Harlequin Editor Interview
July 3, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives
Having worked for many years at Harlequin enabled me to persuade some fellow workers to share their story. I’m delighted to present Marsha Zinberg, Executive Editor, Feature and Custom Publishing at Harlequin.
Her extensive knowledge of Harlequin authors and titles is based in part on her tenure—she’s celebrating her 25th anniversary with the company in July.
She began as an assistant editor with Superromance and from there worked her way up the ladder to Senior Editor of Superromance, a position she held for 7 years, before becoming Senior Editor and Editorial Co-ordinator of Special Projects.
But I should let her tell you about what she does in her own words—I know I will never get it all straight!
“I am responsible for limited continuity projects, all backlist programs: Reader’s Choice, The New York Times Bestselling collection, The Diamond Collection in honor of Harlequin’s sixtieth anniversary, etc., the Anthology program, the NASCAR program and the More Than Words program. I also handle all Direct-to-Consumer only projects.
“What I love about the diversity of the programs I manage is the opportunity it affords me to acquaint myself with rising stars and new voices within the company. I’m able to offer them—as well as authors with whom I’m more familiar—projects that are outside the familiar series world. These projects, because they are unusual or sometimes innovative, allow authors to really flex their writing muscles and grow in new and surprising ways!
“I am always on the lookout for authors with particular knowledge of the NASCAR world and the ability to craft a romance that fits comfortably in that world. At present, we are producing NASCAR stories that are shaped by a bible, but authors able and willing to write this specific type of story are people I would be happy to be in contact with.
“In addition, I like to pepper our anthology program, which features novellas, with new voices, because these stories are often seen as ‘classics with a fresh twist.’ It’s often an author’s home editor who brings these up-and-comers to my attention.
“I treasure the associations I’ve developed within the writing community….some of which go back more than twenty years. They’ve certainly enriched my life and enhanced my store of knowledge—whether of geography, esoteric occupations or interpersonal relationships! And I feel fortunate that I am in a profession in which I can continue to learn no matter how ‘routine’ the assignment may initially appear.
Thank you,
Marsha
With the number of titles Harlequin publishes in series, the strength and creativity of the author base and the increased flexibility and scope of the formats available, the publishing and reissue opportunities have continued to grow over the years.
I have been in this business so long I remember the days when no one could understand why anyone would ever reissue a series romance, much less publish titles outside of the series program!
We’ve come a long way, Baby….
And when it became clear that those little one-off ideas had become an ongoing part of Harlequin’s business, Marsha stepped up to coordinate and build that program.
Marsha shared that when she’s not on the job, she spends as much time as possible with her large extended family, and her two grandsons, who are 2 ½ years and 3 1/2 months old, respectively. And she’s very excited about an acquisition contracted for the end of July: a new granddaughter! There’s also volunteer work, flower arranging, gardening, theatre and decorating to keep her busy. I might add very busy!
Of course, Marsha is always reading something, and she added that she never underestimates, either in art or in life, the advantages of a well-constructed, complex plot and excellent characterization.
Thank you, Marsha, for sharing!
And thank you Orange County for enabling me to share my post from
http://isabelswift.blogspot.com/with your readers!
Isabel Swift
Sheri Whitefeather Interview
June 29, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives
Museum director Mandy Cooper has always been obsessed with nineteenth-century artist Catherine Burke—and the artist’s erotically charged relationship with Atacar, her enthralling American Indian lover. But Mandy’s link to the legendary couple runs deeper than she knows. She’s having a heated affair herself—with Jared Cabrillo, Atacar’s perilously handsome great-great nephew. And the consuming passion Atacar once used to seduce Catherine is now being engaged by Jared. He knows precisely what it takes to move a woman…
He’s in possession of Catherine’s wildly explicit journal. He knows every intimate detail of what she wanted and needed. But he also knows how desperately Catherine had loved Atacar and how dangerously he’d loved her. The journal is timeless and tragic, and the secrets contained within its pages can bring Mandy and Jared together, or just as surely destroy them both—desire by shocking desire.
