Sarah's Contest and a Memory Eater Call for Submission

Yesterday's blog tour stop was over at Jen's and I'm talking about my love of fantasy. Today I'm talking about why I love to write romances at Liz's. Please be sure to check them out and leave comments!

Sarah Allen is having a contest on her blog! Details lifted from her blog:

This blog is getting very close to having 500 followers. Also I'm moving, in case you haven't heard, so I figure its a great time to celebrate and have this blogs first contest. It's very simple, and the point is to celebrate and thank all you wonderful people who've been with me here and supported me. This blog would be pointless without you.

Here are the rules. There are only three.
1-Be a follower of this blog.
2-Post a link to this blog in your blog.
3-Leave a comment here, linking me to that post.

Thats all. Then I will pick a random winner from the comments, check to make sure the link is legit, and that person will win a $15 Amazon gift card direct to their email. But there's a bonus. The deadline for this is midnight on May 23rd, which is my first day at my new job. If by that point we have reached 500 followers, the prize will be raised to $20. Make sense? I figure its a simple contest, and any credit towards Amazon is great, right? Plus I could use the support and the chance to give back something to you all. You're awesome, really. You're why I do what I do.

So if you aren't already following Sarah, you should be!

And a really interesting call for submissions:

Call for "The Memory Eater" Anthology Submissions

“Have a cheating ex you can’t stop thinking about?  How about a past failure which now defines you?  Do you wish you could forget about the time you walked in on your parents making your brother or sister?

“Yes?  Well then today’s your lucky day.  Introducing the brand new Memory Eater—an orb-like device that fits neatly around your head like a diver’s helmet with the ability to locate and destroy any memory in the human mind.

“Victims of rape no longer need to fear dating.  Drunk drivers don’t have to regret getting back on the road.  And for those who have lost loved ones, you no longer need to mourn.

“Today is a new day.  Today is your day.  Start it off by deleting the past so you can save your future.”

And so reads the advertisement for the Memory Eater.  Performed by licensed technicians, the process is fairly simple.  Go to a Memory Eater store and let a licensed technician enter your mind for five minutes.  After a simple search and destroy command, followed by a mind defragmentation, the selected memory will be gone from the customer’s memory forever.

But be warned, for sometimes memories are strung together.  Like an ex-husband and children.  Or drugs and a $50,000 college education.  And if a licensed technician makes a mistake (only 3% error rate), you may forget how to walk, or how to talk, or how to go to the bathroom.

There have also been reports of “subject tampering”.  For instance, a man went in to have his nagging wife deleted, but it turns out his wife paid the technician more money to wipe video games, beer and sports from his mind.  Now the man apparently watches The Notebook every night while eating bonbons with his wife.

But such is the case with any new technology.  There are always pros and cons, glitches and total catastrophes.

Anthology Information:

·    Submissions will be open from March 15, 2011 to June 15, 2011.  They will close on June 15, 2011 at midnight.

·    Writers will split an equal amount of the profits.

Calls for submissions

Submissions are once again open at Desert Breeze Publishing! We are seeking manuscripts to fill our 2011 release schedule. At Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., we are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 25,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 65,000 and 90,000 words.  We are more than willing to accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed and the series has been thoroughly formulated.

We are looking for submissions in all of the following romance sub-genres:

Contemporary Romance
Romantic Suspense
Romantic Comedy/Humorous Romance
Inspirational/Christian Romance
Fantasy Romance
Paranormal Romance
Science Fiction Romance/Futuristic Romance
Steampunk Romance
Modern Cowboy Romance
20th Century Historical Romance
Historical Romance (Prior to the 1900's)

And while we're actively seeking all genres, there are a few types of submissions that would really excite us!

Do you have a historical romance set within the first half of the 20th Century?  Perhaps during The Great Depression or World War I/World War II?  The setting does not have to be limited to the United States, but anywhere in the globe affected by these world-altering timeframes.  Do you have a romance set around the Korean or Vietnam Wars? These are largely untapped timeframes with a growing market.

