so much to not only them, but their families. So next time you thank a vet, or pray for our fallen, remember their families as well.

I send out my sincerest, heartfelt thanks and support to those of you who have loved ones currently deployed and to those who have sacrificed everything to keep us safe. God bless!

Johanna Melaragno

New Historical Series....

Got a hankerin’ for bad boys and badges? So do we! 

Saddle up and send us your bad boys ready to be reformed by love. Or your lawmen who long for the love of a good woman. (We like female outlaws and heroines who uphold the law, too!) Characters should be heroic at heart, and people we wish we knew in real life. Throw in lots of conflict, smoldering sexual tension, an historically accurate western setting, and a happily ever after ending, and you’ve got the kind of story we ‘d love to read!

Outlaw characters must be worthy of being a TWRP hero, no cold-blooded murderers or rapists, please. Lawmen should be devoted to upholding the law even at great personal sacrifice. Setting can be anywhere west of the Mississippi in the 1800s. Length 7,500 to 25k. Heat rating can range from sweet to hot.

Send your queries or questions to queryus@thewildrosepress.com, subject line Lawmen and Outlaws Series.

After galley.

by RJ Morris

Production Manager,

Co-Founder, VP, The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

What happens to your baby after galleys? 

You’ve worked hard, you’ve slaved over a hot computer keyboard until your eyes are red rimmed and blurry, your fingers are numb, your back aches, and your legs don’t remember what it means to stand.  Your editor, whom you’ve blessed and cursed in the same breath, finally announces that your manuscript has completed the galley stage and is ready to go to production.  

You lean back in your chair that gives an audible complaint from over use and debate on whether or not to break out the champagne or wait until you have a release date.  You decide to field the question to your editor, who gives a patient, but obviously pat answer that it could be days, perhaps weeks before a release date is decided upon.  

“Why?” you ask.  The hard part is done, the text is flawless, even your dedication, carefully crafted to include everyone in your family that supported you during this long and often painful process, including the dog, is perfect.  Why would a release date take weeks to receive? 

Well, I’ll tell you.  There are a dozen things that must take place before the rest of the world can read your wonderful prose.  Electronic devices abound in this day and age, so your story must be formatted in specific ways to display properly on these devices.  Each one has its own unique way of handling text, so a good deal of care must go into this technical process.  If your book is to be printed, other formats must be created to align with the manufacturers’ specifications.  Many days of preparation for the distribution of your book must take place.  Then once these often tedious but necessary steps are taken, a release date can then be assigned to your book.  

“Finally!” you say.  “I’ll get a date and it’ll be just around the corner.”  

Um, well no.  As you were slaving at your keyboard, there were other manuscripts moving into production, also ready for dates and final formatting.  Therefore, your story must get in line.  

“But it’s an electronic book, why can’t it go out the minute it’s complete?” 

For The Wild Rose Press, Inc., we intentionally limit the number of releases per week so that each title gets a full day in the sun (2 weeks on the front page of our website).  If we were to release stories as quickly as we received them, then your wonderful tale and its lovely cover would be but a blip on the screen.  Literally.  So we limit ourselves to an average of five per week, which puts our releases about six months away from galley completion. 

Although you are saddened by this delay, you’re a savvy author and realize this allows you the time to promote your work and gather the crowds for the unveiling of your latest book.  It will be an event to remember, and an accomplishment to be proud of. 

So although you’ve slaved away and used your vivid imagination to create this fabulous piece of work, there are invisible steps and countless people required to get your book to the top of the publishing mountain. 

I hope this has enlightened some of you, and that you might consider saying a simple thanks now and again to those invisible people who work very hard to make your book the best it can be.  And as spokesperson for the invisible people, I say, thank you, for allowing us to be a part of your publishing life. 

You Know You're Reading a Good Book When...

You know when you're reading a good book when...
How do you finish that sentence?

What makes you decide the e-book on your screen or the paperback in your hand is going to be a great read? At what point do you have that “eureka!” moment? When do you know the story will echo in your heart long after you turn the last page?

