Embrace Books

Embrace Books closes

2011-08-08T20:43:00.000+01:00

I resigned from my position as Executive Editor at Embrace Books in July 2011, in order to fulfil my own writing commitments elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge, Embrace Books has now closed.

Please contact the Directors at Salt Publishing for further details.

I'd like to thank all the writers with whom I have worked so closely over the past year, both for your professionalism and for the warmth of your friendship. It's been a privilege and an honour to edit so many exciting and well-written novels, and I know you will all continue your fabulous careers with other publishers, who will be lucky to have you aboard.

Jane Holland
Former Executive Editor: Embrace Books

Rachel Lyndhurst on being a virgin again:The RNA Conference 2011

2011-07-12T13:09:00.000+01:00

Being published as a launch author for Embrace Books in February this year enabled me to join the Romantic Novelists' Association as a full member and attend my very first conference in Caerleon, Wales this weekend. Newbies like me are affectionately known as conference 'virgins' (no sniggering!), and are taken special care of. This year it was Anna Louise Lucia's turn to keep an eye on us and she was wonderful, so many thanks to her.

I was only able to stay for part of the conference, but the experience has me wanting to sign up for the next one immediately. It would be impossible to condense everything I learned into one blog post, so I'm going to focus on the impact of the digital age on my own experience and pass on some juicy tips.

Firstly I had to get there, and not being one for motorways and toll bridges, the train was the way to go, so I did it all online. I planned the journey, got the timetable and ordered my cheap advance tickets from the comfort of my own home. Easy!

On the way to Newport the Twitter hashtag #RNAConf11 kept me amused. I could visualise the delegates streaming into Wales from all over the world just by the messages going backwards and forwards. I also used it for the live tweeting on my journey home and soaked up the information as it came in. On arrival, we were informed at registration about Wifi access codes and cables for our rooms, which was just as well, there were netbooks, tablets and smartphones everywhere!

The first session was held by Lizzy Kremer of David Higham Associates who gave a very informative talk on contracts. There's one thing she said that really struck a chord will me: 'eBooks are not going to go away.' I think we're already seeing changes in traditional publishing that reflect the rising popularity of digital media. Readers are quickly realising they can get instant gratification. They want a certain book and they want it now - they don't want to wait or pay postage. They want cheaper books too. Authors and publishers can't afford to ignore this. I was interested to see that my novel Storm's Heart had a rise in sales over the conference weekend - predominantly the eBook version. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Following Anne Ashurst's welcome to the conference Jan Jones read out a list of 'celebrations'. It was a thrill for me to be sat between two RNA award winning authors during this. We'd met before, but it went to show just how much sparkling talent there was in that conference room. Here's me and Charlotte Betts with my dear friend, India Grey on the other side of me and Liz Fielding's hand! (photo courtesy of Lizzie Lamb).

And guess what? The market isn't as dire as some would have you believe. Judging by the amount of people standing up and telling their good news, RNA members are selling big time. With hard work and dedication your future as an author can be as bright as you want it to be. Just don't give up! Bestselling author Jill Mansell winner of Romantic Comedy of the Year told us how she would have stopped submitting if the third agent she approached had rejected her. Fortunately they didn't, but there's a lesson there!

And then, of course, came the important bit, the bar! I got to talk and hug lots of gorgeous people I've met through blogging, Facebook and Twitter over the last year, including a squirrel! It's because of these connections that I wasn't in the least bit nervous about attending this conference on my own - I knew I'd be surrounded by friends. This couldn't have happened without the Internet and I'm wondering how different it would have been for me five years ago when we didn't have a computer at home.

Here's me with the lovely Rachel Brimble (who was asked for a 'full' by Mira a few hours earlier!) and Alison Knight (courtesy of Lizzie Lamb again):

We only had a couple of units of wine ...

There were ten minute editorial pitches with some big names in publishing too. There's something you should know if you don't already: if you submit, you will be Googled. An active online presence is vital, so get yourself out there and make yourself visible. It's a fact. No shrinking violets!

I've only scratched the surface of all the things I learned at the conference, but the highlight for me was when Wild Rose Press author Stephanie Cage tracked me down to say how much she loved reading Storm's Heart. And then she asked for my signature! It really was a very special moment indeed, the highlight of my writing career so far. We authors are nothing without our readers after all.

As a special conference treat, I'll leave you with an iconic and very exclusive photograph of the Executive Editor of Embrace Books in the bar. What a woman!!!

Embrace announces the launch of THE DREAMERS: a beautiful romance from Tanwen Coyne

2011-06-15T14:52:00.001+01:00

Tanwen Coyne is a vibrant new young writer from Wales, and this is her first publication. A ghostly romance set in a remote Welsh cottage brings two young women together from different times and different walks of life. A strikingly unusual story, beautifully written.

Buy it today at Kindle Amazon UK.

Buy it today at Kindle Amazon US.

Congratulations to Tanwen Coyne on her first publication!

Getting Published - Embrace Author Cody Young Tells Her Story

2011-05-30T00:57:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone. Getting published wasn't easy. Here's what worked for me:

Wanted to write a book.

Wrote a non-fiction book.

On the third submission, I got picked up by a university press – hurray!

The university press got ‘restructured’ - didn’t want my book anymore.

Sigh.

Wrote a novel for a competition.

Got bad scores.

Wrote another novel.

Self-published it, against all the advice. Was told I might as well have flushed it down the toilet. (The person who said that has since seen the chain of bookstores he worked for go into receivership).

Started another novel.

Pitched it to an agent, and she liked it – hurray!

A year later. The agent is still thinking about it.

Decided there had to be a better way to use my talent.

(Yes, I still believed I had some).

Started submitting to slush piles.

Started to get some ‘encouraging’ rejections. Who want's one of those?

Felt increasingly impatient about the long wait times with big publishing houses.

House burnt down (mine, not the publishing house – though I was tempted).

Moved to a rental property while house was being rebuilt.

Wrote a lot, to take my mind off it.

Submitted a novella to Embrace Books, UK.

Got a letter saying it was probably too short.

Submitted a story to ‘So You Think You Can Write’ at Harlequin.

They liked it and asked for more.

Wrote like the wind for six weeks.

Many months later, they are still thinking about it.

Meanwhile ...

Was accepted by Embrace Books and signed a contract – hurray!

Jane Holland at Embrace Books became ‘my editor’. I love that phrase.

Did revisions on the novella to make it longer (and better).

‘Scandal at the Farmhouse’ became one of the launch titles for Embrace Books! Success!

Started writing another book …

For more true confessions about becoming an author, come visit me at http://www.codyyoungblog.blogspot.com/

Savage Sun gets a Reviewer's Top Pick!

2011-05-04T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hello, Embrace lovelies! I'm very excited to announce, my western romance, Savage Sun, received a Top Pick at Miz Love Loves Books! The reviewer felt every emotion I intended in this controversial western of interracial love in the old west, and I can't be any more thrilled about it. :-)

Here is a little snippet of her review:

"Oh wow, what a beautifully written book. Savage Sun highlights the atrocities of times gone by when slavery was a memory still too close."

For Miz Vamp's full review, and some juicy details, please visit here:
http://www.mizlovelovesbooks.com/2011/04/savage-sun-by-b-l-bonita.html?zx=2429dc8d874c5221

Purchase Savage Sun from Embrace Books:
http://www.saltpublishing.com/ebooks/adk/9781844718443.htm

Purchase from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Savage-Sun-ebook/dp/B004NBY3Z0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=digital-text&qid=1304516254&sr=1-2

Thanks! And have a fabulous week. :-)

Bon
http://www.blbonita.net
"Romantic fiction with Erotic flavor"

The Royal Wedding - Not Long To Go!

2011-04-27T06:18:00.000+01:00

Kate and Wills will tie the knot on Friday, witnessed by two billion of their closest friends. Westminster Abbey is ready. The Archbishop is standing by. The trumpets have been polished for the fanfare, and the guests have bought their outfits. The cake (only slightly smaller than Buckingham Palace) has been made, and the dress – oh, the dress! – is under armed guard.

I hope she didn’t want a quiet wedding. Wouldn’t it be awful if Kate decided that all the fuss is not for her? What if she turned to Wills and said ‘I’ve changed my mind. I want to get married on a beach - barefoot and wearing a white bikini - with just a couple of witnesses and a plastic ring out of a Christmas cracker.’

It’s not as crazy it sounds - such a wedding could be profoundly romantic. If, for the sake of argument, the happy couple had found the ring in a cracker on the night they fell in love - it could be a moment full of significance and romance.

