Nocturne Editor Pitch

We're at it again! And this time, we've got another of your favorite lines for you to send your sassy, steamy entries to Nocturne is looking for YOUR manuscript and Editor Ann Leslie Tuttle will be on hand to take your pitch!

To enter, send a 2 paragraph blurb of your manuscript to Hosty Rae by April 9th

Five entries will be chosen by Ann Leslie Tuttle and those will be announced on or around April 16th..

Pitches will happen April 23rd, at 11:00am. Please read the rules below to ensure your entry can be accepted.


• Original and unpublished works only. In other words, nothing that was previously published as an ebook.

• You MUST be able to enter and post inside the eHarlequin.com chat room. If you are unable to use the chat room and your submission is chosen, we will be unable to offer you another venue option and it will be unfair to an entrant who is able.

• You MUST have a completed manuscript that is targeted to Nocturne. Editors have the option to request partials or fulls but aren't accepting across the board.

• You MUST be available at the given chat time. As stated above, we will be unable to offer another venue or time option.

• Please include your member name, your full name along with your submission.

First one... ?

This is exciting. I need to get moving on editing and polishing my noc manuscript! Surprised

Hey Rae....I just mailed

Hey Rae....I just mailed off a query with a partial....can I still pitch that particular ms?  It is the first in a trilogy....

Jules

Jules,

I think it'd be better to pitch the second book in the series and let her know if you're picked to do the actual pitch that you sent out the proposal to her.

 Does that help?

Rae

I need to get cracking and

I need to get cracking and finish writing my Nocturne, then . . .

Wow!  I'll root everyone

Wow!  I'll root everyone on, but with Tax season, no way can I write a complete ms by April 9th.Laughing

Noc Bite Pitch???

I was reading another thread where there was mention that there is the chance to pitch for full length nocs as well as bites. Is that so?

MJ...

I doubt I could complete one either, although I have to admit, I'm wondering if I can shift my 16K (before final editing) brief into a 70K full! LOL!! I doubt it, not in that time frame, but it did flit through my little head.

What a GREAT opportunity for someone who has a completed or mostly completed Nocturne ms!!

JodieG
Prepublished and workin' to change that!

A winner of the Big Finish 2 Contest, March 2008!
Participating author in Pass the Plot, Summer 2008

Hey Rae....thanks for the

Hey Rae....thanks for the info......but my problem is that the second story will not be any where near done,but as long as it's plotted out ( which obviously it would have to be in order to write a two para synopsis) can I still pitch it?  with the intent that the editor would want to look at the first if she loved the second story idea??  when I say I sent it, I mean literally two days ago..I'm sure it hasn't even crossed that big old canadian/american border yet!

hope I'm not being too much of a pain! but I just don't want to miss out on this awesome opportunity!

Jules

Is it for a full length

Is it for a full length Nocturne or the Nocturne Bites?

Thanks!

Never mind, figured it out.  Just a bit confused with the link to Nocturne Bites right under the announcement.  It's been a long day!  LOL

If a story is really great

If a story is really great and the editor loved it, would it be rejected if the word count was  a few thousand less than the 70,000 in the guidelines? Or would they ask the writer to add more to increase the WC?

Linda, word count can be

Linda, word count can be played with for sure just as long as you're close.

Oh, this is so exciting. 

Best

Vivi Anna
http://www.vivianna.net
MAHINA'S STORM - Nocturne BITE 10/08
VEILED TRUTH - Nocturne 10/08 - RT TOP PICK!!!
WINTER KISSED - Nocturne 11/08

Wow

Wow, what a great opportunity! And I think I have a rough draft of something that might just fit. Its guess time to dust it off and do some revising Laughing

 ~Lis 

Thanks Vivi.

Like how close? 67 thou? 65 thou? Innocent

My nanowrimo novel was written as a Nocturne hopeful. However, it's short of 70 thou. It is in the rough draft form (well, I've edited the mechanics), so there are still some things I need to rewrite and add.  I think I can get it close. I hope I can do it in time!Undecided

I'm excited at the prospect. Thank God my student teaching ends next week. LOL.

Jodie - It is approximately

Jodie - It is approximately 30 days to have your blurb in and probably 40 unitl the pitch.  If you write a thousand words a day and add to what you have written, you could have a completed ms by then.  You can do it!

I am working copious amounts of overtime and so I do not have the writing time to even do the 500 words a day.  However, if we get the 12 inches of snow perdicted, well, I could easily write a bite this weekend. 

