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EN ESPANOL
August 1, 2010
Once I think a story is polished to perfection, I seek the opinions of my critique partners and follow their suggestions for improvement. Once they too believe the story is polished to perfection, I send it to my agent, who then offers her feedback. Once she too agrees that that my manuscript is as sparkly as it can be, it’s time to find an editor who feels the same way!
I was sooo thrilled to get The Call letting me know I’d sold Too Wicked To Kiss (and my upcoming release, TOO SINFUL TO DENY) into the debut author program at Kensington Publishing! I was deliriously happy for weeks on end… and in fact, I continue to be deliriously happy, because things just keep getting better!
This week, I asked my editor, the wonderful John Scognamiglio, just what he saw in my manuscript that made him decide to give a chance to a brand new author like me. This is what he had to say:
As an editor, I’m always looking for novels that have a new take on a “classic” theme. While Erica Ridley’s TOO WICKED TO KISS had a solid love story, what drew me to the novel was its “dark” elements. I’ve always been a fan of murder mysteries…film noir…gothic novels. TOO WICKED TO KISS had all those “dark story night” elements that I love so much, but set against the backdrop of Regency England, which has always been is a favorite setting of mine. Not only that, but there was also a hint of paranormal. The end result was a fresh, inventive romance that had me eagerly turning the pages.
How awesome is THAT!?
I’d been so terrified that by blurring genre lines, I would blur myself right out of the running… and in the end, it turned out that he and I share a lot of the same favorites! Perfect!!!
How about you? Do you have someone who shares the same taste you do? Do you swap books with friends or family? Or do you and your sister/best friend/whomever share the exact opposite likes when it comes to books, movies, etc?
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July 1, 2010
For many writers, landing a literary agent is a major step along the path to becoming a published author. I was lucky enough to get the attention of the fabulous Lauren Abramo of the Dystel & Goderich literary agency with my manuscript… a contemporary romantic comedy.
You’d be right to imagine that I was more than a little nervous when I followed that up by emailing her my next manuscript: a dark Gothic historical! Would she still be interested? Would she even like the story? Was my genre bait-and-switch going to ruin everything I’d worked so hard toward? Ohhh, the angst!!! (Believe me, I lost plenty of sleep over this.)
As it turns out… well, I’ll let her tell you herself! I emailed her earlier this week and asked her what her initial reaction was to Too Wicked To Kiss. This is what she had to say:
I was already a huge fan of Erica as a writer when she sent me the manuscript, but I wasn’t sure what to expect because Too Wicked to Kiss was so completely different from what else I’d read of hers. I was really floored by how easily she had transitioned to a totally different tone and voice for this book. I knew for sure I could sell it when, for the second day in a row, I walked home in the rain from one subway stop past my own, having been so engrossed in reading that I hadn’t realized I was home. The only part of it that bothered me was that the longer walk meant a longer wait to get back to reading. If it hadn’t been raining, I’m pretty sure I’d have been reading on the way!
I told you she was fabulous!! Very Happy I truly believe that a writer’s literary agent has to be the author’s number one fan, to love what she writes, to really believe in each story being told and in the author herself. And I am so, so lucky to have found that and more in Lauren!!
How about you? What have you read recently that made you forget (willfully or otherwise, hehe) the laundry, the dishes, the bus stop, the spaghetti water boiling over on the stove… Please share your story!
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March 15, 2010
This month, I’m giving a workshop entitled:
HOW TO CRAFT AN AWESOME ONLINE PRESENCE
over at the Romance Divas–Please come join the fun!