Don’t worry, she won’t cancel on us – we’ll get our Royal Wedding, fingers crossed. When the engagement was announced, Kate assured us that her hubby-to-be is ‘a true romantic’. But is he, really and truly? Well, avid romance readers, let’s take a long hard look at Prince William, and see how he measures up!

The story of the courtship is certainly the stuff that fairytales are made of. Our hero had the pick of any number of princesses and heiresses and yet, he didn’t. Instead, he saw the extraordinary beauty in an ‘ordinary’ girl – his college sweetheart, Kate. So far so good. The prince has wealth and pedigree that puts Mr Darcy in the shade. And like the much-loved hero of every romance novel he has more than a little twinkle in his eyes and a slightly rakish air. But the archetypal hero – is tall, DARK, and handsome, and our hero, Wills, is fair? Did you know that the vast majority of the men on the covers of romance novels have dark hair? It’s a miracle Kate gave him a second glance!

However, she looked and she loved, and pretty soon we got used to seeing images of the young couple here, there and everywhere. So much so that many of us were stunned when they had their ‘black moment’ and everything seemed to be lost. Pictures of Kate, looking wan and bereft, appeared in all the glossies and the tabloids, and the tight-lipped prince refused to comment on the split. The nation held its breath. The fairytale looked grim. No wonder there was much rejoicing when love conquered all.

So now we wait, impatiently, for the spectacle to begin. Waiting to see the prince to pledge himself to his lovely bride. Hoping for a wedding full of beauty and romance. Is the prince a ‘true romantic’? I think so, and here’s why: in a world where love is fragile and often doesn’t last, where relationships often end in heartbreak and anguish, and even William's parents split up – he is still saying he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. There’s the romance. A man who hopes that love will last. A radiant couple vowing that their happy day will usher in their happy ever after. I for one will be watching the wedding, tissue box at hand, wishing them the best. Lucky things!

What's Your Hero Type?

2011-04-25T16:37:00.000+01:00

If you're like me (and if you're reading this blog you probably are), you've read a lot of books, especially romances. One of the hallmarks of a good romance is how much you feel for the characters. In my very favorite books, the hero and heroine are absolutely unforgettable. I've noticed that the characters that stick with me are usually of a certain type, and I've come to realize that I prefer a certain kind of hero.

Romance has become a very diverse genre, and you can find all sorts of heroes out there. What I'm specifically referring to here is the difference between polished, wealthy heroes (think CEOs and lawyers) and everyday men with more typical jobs, who usually work with their hands (think construction workers and cops). Both types are popular, and either either can make a sexy alpha male (or if you prefer, a beta). And there is good reason to love both types. Many readers enjoy the fantasy-escape aspect of a heroine who falls in love with a suave, classy man (and the millions don't hurt either!). And many readers also love to get caught up in a romance that seems especially realistic to them because involves the sort of everyday man that may remind them of men they've known themselves (or maybe hope to meet).

Personally, I've always enjoyed reading stories with everyday, hard-working heroes. Not surprisingly, those are the sort of heroes I tend to write, too. Heroes I've written have included construction workers, cowboys and even bank-robbers, to name a few. No millions required! I'll take a hero with a typical career and an extraordinary personality and looks any day. ; )

What about you? What's your hero type? Do you prefer a classy man with the world at his fingertips or an everyday sort of hero?

-Ranae
http://www.ranaerose.com/

How to make a book trailer ... for free

2011-04-21T09:39:00.000+01:00

Getting your book published is the best feeling ever, it's what you've been aiming for as a writer for so long, but the hard work isn't over yet. Now you have to sell it, as promotion is most likely going to be down to you as a new author. Prepare to be busy!

You have your blog, your Facebook page and your Twitter account and it hasn't cost you a penny - excellent! This is just as well since you may have spent all the housekeeping money on your launch party and your royalty cheque is months away. It's time to get creative.

I discovered I had Windows Movie Maker already installed as part of my standard software package, so I used this program to create my book trailer. All you need to do is open it up, import pictures in from your hard drive and create a 'storyboard'. Then you need some music to layer over it. I downloaded from a royalty-free website . You add in your own titles and narrative, tweak about with the pictures to fit the length of the music and that's it!

It really was easy, it took me a few hours to learn and produce my first ever book trailer. Next time I might get really flash and add video content or do a voice over. Such fun! So here it is: Storm's Heart the movie:

What do you think? Are you going to have a go yourself?

And if you now feel inspired enough to buy a copy of Storm's Heart in paperback or digital format you can do so from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com , Salt Publishing and all good online book stores.

I'd love you for it!

(And many thanks to Kathryn Brown who was generous enough to tell me how to do all this in the first place! You can never have too many friends.)

Sally Clements visits "Catherine, Caffeinated"

2011-04-11T18:49:00.001+01:00

One of our marvellous Embrace authors, Sally Clements, whose suspense romance "Bound To Love" is available in both print book and ebook, has been talking to Catherine Ryan Howard today over on "Catherine, Caffeinated".

You can grab a Kindle copy of "Bound To Love" on the US Amazon site here, or on the UK Amazon site here. The paperback is also available via Amazon UK.

Kindle Candy: Have you grabbed yours yet?

2011-04-09T13:17:00.001+01:00

Just a reminder that our seven fantastic and delicious launch titles for Embrace are available to buy very cheaply on Kindle, for those with either the reader itself or a Kindle programme for reading on your computer (such as Kindle for Mac, where you can download titles straight onto your laptop).

These include 'The Lady Soldier' - reissued in digital form with previously deleted sensual scenes! - from the experienced writing team of Kate Allan and Michelle Styles

and

the hot 'n' quirky 'Nanny Behaving Badly' with plenty of sass from Scottish romance writer Judy Jarvie.

Right now though, one of our top-selling titles is the stunning and sensual Regency romance 'The Reluctant Marquess' from multi-published author Maggi Andersen.

Grab your copy of 'The Reluctant Marquess' on Kindle today - and see what all the fuss is about!

Back soon with news of our forthcoming Spring Releases!

Jane x

Embrace talks about romance, sexuality and rejection

2011-03-13T11:31:00.003Z

This week, Embrace Books gave an interview to the popular website for books by and for independent women, For Books' Sake.

When you've done reading what we had to say about sexuality, romance, and how to deal with rejection, check out the rest of their site, for more writing features, events, book of the week, and a shop that sells For Books' Sake T-shirts and tote bags, no less.

Some of which caught my own eye, I must confess ... !

What would you do if you were Taken Hostage?

2011-03-08T10:18:00.006Z

Embrace Books announce the acquisition of a super-hot new title for their steamy After Dark series.

“Taken Hostage” by US writer Ranae Rose will be published in summer 2011.

Tiffany is taken on the run as a hostage after the bank she works at is robbed.

When the gorgeous gunman offers to let her return to safety, Tiffany realizes there are many things she wants to do to him, but walking away isn’t one of them.

Ranae Rose has been an avid reader and writer all of her life. Romance is her genre of choice, and she strives to write gripping, passionate stories. She lives in the US with her husband, child, dog and horses.

“Taken Hostage” will be published by Embrace as part of our After Dark series in Summer 2011.

For currently available After Dark titles, click here.

Connect with Ranae Rose on Facebook.

Maggi Andersen answers "5 Little Questions"

2011-03-07T16:22:00.004Z

Maggi Andersen, author of the Regency romance, The Reluctant Marquess, answers "5 Little Questions" for the Embrace blog.

1. How did you come up with the title, 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I have to thank Jane for coming up with my Title. I had chosen one neither of us was mad about. I wanted Marquess in the title and Jane thought of The Reluctant Marquess, which perfectly describes Lord Robert!

2. What do you think will happen to romance in the future? It will get the respect it deserves. There's some great romance writers who should get equal billing with crime and other genres. Romance is getting hotter and I don't see that changing. Interesting sub genres like steampunk are popping up. Books will probably be shorter in length too, to suit e-books, with editors cutting words to make the pace faster. Which is fine as long as it doesn't obliterate the writer's voice and make us all sound the same.

3. So what's next after 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I love writing Regencies, and plan to write some darker in tone, and more Victorian mysteries.

4. Any tips for newbie authors out there? Read widely and particularly in the genre in which you plan to write. And don't give up. I believe perseverance is the key to being published. It has been said it takes ten years to make a writer. It took years of hard work, submitting and getting rejections before I was offered a contract, but I don't regret those years. I learned a lot along the way.

5. Could I be a plotter rather than a panster? The answer to this is clearly no. If I try to plot in advance, my throat dries up and my creativity flies out the window. I have purchased expensive software which sits there making me feel guilty every time I look at it. Writing to me is like reading a book, I'm not sure where the story will take me and that's the pleasure of it. But with romance I always have a pretty fair idea of how it will end.

