Happy and Romantic Hauntings

Hello All!

I want to add my Happy Halloween Hauntings to Callie's. This time of year, is as Callie pointed out, a favorite for those of us who dwell in the dark side of the garden.

Of course we are lucky enough to dwell with the darker creatures all year long! But there is nothing like this time of year to bring out the sexy vamps, weres, shifters and other creatures of the night. Wouldn't it be great to trick or treat (or as my children said when they were young "spooooky night") and bring home a truly luscious and hunky treat like those found in the Black Rose line?

Growing up in Southern California we had many spooky haunts but one of the favorites as a teenager was one certain fire road leading up to the mountains. It was of course created for firefighters to have easy and direct access in case of fires but over time it took on a life of its own.

There were several stories as to different spooky occurances, missing persons, ghostly sightings, sinister cults, etc., that supposedly happened along this dark and lonely streatch of road. The one that was told and retold the most was of the ghostly woodsman and his crew who haunted the top portion. We would dare ourselves to drive the road slowly, always intent on making it to the top but scaring ourselves silly long before reaching our goal. I've never been sure if the things we saw were the results of over active imaginations or if there truly was truth to some of the tales.

This year I hope to have the opportunity to experience a true ghost hunt (in the style of Ghost Hunters).

I hope that you will join us in the darker side of the garden during our Halloween celebrations. We welcome one and all.

Holy haunted house!!! I woke this morning and realized we are midway through October! How does that happen? October is my favorite month and, of course, being a Black Rose editor Halloween is, by far, my favorite holiday:)

Note:(The above picture is an actual house which is part of an old insane asylum that we used to haunt when I was a teenager. It has been deserted for many years and holds a gruesome history that has been replayed on Ghost Hunter episodes and historical discussions through time. I remember sitting in the middle of the night staring into the wooded area surrounding this compound shaking with adrenolin coursing through my veins. Ah... the bravery of youth! A Philadelphia radio station has been known to hold a Halloween Haunted house event at this location in the past. I believe more currently that most of these buildings may have been demolished. But I am sure that miserable and mistreated souls still haunt these sad grounds.)

In case you don't know me, I am Callie Lynn Wolfe, Senior Editor of TWRP's Black Rose Line. And, of course, this is our most active time of year, as you can well imagine. We are busy interacting with all our friends from the darker side of the garden.

An oasis of silvery moonlight shining down upon alabaster statuary in an Old
English Rose garden filled with you guessed it--Black Roses. In our midst are the to die for vamps, the hot weres, the fiesty demons and, of course, we are always looking for the elusive gargoyles as well other creatures our authors can scare up from their very vivid imaginations. Our heros and heroines are predators but they do have a soft side. You just have to know to pull it out of them:)

We will be dropping in and out to guide you through ebony paths and silvery forests for the rest of the month. The Black Rose staff is Lill Farrell, Joel Walker, Eilidh Mackenzie, Corinne MacGregor and Amanda Barnett all of which will share their scariest moments with you. I will be stopping in periodically with my special haunted memories as well.




I wish you all a very ghoulish and frightening Halloween and a most Blessed Samhain. Now I must prepare for the annual masquarade and dance of the dead celebrations. Please do join us. We would love to have you--literally!

Dark blessings,

Callie~

From Faery Rose Editor: Sarah Hansen

Glorious October

October is my favorite month, hands down. September, April, and May are pretty good too, but I have a special spot just for October. It’s my birthday month (29, of course), and entails all of my fall favorites: pumpkins, apples, fall colors, and reading!

The days have been fantastic in the Midwest; warm and sunny with rich blue skies. The trees wear their tapestry of warm-toned foliage. And, best of all, the nights get cool and dark with a touch of spooky in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. As I sit in my favorite reading nook, listening to the night sounds, I imagine I can hear the whisper of a hunting owl, swooping through the woods. A coyote keens in the distance, and I snuggle with my softest blanket and dive into a great read.

Right now my favorites are short paranormal romance stories. Ghosts, dragons, mermaids, time travelers, and more abound through my imagination, drawing me in to their depths. The heat of attraction and realization warms me up as the temperatures outside drop.

Please, keep me happy and write me a story. Hot and short, but fully developed and exquisitely written, with all the elements needed to fit the Faery line. I’ll look forward to seeing your story.

Sarah Hansen

From Faery Rose Editor, Claudia Fallon

I read someplace that writing a short story/novella can be harder than writing a novel. If so, consider the latest call for submissions a challenge, all you novelists out there!

