Some of you may know that I've taken a position as an editor for Etopia Press. I can't tell you how excited I am to be working with these fantastic publishing peeps and the authors that I've already stacked up.
I have the best authors and want to add more! :)
So, with that being said, I've gained permission to do a fun pitch contest. Here's what I'm looking for. Don't be shy. These really are great people!
First and foremost, I'm looking for authors ready to begin their careers in the publishing world, established authors that can kick out books on a consistent basis, and people that like to have fun!
1. I want naughty erotica books with heart, passion, and depth. Give me stories that will make me weep, pant, and smile at the end. Got a whip and rope...or two in it? Even better! All heat levels wanted, but the darker and hotter will get my attention fastest. Any length that falls in Etopia's submission guidelines will be considered. I'll post the link in a few.
2. Romance! I want to see the love. Paranormal, contemporary, hawt heroes and fiesty heroines, you name it, I want it.
3. YA romance! Yes, I know. It's the other end of the spectrum, but I love a good YA--especially with a HEA!
As promissed, you can check out Etopia's guidlines for submissions to make sure your story fits, and it'll help when labeling your genre, here.
On to the fun!!!
In a comment below, post your pitch and first 100 words as follows:
Author:
Title:
Genre:
Word Count:
50 word pitch.
1st 100 words of story.
Pitch ends 6/12/12 midnight!
I'll post winning pitches on Wednesday, 6/13/12 and give you an email addy to send in your requested fulls. (If I don't request your MS, there may be another editor or two lurking that will, so please don't be shy. Bring it! And, good luck!)
Susan JP Owens
ReplyDeleteWalking Into Her Heart
Paranormal Romance
83K
Pitch:
In Jackson, WY, Shelby Littleton meets a cowboy and is introduced to a spiritual world where they’re inexplicably connected, yet both will test her. Kyle Pressley’s a Mind-Walker; ten years ago he promised never to use his gift. Will he break his oath to save her life and their love?
First One-Hundred:
Columbia, South America – Ten Years Ago
Kyle Pressley scrubbed his face with his hand as he led his team through the thick jungle north of the Ecuadorian border. His beard and mustache itched. Sweat trickled down his back, the salt stinging the mosquito and only God knew what other bites. He gulped the sultry air. Damn, the humidity made it difficult to breathe and clung to everything including his weapon. He swiped his palm down one thigh then the other. The acrid smell of the lab one klick south hovered with no breeze to carry away the fucking obnoxious odor.
Author: Kinley Baker
ReplyDeleteTitle: Excuse My Fairy
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic/Futuristic Romance
Word Count: 26,293
50 word pitch:
Draybeth, a broken fairy with a bad attitude and soft heart, falls for a man who proves she’s not powerless.
Magic shouldn’t work on Barrett because of his job, but Dray’s does.
With her unique abilities a threat to everyone, can they survive a realm determined to keep them apart?
1st 100 words of story:
Dray leaned across her bar top, raised a shrewd brow in the face of a familiar whore, and couldn’t resist asking, “How many dollars do you have in your pocket?”
Jiva scowled. “Pour the damn drink, Draybeth.”
It was Dray’s turn to grimace because she hated her full name and this was her establishment. She had a reputation to uphold here. “You say that name any louder, and I’ll smack your pretty face.”
“Give me the damn drink!”
“I asked you how many dollars you had in your pocket, Jivantika.” Dray wiggled the bottle of distilled alcohol.
Thank you for this opportunity, Rachel and Etopia Press!
Author: Kary Rader
ReplyDeleteTitle: Taylor Made Life
Genre: Upmarket Women's Fiction with YA Elements
Word Count: 63,000
Pitch: They lived the life they were given; they loved the life they made.
Can a teenager with leukemia and a dying techno-geek get beyond social prejudices to find true love and redemption in their last days?
Seeking a cure for her, they'll find their answer in a Taylor Made Life.
First 100 Words:
"Mom, I want you to help me find a lover."