You can buy a copy of Maggi's delectable romance, 'The Reluctant Marquess', on Amazon Kindle here in the UK and here on the US site, where it is currently No. 58 in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!

Do You Dig Digital?

2011-02-21T09:31:00.004Z

No I’m not talking television – I know why I love my ereader. And it’s not just because it’s pink ... boy do I love it! It’s my own little special friend. I love having it tucked inside my handbag (great for waiting around at school run!)

I love the instant access of downloading. That I have a bevy of books to choose from. I’m chuffed by the increasingly great selection of ebooks now available too.

It also gives me great joy to tidy up my cyber book shelves – yes I am a collection-a-holic! I like having my cyber files in good order (OCD – maybe?)

So I just wondered what others think? Does the ereader or kindle get a special place in your heart and why? Are you newly addicted or hesitant to try? Keen for colour or happy with grayscale E-ink? Personally I'm happy with the length of battery time E-ink gives me - though gorgeous colour covers could tempt me to upgrade ...

So how does downloading grab you – better that trudging out in the rain to get that book you’re itching for?

I'm all ears. And incase your need some new e-reading - plug time - read more about Nanny Behaving Badly here!

Lazy Sunday dreaming

2011-02-20T12:56:00.001Z

It's still a little chilly here in the UK and most of us won't have been brave enough to take off our woolly socks and jumpers yet. So here's a scene from sunny Lindos, on the Greek island of Rhodes, the setting of Embrace launch title Storm's Heart by Rachel Lyndhurst.

Not bad, eh?
Writers are always looking for inspiration and love to hear what their readers are looking for, so where would your dream romantic destination be? Tell us where you'd like see some passion explode!

Don't forget, there's still time to win a signed paperback copy of Storm's Heart over at Rachel Lyndhurst's blog.

Storm's Heart is also available to purchase as eBook or paperback here.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Kate Allan answers "5 Little Questions"

2011-02-19T16:00:00.001Z

Kate Allan is joint author of "The Lady Soldier" with Michelle Styles. Here she answers our "5 Little Questions".

Kate, how did you choose that title?

Michelle and I wanted something dramatic that really said what the
book was about and kicked about all sorts of ideas but the one that
seemed to grab the most attention was The Lady Soldier. People don't
expect ladies to be soldiers so they're immediately intrigued.

What changes - if any - do you think will happen to romance writing
in the 21st century?

I'm hoping with the ebook revolution more romance will be available
wherever you are in the world. UK readers have ended up having to
import US paperbacks in genres they want to read because UK publishers
just don't publish enough romance.

So you've got a launch title out with Embrace. What's next on your agenda?

I've nearly finished my current work-in-progress which is a short
novel and then I plan to go back to a longer novel I have been working
on for a while.

Any tips for newbie writers?

Don't be afraid to write the book you want to read. That's all I do
and then it's fingers crossed other people might like it too.

Where do you get your inspiration?

From books mostly, and real life. However, there's one scene in The
Lady Soldier involving dramatic use of gunpowder for which my
inspiration came primarily from an episode of Hornblower. Seeing how
drama and suspense works in film or television and trying to apply it
to your novel can be a great tool.

Rachel Lyndhurst goes Greek with "5 Little Questions"

2011-02-19T07:47:00.061Z

Rachel Lyndhurst, author of "Storm's Heart", gives us the lowdown on writing for Embrace with her "5 Little Questions".

How did you come up with 'Storm's Heart'?

Some inspiration from a Tad Williams chapter heading and a bit of a pick ’n’ mix brainstorm with my editor, Jane Holland. You really don’t want to know its working title … *cringe*

What do you think may happen to romance in the future?

Romance writing isn’t going to disappear. Trends will shift and storylines will need to adapt to changes in society as they do now, but I think the biggest changes will come with new technology. Kindle sales are already exceeding paperbacks on Amazon, I believe, and it looks as if digital publishing is the future. As a result of this we can expect to see prices dropping and more books being sold as a consequence. So, watch out authors, you’re going to need to write faster!

So what's next?

I’m furiously bashing away at another contemporary romance, which I hope will be ready to submit soon, and there’s another one on the back-burner that I’ve started and am finding hard to leave alone. I’m also trying to stay focussed; there are so many projects I want to get stuck into, but not enough hours in the day!

Tips for newbies?

Take constructive criticism gracefully, learn from it, apply what you’ve learned and never give up. Also remember that every writer feels scared and doubts themselves sometimes.

Who is your dream hero?

Well, apart from Him Indoors, obviously, it would have to be David Gandy. Always!

Judy Jarvie answers "5 Little Questions"

2011-02-18T15:45:00.002Z

Judy Jarvie, author of "Nanny Behaving Badly" answers our "5 Little Questions":

1. "Nanny Behaving Badly" - great title! How did you choose it?
Originally I'd called the book something much less catchy. It went through several rewrites and then - ping. Nanny Behaving Badly struck and stuck. I love the title and I think it really sums it up!

2. What changes - if any - do you think will happen to romance writing in the 21st century?
Tricky question - I'm loving the kindle and ipad revolution. I once said I wasn't that struck on ereaders - until I got one over a year ago. Instantly hooked and absolutely loving it. All my friends have them now - it's catching on. It can only get bigger and bigger! Here's hoping romance reading will grow and grow!

3. So you've got a launch title out with Embrace. What's next on your agenda?
I'm busy writing away! I'm so so happy with Nanny Behaving Badly. Now I want to improve and up my game ... watch this space!

4. Any tips for newbie writers?
Keep at it - set backs happen and just push through (I was published by a small indie US publisher and then everything fell away). Happily I didn't stop the writing. It was tough at the time but I've never lost the passion. Keep writing and growing! Opportunities pop up - so keep upping your game so you're ready for them!

5. Who is your ideal hero?
I won't name names (though everyone knows I'm fixated with a few stars, Gerard Butler to name only one). I guess I like the whole alpha exterior, gruff and rough. But I'm a sucker for a beta guy at heart. I like a guy who can laugh, banter and seduce with his whispered words. I think alpha and beta traits can combine for a killer package - I guess I like my heroes grounded and realistic! They're tough, they take no nonsense - but get deeper and the soft centre makes me melt!

You can buy "Nanny Behaving Badly" on Amazon Kindle.

Sally Clements answers "5 Little Questions"

2011-02-17T09:45:00.000Z

Sally Clements is the author of the stunning 'Bound To Love' which is available for download as a Kindle, an epub ebook, and also in paperback.

We asked Sally "5 Little Questions" and here are her replies:

So Sally, "Bound to Love." How did you choose that title?

My hero Jake, and heroine Tempest are tied up fairly early on in Bound to Love, and even though they aren't an obvious match, they are bound to love each other, so that's where my title came from!

What changes - if any - do you think will happen to romance writing in the 21st century?

I think the method of delivery is shifting, because e-books make reading romance so convenient, but I believe that the challenges that face couples in finding their happy ever after are eternal. I'm looking forward to reading a lot of new, exciting writers!

Now you've got a launch title out with Embrace, what's next on your agenda?

I'm expecting news in the next week or two on another new release (fingers crossed!), plus I'm waiting to hear how I did in the Romance Studio's Capa's awards. I'm a contender in the category 'favourite author'. And in May I'm waiting to hear how my first novel, Catch Me A Catch, does in the Joan Hessayon Award from the RNA. It's a very exciting time!

Any tips for newbie writers?
Keep writing. Take all advice and criticism from people you respect and really consider it carefully. Remember, if someone takes the time to advise, then something in your writing prompted it, and don't take it personally. Have belief in your writing!

What do you think of your cover?

I absolutely love it, the cover factory are fab!

Secrets revealed!

2011-02-16T12:37:00.000Z

Rachel Lyndhurst is being hosted by the Minxes of Romance blog today. Check out their questions and some revealing answers!

The Secret to Ebook Sales - and a Giveaway!

2011-02-15T10:59:00.003Z

That's a tantalising blog post title, isn't it?

I've just been over on KarenG's blog, Coming Down The Mountain: From Reclusive Writer to Published Author, which also promised to pass on the secret of selling ebooks. And for a moment, on landing there and eagerly beginning to read, I thought she had the secret, that she knew how to sell ebooks and could tell us all ...

Only she didn't. Well, KarenG gave us the rather useful formula 'cover and price' and asked everyone else what they thought.

Fair enough. It's a hard nut to crack.

Here are some initial thoughts: personal recommendations, blog interviews and tours, twitter campaigns, facebook status updates and author pages, readings and other public appearances, reviews on romance sites, promos on the same, giveaways like this, mentions on Goodreads and other reading sites.