Have you written an epic science fiction or futuristic book series?  A Space Opera?  Or even a single title novel of the genre? Steampunk is a new and upcoming genre that we're definitely interested in exploring.

We would like to see both single title -- as well as series -- romantic suspense novels, especially with characters who serve in law enforcement, civil service, or the military.  And that's not just limited to the heroes.  We'd love to see books where the heroine is the one doing the saving and protecting, or works beside the hero in an equal position.

Have you written an intricate fantasy series with a cast of characters fighting for the greater good, and falling in love along the way?

We are actively seeking inspirational novels with a bit more real world flair. It's not always easy being a Christian, and we would like to see novels that express that.

And cowboys... we love modern-day cowboys.  Sometimes they're on the ranch and sometimes they're outside their element... but they always say 'ma'am' and they know how to look darn sexy in cowboy boots.

Full submission guidelines can be read, along with instructions for submitting, can be found at our website: http://www.DesertBreezePublishing.com under Submissions. Any questions regarding submissions can be directed to EditorInChief@DesertBreezePublishing.com

We anticipate a 4-6 week response time after July 1st.

Aspen Mountain Press will launch its new Aurora Regency imprint on July 21, 2010! 

Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press is a line devoted to Regency romance. Traditional Regency romances, as exemplified by Georgette Heyer’s work, are first and foremost historical fiction about a very specific (and short) era.  So what are we looking for? Hopefully, this will answer any questions you might have about Aurora Regency’s guidelines.

1)      We expect historical accuracy. This includes language, clothing, customs, etiquette, events and places.  Your book should have rich detail, the appropriate language and slang and an understanding of life in Regency England or, if set outside of England, according to the customs of the country.  That includes behavior appropriate to a character’s life, position and social situation. (For example: divorce was not an option in Regency England so no new divorcées gallivanting at Almack’s in competition with the Season’s loveliest debutantes.)  Historical accuracy will be a consideration in the acceptance of manuscripts and an integral part of the editing process. If your manuscript has several historical errors, you may be asked to revise and resubmit.

2)      We hope for novel plotlines or exciting new twists on old themes. We are open to paranormal or Gothic themes as long as these elements do not compromise the Regency romance genre. So if your impoverished but well-born governess falls in love with the lord of the manor that’s fine. Just make it interesting.

3)      We expect romance—oh, loads of it!  Every kind of hero is fair game in a Regency romance and our heroines should be head over heels in love with them.  But remember—this is a Regency romance.  Spice is okay; jalapeno salsa is not.   In an era were even the smallest infractions would lead to social ruin, well brought up young heroines were virgins on the wedding night. {However, if your Regency is about a member of the demimonde (a courtesan) and is erotic in nature, please indicate this in your query letter.} And, naturally, a HEA is the conclusion of choice.

4)      Great dialogue. In the Regency romance, conversation is well-crafted and engaging. Half of the process of falling in love occurs when the hero and heroine engage in a battle of wits.  Repartee is an art form; conversation is seduction. Anachronistic sayings or language are strongly discouraged.

5)      Society.  Society rules these characters’ lives.  The Season is capitalized for a reason.  As Jane Austen said in Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Society dictates that universal truth, and in a Regency romance Society is where the bridal hunt is carried out.  It can be London or Bath or Brighton or even a simple country parsonage involved in county society—but society (either capitalized or not) is as big a character as any human being.

6)      Fun.  Above all, Regency romances are fun—both to read and to write.  The more adventures your madcap heroine has, the better.  Paranormal Regencies are acceptable as are the more intricate Regency murder mysteries. Even the darker side of the Regency world is fun.

So, do you think your Regency romance fits the bill? Then submit to us!  The Aurora Regency line is published by Aspen Mountain Press, a royalty-paying e-publishing company.  We do not charge fees for set up or charge for editing your story once it has been accepted for publication. Our contracts request rights to the contracted work, including digital and print formats as we will provide some of our titles in print later this year.