Remember, a short story/novella is not a novel outline so don’t treat it as one. To get into the mood, read some (preferably fantasy) to get the feel. (Hint: check out the Faery line at The Wild Rose Press.) Break a few down and analyze them to see how the author sets everything up. You can’t spend pages and pages describing the heroine or the spooky old house she inherits from a mysterious great-aunt she had never met before in a short story. You have to be thrifty with your words and write tightly. Every sentence must contribute.

Just because it’s a short story you’re writing doesn’t mean you can dash off something then send it off. We do have standards here. We expect polished manuscripts. That includes plot, action, setting, description and character development. It includes proper spelling, punctuation and manuscript formatting. And there absolutely must be a HEA (Happily Ever After) ending. That can’t be stressed enough.

Last but not least: get your story critiqued. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean it won’t benefit from a pair (or more) of discerning eyes. If you don’t have a critique partner or group, consider finding one, or start your own. Check out the Rose Trellis , a critique group sponsored by The Wild Rose Press. You can find out more by visiting http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/ and clicking on TWRP Critique Group.

Good luck and I look forward to reading your submission!

Claudia Fallon

Faerie - Where you discover uncommon love stories.

SEARCHING FOR UNCOMMON LOVE STORIES? - You've come to the right place. Like the Seeley and Unseeley  courts in the elusive world of the Fae, the Faery Rose line consists of both light and dark elements of the paranormal world, each necessary and complementary to the other.

The worlds in our books are not exclusively found here on earth or, for that matter, even on this plane of existence. The common ground with any book in the Faery line, is that the reader truly has to suspend their sense of reality when they open the book, either as an eBook or in paperback.

The true pleasure of the read is escaping the day-to-day pressures or doldrums and being transported through time or space, immersed in ghosts or witches, dragons or pixies, water nymphs or angels, off world beings or different dimensions. The reader can count on one thing from the start -- a satisfying romance with a happily ever after, or at the very least, a happy for now ending.   

Just as there is seldom a good plot without conflict, a satisfying romance without love, or light without dark, a Faery Rose story could be sweet or spicy, full of adventure, danger, sorrow, and joy in addition to being just a good old-fashioned love story. Let one of our books take you away this month . . . you decide where you want to go.    

Hot Nerds Manipulating the Universe

[Interior: evening. Two writers IM about submission opportunities]

Crit partner: The paranormal line at Wild Rose Press is looking for short fiction.
Author: Huh.
Crit partner: Got anything paranormal?
Author: Well, I have this one with a ghost in it and a heroine who time travels back to when he was alive—‘cause they’re like soul mates and stuff—and then she lives there with him until she becomes her own grandmother.
Crit partner: Does she ever come back to the present?
Author: No.
Crit partner: Send it in. What’s the worst they can say?

Faery Editor Kelly Schaub: (sigh) It’s probably historical line instead of Faery.

What I do want to see in short submissions: I want to read about men and women who make their own fate and choose to be together. I don’t believe in “soul mates.”

Our senior editor, Amanda, pointed out earlier that time travels are hot hot hot for sales. Along with that, my own research points at cowboys amping the sales numbers—cowboy in the title + cowboy on the cover = win. And I am a Browncoat. If you know what that means without scanning Wikipedia, you’re already in my camp.

I love me some space cowboys.

So yeah.

Short length (45K down to 7.5K). Space cowboys who time travel.

More seriously, I enjoy heroes who are not only physically good to look upon but highly intelligent. Think Commander John Crichton from Farscape (PhD in aeronautics, designed and built his own spaceflight module which shot him through a wormhole to travel in alien lands…and he’s good looking), Quinn Mallory of Sliders (genius inventor who developed “sliding” from one alternate universe to another…and pretty darn cute), Dr. Sam Beckett of Quantum Leap (invented a way for man to time travel within his own lifetime…handsome, moral) and of course Captain Mal Reynolds of Firefly, the best space cowboy ever (with the exception of Captain Kirk). Mal and Kirk didn’t have to be smarter than average; they live, fight, and love in the future. No emo metro-males need apply at my desk.

The heroine must be able to keep up and hold her own, but not be so kick-ass that she diminishes the hero’s masculinity or cannot be feminine and vulnerable. Some characters who strike the right balance: Princess Ardala and Colonel Wilma Deering (both from Buck Rogers of the 25th Century), Officer Aeryn Sun from Farscape, Zoe Washburne from Firefly—heck, any of the women on that show; Kaylee, Inara. Think of the female officers on Star Trek.

