Comments on: Ask An Editor: Submissions

By: Laurie London

Laurie London — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:11:04 +0000

Thanks so much! And thanks to Red Sage too. I can’t wait to read it.

Laurie

By: TraceyDevlyn

TraceyDevlyn — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:09:25 +0000

Laurie London,

Congratulations! You’ve been selected to receive a download copy of Partners by Cricket Starr, courtesy of Red Sage Presents. Please contact me at tracey@romanceuniversity.org in order to receive your wonderful gift.

Tracey

By: KelseyBrowning

KelseyBrowning — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 08:02:30 +0000

Wow – this has ramped up my excitement for some new reading. Laurie, I have a Linnea Sinclair on my iPod that I haven’t read yet, so she’ll be next in line. Theresa, I’m not sure if Susan Grant is considered paranormal or somewhat SciFi, but I love her work.

Kels

PS – Mary Anne, I figure Tracey chose the camels to symbolize getting over the sumbmissions “hump!” (And absolutely no puns intended!)

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:22:17 +0000

I find that now I reach for SF or SFR mainly to cleanse my reading palate. A good one can really shake me awake and break any developing rut. This isn’t to say that SFR or SF are somehow lesser or less enjoyable, just that different things cause me to reach for one now. When I was 20, I read them because I found the philosophy and big story questions really compelling. Now at age, er, more than 20, it’s not about the philosophy. I already know what I think about most things by now, after all. It’s really just a different kind of escapism now.

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:15:03 +0000

The same kind of comments are generally made about SFR. Pure science fiction readers don’t mind some exploration of romance as a cultural aspect, but it’s not quite the same as what a romance reader wants from a story.

When I evaluate SFR stories, my first question is always about the romance and the characters and their relationship. Then, after I’m satisfied that the romance works, I evaluate the science fiction aspects. The key question is always, “Does this matter?” If the prose goes on about some technology or setting or social convention that has little or no relevance to the plot, then we either have to trim it or rework it to make it matter. So that’s how I try to go about integrating these two very different story types.

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:08:11 +0000

I love historicals, too, and read loads of them. In fact, it’s probably my go-to genre for a comfort read.

Would it surprise you to hear that I find a good s/f romance to have many of the same qualities as a good historical? World-building, a strong central romance, good conflict, and that feeling of total escape from reality — you’ll find that in both genres.

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:04:17 +0000

Ender’s Game is generally reckoned one of the great science fiction novels.

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:02:04 +0000

Hi, Tracy! Not all scifi is unpronounceable names. When I evaluate a scifi manuscript, if something like that sticks out, I always ask whether there’s a reason it’s done that way. Maybe, for example, there’s some symbolic relevance to an unusual name that will become apparent as the story unfolds. In that case, it’s something more than a gimmick, something more than window dressing, and it might be worth preserving.

You might enjoy some scifi romance. It’s probably not what you expect.

By: Tracey Devlyn

Tracey Devlyn — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:46:11 +0000

You s old me, Laurie!

By: Tracey Devlyn

Tracey Devlyn — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:45:32 +0000

Kels, I couldn’t resist selecting that picture!