(All opinions and statements in this post are my own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Aspen Mountain Press. Yell at me, if you wish.)

I keep hearing a statement from aspiring authors that absolutely makes me shudder. There seems to be a belief that spelling and grammar issues are solely the job of editors and don’t need to be worried about by the authors.

It’s true that, when the rubber hits the road, we editors are responsible for correcting spelling and grammar issues. But failure to make your work the cleanest and best it can be possible before you submit it may mean you never reach that point. The editor (or agent) may never even request a full because their appreciation of your story may not be enough to balance the costs and resources needed to get it through the publication process.

The first thing aspiring authors have to understand is that your submission – be it synopsis, partial or full – is your interview for a contract. It’s what you will be judged on. Why would you choose to make less than the best impression you possibly could? Would you show up to interview for a modeling shot with grimy hair and say that’s the hairdresser’s job? Shooting yourself in the foot is not a great start to any venture.

Now, keep in mind that almost every submission contains some errors, that’s normal and expected. But a plethora of easy to find and fix ones tells me (accurately or not) that the author doesn’t care enough to do the very best job possible. That it’s not important to the author. Are they lazy? Are they going to be difficult to work with?

Another thing it tells me is that if I contract this work, it will cost my house more money to get it in shape for publishing than it would an equivalent story that is cleaned up and corrected. The longer I have to spend on it, the longer my line editors or proofers have to spend on it, the more it costs. Publishing is still a business and it’s part of my job to make the best use of my house’s resources as I can.

It also directly affects my ability to appreciate and enjoy the story. Like it or not, each time I see an error, it drags me out of the story and breaks my immersion. Too many times and I can’t follow the story very well and end up not liking it as much as I possibly could have. You don’t want to let mechanical errors get in the way of the story.

I want to strongly encourage anyone who submits a work for publication to utilize the marvels of spellcheck and the eagle eyes of a test reader or critique partner. Make your submission as clean and correct as you possibly can before you submit it and you will increase your chances of acceptance.

Greeting card manufacturers have decided Valentine’s Day is the most romantic holiday of the year. Okay, I’ll almost give them that, but there’s 364 other days that shouldn’t be ignored.

Below is an easy menu that will satisfy all your hunger on any day of the year. Think Tom Jones, the old movie not the actor, and the eating scene. Go for it. These cold winter nights might just heat up for you!

• Warm Belgian Endive and Pine Nut Salad
• Almost Homemade Pizza
• Dry Red Wine – Ruffino Chianti

Warm Belgian Endive and Pine Nut Salad

1 tbs. Dijon mustard
pepper to taste
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 - 4 heads Belgian endive
1/2 tbs. lemon juice
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed so the salad isn’t dry
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley, dried will work but isn’t as bright a contrast

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk in olive oil slowly until you have an almost creamy consistency. Taste and season with pepper. Set aside.

Cut endive heads crosswise into rings. Remove the hard end of the stems and discard. Rinse in a colander, shaking to separate the slices into rings. Set aside to drain.

In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts. Stir constantly so that they do not burn. Once the pine nuts are golden, throw in the endive rings. When it has warmed just slightly, pour in the dressing and toss to coat. Reduce the heat if the endive is wilting too quickly. You want to maintain some crispness and texture.

If you have guests to impress, throw in the parsley. The sharp green flecks will brighten the dish and enhance the flavor, but the salad is in no way lacking without. Serve immediately. It is best served directly from the pan to the plate. If is put in a bowl, the dressing will settle at the bottom and be difficult to toss again without damaging the endive.

Almost Homemade Pizza

1 (12 inch) pre-baked Italian bread pizza crust. I prefer Boboli
1 cup pizza sauce
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella
½ lb. Italian sausage, pinched into dime sized pieces
Fresh Parmesan or Romano to grate over the top
Mushrooms, peppers or what ever else you enjoy can be added

Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on the crust package. Lay the crust onto a baking sheet of appropriate size. Spread the sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Lay your other sausage etc. on top. Cover the pie with the remaining mozzarella then grate some fresh Parmesan or Romano over that.

Bake according to the crust package directions or until the sausage is no longer pink and the cheese is melted.

The pizza makes a great leftover lunch, but the salad will turn bitter and limp.

Don’t forget the candles, lots of them. Every woman likes to set the mood. Also, omitting forks can be most sensual when you feed your partner small bites.

Have a great Valentine’s Day.