Is it when you meet the characters and find their goals, motivation, and conflict resonate with—or are refreshingly different from—your own? Or when the first plot twist steals your breath, or makes your heart quiver or your mind race for answers? Or when you’re completely transported into the story after reading only a page, or a paragraph?

The Wild Rose Press author Emma Lai replied, “I know I’m reading a good book when I’ve fallen in love with the characters by page two, or when I’ve read twenty pages without once glancing up, or when I’ve laughed, cried, groaned, moaned, or gotten angry with one of the characters.”

TWRP author Maxine Mansfield said this, “You know you’re reading a really good book when you have to pee so bad, you are squeezing your thighs together as tight as you can get them, just so you can get to the end of the chapter before you have no choice but to get up and run!” She added, “It happens to me all the time.”

Other devout readers of romance had this to say:

“When something unusual happens that I wasn’t expecting, but it’s perfect.”

“When I lose track of time and where I’m at and what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“When I think I know what’s going to happen so I keep reading to make sure I’m right.”

“When it’s highly recommended, especially by friends who like the same stories I do.”

“When I smell dinner burning!”

What about you? When do you know the story you’re reading is a good one?

by
Lori LeBonde, editor, Scarlet Rose

Birthday Party Winners

Birthday Prizes from the Wild Rose Press

Congratulations to
Emily Tardy for winning a Kindle Fire!

25.00 digital gift certificates to either The Wild Rose Press or The Wilder Roses (erotic romance) digital catalogs are going to...

flchen1
ShadowLuvs
TraceyD
Amy Smith
Jenni Jacobs

All Winners will be notified by email, facebook, or Twitter.

Thank you for celebrating with The Wild Rose Press

Happy 6th Birthday, TWRP!!!

From all of us in you guessed it...

Black Rose:)

Pop the bubbly, pull up seat, and join me in a toast to the dynamic duo, RJ and Rhonda.

For without a dream shared by two women more than six years past,

we would not be here and rising fast.

Thank you, Ladies!

May your days continue to be filled with vibrant daisies:)

Now would someone please cut the cake?

Okay, okay. Sorry for the corny poem. I'm stepping down now.  Enjoy!

Callie, Lill, Nicolette, Eilidh, Lara, and Amanda

From the darker side of the garden.

Happy Birthday to us!  The Wild Rose Press turns 6 today.  So incredibly hard to believe as the time has literally flown by.

The best part about my job is that every day I get to make dreams come true.  Writers become published authors and published authors become multi-published.  It was our drive to create a kinder, gentler publishing house that led to where we are today - Best Publisher for Four Years running.  We're really proud of that and proud of our customer friendly company.

We're so excited here in the garden to celebrate this special day with all of you.  Please stop by all day to comment on our blogs.  Hopefully you are following us on twitter as we are having our first twitter party and we're giving away door prizes all day long.  

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us bloom and grow.

Happy Birthday TWRP - Special Calls for Submissions

Happy 6th Birthday to the Wild Rose Press. 

We thought we'd share what we're looking for in submissions. 

The Wild Rose Press is a publisher of romance and we are always open for submissions in all our lines. 

However, here are some special series opportunities.

Please see our website for full submission guidelines. www.TheWildRosePress.com

2012 Series and Call for Submissions

Last Rose of Summer Line – later-in-life contemporary

Dearly Beloved Series ~ This unique series isn’t always about the bride and groom. A member of the clergy, the wedding planner, pastry chef, caterer, florist, or the musician could become the hero or heroine of the story. The phrase “Dearly Beloved” must be present in the story.

Word count: 7,500—25K; Heat level: sweet to spicy. Submit the entire manuscript as an attachment to queryus@thewildrosepress.com. In the subject line include: Dearly Beloved Series and the title of your manuscript. For questions or clarification, feel free to contact Kathy Cottrell, Senior Editor for the Last Rose of Summer line at kdcottrell@aol.com

Yellow Rose Line – contemporary western

Honky Tonk Hearts Series ~ Lonely hearts gravitate to the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk. Owner and bartender, Gus Rankin, has seen his share of the wandering souls over the years—he’d even like to think he helped a few find true love along the way. 