But there must be more.

So how about we have a fantabulous brainstorming session this very day on behalf of our lovely new Embrace authors - Sally Clements, Rachel Lyndhurst, Judy Jarvie, Maggi Andersen, Cody Young, Michelle Styles, Kate Allan and BL Bonita - and see if between us we can't discover THE SECRET TO EBOOK SALES!

Any ideas and suggestions accepted, however bizarre or difficult to swallow.

And best of all, there's a free copy of one of our Embrace launch titles on offer to one of our idea-spinners, to be randomly allocated by my random selecting machine on Wednesday noon GMT!!

So let's have your ideas ...

Embrace Books Has Launched!!!

2011-02-14T00:13:00.001Z

It's just after midnight here in the UK and is now February 14th 2011, which means it's Embrace Books launch day!

Now all those pre-purchased Amazon Kindle titles will be whizzing through cyberspace on their way to - hopefully! - hundreds of eagerly waiting Kindles and ereaders around the world.

So please come in, we've been waiting for you to drop by. Take a drink, whatever you feel like, and start chatting. Tell us what you're drinking, what you're wearing, which Embrace titles you're after or have already bought.

I'm on the champagne cocktails, and can hardly walk in these incredibly high heels. Mind the balloons and streamers ... !!

It's the first few moments of Valentine's Day. And Embrace Books is live!

LAUNCH WEEK ROMANCE PARTY!!

2011-02-13T11:08:00.000Z

Embrace Books launches tomorrow, Monday 14th February, which - appropriately enough - is Valentine's Day in some parts of the world.

To celebrate our launch, the Embrace blog will be hosting a week-long cyber romance party, with Embrace authors weaving in and out, talking about their books.

So you're all invited to grab a drink on your way in, join one of the authors' groups for a chat, then join in with the fun by leaving a comment.

Tell us about your fabulous party outfits, the cocktails you're drinking, the delicious hors d'oeuvres, canapes and petits fours, and any famous writers you jostled in the queue for the restroom!!

And please do tell us if you've bought one of our superb, ground-breaking launch titles. They're all up for grabs on Kindle, e-Pub and in some instances as paperbacks!

Red Velvet: sexy, sophisticated romance

After Dark: intense, page-scorching romance and erotica

Embrace Regency: daring, unconventional Regency and Georgian romance

Embrace Historicals: bringing the past vividly to life

Find our new Red Velvet page at Salt

2011-02-12T17:43:00.000Z

The fabulous Red Velvet line of sensuous, contemporary romance at Embrace now has a browsing page at Salt.

Find our Red Velvet launch titles HERE!

Date for your Diary - We Launch on Monday!!

2011-02-10T17:56:00.000Z

Blog Frenzy Begins

2011-02-01T09:25:00.000Z

Hi. I'm Judy Jarvie and along with all the other Embrace launch authors I'm completely besides myself with excitement about the forthcoming launch of Embrace Books. To be honest I'm counting down the days like a kid with an advent calendar.

To this end I'll be out and about touring the blogs of some lovely writer chums (starting from today) and talking about my new releases - in particular Nanny Behaving Badly from Embrace.

Please pop by on the blog tour or visit my blog - and find out reasons why I'm so intrigued by sassy firemen and nannies who sometimes like to err on the naughty side. Are you and your Kindle counting down the days too?

Judy

Blogging With A Hot Fireman and A Feisty Nanny

Rachel Lyndhurst - Tuesday 1 February

http://rachellyndhurst.blogspot.com/

Sarah Grimm - Thursday 3 February

http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/

Marcy Bassett-Kennedy - Monday 7 February

http://marcybassettkennedy.blogspot.com/

Suzanne Jones - Thursday 10 February

http://suzanne-sj.blogspot.com/

Amber Leigh Williams, The Cozy Page - Monday 13 February

http://amberleighwilliams.blogspot.com/

Sarah Grimm – Tuesday 14 February

http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/

Marcy Bassett-Kennedy – Friday 18 February

http://marcybassettkennedy.blogspot.com/

The Minxes of Romance – Wednesday 23 February

http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com/

Suzanne Jones – Thursday 29 February

http://suzanne-sj.blogspot.com/

Rachel Brimble - Thursday 3 March

http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/

Too hot to handle! - BL Bonita's 'Savage Sun' gets a cover

2011-01-29T21:59:00.000Z

Launching on February 14th. Only two weeks to go!

Stunning new covers for Michelle Styles, Kate Allan and Cody Young

2011-01-28T17:40:00.000Z

Been drooling today over our two latest covers from The Cover Factory for our February launch line-up at Embrace. I think you'll agree that they're just fabulous and to-die-for.

Cody Young's Victorian tale of passion and secrets: SCANDAL AT THE FARMHOUSE

And THE LADY SOLDIER, a stunning and highly unusual Regency romance from the writing team of Michelle Styles and Kate Allan.

Both these scrumptious books - and a host of others - will be available for sale on Amazon Kindle and other e-platforms from February 14th.

Embrace Books is about to happen!

Winter Newsletter - OUT NOW!

2011-01-26T20:52:00.000Z

I know it's a few weeks late - mea culpa, all you lovely romancers - but the Winter Newsletter for Embrace Books is out and winging its way to subscribers. It's also available via Facebook and Twitter, for those who befriend us there.

If you're not on the subscribers' list, you can sign up here.

We have news on Michelle Styles and Kate Allan's jointly written and highly unusual Regency romance, The Lady Soldier, complete with 'deleted scenes' reinstated.

There's also a Love Letter written specially for us by romance writer Phillipa Ashley, from the point of view of a yearning Anne to her distant Captain Frederick Wentworth (a 'what happened afterwards' look at Jane Austen's Persuasion).

Not to mention some detailed How To tips for new writers on 'Writing the Opening to Your Novel' and more news on the impending launch itself.

In fact, the next newsletter will be our Launch Issue!

I shall pass swiftly over how terribly exciting that prospect is, and merely say that the elves have been very busy at Embrace this past week, with e-proofs winging their way to and from authors. This kind of activity will continue over the weekend and into early February, and then .... drumroll! ... we intend to launch Embrace Books officially on Valentine's Day, February 14th 2011.

So watch this blog space in the next two or three weeks, for some tremendous things are starting to happen here at Embrace HQ!

Erotica For All

2011-01-22T19:40:00.000Z

Marvellous to see our latest Call for Submissions up at Erotica for All.

We're looking for Trios of hot romance for single volume digital publication - 3 stories by the same author, that is, with a common theme or link of some kind.

The whole package, i.e. all three stories combined, should not exceed 15,000 words.

Interested in submitting three stories?

Send all three as separate Word attachments - preferably not Vista, i.e. docx - to
jane @ embracebooks.co.uk

Introducing "Trios" - triple-decker hot romance

2011-01-19T13:06:00.000Z

In general, we only publish novels and novellas at Embrace Books.

However, knowing how much we love short stories ourselves - especially, ahem, the hot, romantic variety! - it occurred to us that a "trio" of stories, a generous triple-decker portion of romance, would be the same length as a novella.

So why not put out a few mini-collections of short fiction by the same author?

Which is why I'm here today, putting out a general call for submission from authors who may already have some short romance stories on the back burner, or have been inspired by this to write some sexy stories for us. Send them to us at Embrace. We'd especially love it if they are linked by a common theme, though this can be any kind - including genre.

Three paranormals, for instance, or three Regency stories. Or three contemporaries revolving around a family or a group of close-knit friends. Three stories about long-lost loves returning would also work perfectly. Or a theme of enemies becoming more-than-friends.

Feeling inspired to write yet?

Here are the general guidelines for submission, and as soon as our first TRIO is available for digital sale, don't worry - we'll let you know where and how to buy it!

Embrace is currently seeking TRIOS of short stories all by the same author to be published in one mini-volume, preferably hot romance (straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual) with a common or linked theme.

We accept contemporary, historical and paranormal stories. But they MUST be romance and deliciously hot.

Please state TRIO theme in your submission and submit all three stories at the same time as three separate Word attachments: total word count of the whole collection should not be less than 10,000 nor exceed 15,000.

And don't forget to tell us something about yourself in the accompanying email: jane@embracebooks.co.uk

Category Romance

2011-01-13T00:37:00.000Z

This is just a friendly shout-out to all those writers who follow this blog.

We're currently keen to see short category romance submissions at Embrace Books.

I'll be taking pitches for these and other books at four UK writing and literary festivals this year, but am also open to new email submissions from overseas.

