200th 1Night Stand Celebration! Key elements to a #1NS story from editor Valerie Mann & Giveaway!
Please welcome the amazing Valerie Mann to my blog. Not only is she one of the awesome editors at Decadent Publishing, but she’s also one of the co-creators of the 1Night Stand series. And this week, we’re celebrating the 200th 1Night Stand story with a ton of giveaways!
Thank you, Jessica, for letting me visit!
For those of you who don’t know, Jessica was one of the early 1Night Stand authors, and definitely our very first author of alien romance! Plus, she’s super nice, so we love having her as part of the 1NS fam.
A lot will be written about during this week’s 1Night Stand 200th book party, but since Kate Richards and I are the creators of the series (along with Olivia Starke, who tends to remain behind the scenes, cooking up more plots), I’m taking Jessica’s suggestion for a topic:
What do we look for in a 1Night Stand story?
Kate and I are the managing editors of the series at Decadent Publishing, which includes acquisitioning the stories and editing them. We promote, search for new authors, invite authors we’d like to have participate in the series, and generally eat, drink, and sleep the series. We have a great job!
That being said, if you want to write for the series, here are some pretty cut-and-dried rules:
Follow the series guidelines outlined on the 1NS blog for your story. Don’t try to bend, break or otherwise change the rules. They’re important to maintain the series integrity and we will make you follow them. And Madame Eve will get cranky. You don’t want to make her cranky. (Don’t know who Madame Eve is? She’s the brain behind the 1NS dating service. You can read a little bit about her here: Madame Eve Speaks)
Think outside the box. We love a new twist on an old theme. Like, say, aliens. One big advantage of this series is you already have readers suspending disbelief to a certain extent. I mean, Eve is mysterious! She knows all. She can find the perfect match, even if it means pulling someone out of the Dark Ages and into the present for his 21st century mate. Wait, that hasn’t been written yet, but, man, what a cool plot!
This is an erotic romance series. Meaning *gasp* there is going to be some sex. How much you want to have—wait, I mean how much your characters have—is up to you. Condoms are a must-have fashion accessory in 99% of the dates, as well. Keepin’ it safe is critical.
Write it well. Submit it clean. Expect to be edited mercilessly. You think I’m joking…I’m not. There is nothing more frustrating for Kate and I, or sadder for the author, than to have an awesome story come in that is poorly written. Editing can only fix so much and frankly, we don’t have time to teach authors how to write. Please, please, please, submit your baby wearing her best outfit, all shiny and clean, fresh diaper…you get the point. We have taken oodles of well-written stories that needed work on plot, conflict, etc. But when that amazing story comes in with newbie author mistakes, grammar issues, poorly-formatted, etc…it’s heartbreaking to say no.
Once we have it under contract and in our hot little hands, we will whip out our red Sharpies and start to hack. Do not be offended by this. We know what we’re doing, honest. We wouldn’t be celebrating the 200th release in two-and-a-half years if we let bad stories get released.
Do we make mistakes? No. Wait, yes, we do. Sorry. But Kate and I strive to make sure if your story is part of Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand series, it is a fabulous addition.
I’m also the submissions specialist for Decadent Publishing, so any submission questions can be directed to me: submissions@decadentpublishing.com
We hope in two-and-a-half years, we’ll be celebrating the 400th book, and yours is one of them!
If you *only* read these books, leave a comment and tell me which one you like the best. I’ll send one commenter an e-copy of her choice from the 1Night Stand series! And don’t forget to enter to win with our Rafflecopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Available from Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers.
Available from Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers.
About Valerie Mann:
Valerie Mann is the superwoman every woman tries to be…mother of five attractive, successful children, vixen in and out of the bedroom, runway model fashionista, extreme gardener, and just recently crashed on bestseller lists as a romance author.
In real life, Valerie is the mother of five lovely, but ordinary children. Sure, she’s a vixen in and out of the bedroom, which explains the herd of kids. The closest she gets to a runway is an airport, and while she thinks gardens of all sorts are wonderful, she figures that hobby can wait until retirement, if her knees last that long. And that crashing you heard was Valerie collapsing on the couch at the end of a very long day. As for romance, she writes and likes to think she can tell an amazing tale of love or two. Her husband of nearly thirty years won’t read her stories because they make him blush but is content in the knowledge he’s the inspiration for every one of them.
Valerie currently works as a managing editor for an electronic publisher and is the co-owner of a company that provides editing services for writers.
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