We are facing a high amount of competition both between TWRP and other publishers and within our own house to put before our readers the very best stories we can offer. Manuscripts must be highly polished, ready to go, with all the necessary literary pieces and parts before they’re offered to us. Watch your junk words (just, very, some, often, always, nearly), passive verbs (was/were), and sentences beginning “It was/There was/were.” Be sure you have believable and discernable goal, motivation, and conflict for hero and heroine, and that they work at cross-purposes to the relationship until the very end of the story. Make them work for that Happily Ever After!

Kelly Schaub
Editor
Faery Rose

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Hear ye, hear ye. Come one, come all! Faery
Rose line has need of short submissions that
will tempt and intrigue, engage and enthrall.
Fantasy heroes and heroines who
master time using magic or science;
their goal to achieve their heart's desire.

Submissions shorter than 45K
are what we're looking for, and if there's not
a "happy ever after" then your work
won't make it through our door. We want romance,
conflict, and sensuality in spades.
So brush off your magic wands, find your heart,
and fly your faery wings to the nearest
keyboard. Make us happy to say "Welcome
to Faery Rose. Pull up a magic broom,
have some ambrosia, and play in our space.

Happy Paranormal month here at The Wild Rose Press

Kicking off the first half of the month you have moi, me,
Amanda Barnett & our lovely editors. Let's kick back
and have a good time. And don't forget our sister line
Black Rose, under the wonderful direction of Callie Lynn Wolfe,
will be handling the rest of the month.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Faery Rose line,
we've changed a bit over the years. Picture your hottest hunk,
sexiest heroine, and put them in a scenario that's both magical
and sensual. Now, that doesn't mean you can go erotic,
that's our Scarlet line, but we do like to see some spice
in our submissions but we do also like sweet, spicy, and hot.

Don't worry if you cross over the line,
we'll get your work where it needs to go.

Faery is so much more than Faery creatures.
There are immortals, dragons, space warriors and more.
Our line spans so many different characters.

What we're looking for are short submissions
no longer than 45K with a time travel theme,
but remember your avenue of time traveling has to be
magical if you return to the past. I'd love to see more
romances where the hero and heroine go back and forth,
it makes for a nice mixture.

Of course that's what I like, but our other wonderful editors,
Claudia Fallon, Sarah Hansen, Kelly Schaub,
and Frances Sevilla will be taking their turns,
and I'm positive they will tell you what they like also.

The bottom line is we need the hero and heroine
to have goal, motivation, and conflict to make the
romance into something readers will buy and want to keep
on their keeper shelf. I know I have several favorite authors
and I keep their books and take them out to read months
and even years after I first read them. It's like having an
old friend stop by. Also, if you are submitting always look
at our guidelines. We want happy ever after or at least for now.

Ghosts are fine but I want the hero and heroine to be able
to be together in actual bodies. Call me old fashion
but I like the sensuality of knowing they can actually
touch one another. Science fiction is also a wonderful
sub-genre for us.

Now settle back, Twitter, Facebook, whatever method you use
to get the news off and tell your friends to drop by.
We love new faces as well as our cherished and dear friends
already here at The Wild Rose Press.

And a big shout out to all our Faery Rose authors:
Thank you for a job well done.
Editors at faery, you rock. Couldn't do it without you.

Amanda Barnett/Senior Editor/Faery Rose

September 2010 Newsletter Now Out!

Ahh, that time of year again when the kids go back to school and everything starts to settle back into a routine. Though we might dwell on the slowly shorter days, the fall brings with it one of the most colorful times of the year and many more activities and new experiences.

One of the best activities on a cool day or night is curling up with a good book. Whether one of paper or the new technology of eReaders, which are just as easy to laze on the couch with these days, sneaking away a little time just for yourself is always a treat.

So settle in and check out the latest edition of our main newsletter where we talk about the new technology, tell you about our "Movie" experience, show you how sometimes the best comes in Last and give you a few ideas of books you may just want to curl up with on a cool autumn afternoon.

You can find the newsletter here: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/publisher/newsletters/WRP_September_Newsletter_2010.pdf

Come Fall into tecnology with us this season!

Tips to Make Your Hot Sex Scenes Erotic by Trish Owens

Scarlet is about erotic romance--our readers want to know about every kiss, caress and touch, and how the point of view (POV) character responds, reacts, and experiences those kisses, touches and caresses. So a pet peeve for me is when authors send me an erotic romance with barely half a page of sex. Talk about wham, bam, thank you m'am!