For those interested, here's a quick guide to category romance submissions:

Red Velvet – 50-60K in length
Sexy, sophisticated romance with feisty heroines and believable Alpha males. Contemporary and paranormal categories. Millionaires acceptable but not necessary. Sexual content required in all books, and can be a key element, but should not be overly explicit.

After Dark – 55-65K words
Passionate, scorching romance and erotic romance. Open to unusual and daring storylines. Contemporary and paranormal settings. Must include explicit sex, which in some cases may be central to the plot.

We also take historical romance and historical women's fiction within our Embrace Regency and Embrace Historicals series.

To submit your work, please follow our simple guidelines at Embrace Books.

Embrace wishes you a Very Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:03:00.000Z

The team at Embrace Books would like to wish all our marvellous authors and soon-to-be readers a very Happy New Year!

May 2011 be the year you achieve your dreams.

The official launch of Embrace Books is scheduled to take place on February 14th, and we hope by that time to have a brand-new website where you will be able to browse our new publications.

See you all there!

The Dreamers by Tanwen Coyne

2010-12-13T11:05:00.000Z

Embrace Books is delighted to announce that a spine-tingling paranormal romance is to be their first publication in the new Saffron line, which is a wide-ranging series specialising in lesbian fiction and non-fiction.

The Dreamers by new writer Tanwen Coyne will be published in Spring 2011.

The Dreamers
When Jennifer inherits a remote cottage in Wales, she soon senses that she isn’t alone. But whatever ghostly presence watches while she sleeps, it is not malign. Indeed, as the days go by and Jennifer draws ever closer to her new friend, she begins to realise that the presence in her cottage is both feminine … and erotic.

Embrace Books is particularly keen to encourage new submissions to Saffron, and also to its women's category fiction lines, contemporary romance Red Velvet and super-hot romance and erotica After Dark.

There are also two historical lines: Embrace Historical and Embrace Regency.

If you're a writer who'd like to join the growing line-up of authors at Embrace, please visit our Submissions Guidelines page for more information on how to send us your work.

A beautiful Georgian romance gets its cover ...

2010-11-23T12:33:00.000Z

The Cover Factory speaks ...

2010-11-23T11:42:00.000Z

If you've been following the releasing of our first stunning romance covers over the past 24 hours, you'll probably be too shocked and in awe to be reading this.

But if you're still able to to click a link, you can find out how Cover Factory guru Chris Hamilton-Emery went about selecting our luscious new cover images over on the Salt Publishing blog.

Poor Chris. Poring over half-naked women all day ...

Wow! Judy Jarvie's cover for NANNY BEHAVING BADLY

2010-11-22T16:53:00.000Z

Sally Clements' stunning cover for 'Bound To Love'

2010-11-22T14:54:00.001Z

WOW! Our first ever Embrace cover: Storm's Heart

2010-11-22T13:01:00.000Z

November Newsletter: Coming Soon!

2010-11-11T12:19:00.000Z

The November Newsletter will be on its way out soon, with tons of exciting news from Embrace and the usual cluster of fun and interesting feature items, like tips on writing romance and our regular Love Letter feature.

Apologies to those who missed our earlier newsletters. We were thinking of changing the way the newsletter is presented, but in the end decided to keep the standard style for now.

Come our mega-launch in the New Year, a whole barrage of fabulous new Embrace features are due to appear, including a brand-new website, a chat forum, an email group for readers to meet writers - and a revamped newsletter that will launch along with our first 8-10 titles.

A busy time, then, in the run-up to Christmas. But so exciting!

Do look out for the November Newsletter, which should drop into your inboxes in the next ten days. So better put Embrace Books on your Not Spam list, just in case, and if you're not already a subscriber, the link to be added to our email list is in the right-hand sidebar here.

Fashion and Fantasy

2010-11-02T21:46:00.000Z

Embrace Red Velvet authors Sally Clements and Judy Jarvie both love a challenge.

So when world famous fashion photographer Benjamin Kanarek recently urged writers to send him short fairytales via his famous fashion blog, they had to participate. The idea was to celebrate his fairytale inspired 'Tale of the Unexpected' images for Harper's BAZAAR Hong-Kong.

Their short tales were selected by Benjamin to accompany his wonderful images. You can read more about the story here – why not see Benjamin's magical photographs for yourself?

BL Bonita Interviewed

2010-10-23T14:14:00.000+01:00

BL Bonita's "Pathway to Paradise" from Noble Publishing

Our most recently acquired romance author at Embrace Books, multi-published Canadian author BL Bonita, has just been interviewed over at Happily Ever After Reviews.

Well done, BL, for a great interview! It was especially fascinating to hear all about your beautiful home in the Canadian wilderness, and how it has inspired so much of your writing.

If anyone has other news of Embrace authors out and about on the net, drop us a line and we'll post it up on the Embrace blog.

BL Bonita's "Savage Sun"

2010-10-21T10:04:00.000+01:00

Savage Sun is a new erotic western romance by multi-published Canadian author BL Bonita, who now brings her passion and sense of frontier adventure to the Embrace list.

In a lawless western town, genteel Jamie Phillips stumbles upon the brutal whipping of a local coloured man, Avery Samms. With sympathy in her heart, Jamie takes the man to her home to recover, where a forbidden passion brings them together. When their world is threatened by jealousy, hatred and revenge, Jamie and Avery must fight for their lives and their love - under a savage western sun.

BL Bonita is in an interracial relationship, and her brand-new novel Savage Sun blossomed from learning about the struggles her boyfriend’s ancestors were forced to overcome. She often wonders how difficult it must have been for interracial couples to survive in society at a time when such a relationship was frowned upon or even strictly forbidden. She thought, “What would I do if I was the heroine?” and the story came quite naturally.

BL writes erotic romance in multiple sub-genres including historical, contemporary, western, suspense and thriller. She resides in beautiful Northern Ontario, Canada, where summers are green and winters crispy white. Often you will find her tapping away at the computer with dishevelled hair and a cup of strong coffee, creating stories out of her wild imagination.

BL Bonita describes becoming a part of Embrace Books "an exciting adventure" and believes that "the rougher the road lovers travel, the sweeter their reward at the end".

Savage Sun will be published as an After Dark title, under Embrace Historicals.

To learn more about BL Bonita and her "unpredictable and completely engrossing" red-hot romances, please visit:
http://www.carnalfiction.com

Writers: Spread the Love

2010-10-06T20:07:00.000+01:00

Since Embrace Books is only three months away from launching, why not spread the love and let other writers know that we're still encouraging submissions?

We have two contemporary and paranormal romance series, the sexy and scrumptious Red Velvet and her even slinkier sister, After Dark.

We also boast two historical lines, Embrace Historicals, which covers everything from World World II romantic fiction back to sweeping medieval or Roman sagas, and the Embrace Regency series, which covers early Georgian romance through to the end of the Regency.

High quality lesbian fiction and non-fiction can be found at Saffron.

And for those who also enjoy alternative fiction, without a strong romance element, we've just launched a call for Proxima, our new science fiction and fantasy line.

Novels, novellas and short fiction are all welcome. Wait times on submissions are currently very short, mostly under 6 weeks. Please see our Submissions page for full details of what and how to submit, and for our standard contract terms. All books will be launched digitally, with some also being available in print editions.

Interview at Writers, Authors, Books & More

2010-09-29T16:59:00.000+01:00

I was interviewed recently by Susan Palmquist for her blog

Writers, Authors, Books & More

Looks like an interesting site, with plenty of good interviews, doing basically what the name suggests. Hope you can pop over there sometime and hear me answer fascinating questions like:

What type of romances are you looking for? What's the word length?

and

How will the Embrace line differ from Mills & Boon?

and many more!

Inspiring Inspiration

2010-09-20T11:08:00.000+01:00

I was looking for inspiration for a post and the lovely Rachel Lyndhurst pulled out her equally lovely dictionary so I’m going to do copy cat.

What more inspiration did I need than the word INSPIRATION?

Most of the time my main inspiration is music. Usually at key scenes I need to crank things up and the tunes come out (in MP3 and You Tube form). I probably end up with a trio of artists that help me along per book. I tried the photoboard montage thing (but frankly my craft skills are worse than my pre-schooler’s so that was the end of that).

For Nanny Behaving Badly my inspirations were heaps of Scottish band Del Amitri, The Killers and some Nelly Furtado thrown in. In a nutshell the book idea came from a yearning to write about the city of Edinburgh in Winter (when I happen to think it’s at its best) with hot characters to ward off the December chill.

