Writing Life, Tidbits, & Sneak Interview Peek: Chelsey Emmelhainz, Avon Impulse

Ah, this week is good. Love is in the air. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I'm a romance writer. What could be better than writing about my favorite subject? Love. The possibility of attaining a Happily-Ever-After with someone who is made for you. I've been working on a first draft of a new story, but revising is where the meat of the story falls into place. This is why I love to bang out my first drafts fast.

However, my current WIP's first draft process has been slightly slower for me. I think this is because I am on a learning curve regarding the line I am targeting. This is a different animal for me. I used to write fast, furious, high paced all the time. Whew, you'd be exhausted reading my first drafts. Stay tuned for how I'm changing my approach with this new WIP.

Right now I've got a King, a commoner, a secret baby scandal, and a forced marriage of convenience story between two reunited lovers who have to learn how to forgive each other and themselves. A story of second chances. I believe in them. Do you?

Another thing I believe in is opportunity. AVON Impulse offers authors a place to send their work whether it is single title, historical, romantic suspense, or contemporary series romance with a high concept. This year the Linda Howard Award of Excellences final judge for the Historical Category is Editor Chelsey Emmelhainz with Avon Impulse. She's Southern Magic's Carla Swafford's editor and very fun to interview. As part of our time together, I asked her this question:

While reading a manuscript, how long does it usually take before you know whether or not you want to request the full? Why?

For me, I can usually tell within the first ten pages. While we may not want to judge a book by its cover, I can generally tell fairly quickly whether or not the writing is clicking. My advice to authors? Grab ‘em early and really showcase your writing!

To find out what grabs Chelsey's editorial eye visit the Romance Magicians Blog at www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com on Thursday, February 14th. And polish your entries now. The 2013 Linda Howard Award of Excellence is still open for your diamond waiting to be discovered. Check out www.southernmagic.org for details.