So, how long should you plan on making your sex scenes? Think of at least a few paragraphs for each part. The first kiss can be very detailed, then first base, then second base. The actual 'act' can be a couple of paragraphs. The fireworks should have their own paragraph. Of course, more is better. We can always cut out what isn't needed. We've never rejected anyone for writing too much sex!

A "first sex" scene should be many pages since the characters are getting to know each other in a whole new way. There are lots to describe, perhaps compare to past lovers. You can add in dialogue. Allowing the characters to communicate and get to know each other really connects them to the reader (and adds word count!)

Any additional scenes should show some variety. Add in a different position, let them try something new, or somehow show growth in their character. Maybe the heroine is shy, and the last sex scene she's grown to the point that she is comfortable enough to be in charge in the bedroom. Readers love variety. They also love the darker side of sex, so don't be afraid to allow your characters to stray to the kinky side!

And lastly, make sure the language is frank and detailed. Technical body parts you learned in school aren't what readers want. They don't want flowery descriptions for the delicious bits, either! If you're unsure what the buzz words are, you should be picking up some of our sizzlin' Scarlets to broaden your horizons and see what the editors are looking for!!

Trish Owens
Scarlet Rose Editor

The Class of '85 hits the ground running

I am so thrilled with the author response to our idea for a reunion series, The Class of '85. It came about as the best things usually do, by accident. Back in February or March, during a regular staff meeting, the Last Rose of Summer editors came up the idea for a reunion, batting ideas around such as getting revenge on prom queens and the best looking guys, what ever happened to the one most likely to spend time in a maximum security cage. Mind you, this was just goofing around, we agreed to mull things over and come together again in one month's time.

Within days, Senior Editor Spencer Glenn [who directed traffic with the wildly successful Wayback Texas series] generously contributed an idea which helped gel the entire idea of a reunion series. Her thoughts were so clear and intriguing they could not be ignored. Voila! the Class of '85 came to life after a remarkably easy labor and delivery.

A call for submissions went out in late March and an author loop was created. At the same time, the location for the reunion [actual and figuratively] was created, then tweaked, complete with photographs. As questions came in to the loop, a spreadsheet, created by Historical Division Managing Editor Nicole D'Arienzo, was implemented.

As stories were submitted in April [and continue to come in] contracts were offered. Today, less than four months later, we are delighted to announce the first of the alums attending the reunion: Getting It Right, by Donna Bolk, came out 8/15/10; The Serious Moonlight, by Janet Halpin will make the scene on 8/18/10; and The Lonely Road to You, by Jannine Gallant will arrive on 8/25/10. Corvette Confessions by Stacy Dawn and Fairy Tales Do Come True by Silver James will follow in September.

More will follow throughout the fall; the possibilities for what is on the horizon for the end of the year and into 2011 are endless. On behalf of the Last Rose of Summer editors and Class of '85 authors, we hope you will enjoy returning to Summerville, NY on the shores of Lake Ontario, and see what happened to the prom queen, the best looking guy, and the one most likely to spend time in a maximum security cage.
Kathy Cottrell

Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, Red and TWRP

Reading that subject probably makes you wonder how on earth The Wild Rose Press is connected with two such famous stars. Well, this week, we were happy to announce that TWRP has provided all the books that serve as props in the new Bruce Willis movie RED coming to theatres on October 15, 2010.

Mary Louise Parker plays the heroine and she is the reason for all the romance novels - her character is a huge reader and the production company needed to fill her apartment with books. We were honored to be asked to provide the books.

You can see the trailer for this movie on our web site or by clicking the link below:

http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2658&Itemid=185

It was fun to be part of something so incredibly big and while we don't know as of this writing how many of our books will appear on screen - it was a great experience just to be asked to share in it. I know a lot of the staff members will be buying tickets - I hope you'll enjoy it too.

The eBook explosion

It is truly amazing to me how many places you can purchase The Wild Rose Press titles. Hard to believe that only a few years ago, the titles were only on sale at our site and www.amazon.com. Today you can find them in so many places, even I've lost track. The most recent distributor to sign us up is www.digibookscafe.com. If you haven't been to the site - check it out. Hopefully another distributor means more sales for our authors - something that is always a top priority with me.

We're also working with a company who will take our books overseas; we're already there in some limited arenas but this company with propel us to that next level - I hope - again with sales. Romance readers around the world will be able to get our electronic offerings as easily as all of you.

The time is really here for the explosion of electronic books - if you don't own a reading device yet - odds are within the next few years you will. They are dropping in price and becoming more affordable for everyone. We will continue to do our best to put your books in as many formats as we possibly can and distribute them wherever we can.