Good luck everyone!Smile

Not Bites?

Count my denseness as creative genius ;o)

Is this my old buddy Rae?

So this is categorically NOT for Bites, correct? 

 

Answers....

This pitch is not for Bites. I can always talk to Ann Leslie and see if she'll accept pitches for Bites as well. Give me a couple of days on an answer for that. K? I'll see what I can do.

Jules, if your manuscript is already in office, then it's in. I'm sorry about the timing of the pitch in relation to your sending it off.

Hi Ciar! Kiss

Rae

Question

Hi Rae,

How many are we allowed to enter? I've possibly got two, but I can narrow it to one if necessary. Thanks!

~Lis 

Yeah Rae.....does suck! 

Yeah Rae.....does suck!  Oh well, I'll just have to work my a$$ off to get the second story in good enough shape to pitch then won't I??!! 

Better get back to it then!

Jules

Lis,

Let's go with two entries, each. Sound good?

Rae

Just a note to say hi to everyone and introduce myself -- I've been hiding out finishing my (cross fingers!) potential Nocturne manuscript for the past couple of months, and am coming up for air now. 

I have finally had time to check out the eHarlequin website -- it's wonderful to read everyone's experiences as they pursue publication.  Best wishes to you all!

Rae, I've just emailed you my blurb.   :-)

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Just wondering...

Rae, is a first person story okay?  I haven't seen any Nocturnes that were first person, but I haven't seen them all! HELP!

If not, I've got some serious work to do before April 9th!

Debra Moore w/a Moira Reid
www.readmoore.com

Just resurfacing

 Hi all

I haven't been here in a while. The new site format is lovely but I'm still working out the navigation.

I'm still polishing my blurb for this, but hope to have it in soon!

R

Not Rae, but...

even if there haven't been any 1st person doesn't mean they won't go for one. It's just got to be compelling!

Dee

Dee Tenorio
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Excited

This is an exciting oportunity.  I've got to get moving on my Nocturne and the blurb!  And how do I test out the chat room?  I'm assuming that the chat time is EST?  right?

Hi, Rae! Hi, Dee!

trish

Trish, the chat is next

Trish, the chat is next Wednesday the 19th.  We have them the third Wednesday of the month.

Best

Vivi Anna
http://www.vivianna.net
MAHINA'S STORM - Nocturne BITE 10/08
VEILED TRUTH - Nocturne 10/08 - RT TOP PICK!!!
WINTER KISSED - Nocturne 11/08

Click the HERE in the Chat Schedule...

and click the red GO button. Enter a name and click OK. You'll be in the chat room. :)

Dee

Dee Tenorio
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Blurb

Can my blurb be two pages long as long as there is only one paragraph per page?  Please?

 

WinkMandy

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel or do I just have tunnel vision from staring at the computer screen so long?

Rae, did you receive my blurb okay?

Hi Rae,

Could you please confirm that you received my entry for the Nocturne Editor Pitch Contest okay?

I emailed it out to you on Tuesday, then drove my husband around to different campuses all day yesterday for his grad school interviews....only to come home and find my server was down!!!   

Let me know if you received it at your Yahoo  account okay -- if not, I'll re-send.  Thank you!!!    Cool

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Hey Mandy...

Do you mean you want to have a whole page long paragraph? LOL. I'm going to go with no. You don't want to shoot yourself if the foot by trying so hard to squeeze in a full synop that you end up looking like you can't write a concise pitch. :)

Just take a deep breath and trim it to it's most compelling hooks and conflicts.:)

Good luck!

Dee 

Dee Tenorio
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Oh....goodness, this is

Oh....goodness, this is almost to great of an opportunity to pass up! Good luck to all who enter!

Question...

Do the editor's want to see a split perspective between male and female? Or would a only heroine perspective be OK?

Laughter is an instant vacation- Milton Berle

They definitely want POV

They definitely want POV from both the heroine and the hero. 

I try and split it up evenly between the two, but sometimes it's more the hero's story or the heroine's story.

 

Good luck!!

Best

Vivi Anna
http://www.vivianna.net
MAHINA'S STORM - Nocturne BITE 10/08
VEILED TRUTH - Nocturne 10/08 - RT TOP PICK!!!
WINTER KISSED - Nocturne 11/08

Howdy

First of all, let me apologize for my lack of showing up in here. My kids finally shared their germs on top of what I've been going through with other tummy crap. I also wanted to let you know that anyone who sent in their pitches, I emailed you back. If you don't hear from me or didn't, please let me know on the thread and we may have to have you send it to an alternate address.

