When I woke up this morning and checked my inbox there was an e-mail from a writer who had found my site. She asked me a question that I’ve been asked a few times already and so I thought I’d address it here. My answer has to do with writing from the heart and getting published, so it’s relevent (I believe) to the purpose of my blog.
The question was (in a nutshell) - Do I write only Regency-set romances or do I explore other time periods?
The answer - I write in most sub-genres–historical, Regency, contemporary, futuristic, romantica, and paranormal. (I don’t write Westerns.)
I believe I get asked about writing Regencies for two reasons. First, because the stories highlighted on the index page of my site are both Regencies and second, because the market is saturated with Regency-set stories.
Now we get to writing from the heart.
Lucien’s Gamble is a Regency only because I’d read the publisher’s other releases, noticed that they had very few Regency-set stories, and believed that they would want more to fill the gap. I wrote to the demands of the market. A Love for All Time, the story appearing in Arabella Magazine early next year, is a vampire Regency for the same reason. Arabella was looking for more historicals and vampire stories. Because I’m still new to the publishing business I follow publisher guidlelines as closely as possible. I’m not sorry. Lucien Remington is now a favorite romance hero of mine. Gorgeous and tortured, he turns from his sinner’s ways to win the hand of a good woman. *sigh*
I’ve read tons of books where I said, “How the hell did she get away with writing that?” But I already know the answer. The author established a name for herself and a following of readers that afforded her leniency with her publisher. The house knew she was going to sell, just from her name. I don’t have that luxury yet, but one day I hope to. One of the reasons I starting writing romantica is because of it’s freedom from convention. Sapphire’s Worth is a Cinderella/Pretty Woman-type story of a concubine who wins the heart of a prince. Fallen woman? You can’t get more fallen than a prostitute. I would never have been able to write it for a traditional publishing house.
But the books I submit to mainstream houses follow their guidelines. Why not write what’s in my heart? Well, first of all everything I write is from my heart. But I admit, sometimes I set aside a story that I really feel passionately about to write a story that I have to fall in love with slowly. Some would consider this selling out, I consider it paying my dues. When a story I wrote to guidelines gets solicited, it eases the sting of rejections I receive for works I wrote from the heart. Publishers want to sell books, I want to write books from my heart. One doesn’t necessarily negate the other. I try to find a balance of both.
I love all of my heros and heroines, regardless of how they were conceived. I love their stories and their worlds, regardless of where they live. And if writing them to court the market gets me sold–more’s the better.
Tell me what you think about this. (But be kind. I’m a writer and therefore very sensitive!)
:blush:
