In love with romance novels? You’re not alone! Romance is today’s most popular fiction genre, accounting for more than half of all mass market fiction sold. If you’re looking to make a serious effort at writing a romance and getting it published in today’s multifaceted markets, you need to learn as much as you can about this highly successful field—especially how to create the perfect heroes and heroines. Now, in this easy, step-by-step guide, a top romance editor gives you the know-how you need to succeed as a romance novelist!Writing A Romance Novel For Dummies is perfect for both beginning and more accomplished writers who are looking to get the leading edge on writing a romance novel and get it published. Leslie Wainger, Executive Editor at Harlequin Books, explains what it takes to become the next Nora Roberts, providing the techniques you need to:Select a pseudonymWrite a compelling, heartfelt storyFind the right agent and publisherSubmit a manuscriptMarket your novelJoin clubs and associationsPacked with insider advice, this plain-English guide helps you grasp the building blocks of a great romance, providing practical tips on the craft of writing as well as savvy pointers on how to hook your reader from page one, write with passion, and shape a proposal that will wow agents and editors. You get lots of expert tips on analyzing the marketplace, creating compelling characters, and finding your own voice. Wainger also:Demystifies the sub-genres of the romance world, from historical, contemporary, and multicultural to paranormal, romantic suspense, and Christian/inspirationalExplains plotting, pacing, and writing those crucial love scenesDiscusses how to conduct research, assign credits, and get permissionsHelps you decide whether it’s best to write alone or with a partnerComplete with a manuscript preparation checklist, tips for revising your work smoothly and successfully, guidance in understanding and negotiating a contract, and a list of romance writing resources, Writing A Romance Novel For Dummies is your one-stop guide to becoming a published novelist!

Every year, thousands of romance manuscripts are submitted to publishers, but only the best are eventually published. This simple guide?written by two awardwinning romance novelists?will show readers what it takes to break into this highly competitive market and will provide them the information they need to get their manuscript out of the slush pile and onto the bookshelf. Readers will learn how to do the following techniques: build a story from premise to plot; add a fresh twist to a classic storyline; create compelling characters; write sizzling sex scenes that carry an emotional punch; research agents and markets; write a story that an editor can?t reject; and promote themselves and their work. New writers, and even experienced writers, will find the solid howto information here invaluable. This is a musthave for aspiring writers who want to write the perfect love story.

Free Worldwide Delivery : Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies : Paperback : John Wiley & Sons Inc : 9780764525544 : 0764525549 : 07 May 2004 : Suitable for those interested in making a serious effort at writing a romance and getting it published in multifaceted markets, this easy, step-by-step guide shows writers various things they need to know about this highly successful genre.

Sweep Readers Off Their Feet With a Romance They'll Never ForgetIn On Writing Romance, award-winning romance novelist Leigh Michaels talks you through each stage of the writing and publishing process. From the origins and evolution of the romance novel to establishing a vital story framework to writing that last line to seeking out appropriate publishers, everything you ever wanted to know about writing a romance novel is here. In addition to a comprehensive breakdown of more than thirty romance subgenres, including such categories as historical, inspirational, Regency, and sweet traditional, you'll discover how to:Steer clear of clich?s and stereotypes by studying the genreCraft engaging and realistic heroes and heroines readers will adoreConvincingly develop the central couple's blossoming relationshipAdd conflict by utilizing essential secondary characters like the "other woman"Use tension and timing to make your love scenes sizzle with sensualityGet your characters to happily-ever-after with an ending readers will always rememberPlus, read a sample query letter, cover letter, and synopsis, and learn how to properly prepare you romance novel for submission to agents and editors. On Writing Romance has everything you need to leave readers swooning!

Craft Compelling, Salable Romances With a Christian WorldviewEvery novel needs believable characters, strong plot lines, and universal themes–and Christian romance is no exception. This unmatched resource by award-winning novelist Gail Gaymer Martin will help you master basic fiction writing skills, while ensuring your story meets and exceeds the standards of the Christian market. It comprehensively covers the special techniques and elements of the Christian romance novel, as well as how to sell your finished product to a publisher. Through detailed step-by-step instruction, examples from successful Christian romances, and practical exercises, you'll discover how to:develop a story that includes personal, romantic, and spiritual growthincorporate prayer and spirituality into your storyuse introspection to fully develop characters' relationship with Goddiscuss issues of sin and forgiveness in believable wayspresent sexuality realistically, but from a Christian viewpointMartin's exercises will help you apply what you've learned so that you are actively becoming a better writer and can work toward your goal of a finished romance. She'll also teach you the different options for romance publishing–a single title or a category romance–and help you decide what you want to write and who to market it to. Because it covers so much, Writing the Christian Romance will help you create a beautiful romance made even more meaningful because of its openness to God's love.