My inspirations were a newly launched coffee bar, Edinburgh in pre-Xmas sparkly mode with its festive Christmas market. An uptight Scots alpha entrepreneur hero, who needs urgent childcare as well as a good lesson in chilling out. And an in your face bouncy, gutsy new American barista who stirs things up with firecrackers to bring true dazzle to the season.

I had a blast writing it. I can only hope it’ll work for readers too (gulp!)

So in summary sometimes inspiration is a mosaic of elements inside you and you need to pull it all out and make it pretty (of course pretty is pretty darn hard to achieve and like the legend that is Fame it takes lots of sweat and effort as payment).

So without further ado here’s some INSPIRING POHM (pictures of hot men) as reward in lieu of reading this post.

There’s Alexis Papas...a long time favourite. Who wouldn’t drown in those eyes? Then Marios Lekkas. Sexy new boy on the block. And finally there’s Noah Wylie – Dr John Carter from ER who is the real inspiration picture behind Lyle Sutherland the terse and sometimes grumpy hot Coffee King in Nanny Behaving Badly.

Who would you pick to kick off wintertime sparks with? Which is your pick for sharing a latte, iced gingerbread...and maybe more?

Judy Jarvie is a new Embrace Books author. Her contemporary romance 'Nanny Behaving Badly' launches in early 2011.

Obsessed? Join the Club.

2010-09-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

I am a writer - and I still can't get over how much I love saying that! - so I love words. Big words, small words, words that coat your tongue like heather honey, words that snap like icicles or crackle like burning logs.

Scrumptious.

Can't get enough of them and that's not a problem when you've got one of these to dip into on a daily basis:

Well-thumbed beauty, isn't she? Bigger than the bible by my reckoning, so for today's lesson let's dip in and pick a word shall we? My turn first:

OBSESSION.
'An idea or thought that continuously preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.'

Ah, I do like this one.

Any decent alpha male hero needs a touch of this to drive him on, to focus, achieve and become the successful man he is. Similarly, your heroine will need a good dollop to adhere to her principles and fight for what she believes in, in spite of the impossible temptation and choices she is facing.

They both suffer from the bittersweet hold of obsession when they are unable to resist each other and can't shake the need for their perfect mate. They become consumed, obsessed with wanting each other, with fighting that need until it brings them to their knees and speeds them on to their happy ever after ending.

And what about the author? The person who writes their story? Does he or she need to be obsessed to create this storm of emotion? To force them together, tear them apart, crush them and finally reconcile them in a satisfying way?

There's no doubt about it in my mind. If I wasn't so obsessed with writing I'd never have finished writing a book in the first place. Or the next one and a couple more after that. I would never have submitted either.

So, do you agree? Do you have to have a bit of an obsession to be a writer? Or is there another way? My family might want to know at some stage.

Well, here endeth the lesson. Drop us a line if you'd like us to feature a particular word in the future, otherwise I get to choose again (yessss!). But you've been very patient, so as a treat I'm going to share my current hero obsession:

David ...

Sigh. He's been top of the list for a couple of years now, I really think I need a cure.

He's become a bit of an addiction actually. Now there's a good word.

Rachel Lyndhurst is one of our new Embrace Books authors, and will be launching her contemporary romance 'Storm's Heart' in early 2011.

The Reluctant Marquess by Maggi Andersen

2010-09-09T18:39:00.000+01:00

“Strong Attraction … Fear of Intimacy”
Embrace Books is delighted to announce the acquisition of a thrilling Georgian romance novella by accomplished Australian novelist, Maggi Andersen.

This historical romance, The Reluctant Marquess, will join the brand-new Embrace Regency list.

Maggi and her lawyer husband are empty nesters, living in the countryside outside Sydney with the cat that rules them, and the demanding wildlife they feed. An entertaining offshoot of this lifestyle: animals often feature in her books!

Maggi began writing adventure stories when she was about eight years old. Three children, a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree later, her novels are still filled with adventure and suspense, but are now also passionate romances. Georgette Heyer – among others – brought inspiration to her seductive Regencies and she also writes contemporary romantic suspense, young adult novels and darker, Victorian mysteries.

Maggi Andersen’s first historical romance was a Regency novella, Stirring Passions, and she has since written several more, which received great reviews. She chose to set her novella for Embrace in the 18th Century because it allowed more freedom for her independently-minded heroine, Charity Barlow, than the stricter Regency era. Plus, Maggi loves the fashions, architecture and decorative interiors of this period.

The Reluctant Marquess
A country-bred girl, Charity Barlow never expected to become a Marchioness. Nonetheless, she is determined to make her marriage of convenience into the ton work. Yet despite the strong attraction between them, and Charity’s bold attempts at intimacy, the rakish Lord Robert does not believe a husband should be in love with his wife. Can she ever make him love her?

You can find out more about Maggi Anderson in the following places:

Maggi’s website: www.maggiandersenauthor.com
Maggi’s blog: http://www.maggiandersen.blogspot.com

Embrace Love Letter

2010-08-24T13:43:00.000+01:00

The first ever Embrace Books newsletter has now gone out to subscribers. If it hasn't arrived, and you definitely subscribed, please check your spam boxes before emailing me. Thanks!

If it has arrived and you've read it, please do let me know what you think or make suggestions. We're probably going with a different design next month, so that's going to change. But content-wise, if there's something you'd like to see in the newsletter, please let me know.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

This month, I commissioned C.L. Kerr, a NWS RNA member writing under a pen-name, to create our first Love Letter.

She came up with a wartime letter from 'Tom' to his 'darling Iris', written in September 1943. The letter was so poignant, I knew immediately it was the one to launch the section. You can also read it here.

Love Letters can be contemporary, historical or paranormal. They're unpaid, but an excellent way for new and developing writers to raise their profiles.

If you'd like to have a crack at writing one for a future newsletter, please keep it under 200 words and submit it to me as a Word doc. at jane @ embracebooks.co.uk

For Romance After Dark ...

2010-08-20T13:06:00.000+01:00

There's a renewed call for submissions to our scorching hot After Dark romance line, over on the Embrace Books website.

Do please hop over there and leave a comment, make your mark on our brand-new website, and hopefully start preparing a submission to Embrace Books.

Fabulous new website for Embrace Books

2010-08-13T23:57:00.000+01:00

Just when I was getting comfortable here on blogspot, it seems we have a new address.

Check out the brand-new website, just starting to take shape at embracebooks.co.uk, and marvel at its total gorgeousness!

I shall be developing some of the posts there in the weeks to come, which may include repeating a few important posts from this site. Bear with me though, there'll be plenty of new material coming soon to Embrace Books, especially once we're out of the holiday month.

The first-ever Embrace Love Letter will also be coming your way around August 21st, packed with exciting news, photographs, tips on writing romance, and even some short fiction to get you in the mood.

If you haven't signed up to receive the newsletter, please click at the top of the side-bar.

"Storm's Heart" by Rachel Lyndhurst

2010-08-10T09:37:00.000+01:00

I can now announce that we have a title for Rachel Lyndhurst's excellent debut with Embrace, which is the unforgettable Storm's Heart.

Many thanks to those who have signed up to receive our monthly Embrace Love Letter, which is due to be sent out around the middle of August. If you haven't yet signed up for a copy of our newsletter, there is a link at the top of the sidebar which will take you to the appropriate form.

We shall be on holiday for the rest of the month, but will check in occasionally to read messages. So if you send your ms and don't immediately receive an acknowledgement, please wait at least two weeks before querying.

After Dark

2010-08-09T02:10:00.000+01:00

We're particularly keen to receive submissions for After Dark.

Most of our submissions to date have been for the Red Velvet line, which is 'sexy, sophisticated romance'. But it would be good to see some deeply-felt mss for the hotter After Dark romances too. We're looking for steamy erotic romance for this line, in all categories and from either a heterosexual or gay perspective, with quality writing as paramount.

A potentially successful manuscript for After Dark might prompt some or all of the following descriptions:

Spicy
Provocative
Erotic
Intriguing
Explicit
Risk-taking
Unusually plotted or themed
Written with great character

First Acquisitions for Embrace Books

2010-08-04T12:21:00.000+01:00

To repeat what I wrote this morning on the Salt website, I am absolutely delighted to announce that we have now acquired our first three titles for Embrace!

Authors Rachel Lyndhurst, Judy Jarvie and Sally Clements all join us for our initial line-up of romance titles, due to launch early 2011.

A law graduate and mother of two whose interests include antiques and gardening, this will be Rachel Lyndhurst‘s first published novel, a sophisticated contemporary romance as yet untitled. Her brand-new writing blog is here.