Sounds like you are really interested in Native American culture, even though you are not of Indian heritage – how did you get interested?
My former husband is from the Muscogee Creek Nation and our grown children are also tribally enrolled members. As writers, we are told to write what we know, and I have come to know the Native community through family and friends. I have great love and respect for the Native peoples.
You write under two names, I’m assuming because one is erotica – was that your choice or at the request of your publisher?
Yes, I write under two names and the choice was mine. Sheri WhiteFeather is primarily for my Harlequin works, and Cherie Feather is for my erotica books. I was concerned that using the same name for both genres would confuse readers. Still, I wanted readers to know that Sheri was Cheri, so I chose a Cherie Feather because it flowed nicely from Sheri WhiteFeather and I thought readers would remember it.
Can you tell me the Reader’s Digest version of your author story? How you made your first sale, etc.
In 1996, I joined RWA and began to pursue writing. In 1998, my agent submitted one of my manuscripts (I had written two full manuscripts by then and was lucky enough to land a seasoned agent) to Silhouette Desire. This story was about a woman who was offering to be a surrogate mother for a single man who wanted a child. Silhouette loved the concept, but they requested a revision before they were willing to make a purchase. I revised the manuscript according to the editor’s notes, and my agent resubmitted it. From there, I made my first sale!
WARRIOR’S BABY became my first published book. After that, I kept selling stories to Harlequin/Silhouette and continue to write for them today. My first single title sale, THE ART OF DESIRE, happened ten years later. It was purchased by Berkley for their Heat imprint. I’m thrilled to be writing for Berkley. My books have always been on the risqué side and now they’re full-blown wild. But they’re tenderly tragic and desperately romantic, too. Although my sex scenes sizzle, love is still the key ingredient.
What’s next for you? Do you have another book in mind?
My next Sheri WhiteFeather book is Silhouette Romantic Suspense. Killer Passion comes out in July 2008. I’ll be talking about it next month in the New Release Spotlight in the Orange Blossom.
As for my next Cherie Feather release, it’s called Submission, and will hit the shelves in Feb. 2009. Submission is a spin-off from The Art of Desire and features a wildly sexy fetish artist (the hero), a museum historian (the heroine) and two lovelorn ghosts (the historical characters and subplot).
Currently I’m writing two books for Silhouette Romantic Suspense that will be part of a miniseries with Warrior Society heroes. The Warrior Society in my books is a group of former military men who excel at close-quarter combat and fight for Native causes. Sometimes they get involved in paranormal activity, like searching for cursed objects and battling evil witches. These books will be written as Sheri WhiteFeather.
For my next erotica as Cherie Feather, I have a ménage story in mind. I haven’t written the proposal yet, but I’ve got lots of ideas bouncing around in my head. Much like The Art of Desire and Submission, it will be a contemporary story with a historical twist. I hope to keep that theme going.
What do you do for inspiration?
When I’m stumped for ideas or am having trouble with a story, I take a citrus-scented bath and work through my dilemma with a glass of wine or a cup of herbal tea. Sometimes I re-read books by my favorite authors and sometimes I read outside the romance genre to get a feel for other types of fiction. For fun, I like to shop in vintage stores and buy old clothes.
Do you have any advice for unpublished writers?
Work hard, believe in yourself and never give up. But bear in mind that writing can be an extremely grueling career with long hours and an ever-changing income. Trends come and go and very few authors remain on top, if they’re lucky enough to get there to begin with. But if you love writing, absolutely love it, the predicted pitfalls are worth it.
Maslowe and Hershey Kisses
June 28, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesSome of my best ideas come to me while I’m riding my bicycle. I had an epiphany during a gorgeous Southern California ride yesterday. One of those moments when several pieces fall into place for a major “Aha†moment – I love it when that happens!
For anyone who is not familiar with Maslowe, here’s the Reader’s Digest version:
In the 1930’s Abraham Maslowe put forward his “Hierarchy of Needs†concept to explain behavior. His theory was that you strive to move toward the top of the list that follows:
Self-actualization
Esteem needs
Belonging needs
Safety needs
Physiological needs
This is summed up in one of my favorite songs, “Constant Craving†by K.D.Lang. But I digress. You can’t move up the ladder until the lower need is met, as anyone who’s been on the lowest rung can attest to (been there myself at one dark period of my life.)