Sloane Taylor ~ Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell
Francine on Fire www.aspenmountainpress.com
www.sloanetaylor.com www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor

Title: Working Man: On The Job Author: J.M. Snyder Artist: Nikita Gordyn ISBN: 978-1-60168-086-0 Genre: Contemporary M/M Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press Publication Date: 2/8/2008 Sexual Content: Erotic M/M

Charles is a service technician with the cable company who doesn’t usually do new installs. His day is limited to trouble calls and reconnects. But an irate customer has called into the office ~ he missed the installer and now demands the cable company send someone out to hook up his service. Charles is already in the neighborhood when he gets the call. New installs aren’t usually in Charles’s job description. But when he meets the sexy Billy Jackson, he’s more than willing to hook the guy up.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Title: Devon Falls: Red Hot Magic Authors: Raine Delight Artist: Skylar Sinclair ISBN: 978-1-60168-086-0 Genre: Contemporary Erotic Paranormal Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press Publication Date: 02/8/2008 Sexual Content: Erotic

With the help of a charity fundraiser, Jenna sets her friend, Raven, up to find Mr. Perfect. Raven though, has found Mr. Perfect…in her dreams. Now, if she could only find the sexy man in real life.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Want to see what happened to Raven, Jenna’s partner from Sticky Magic? Then here it is!

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/devon-falls-red-hot-magic/prod_117.html

Synopsis:

With the help of a charity fundraiser, Jenna sets her friend, Raven, up to find Mr. Perfect.  Raven though, has found Mr. Perfect…in her dreams. Now, if she could only find the sexy man in real life.

Check it out and Do a little dance w ith me! *twirls and tosses candy hearts!*

Title: Del Fantasma: Silk Panties Authors: Celia Kyle Artist: Nikita Gordyn ISBN: 978-1-60168-084-6 Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press Publication Date: 02/1/2008 Sexual Content: Erotic Contemporary Paranormal

Lisa Bradenton is breaking out of her shell. What better way to take a walk on the wild-one-night- stand-side than a visit to the infamous Del Fantasma? At the urging of her friends, Lisa goes to the bar with the hopes of finding a lover to take her mind off her ex-boyfriend. Soon after walking through the doors she’s overwhelmed by the sexy bartender who has a quick smile, sexy eyes and deep rumbling voice. He is definitely one-night stand material. Definitely.

Jonathan and his inner beast crave the sexy, sultry and curvy siren’s touch. A smile and good conversation aren’t enough for him. Even after he’s gotten her in his bed, he still craves everything about the seductress. Her looks reeled him in, but her uncertainty and open nature snare him forever. But after one night of bliss, she disappears. What the hell is he supposed to do now? Lisa is his mate and without her, he’s lost.

Click here to read an excerpt.

The last several manuscripts I’ve edited have suffered from what I call the “Laundry List Syndrome” so I thought I’d take a moment to mention it here.

A laundry list is when an author tries to mention a whole lot of things at once instead of dribbling them in a little at a time. In some cases it appears as part of an info-dump but sometimes it just appears out of the blue.

As an example, here’s a laundry list:

The stranger turned around and she couldn’t believe her eyes: black hair, blue eyes, a strong chin, a nose with a slight crook to the side and tanned cheeks dusted with a dark five o’clock shadow.

The author in this laundry list is merely dumping out facts. It’s dry and the reader tends to just skim over it.

It would be much more effective to give each of these facts individual emphasis. It makes it more enjoyable to read and more memorable as well.

Try this in contrast:

The dark haired stranger turned around and she couldn’t believe her eyes. His glossy black hair curled around his tanned face in waves that made her fingers itch to smooth it back. Piercing cobalt eyes were framed by lush black lashes, the darkness echoed in the hint of razor stubble dusting his strong chin. Only the slight bump and crooked slant of a long-ago broken nose saved his face from being too pretty.

I’d usually space it out more than that and I realize it’s not the best paragraph ever, but look how much more memorable it is than the laundry list?

One magic clue to an imminent laundry list is using a colon… If you find yourself using a colon, ask yourself why and if there is a better way to present the information you are about to list.

Today on the Aspen Mountain Press community loop at yahoo, we are celebrating NOT watching the Super Bowl. 

What will we do instead?  Why share excerpts, recipes, chat and give out prizes.

Come one, come all, and let’s have some fun!

The Fantasm Awards voting is now open!

Click on the button and go vote! Del Fantasma: Texas Tea, the first book in Aspen’s Del Fantasma series is up for Best Shape-Shifter (Non-Wolf) Romance. You’ll also see some of Aspen’s authors up for awards for books at (sob) other presses. A lot of great stories and authors on the list.

Go Vote!!

Return to Devon Falls and the 1st ever Bachelor/Dog Auction. This is all about Raven, Jenna’s business partner from Sticky Magic (in Babes in Toyland II anthology out now!). Find out if Raven gets her heart’s desire and if the mysterious dream man is her one true love!

The talented artist Skylar Sinclair designed my cover and I am thrilled Sandra loved it as much as I did. *though I can’t seem to load it here for some weird reason! *

I am off to finish the edits and hope you can check out my blog as I have a teaser excerpt there as well as contest info. coming for Red Hot Magic.
Raine Delight