Scottish-based Judy Jarvie has a professional background in PR and has been writing romance since 2002. Two previous novels were published by US publisher Moonlit Romance, and her novel Taking the Leap was short-listed for the RNA New Writers’ Scheme Award. Her lively novel for Embrace is entitled Nanny Behaving Badly. You can follow her blog at Judy Jarvie's Jottings.

Sally Clements is a published romance and mystery author living and working in County Kildare, Ireland. She has published numerous short stories and a novel, Catch Me A Catch, with The Wild Rose Press. She comes to Embrace with a suspenseful contemporary romance entitled Bound To Love. Her writing blog is Love and Chocolate.

All three acquisitions are for the Red Velvet line, and we’re thrilled to have Rachel, Judy and Sally launching with us at Embrace.

Please note, we're still actively seeking proposals for unpublished novels, novellas and even short fiction.

So if you're a writer and would love to become involved in the new British romance phenomenon that is Embrace, please follow our Submission Guidelines.

The Cover Factory

2010-08-03T19:40:00.000+01:00

Shop Girl Diaries: Emily Benet (Salt Publishing)

Just a quick link to the brand-new website of the company which designs covers for Salt and which will probably be in charge of providing Embrace Book authors with their covers too.

If you thought our book covers would be same-old, same-old, think again!

The Cover Factory

Their website is still under construction, as is our own lovely Embrace Books website, so do please check back again soon to find new developments.

Emily Benet's Shop Girl Diaries is a recently published example of their work.

Full Steam Ahead!

2010-08-02T13:16:00.000+01:00

Just to let folks know, we are almost ready to announce our first acceptances at Embrace Books. Such exciting news!

I took a few days off to work on my own writing last week, and will be away again from Thursday for four days, for anyone trying to contact me. But in my absence the team has been working hard. The first contracts should go out to our new Embrace authors this week, so I will soon be in a position to reveal our download royalty terms - amidst other developments!

If all this steamy excitement has tempted to submit to Embrace, please find our submission guidelines in the right-hand sidebar.

We are currently looking for sexy, sophisticated romance (Red Velvet) or hot romance and erotica (After Dark) in novels, novellas and also now Steamy Shorts - details coming soon!

Does 'Formula Romance' Exist?

2010-07-28T13:43:00.000+01:00

Someone asked on a previous blog post whether we are looking for formulaic, 'same-old-same-old' category romance at Embrace Books, and since my answer is quite complicated, I thought it might be a nice idea to turn it into a separate blog post.

First off, I don't believe in formulas. That is, I don't believe they exist in fiction, though I know many do. Particularly journalists searching for a good headline or those who look down on popular fiction as being formulaic and therefore not worth their time.

There is no magic formula or guideline sheet handed out to romance authors at the start of their bodice-ripping careers - as an apparently intelligent woman insisted recently, talking to me about the evils of romance, though she admitted to never having actually read one herself.

No, what I believe in is 'story'. Romance is one kind of story, and it has a simple plot: girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy again. If that's a formula, it's no more a formula than a crime novel: a crime is committed, an investigation is launched, the criminal is caught. Or any type of popular fiction that follows a common theme or structural framework.

Within the idea of 'romance' there are many different varieties of approach to story-telling. Writers can manipulate the setting, period, characters or writing style to differentiate their stories from their peers in the same tradition. But all romances must follow the same basic plot of girl meets boy. If your story doesn't do this, it may be excellent in all manner of ways - but it will not be a romance.

The real question may be, am I looking for very tightly conceived and executed category romance within a strict set of guidelines prohibiting various types of hero, heroine, setting, plot variations, and sexual antics?

The answer to that is no.

I am looking for freestyle romances within the stated word lengths - not romantic fiction, or fiction with romance in it, please note, but bona fide romances where the love story is the key focus of the plot - and if it contains something unusual, as long as it's still a romance, then I'm very much open to new twists and turns on the road to love.

Perhaps giving me some examples of what constitutes a 'different' approach to category would help me be more specific. I'd be happy to field queries below on the topic of what fits Embrace and what doesn't.

Though, in general, my reputation in editing is as an innovator and a rule-breaker. So try me!

Good News Coming

2010-07-27T11:31:00.000+01:00

I'm delighted to say we may have good news coming soon from Embrace Books. Among our first batch of full manuscript submissions, we've found some rather wonderful love stories and are currently working with a few authors on revisions - with a view to acquiring their work for Embrace.

Watch this blog for further updates!

Yet more submissions have been flagged up as promising, and full manuscripts are to be requested. Those authors should hear from us within the next ten days. If you haven't heard yet, never fear. There are quite a few partials still in the inbox. But we're getting through them fast.

No manuscripts that fit the line have been rejected without an editorial appraisal of the work.

If you'd like to submit your romance manuscript to Embrace - and we'd certainly love to have it! - a clickable link to our Submission Guidelines is in the sidebar of this blog.

The email address for both submissions, queries and general correspondence is jane AT saltpublishing DOT com

Who is this Jane Holland anyway?

2010-07-26T11:10:00.000+01:00

It occurred to me that some people reading the Embrace blog might not know who is actually behind it. So here's a quick summary of who I am.

My name is Jane Holland and I'm the editor of Embrace Books. I've been in publishing since 1995 and in an editorial position with Salt Publishing, who own Embrace, since 2008. My first post with Salt was editor-in-chief of their arts and literary magazine, Horizon Review.

I'm also a professional writer. I have published seven novels, including mainstream commercial fiction, five collections of poetry, and countless articles and reviews for national newspapers, magazines, literary journals and ezines.

I am currently writing a straight Tudor historical, and my literary agent is Luigi Bonomi of LBA.

My connection with romance dates from an early age. My mother was the late, great Charlotte Lamb, who published over 150 romances, romantic historicals and romantic suspense novels, under that name and various others. I grew up scribbling my toddler pictures on the backs of her Mills & Boon galley proofs, and graduated to reading her books - and those of her peers - by the time I was an adolescent. My elder sister Sarah was also a romance novelist. The social circles we moved in included writers, editors and agents, and I even managed to get myself invited on her huge US tour for Harlequin in the early eighties.

So romance was always there, right from the start, and it was only a matter of time before my life came full circle, back to romance.

You can also read an interview with me at The Literary Project.

I'm open to submissions and queries at Embrace Books. Guidelines are clickable in the sidebar. We also have a free monthly newsletter. Please subscribe!

Paragraphing: the long and the short of it

2010-07-26T00:15:00.000+01:00

Many of the submissions I've received so far - and do keep sending them, I love seeing new manuscripts pop up in my inbox - have what I call Paragraph Problems.

Today, in the world of romance, the page-long paragraph is a no-no. Sometimes even the half-page paragraph looks out of place. Once in a while, yes. Perhaps when some building of atmosphere is required, or some terrible internal struggle is taking place. Maybe two or three times in a chapter, a half-page of narrative will be acceptable. But not every few pages, and certainly never in the first few pages, where pace is everything.

Here are some simple suggestions for structuring the paragraph. I hesitate to call them rules, because that implies they should never be broken, and a good writer always breaks rules - and gets away with it, of course, because she's so damn good!

But if you suspect you may not be damn good, then stop when paragraphing and think: what were those suggestions again?

Bear in mind that these rules - sorry, suggestions - are aimed at writers of romance. Fleming broke the rules all the time in his Bond novels, and many other writers do too. But here we're talking about romance, short category romance, and most importantly, romance aimed at the digital market.

People read text on screen in a different way to how they read text on a printed page. And they prefer shorter paragraphs on screen, not least because a long paragraph means they have to scroll back to the top of the page - or even the page before - if they lose the thread of what was going on. Which is easily done in a long and complex paragraph.

So ...