Syllabus:
Monday, March 15 – INTRODUCTION
Tuesday, March 16 – THE NITTY GRITTY
Wednesday, March 17 – MESSAGE AND IMAGE
Thursday, March 18 – AUDIENCE & INFLUENCE
Friday, March 19 – ACTION & INTERACTION
Saturday, March 20 – AESTHETICS
Sunday, March 21 – CONTENT & HOOKS
Monday, March 22 – BELLS & WHISTLES
Tuesday, March 23 – BEHIND THE SCENES
Wednesday, March 24 – INTEGRATED MARKETING
Thursday, March 25 – MEASURING SUCCESS
Friday, March 26 – Q&A
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December 21, 2009
I created the Too Wicked To Kiss page on my website before my book had a cover, much less back cover copy. Writing a proposal synopsis for a publisher is bad enough–how was I going to describe the story for the Internet in just a few paragraphs? I thought over the main points I wanted to convey, and came up with:
Miss Evangeline Pemberton can see the Future. Sometimes. The Past, too, although that tends to be less useful, as she can’t change what’s already happened.
One might think the most irksome characteristic of her alleged “gift” is that said visions are followed by debilitating headaches. Or that they’ve got her running for her life. But no. By far the most vexing quirk is that these fantasies accompany all skin-to-skin contact. Which means she can’t touch anyone. Not even the tall, dark, and brooding recluse in her Present.
Gavin Lioncroft is a wealthy committed bachelor with nothing but time on his hands. Well, and blood. (But he’s not telling how that got there.) And an impromptu house party. (He hasn’t the slightest idea how that happened.)
His very first night back in the bosom of High Society and the man he threatens to kill turns up dead. Good. The cad had it coming. But just because he’s dodged the hangman’s noose before, doesn’t mean Gavin will get away with murder again. And this time, there’s no fading into the shadows. The only chance of saving his neck is by risking his heart–to the one woman from whom he can hide nothing.
Not perfect, but I thought it got the basic idea across. Months later, I got to see the actual cover blurb created by my publisher for the book:
HIS TOUCH HOLDS HER CAPTIVE…
From the ravens circling its spires to the gargoyles adorning its roof, Blackberry Manor looms ominously over its rambling grounds. And behind its doors, amid the flickering shadows and secret passageways, danger lies in wait.
TO HIS EVERY DARK DESIRE…
Evangeline Pemberton has been invited to a party at the sprawling estate of reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, who is rumored to have murdered his parents. Initially, Gavin’s towering presence and brusque manner instill fear in Evangeline…until his rakish features and seductive attentions profoundly arouse her. But when a guest is murdered, Evangeline is torn. Could the man to whom she is so powerfully drawn, also be a ruthless killer?
TOO WICKED TO KISS
You can see which one of us is the professional, right? LOL. I thought they did a great job at evoking the right mood without giving away too much of the story.
What do you think? In your opinion, what makes good (or bad!) back cover copy? How might I have improved my original attempt?
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November 2, 2009
I finished reviewing Too Wicked To Kiss for the verrrry last time (scary!) and turned in the pages containing corrections.
This means that I now have an advance copy of her book… minus 32 pages.
What to do???
Best (and/or funniest and silliest) suggestion for the best use of a 392-page-minus-32-pages romance novel and gothic mystery WILL WIN: a shiny cover flat of Too Wicked To Kiss PLUS the proofs page number of your choice!!
Provided you don’t pick one of the 32 missing pages, that is. Muahahahaa! *
(* Should that happen, you will get the next closest page. Maybe even the page before AND the page after!)
You may enter as many times as you like!
How to WIN FREE STUFF:
Just leave a comment with:
1) Your suggestion on the best use of a 392-minus-32 page novel, and
2) The page number you’d like to win along with your book cover
Be creative… and WIN!!
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September 29, 2009
I just got the galleys for TOO WICKED TO KISS! Yay!
For those with no idea what that means, galleys (aka “proofs”) are the typeset pages of my manuscript. This is the last time I’ll see these words before the book shows up in bookstores. I can’t make any content changes at this point (which is a little scary) but this is my only chance to last-minute fix any typos that might be present (which is also pretty scary!)
Conventional wisdom appears to be “read it backwards”… or better yet, read it twice! Guess what I’ll be doing all week…
How about you? Big plans for the week?