Its summer time and the living is easy or so they say. My hope is that you find time to indulge in some wonder eReads!

Mobi or HTML or .lit or PDF--which file type do I need for my eBooks?

You’ve narrowed down which titles you wish to purchase from TWRP’s eBook store, now which format is best? What do the different format file types mean and where do they each work the best? Why are there so many choices?

The International Digital Publishing Forum describes the goal of Open Publication Structure (OPS) as “to define a standard means of content description for use by purveyors of electronic books (publishers, agents, authors et al.) allowing such content to be provided to multiple Reading Systems and to insure maximum presentational equivalence across Reading Systems.” In other words, the industry is attempting to set a standard format to make downloading and keeping eBooks easier. According to Mobipocket’s website, Mobipocket is one of the three main ebook formats based on the Open E-book Publication (OEP) formats, a precursor to (OPS). But several file extension names are out there. Here are four we use at TWRP:

MS Reader (.lit)
Microsoft eBook Reader format. Can be used on desktop or laptop PC, Tablet PC and UMPC, or using Microsoft Reader for Windows Mobile. Microsoft’s website says eBooks are also readable on “some new Windows CE consumer devices coming to market.” As of March 2010, Microsoft does not plan to make this format available on Macintosh, Palm, or Linux, and considers .lit to be proprietary—not available to eBook readers that do not support MS Reader. In this non-OPS format, digital rights management (DRM) allows all eBooks in MS Reader to be read on up to four devices. Mobile devices listed as “Windows Powered” generally ship with MS Reader installed, or you can download it free from Microsoft.

Web (.HTML)
This as another OEP format, and means “hypertext markup language.” Any web browser should allow viewing of this format. Readers such as Mobipocket and Kindle use HTML files in a compressed form within their file types, and HTML format can be converted for use on the Kindle. This format does not offer DRM support, where .mobi, .pdf, and .lit do. Files in HTML are often large and require lots of storage space.

HTML can be read on the following eBook devices: Apple iPad; Azbooka WISEreader; Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Opus; COOL-ER Classic; Hanlin e-Reader V3; Hanvon WISEreader; Nokia N900; Onyx Boox 60; Pocketbook 301 Plus, 302, 360°; Viewsonic VEB612

Adobe (.pdf)
Portable document format (.pdf) is an OEP format best viewed on a full-sized screen such as on a PC or Mac. Of .pdf format, Microsoft says, “PDF is a great format for capturing documents and print images. However, it is static and does not scale well, or change to fit the size of the screen you're using, which introduces limitations.” For the fixed-image file to be viewable on a handheld device the file has to have been created with a special reflow code; locked files such as eBooks will not allow this reflow to be added later. On a computer, you will need Adobe software to view a .pdf eBook, such as Acrobat or Reader. Adobe Reader is available as a free download from Adobe.com

That said, .pdf is supported by the following eBook readers: Amazon Kindle 1, 2, International, & DX; Apple iPad; Barnes & Noble Nook; Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Foxit eSlick; Opus; COOL-ER Classic; Hanlin e-Reader V3; Hanvon WISEreader; iRex iLiad; iRex DR1000; Iriver Story; Nokia N900; NUUTbook 2; Onyx Boox 60; Pocketbook 301 Plus, 302, 360°; Sony Reader; Viewsonic VEB612 (The only hardware claiming not to support PDF is the Azbooka WISEreader).

Mobipocket (.mobi)
Mobipocket is software designed to catalogue and display ebooks on many devices in .mobi format. You can download Mobipocket eBook Reader for free to a windows-based PC, then link your PDA, smartphone, or Blackberry via USB to transfer titles to your handheld device. Mobi files are accessible to Apple computer systems running Mac OS X 10.2 or later. Amazon has also released a Linux-compatible Kindle file generator.

Mobi is supported by the following eBook reader hardware: Amazon Kindle 2, DX; Azbooka WISEreader; Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Endless Ideas BeBook; Opus; COOL-ER Classic; Hanlin e-Reader V3; iRex iLiad; iRex DR1000; Nokia N900; Onyx Boox 60; Pocketbook 301 Plus, 302, 360°; Viewsonic VEB612

So why choose .mobi over the other three formats? “In a nutshell,” says RJ Morris, Owner & Executive Administrator for TWRP, “Mobi is a format that is suited to the latest in ereaders, the famed KINDLE. It allows a handheld of that kind to resize the text, where as a .pdf is limited, since it is seen as an image rather than text. Not all ereaders can take the Mobi format, but it adds to the selection for our customers.”