This upcoming Tuesday, I'm having an endosopy, so I probably won't be on until later in the evening.

Dee, thanks for holding down the fort.

Rae

Rae

(((Hugs))) Rae

Christina
Foretaste of Forever - coming soon
www.christinaphillips.blogspot.com

POV

I've read writing articles and advice stating that if you have both the hero's and heroine's POV, they should alternate by chapter or scene, or have a definite break to alert the reader to the change.

Is this advice more for the newbie writer? Because I've read some wonderful harlequin books, and other books too, where the POV changes betweeen the hero and heroine from paragraph to paragraph. This was done without me being confused about who's POV was "speaking" each time.

Head hopping vs Clean Scene

It's a very old, long battle between writers, but the general consensus is that you need to learn to write in just one POV before you start learning to head hop without losing the reader. It might be style, but it's also a matter of being disciplined in your craft. Kind of like singers who learn to warble before they learn to stay in key. It's hard to go back and learn the fundamentals when you've muddied the waters with style.

Plus, yup, changing POV every paragraph is seen very much as a newbie mistake. One, maybe two, changes per scene is a sign of someone who knows how to make the transition. :)

Hope that helps!

Dee

Dee Tenorio
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Hi Rae,

Thanks for your message above -- I definitely did not receive a confirmation email back (had emailed you a Microsoft Word attachment on 3/11 containing my pitch).

Please let me know if I should re-send to the same address, or if there is an alternate email address that you prefer.  Thank you!

Regards, Barbara  a.k.a. Celtic Lass

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!   Smile

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Good luck

P.S.S.  Rae, good luck on the endoscopy, just re-read your post and saw that!

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Rae, maybe in your Bulk folder?

Hi Rae,

I just realized -- your email address that you listed for the contest is a Yahoo account. 

I sent to you from my home server, and sometimes that confuses Yahoo and MSN accounts into thinking it is bulk or spam, which automatically throws stuff into the Bulk Email folder rather than your Inbox.

Could you please take a look at your Bulk folder, and let me know if my entry might be there?  If not, then let me know where to re-send.

Thank you -- I appreciate it!!!    :-)

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Thanks!

Thanks for the answers...

Laughter is an instant vacation- Milton Berle

Barbara aka Celtic Lass

Please send it to this email address: raecy@windstream.net  and please send your submission in the body of the email.

 Thanks!

Rae

Rae, just re-sent it to you

Hi Rae--

Thank you for the alternate email address -- I just sent it (with the blurb in the body of the message per your request above).

Please let me know when you receive it -- I appreciate it!!!    Cool

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

Got it

As you already know. Smile

Rae

Thanks again, Rae!

Thanks again, Rae, and I am truly sorry about the email snafu!!  I have my own server at home (which my husband the tech wizard maintains for me) and I am honestly not sure why Yahoo accounts sometimes reject my stuff.  I'll bug him about it....   Frown

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

It was no problem...

Honestly. These things happen. For some reason, my windstream account gets rejected as a spam one. I've never intentionally spammed anyone in my life. Certain friends blogs, my email address or isp location is always flagged for moderation.

Rae

Rae

Hi Rae,

 

I just sent you my submission for the contest, but when I reopened the email in my 'sent' folder, it looks like I sent you a blank email (?!?!) Please let me know if you got a blank email or if you received the contest entry.

 

Thanks!

(And I'm REALLY sorry if I sent you a blank email! I don't know what happened!)

 

SueB

suebee_717@yahoo.com

 

Susan

Got it--responded and the pitch is there. No apologies neccessary!

Rae

Thanks Rae

I got your email. You can imagine my heart attack when I saw the blank email. There must be something screwy with my yahoo account. Glad you got it okay.

 

Thanks again! Laughing

 

SueB

You're welcome

Yahoo has been screwy. It won't show me Celtic's pitch, but male enhancement drugs are apparently okay. Tongue out The important thing is that you can breathe now.

Rae

Ahh, the joys of technology

Rae, you are the best -- thank you for making sure us "newbies" got confirmation regarding our contest entries.  From reading the boards, I know that won't always be the case when subbing -- I keep feeling the pain of all the people who have subbed and are hoping against hope on a positive answer (and admire them tremendously)!

SueB, best wishes on your MS and I am hoping for us both!!  It is a great opportunity!

August's MEMBER OF THE MONTH

"It's perfectly normal to love both Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe..." -- (Me!)

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