Wherever a cowboy rides, works, plays or competes could be the setting for your story as long as at some important point, they cross the threshold into the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk. 

Word Count: 20K to 40K.  You can find pertinent details on the honky tonk and submission information at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/twrphonkytonkhearts. 

Questions: contact Stacy D. Holmes, Senior Editor of Yellow Rose, at stacy@thewildrosepress.com. 

Black Rose ­– Paranormal (Dark: hot shifters, sexy vamps, and to die for demons)

Pagan Holiday Series. We are looking for stories that have to do with following:

*Yule (similar to Christmas)

*Imbolc (candlemass)

*Ostara (Spring Equinox)

*Beltane (May Day)

*Litha - Midsummer (Summer Solstice)

*Lughnasadh (First Harvest)

*Mabon (Autumn Equinox)

*Samhain (End of the Celtic year)

Crimson Rose – Romantic Suspense

Summer Heat Series ~ Crime and emotions seem to spike on hot summer nights. Bring them together and the results are explosive. It can be any kind of mystery or action suspense. The hero and heroine can be the investigators, or the victims. The only requirement is that the heat of a summer night must be a key role. Location can be anywhere in the world.

Spice level: Sweet to Hot; Length: 7,500 to 55,000 words

After seeing our full Crimson guidelines on our website, submit a synopsis and query to queryus@thewildrosepress.com. In the subject line include: Summer Heat Series and the Title of your manuscript.  For questions or clarification, please feel free to contact Lori Graham, Senior Editor for Crimson Rose, at lori@thewildrosepress.com

Scarlet Rose – Erotic Romance in all genre

Scarlet Rose is looking for hot men who love hot men! See the GBLT section of the wilder website and our specific guidelines for erotic romance.

Sweetheart Rose – Sweet contemporary

The Flower Basket Series ~ Set in the fictional town Almendra in central California, this series has only one requirement: a scene must take place in relation to The Flower Basket shop. Either in person by an interaction with one or all of the three owners or by a phone call. This series will be ending soon so now is the time to send off that short lighthearted story. A chart of all stories, characters, professions, etc. is available by contacting Leanne Morgena at leanne@thewildrosepress.com 

Word count: 7,500 to 40,000; Rating: Sweet

Cactus Rose – Western Historical

Lawmen & Outlaws Series ~ Got a hankerin' for bad boys and badges? So do we!

Saddle up and send us your bad boys ready to be reformed by love. Or your lawmen who long for the love of a good woman. (We like female outlaws and heroines who uphold the law, too!) Characters should be heroic at heart. Throw in lots of conflict, smoldering sexual tension, an historically accurate western setting, and a happily ever after ending.

Outlaw characters must be worthy of being a TWRP hero, no cold-blooded murderers or rapists, please. Lawmen should be devoted to upholding the law even at great personal sacrifice. Setting can be anywhere west of the Mississippi in the 1800s.

Length 7,500 to 25k. Heat rating can range from sweet to hot. Send your queries or questions to queryus@thewildrosepress.com, subject line Lawmen and Outlaws Series and the title of your book.

Champagne Rose – Contemporary

Millionaire’s Club - Classic Contemporaries ~ Champagne and Caviar. Rich and sexy. He’s the reformed playboy, the corporate raider or the self-made man. He comes from old money or new money. These stories are about rich and powerful men. However, he’ll have to earn this heroine’s love. He has to show her his love is the most valuable possession he can give her.

Length – 20K – 60K Rated Spicy to Hot

Historical Lines – American, Cactus, English Tea Rose, Vintage

Love Letters Series ~ Sometimes… a letter changes everything. In the historical series, the receipt of a letter forever changes a character’s life. A Dear John letter, a “Regret to Inform You” letter, Unexpected Inheritance, a Mail Order Bride, let your imagination be your guide.  Stories must be historically accurate.

Story length 20,000-25,000 words. The letter must occur within the first three pages of the story.

Please follow the general submission guidelines on the website for formatting and submit through the queryus@thewildrosepress.com. “Love Letters Series” should appear in the subject line, as well as your title.