Keep your paragraphs short. Readers tend to skip long ones. They do. Honest.
Vary the lengths of your paragraphs. This includes all-dialogue paragraphs. A fast-paced exchange of one-liners should not continue too long or you'll give the reader whiplash and she'll forget who's speaking when. Equally, a single line of narrative - 'The car sped away, and Dawn realised she was alone on the dark pier' - will be more effective if it's not surrounded by other single or very short paragraphs. Your book is unlikely to be read aloud to anyone, so remember to think visually and vary lengths when choosing where to break your paragraphs.
If you have paragraphs of the DND (dialogue - narrative - dialogue) variety, aim to keep all three short. Never try DNDND. The reader will become confused, especially if two separate people are speaking in the same paragraph. I've actually seen this attempted. Not good.
Paragraphs are like mini-stories in themselves. They should have a beginning, a middle and an end. In my example above: 'The car sped away (beginning), and Dawn realised she was alone (middle) on the dark pier (end).' So we have action (beginning), identity, thought and circumstance (middle), and suspense or resolution (end). Suspense at the end of a paragraph is good, by the way, because it springboards the reader into the next paragraph.
You should indent the first word of each paragraph, unless that paragraph starts a new section or chapter. Then it should start flush with the left-hand margin.
When describing action, keep paragraphs short and succinct. Use single clause sentences, and dialogue to break up the text. Ultra-short dialogue like 'Hey!' or 'Here, catch!' works best. (Try not to have characters call each other by name too often, unless it's for a reason - i.e. irony or character revelation.)
By contrast, when writing a romantic or intimate scene, don't have the paragraphs ultra-short if you can avoid it, apart from the odd muttered comment. Short paras interrupt the flow. Equally though, don't use this excuse to slide off into reams and reams of purple prose and flowery euphemisms. Keep descriptions of what's going on fairly lucid and accurate. I'm always miffed when I have to re-read a love scene several times in order to work out if they actually did it! We're not writing for convent girls.
In the last chapter, as in the first chapter, shorter paragraphs help to increase the pace and to speed us towards our natural conclusion. Here, dialogue is paramount, especially to convey vital plot information.
Lastly, as far as dialogue tags are concerned, if it's clear who's speaking, drop the 'she said'. But I'm not looking for a thousand cunning alternatives to 'said' either. If 'said' is all that's required, use it, and try not to throw in a 'groaned', 'lamented', 'whimpered' or 'grated' at every turn, or pepper your 'said' with adverbs like 'chillingly', 'bitingly', 'archly'. With any luck, the dialogue itself will tell us how it was said - if your character work has been done well enough.

There you have it. The Embrace Guide to Paragraphing, or everything you ever needed to know about slicing your book into digestible lumps, and more!

Now go cut some paragraphs.

What's Happening at Embrace?

2010-07-24T09:06:00.000+01:00

In our first week, the Embrace Books blog has enjoyed almost a thousand hits. But we have less than twenty followers.

It would be great to bump that number. Please follow us if you don't already do so, and keep track of what's happening at Embrace. If you're one of our first followers, many thanks indeed!

The next few months will see some exciting developments at Embrace. Behind the scenes, we are considering possible backlist content, putting together an Embrace contract, looking at the pros and cons of various download formats, and discussing which features we'd like to see on our forthcoming website.

If you have any suggestions, please comment below. We are keen to involve readers and writers in the evolution of Embrace.

News-wise, we are already close to announcing our first ever acceptance - I'm sure no one wants to miss hearing about that first-hand!

Okay, you're hopping with excitement. So what do you do now?

There are several ways to keep up to date with the latest news from Embrace:

Follow us with a Google account. Click on the top right-hand 'Follow' button
Click on the link for our FREE monthly 'love' letter
Pop Embrace Books into your blogroll
Bookmark Embrace Books
Click your Top Site button, if installed, when reading this blog
Keep clicking back every few days to see what's happening

Novellas: the Embrace Golden Rules

2010-07-22T10:05:00.000+01:00

Novellas are notoriously hard to write. I've received a few in the past week, and they have all been competently written, which is lovely to see.

However, I'm flagging up here that I need to see the full manuscript if you're sending a novella. Along with at least a 2 page synopsis, please. Just because it's short doesn't mean I want to glean the plot by reading through it.

What about length? To my mind, if it's over 15,000 words but under 25,000, then it's a novella. Any less than 15,000 words and we're in short story territory, albeit at its far boundaries. Then there's a no-woman's-land between 25K and about 50K, where short romances need to end up if they are to be called novels.

A romance novella needs to be structured like a mini-romance. It has numbered chapters, it has character arcs, it has a well-defined plot - but everything works in miniature.

Due to its kaleidoscope nature, the romance novella demands a super-swift entrée into the world of hero and heroine. We don't have time for leisurely introductions. Throw the two together on the first page, preferably in a violent or shocking manner, and you will get a big tick from me - and if you can continue pushing them together, especially physically, you may even get a gold star!

So the golden rules of an Embrace novella are:

Link hero and heroine on the first page, if possible
Keep the pace relentless throughout
Follow the structure of a novel, but in miniature
Begin physical intimacy much earlier than in a standard novel
You can never have enough intimacy in a romance: find a way to force them together - and keep them there!
Submit the whole manuscript along with a synopsis. See Guidelines for details.

Receive an Embrace Love Letter

2010-07-21T12:51:00.000+01:00

We've just activated a new Embrace Books newsletter link >> eyes right, you'll see a quick link to our 30-second love letter sign-up page.

The Embrace Love Letter will go out to subscribers on a monthly basis at first, letting you know personally how the list is building up, what kind of launch titles to expect, and - for the writers among you - which romance categories we're most eager to acquire.

On the simple sign-up form, which only takes about thirty seconds to complete, you can let us know your basic preferences within romance, so we can make sure you only receive news you're genuinely interested in hearing about.

You can tell us if you're a writer or a reader of romance - or both, of course!
You can tell us which kinds of romance you love best, whether that's a simple love story or a steamy romance.

The first monthly 'love letter' from Embrace will be going out to subscribers in August. Don't miss out, sign up today!

Submission Guidelines for Embrace

2010-07-20T16:28:00.000+01:00

EMBRACE Red Velvet
50-60K length
Sexy, sophisticated romance with feisty heroines and believable Alpha males within contemporary, historical, and paranormal categories.
Millionaires not required (though no one will turn one away). British settings and characters welcome, but not essential.
Sexual content required, but should not be overly explicit.
Same sex novels are welcome.

EMBRACE After Dark
55-65K
Hotter romance and erotica
Open to more unusual storylines within contemporary, historical, paranormal and same sex storylines.
Must include explicit sex, which in some cases may be central to the plot.

Novellas are welcome in both lines and across all categories, up to 25K

Romances can be heterosexual or same sex

Please Note:
Although we're open to work outside the above guidelines - say, Steampunk or sci-fi, or slightly different word counts - it must be romance.

For the launch titles at least, we are not handling sagas, romantic fiction, or other books with 'romantic elements'. Only pure romance. If you're not sure what that means, it's unlikely your work will be suitable for Embrace.

What to Send:
3 chapters and a synopsis, or the full ms and synopsis if submitting a novella, with some description of your writing career to date, a few lines about the book, including word count and which line you are targeting, and why your submission would suit Embrace.

All submissions should be by Word doc (not docx), with ROMANCE in the email subject line. RTF will be accepted, though Word is preferred. Other formats may be rejected.

Submissions by email only to jane @ saltpublishing.com

There are no automatic acknowledgements at the moment. Manuscripts will be acknowledged individually, in order of receipt. Response times are currently pretty short, so the sooner you send, the quicker you should hear back.

Issues with Side Text

2010-07-19T09:22:00.000+01:00

Sadly, several people have commented that the sidebar text in their browsers for this site is either missing completely or contains odd symbols and squiggles - probably apostrophes or speech marks wrongly converted.

I use Firefox for Mac and Safari, and have no viewing problems on either.

Can people please, please let me know if the text in the sidebars is missing or illegible, and which browser they are using? I can try reposting it, or typing it up again without cutting and pasting the text this time.

Meanwhile, I'll post a Page later today containing the submission guidelines, and put up a link to it near the top of the sidebar.

Thanks for helping!

Jane
Embrace Books

Follow us!

2010-07-18T00:52:00.000+01:00

Just starting to look at our first submissions this week. Almost the very first that arrived was from a very nice gentleman, whose email began 'Dear Editor, please find attached the first three chapters of my latest novel. It's not a romance, but ...'

What I'm discovering about editing romance is that it's not particularly different from any other kind of editing. Which is a relief, as I've plenty of experience at other kinds of editing. Editing romance, you get the same oddities in your inbox and the same delicious thrill running up your spine when you click on the attached document and look! ... it's something good, or something that promises to be good. It's something you know you want to say 'Yes' to.

Exciting times!

Please follow our blog and let other romance-minded people know who and where we are. This is Embrace and we're going to be gorgeous.

Welcome to Embrace Books

2010-07-15T19:01:00.000+01:00

Hello, and welcome to Embrace Books, the blog. This will be your first port-of-call for Embrace Books while we wait for the official site to go up.

Here you will find submission guidelines, a friendly person behind the blog posts, editing advice and other like-minded souls lurking shyly in corners or dancing about in the comments section.

Embrace Books is a new British-based publisher of e-romance.

If romance is what you write, or would dearly love to write, you're in the right place.

If romance is what you read, you are a thousand times welcome, we love you to the ends of the universe and back. Please don't go away - our first ever e-romances will be zinging excitedly in your direction in a few months' time.

Watch this blog!