On a personal note, Shana edited my debut novel and was my introduction to the publishing industry. She's a fabulously talented editor and a pleasure to work with.
Welcome to the Hot
Seat, Shana! We're so pleased you could join us. It's not every day we get to
interview an editor, so let's get right down to business!
Thanks for having me!
Your job is reading,
acquiring, and editing romance novels. In other words, it's pretty awesome. But
I have to ask anyway: what made you decide to be an editor, and what do you
love most about your job?
I’ve always loved reading (I was that girl in school with
the book hidden under my desk during class), and at one point I thought I’d
like to be an author myself. But my mom
steered me towards a journalism major in college, and while I liked the writing
part, I learned I really didn’t like interviewing people. So I decided I would try to get a job in book
publishing, which combined my loves of reading, writing and editing.
The things I love most about my job are discovering new
authors and building relationships with the authors I work with. Aside from the professional aspects of the
editor/author relationship, I love that I can talk to authors via social media
about things like their family’s new pet bunny, my fake relationship with my
Starbucks barista or The Muppets. I also
especially love that no two days at work are ever the same, so this job never
gets boring. J
When you're looking
for new writers, what grabs your attention and what can a new writer do to set
herself apart from the slush?
A unique premise, a strong voice and demonstration of a
clear understanding of the line will help a new writer stand out to me. Something I tend to gravitate towards in
author voice is a bit of humor, so if an author can make me laugh, I’m usually
hooked. The best thing an author can do
is to research both the line and editor she’s targeting. Harlequin lists the writing guidelines for
every line on the website,
so if you’re unsure where your manuscript might fit, check them out. Also, reading books from the line you’re
targeting is the absolute best way to get a feel for the series. I’ll get to the part about researching the
editor below. J
Not to be creepy, but
I know from following you on Twitter that you love weather disaster plots. Do
you also have favorite tropes? Or how about favorite hero or heroine types?
Answer carefully, because you may be inundated…
I do love weather disaster plots. I’m a huge fan of storms, snowstorms in
particular, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reread The Baby-Sitters
Club Super Special #7, Snowbound.
There’s something so fun in the adventure of being stranded somewhere by
snow. Thank you, Ann M. Martin, for
feeding this fantasy of mine. J
As for other favorites, I do enjoy a good amnesia story (the
first book I acquired from a brand-new author was a really great amnesia story
with a twist—What Lies Beneath by
Andrea Laurence), secret babies (and I promise these are possible to write for
any of our series lines—you may just have to get creative), reunion romances,
“back from the dead” stories (not zombies, but situations where a character was
thought to be dead and turns out to be alive), hero as protector or hero and
heroine on the run in a suspense story.
I love a really fun, danger- and adventure-filled suspense!
How about peeves? Are
there things you see in manuscripts that you'd be happy if you never saw again?
I see a lot of submissions where the writer focuses solely
on the heroine and never or rarely goes into the hero’s point of view. It’s crucial, at least in our series lines,
to provide both characters’ POVs.
Readers want to know what your hero is thinking and get some insight into
why he acts the way he does. I also
could do without villains whose actions don’t match their ultimate goal (e.g.
leaving a threatening note for the heroine when what he really wants is for her
to be dead—he should shoot at her!) and heroines who are either overly weak or
overly angry, especially towards the hero for no reason. Remember, your hero is supposed to fall in
love with this woman. Make sure she has
qualities he would be attracted to.
Can you tell us more about
the Love Inspired franchise? What are the editors looking for right now? Are there
particular authors you would recommend reading to get a better understanding of
the lines?
The Love Inspired franchise is Harlequin’s wholesome
Christian romance imprint. Love Inspired
is the contemporary romance series, Love Inspired Suspense is the romantic
suspense series, and Love Inspired Historical is our historical romance
series. The books are clean—no bad
language, graphic violence or pre-marital sex in the course of the story. The relationships should emphasize emotional
intimacy rather than sexual desire. Some
authors to check out: LI: Linda
Goodnight, Brenda Minton, Kathryn Springer, LIS: Shirlee McCoy, Valerie Hansen, Lynette Eason, LIH: Linda Ford, Winnie Griggs, Renee
Ryan
While we’re especially interested in Love Inspired Suspense
submissions right now, we are acquiring for all three lines. And we have a new opportunity in a recently
announced pitch session called Happily Editor After.
What can you tell us
about Happily Editor After, and how can an aspiring writer take advantage of
this opportunity?
Happily Editor After is the chance for authors to make a
match with an editor who will be most interested in her manuscript. We like to think of it as online dating…for
your manuscript. Fellow Love Inspired
editors Emily Rodmell, Elizabeth Mazer and I have written our “dating” bios
with information on what each of us specifically would be interested in
reading. For example, you already
mentioned that it’s well known I enjoy stories with weather disasters, so an
author might want to pitch her blizzard story to me. Whereas Emily might be the best choice for a
story set at a zoo and Elizabeth may be the editor for you if you’ve written a
Regency romance with strong sister relationships. Details, guidelines, our full bios and
instructions on how to sign up are all available here. Spots have been filling up quickly, but even
if you miss the opportunity this time around, you don’t have to wait for
another pitch session to send us your story.
We’re always accepting submissions, and now that you know exactly what
three Love Inspired editors are looking for, you’ll know who to query with your
great idea. Knowing exactly what an
editor likes and is looking for is sometimes half the battle, and when you and
your manuscript can provide that—a perfect match!
Thanks so much,
Shana!