This is a story about the fourth dimension. Its events occur in a fictional world called Flatland. This novel was written in 1884 by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott. Writing pseudonymously as "a square", Abbott used the fictional two-dimensional world of Flatland to offer pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novel's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions". As such, the novel is still popular amongst mathematics, physics, and computer science students. The story is about a two-dimensional world referred to as Flatland which is occupied by geometric figures, line segments (females) and regular polygons with various numbers of sides. The narrator is a humble Square, a member of the social caste of gentlemen and professionals in a society of geometric figures, who guides us through some of the implications of life in two dimensions. Extensive speculations also abound about higher dimensions. It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition.

Named the best Romance Novel of 2007 by the IndieExcellence awards , Moonlight in Vermont opens with a wicked New England Blizzard and the discovery of a frozen body trapped overnight on a ski lift. From BookReview.com: “And then we begin the examination of the life of Ethan Atwood, World Cup skiing athlete. Taking the world by storm on the Italian slopes, embracing the joy of the hometown mountains in Vermont and paying homage to ski gods of the Colorado Rockies all comes naturally to Ethan. Coming out of his personal shell is another matter. He is somewhat shy and very much focused on what needs to be done when he straps on the skis. When a fan club invites him to dine, he cannot refuse, and the wheels of fate are set in motion. After a terrible accident, Ethan finds a twisted comfort in one fan's attention. This time in his life will have drastic affects on his future, and dealing with the injury he sustains is only the half of it. Will the love of his life see him through? This novel so immerses the reader into the atmosphere that is Vermont. I cannot praise the author enough on this aspect of the book. Vermont weather is not simply put up with, it is experienced, and it is obvious that the author lives in it. The intensity that is downhill racing is sent to the reader's mind in images so vivid you will feel the rush of wind and ice crystals on your cheeks. The feel of the ski town comes right off the page and is as real as it gets in a novel. The descriptive writing here is absolutely well done. Characterization, plot and pace are all masterfully executed in John Hilferty's, "Moonlight in Vermont, a Novel." From the very beginning, readers will be hooked and the last few chapters will not allow you to out the book down.” Review by Heather Froeschl. A peek inside the Book: Lina had been shopping. She was carrying a plastic sack of groceries in one hand and a large bag in another with the printing "Just for Baby" on the side. As she walked on the footpath, the sun was showing a pink upper lip as it sank over the mountains. It cast massive, dark shadows upon the lake and the town. She loved the purple twilight when the harsh contrasts of daylight became blends of pastel. People moved indoors. She looked around, counting dots of white and yellow lights of windows. She failed to notice the snow-packed trail made a hitch to the left. The faintly dark roofline of the condos was just ahead. The snow crunched beneath her boots. She heard nothing when it happened, only a sudden coldness around her ankles. "My God." She knew immediately and screamed as a small blanket of ice began slowly collapsing beneath her, sucking her legs and lower body into the lake. The bags flew in the air as she flung herself on her back, arching her stomach. At the same time, she flailed with her arms, attempting to keep her weight distributed over the cracked and broken surface. An icy path of cold water began shooting down her neck and spine. Her legs were already heavy weights. They began aching. Her heart raced wildly. Panic-filled eyes fastened upward at an evening star and then to the shore onto the little row of houses. The lights of neighbors' kitchens were only a few hundred yards away, but it was an eternity in time. Would they hear the screams? Again and again, she shouted, "Help!" In Italian, she yelled, "Aiuto!" Lina kept her arms flailing backward with her back and head against the ice. She must not go under! Steve Porino, World Cup skiing analyst for NBC-TV, Outdoor Life, ESPN; former U.S. Ski Team member, wrote that the book is ". . . remarkably perceptive and plausible. Frankly, I feel like I'm taking a walk down memory lane in someone else's boots. . . .it was so incredibly accurate. I could not put it down." –First Place Award-Winner in the Romance Category of the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards.–PubInsider.com "Author John Hilferty delivers a knock out romance-suspense!” –USABookNews.com

