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Silhouette NocturneDark, Sexy, Otherworldy...PNR in Interview with Tara Gavin, editorial director of Silhouette's new Nocturne line of paranormal romance. Original published in the PNR October 2006 issue. Nocturne Writing Guidelines For all who are thinking about submitting to Silhouette Nocturne. Coming Soon An interview with Vivi Anna about her first Nocturne release, Blood Secrets. Dark, Sexy, Otherworldy...PNR: Our readers are very excited about the new Nocturne line; can you tell us about your vision for Nocturne and its authors? Tara G.: I'm delighted about the enthusiasm that Nocturne is receiving, and I have to admit that I share the excitement, as well. I've always loved paranormal stories, and I love the range that is being offered in Nocturne. These stories are full of emotion and action—the characters are facing life/death issues in the conflicts that they are struggling with. There is a lot of imagination and thought in these plots, and I love the thematic component in paranormal. The hero is also wonderful in each story; he is not your typical beta man, instead he is generally an alpha hero—strong and protective…and very, very sexy. The promise we are fulfilling to the reader with each Nocturne story is that the book they are reading will be a sensual, dark, atmospheric paranormal story with a strong hero and compelling, sympathetic heroine. The authors who are launching the line are: Lindsay McKenna, Kathleen Korbel, Michele Hauf, Maureen Child, Caridad Pinero and Lisa Childs. We're looking forward to upcoming stories by Karen Whiddon, Erica Orloff, as well as newcomers to the genre: Pamela Palmer, Vivi Anna and many, many more. PNR: Silhouette already publishes some titles with elements of fantasy and paranormal; how will the Nocturne line differ from the paranormal titles that have been offered previously? Tara G.: That is very, very true—paranormal stories have been included in all the lines that Harlequin and Silhouette offer, with varying degrees according to the needs of the specific line. These stories have been very popular, and we decided to dedicate a line to the paranormal romance—and so Nocturne was born. Nocturne will differ from previous paranormal stories in that it is totally dedicated to the romantic paranormal concept, and that it will be dark, sexy and atmospheric—with a concentrated promise to the reader. PNR: Until recently the bulk of paranormal romance was offered primarily through electronic publishers; what were the deciding factors in Silhouette's decision to create this new line? Tara G.: That's a very good question, and a complex answer—because our decision was multi-faceted. We saw an opportunity in the paranormal romance market, and our research indicated that our readers were looking for strong romantic stories set within the atmospheric, paranormal world. Our readers were telling us this—through research, through sales, through trends in the media, etc—and our authors were telling us this, as well, through the stories they were interested in creating. PNR: What were the risk factors? Have paranormal romance sales indicated that the risk was worth taking? Tara G.: There are always risk factors in publishing, but paranormal romance seems to be a trend that is gaining momentum in the market—and involving, well-written stories with compelling characters is always a risk worth taking. PNR: The Nocturne covers are striking and very sensual; what can readers expect as far as sensuality level in this new line? Has the market indicated a new willingness to accept more sensual romance as mainstream? Tara G.: Our stories in Nocturne are very sensual and hot. The sensuality level is very high, as the covers indicate. In terms of the market accepting more sensual romance—I feel that we've seen the popularity of sensuality in the paranormal romance mainstream arena, as well as in our lines such as Blaze, and we are willing to see how readers respond to the sensuality in Nocturne. I think it is quite sizzling—but also very romantic, as well. PNR: What can readers expect to see in the coming months? Which talented authors? Tara G.: We're really excited about upcoming writers in Nocturne, and in May, we are very proud to have Linda Howard starting off a three book series called The Raintree Trilogy. Book number two is from Linda Winstead Jones, and book three is from Beverly Barton. I think this is a very exciting event! We're also continuing many wonderful mini-series that have started during the launch month—for instance, Lindsay McKenna is returning with more of her WARRIORS FOR THE LIGHT; Kathleen Korbel has more DAUGHTERS OF MYTH in store for us; and Maureen Child has the second installment of her PROTECTORS miniseries in February. PNR: Thank you, Tara, for taking time out to talk with us about Silhouette's new Nocturne line, where can readers find out more about the upcoming releases? Tara G.: More information can be found on eHarlequin.com, and at your local bookstores, supermarkets, discount and drugstores where Harlequin & Silhouette books are sold. In addition, we're including excerpts within the books for upcoming titles, so keep an eye on that, as well! Nocturne Writing GuidelinesLength: 70,000 – 75,000 words Editorial Director: Tara Gavin Associate Senior Editor: Ann Leslie Tuttle Editorial Assistant: Sean Mackiewicz Launch: October 2006 (2 books/month) Nocturne is looking for stories that deliver a dark, very sexy read that will entertain readers and take them from everyday life to an atmospheric, complex, paranormal world filled with characters struggling with life and death issues. These stories will be fast-paced, action-packed and mission-oriented, with a strong level of sensuality. The hero is a key figure — powerful, mysterious and totally attractive to the heroine. In fact, both main characters are very powerful, and their conflict is based on this element. The author must be able to set up a unique existence for the characters, with its own set of rules and mythologies. We are looking for stories of vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, psychic powers, etc. set in contemporary times. The plots and characters of Nocturne:
If you want to write a paranormal story with strong sexual, fantasy and danger elements, then please submit a query letter with a detailed synopsis and three chapters with a SASE large enough to hold the entirety of your work. Tara Gavin Silhouette Nocturne 233 Broadway, Suite 1001 New York, New York 10279 |
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