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September 25, 2009
Squee! No cover art or back-blurb yet, but a search for “Erica Ridley” at Amazon.com produces a sparkly and delicious Pre-Order Link for TOO WICKED TO KISS!
/swoon
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September 8, 2009
Although I am on an email loop for Kensington Zebra debut authors, it is not a very active loop (maybe because we’re all debut authors, so we’re too busy freaking out and being neurotic to waste time cluttering up a Yahoo group?  ) I did not have a good handle on who else is/was a debut author for Kensington Zebra.
Sure, I knew a couple folks personally: Kalen Hughes, Delilah Marvelle and Beverley Kendall, for example. But outside of my own personal sphere of acquaintance, who else was out there?
So, I went to The One God Who Rules Them All (aka Google) and typed Kensington Zebra Debut Author into the search box. The first link to come up was the website for Kensington Books. The second link was… MY website!!! Hahahaha! It appears I’m a Kensington Zebra debut author! Good to know!
Eventually, I also found this link to exactly what I needed: a complete list of all Kensington Zebra Debut Authors since the debut program’s inception. My book cover is conspicuously absent… so I’m off to email her a copy now!
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January 7, 2009
So, I was sitting at a tall table in a tiny internet cafe in Arenal, Costa Rica watching a cow cross the road, when Gmail was so kind as to drop an email from my agent, Lauren Abramo, into my Inbox.
[begin complete and utter paraphrase with shameless abuse of poetic license]
ERiCA!!!
I left you messages on all forty-eight of your phones and yet I haven’t heard from you. What could possibly be more important than the super-exciting thing I’m killing myself trying to tell you?? Call me before I shank you!
Love, Lauren
[end complete and utter paraphrase with shameless abuse of poetic license]
Hmmm, I thought to myself. I *could* continue to drowsily stare at the cow crossing the road. Or… I could call my agent.
Seeing as how AT&T charges $2.29 per minute for international calls from Costa Rica [$?#*@!] I fired up my good buddy Skype on my laptop and placed me an international call faster than you can say “VOIP”.
[begin complete and utter paraphrase with shameless abuse of poetic license]
L: Hello?
E: Hey, Lauren, it’s Erica.
L: Hey, Erica! Long time no talk. What’ve you been up to?
E: Oh, you know. Ate some beans and rice. Drank an Imperial. Watched a cow cross the road. You?
L: Oh, you know. Crossed tall buildings in a single bound. Shot spiderwebs out of my wrists. Sold your book.
E: SQUEEE!!!!!
L: SQUEEE!!!!!
E & L: SQUEEE!!!!!
[end complete and utter paraphrase with shameless abuse of poetic license]
There you have it–my two-missed-calls-one-email-one-cow-and-an-emergency-voip-chat call story.
Squeee!!!!!
Special thanks to my uber-massive support group: the Mavens Darcy, Lacey, Carrie, and Jackie, Kel & Manda, Janice, PCubed: Jean, June, Elissa, Cheryl, and Linda, all my TARA sisters, Cheryl, Julie and Virginia for never being too busy to answer my questions, and of course Karen and Diana, whose (utterly perfect) initial reaction was, “I told you so!”
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January 5, 2009
Can I get a SQUEEEEEEE?!?!?!
I am pleased, thrilled, utterly apoplectic to announce that my superstar agent Lauren Abramo just sold my superstar Regency-set gothic TOUCHED to Kensington in a two-book deal. Yayayay!!!
It will be arriving at a bookstore near you in the next 18 months. More details to come (including “call story”…)
w00t!
Special thanks to my uber-massive support group: the Mavens Darcy, Lacey, Carrie, and Jackie, Kel & Manda, Janice, PCubed: Jean, June, Elissa, Cheryl, and Linda, all my TARA sisters, Cheryl, Julie and Virginia for never being too busy to answer my questions, and of course Karen and Diana, whose (utterly perfect) initial reaction was, “I told you so!”
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