Writing a romance novel is not an easy task. With the industry changing faster than we can sometimes put idea to paper, The Millennium Phrase Book is just the thing to give your novel the edge, keep you in the competition. This extensive guide has thousands of commonly used descriptive phrases-also known as tags- that can make the pages of your novel as vivid, colorful and dramatic as you can create. You are limited only by the boundaries you set for yourself. You can make your heroine pulse with life, and give the reader a reason to finish the book. For example: Without tags: His gaze settled on her and she felt as if she'd been touched. With tags: She felt the heat of his dark gaze as it settled on her and slowly, deliberately moved over her curves, leaving a trail of burning need in its wake. Inside this exhaustive treasury you'll find fifteen wonderful categories intended for the hard working romance novelist, neatly organized, with many sub-sections ready to give your imagination a jolt. Of course there are wide-ranging physical descriptions for your Hero/Heroine, Body Movements, Facial Expressions, Voice, Emotions and, of course-Sex. Other Categories include-Emotional/Physical Pain, The Five Senses, Other Worldly, Nature and Battle Scenes. Many categories include extensive in-depth detail. You'll also find numerous hard to find facts. So flip through the pages and let your imagination soar; there is no limit to what you can create. Rebecca Andrews is the author of the short story 'The Christmas Wish', published in the Christmas Wishes Anthology, by Highland Press.

Throughout her acclaimed writing career, Julie Garwood has captivated readers with characters who are compelling, daring, and bursting with life. Now one of the most popular novelists of our time proudly returns to her beloved historical romance roots–in a thrilling tale of love, murder, adventure, and mystery set against the haunting landscape of medieval Scotland.For Princess Gabrielle of St. Biel, Scotland is a land of stunning vistas, wild chieftains, treacherous glens, and steep shadows–skullduggery, betrayal, and now murder. Prized for her exquisite beauty, the daughter of one of England’s most influential barons, Gabrielle is also a perfect bargaining chip for a king who needs peace in the Highlands: King John has arranged Gabrielle’s marriage to a good and gentle laird. But this marriage will never take place.For Gabrielle, everything changes in one last burst of freedom–when she and her guards come upon a scene of unimaginable cruelty. With one shot from her bow and arrow, Gabrielle takes a life, saves a life, and begins a war.Within days, the Highlands are aflame with passions as a battle royal flares between enemies old and new. Having come to Scotland to be married, Gabrielle is instead entangled in Highland intrigue. For two sadistic noblemen, underestimating Gabrielle’s bravery and prowess may prove fatal. But thanks to a secret Gabrielle possesses, Colm MacHugh, the most feared man in Scotland, finds a new cause for courage. Under his penetrating gaze, neither Gabrielle’s body nor heart is safe.A gripping novel that delves into the heart of emotions–unyielding passions of love, hate, revenge, and raw desire–Shadow Music is magnificent gift from Julie Garwood and a crowning achievement in her amazing career.From the Hardcover edition.

Rita Clay Estrada and Rita Gallagher, the 'First Ladies' of the Romance Writers of America, lend their years of writing, publishing and teaching experience to help beginners find their niche in the complex romance market. They also teach readers how to build a strong plot, create compelling characters and sustain a dynamic beginning, middle and ending. Taking readers step by step through the entire publishing process, Estrada and Gallagher show how to choose an agent, work with editors and submit a winning manuscript-complete with tips for getting the best deal. Rita Clay Estrada is a founding member of the Romance Writers of America and was the organisation's first president. Rita Gallagher is a widely respected teacher of novel writing and writing workshops.

If there's a spanking scene to be found in Poughkeepsie, Lupe Freeman will find it; with the sophisticated Diana Stratton as her mentor, the precocious prep school girl hits the Ivy League determined to supply herself with a dominant boyfriend by Thanksgiving break. Susan Ross, now 23 and ever the darling of Anthony Newton, begins her career at an ad agency while irreverently recording her ongoing spanking adventures in a diary. Her growing passion for Anthony, fueled by jealousy, leads her to commit several errors of relationship etiquette, which cry out for and receive harsh correction. Back in Random Point, polymorphosly perverse Alison Albrecht engages in her first spanking love affair; but will the quite amiable gentleman be firm enough to tame her waywardness? Conversely, hyper-critical husband Ambrose Bartlett pushes perfectionism a little too far with his independent bride and almost outsmarts himself. Love, liberty and the perfect spanking scene come to all deserving girls in Volume Eight of Shadow Lane. About the Author: In Random Point, everything is linked to spanking and this is true for the author of the Shadow Lane novels as well. Eve Howard has been writing and producing spanking erotica since the 1980's. Eve has written, directed and produced over 140 spanking videos. Female-friendly and designed to make people feel good, rather than guilty, about being into spanking, Eve suggests an irreverent alternative to the all or nothing B&D subculture portrayed in such beloved classics as The Story of O. Many spanking fans have discovered the real life spanking scene by following the same patterns of social networking as described in the Shadow Lane novels. And for almost twenty years, Eve's company Shadow Lane has been one of the primary social organs of the real life spanking scene. There are nine titles in the Shadow Lane series and Eve is currently working on Volume 10. She lives with her husband Tony Elka and their three cats in Las Vegas.