Aurora is looking for well-researched Regency romances between 35,000 and 70,000 words, although we will bend on the upper word limit if the story merits it.  Please submit exactly and only the following if you wish your manuscript to receive serious consideration:

A query letter in the body of an email with:

Your legal name, pseudonym if applicable and contact email.

Working Title

Manuscript Length

General story description in two paragraphs

Writing Credentials

Include the first chapter (or first twenty pages, whichever is shorter) embedded in the body of the email. We will not open attachments. If we like what we see, we will request the rest of the manuscript.  If this is a simultaneous submission, please inform us of this in your query letter.  We will consider only COMPLETED manuscripts.  Aspen Mountain Press does not accept proposals from writers unknown to us. Aurora Regency at Aspen Mountain Press will open for submissions on February 15, 2010. Please send all questions and submissions to AuroraRegency@gmail.com.  We accept ONLY e-submissions.  Initial response times are anticipated to be no longer than 2 weeks. 

Zombie Romance Submissions

Ain't no lovin' like undead lovin'—and it applies to more than vampires.

Night Wolf Publications is ahead of the newest paranormal romance trend coming out of New York: Zombies. That's right. Share with us your take on a zombie romance. Light, dark, humorous, serious, gory & greasy, or carefully exfoliated; give us your best polished 50,000- to 100,000-word MS on or before Oct. 1, 2010, for a Valentine's Day 2011 sales season release. We're only accepting the best.

Follow the Directions!
Here's how to submit a zombie-specific, 50,000- to 100,000-word paranormal romance to Night Wolf Publications.

1. Send a query letter AND a two- to three-page synopsis of your completed story to nightwolfpublications@gmail.com by SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. (there's a great summary of how to write a romance synopsis at http://brendacoulter.com/BrendaCoulterTips.htm). Include "NWP Zombie Romance" in the subject line of your e-mail.
2. An editor for NWP will contact you before Oct. 1, 2010, requesting the full MS if he or she is interested in your story. At that time, you will be expected to follow the simple instructions to send the full MS to NWP by Oct. 1.
3. Authors are never expected to pay for their submissions at NWP. There are no submission fees, no reading fees, no editing fees, no processing fees, no printing fees, etc. Authors are not required to purchase copies of their books upon printing. Contracts will be offered when full MS are selected.

Note: I am a DB author so I can vouch for them but I have no ties or experience with the other publishers. Research them and determine for yourself if you want to submit to any of the three publishers.

Mertales Call for Submissions

I found a new call of submissions.

Wyvern Publication is looking for YA stories about sea creatures for its Mertales Anthology. The 2010 anthology has the theme of mermaids and sea monsters. Although the theme and teen genre is set, the story can be as folklorish as you like! Mertales is planned to be compiled and published at the end of 2010 and submissions will be accepted from 1 Sept 2009. Deadline for submission is 1 Aug 2010, although if the anthology is 'full' before then, new manuscripts will not be considered. Word count should be between 2,000 and 5,000 words. More details here.

I wrote a story for this anthology today and I sent it in already. A little over 3,800 words. Varun loves to sing to his little cousins but they aren't the only one who likes to listen. One day Varun's voice brings a young maiden to him but is she human?

What I like most about this story is that Brenna is not a typical mermaid. But I won't say anything more about it, hopefully you'll be able to read it in Mertales. I called it Beauty is Only Fin Deep.

In other news, I guest blogged at a fellow DBP author's blog about my writing journey. Read it here and leave a comment please!

Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology

Submission call.

Short story (2.5-5k) so even though the deadline is May 27th, you could whip something up for it.

A story about a daring knight or paladin versus an evil demon.

More details here.

I've started a piece and will be submitting myself. Worse they can do is reject me but I think this story will get picked up somewhere, even if not for this anthology.