My husband and I were talking the other day on a completely different subject. We were watching one of those obnoxious “Weight Loss Breakthrough†ads on TV, and he didn’t understand why people were so lazy; why they couldn’t lose weight and keep it off (he has more drive than most – he lost 50 lbs 5 years ago.)
Last piece to the puzzle; I’m a Weight Watchers member, and the talk this week was about creating goals to achieve weight loss. Okay, stay with me here, because my theory works for anything you want to achieve, not just weight loss.
We’ve all heard the goal-setting advice; break a large goal into steps, and achieve those, and you’ll finally get to your ultimate goal/need. Great. On paper. But if you’re like me, when you choose a large goal like losing 40 lbs, learning to knit, writing a book, whatever…you have pictured in your head what the ultimate goal will do for you. You’re standing on stage, holding up the Oscar to the applause and adulation of the crowd.
Okay, I set smaller goals, but ultimately my eyes are on the applause, and my acceptance speech, and the smaller goals aren’t enough to get me excited. Yeah, I’m making progress, but smaller goals also point out the amount of road I have left to get to my ultimate desire.
I think this is why we fail. After awhile, you just burn out. The effort just doesn’t seem worth it, and we move on to the next thing we want. But there are two problems with that. First, the goal you’ve abandoned is the one you want most, or it wouldn’t have been your first effort, right? Secondly, in spite of excuses you make to others, deep down, you know you’ve failed, and it hurts. You feel guilty, which lowers your self-esteem and makes the next goal harder to achieve, because you don’t really trust yourself to do it.
After all, you let yourself down before, right?
One of my goals is to get stronger on the bike. We’re going on a bicycle vacation in Utah this summer, and it involves mountains. Okay, so I’m riding, trying to figure out how to get consistent with my training – I get lazy when I get home from work, and find other things to do that don’t involve sweat and pain.
Suddenly, I’m distracted by a mockingbird’s song. I notice that the temperature is perfect. I look up, and the rolling hills have changed since the last time I rode this route; tawny grass stretches away forever. I’m so absorbed by the joy of being alive and being out in nature that I don’t even realize I’ve toiled up a major hill – it didn’t hurt at all!
That’s the Hershey Kiss part. Is it the high I’ll get on the podium? No, not even close. It’s just a moment’s sweetness on the tongue. Okay, I’m mixing metaphors, but you get the gist – it’s about focus. You need to really take the time to revel in the small goals. Wallow in them. They are the rest spots on the stairs to the podium. If you don’t, you’re going to burn out and quit.
Besides, just ask an older actor with an Oscar on their mantel; they’ll tell you the evening was great, but what mattered to them was the journey. Like Lennon said, “Life is what happens while we make other plansâ€. The Hershey Kisses are the joy of life! Savor them; I wish you many.
A Fantasy Life
June 27, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as Janet Cornelow, Janet Quinn
By Janet Quinn Cornelow
Online Classes
June 26, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesAs the school year was wrapping up, I started to focus on the area of my life that I had neglected during the turbulence of homework, tutoring, weekly meetings with my son’s teacher and the chaos of my changing day job responsibilities.
Deciding to renew my commitment to my goal of writing everyday but knowing that I was completely out of shape mentally, I turned to favorite motivational tool: online writing classes. Looking at the various classes offered, I found an intensive, one-on-one, online class.
Perfect.
Being a student at heart and knowing that I feel impelled to complete any and all homework assignment, even if it kills me, I knew the class would jump start my dead writing battery.
During the two week class, I could feel the rust flaking off my mental gears. Although I began to droop from physical exhaustion from my return to my late night writing schedule, I grew so excited to my long neglected story take shape.
At the end of the two week course, I had made more progress on my project than I had in the previous six months.
Tonight I decided to take another intense, two week online class. By the end of that class, assuming I am still functioning, I know I will be firmly upon my writing path.
Happy writing!!
Lori Pyne
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