Maureen Smith's heart dropped in her stomach, and her blood pressure spiked to the ceiling. Taylor clasped slender hands and laid them quietly in her lap, staring with a strong mixture of hope and fear.
She had to be teasing. Right? Relief washed over Maureen, and she laughed out loud. "Oh honey, you crack me up. For a minute I thought you were—"
"Serious? I am serious, Mom." Taylor's eyes never broke from the level gaze that she'd come to admire in her daughter.
Thank you for the opportunity, Rachel!
Congrats on your new position! Thank you for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteAuthor Jenn Nixon
Title: Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy w/Romantic Elements
Pitch: Royal Guardian Tiva Boon struggles to uncover the traitorous group of aliens who used her to provoke a war, destroyed her family, and left her for dead in an unknown and dangerous part of the universe.
Sample: King Harer Delos emerged from the shadows when High Healer Riin rushed into the critical care chamber with a motionless infant in his arms. After placing her on the table, Riin attempted to breathe life back into the stillborn child.
“The Boon child, sire,” he said gravely between breaths. “She was born with no spirit…”
Shocked, Harer backed out of the room to allow Riin privacy, praying he could somehow save the child. A gentle cry rose from behind, Harer approached the child and read the name.
“Infant Tyra,” he whispered. The sight of his child in the swaddling cloth filled him with joy. He pulled back the blanket and caressed her cheek with his finger. “You are a beauty, my princess.”
SHIFTING PRIDE
ReplyDeleteLaura Diamond
YA Paranormal
65,000 words
Pitch:
Sixteen-year-old Nickie Leone has proof that her missing (presumed dead) father is still alive. Receiving his watch in the mail is the first in a line of clues bringing her closer to discovering his whereabouts. But clues aren't the only new thing in Nickie's life. There's the Memorial Banquet her mother insists she help prepare for, there's the new kid/hottie, Xavian, and...well, the growth of whiskers and a tail!
Filled with secrets and a new love of tuna fish, Nickie must partner up with Xavian (don't you know he's a shapeshifter too?) to recue her dad before she loses him forever. Oh, and she needs to figure out how to be a cat, too.
First 100 words:
The walk home from school started out normal enough. I mouthed Lady MacBeth’s lines while Breaking Benjamin hammered my earbud-stuffed ears and skateboard-star wannabe’s whooshed past me. They hurtled toward the curb edge in lame ass, stunt-fail style, as if jumping it equated to X-treme sportdom.
Whatever.
“Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry ‘Hold, hold!’” I recited the lines three times before I reached the intersection, no trips, stutters, or mind blanks.
With a quick glance I saw the light turned red, so I stepped into the street, treading along the crosswalk. I watched my shoes, visually drowning out the small city stimuli. A row of two-story houses here, half-busted storefronts there. I’d seen it all a thousand million times on the commute back and forth to school.
“Come, thick night—”
Squealing tires and a horn’s obtuse blare interrupted me, but not in time for me to do anything about it.
Harlie Williams
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Couple
Genre: Contemporary
Word Count: 2890
Pitch:
A sexy lady and a tall dark and handsome cowboy equal a fantasy worth exploring. Will two sexually charged and very frustrated people find the release they seek so desperately? Or will their night end at The Last Stop Trail Bar?
1st 100 Words:
Walking into The Last Stop on the Trail bar, I happened upon the smell of leather, hay, and beer. The Last Stop survived as the only bar in town and had been here for as long as anyone could remember. I looked around and found the d�cor never changed. The walls remained pitted pine decorated with John Wayne movie posters. Varnish still shone on floors stained with tobacco juice, burn marks, and spilled beer. An old battered Wurlitzer jukebox sat in the back. The bar itself stayed a deep, cherry wood that still gleamed from many years of rubbing it clean.
Thanks Rachel! :)
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteEllie Heller
Title: Warder
Genre: PNR / Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Word Count: 105k
Pitch:
Unique in her ability to manipulate and change spells but not create them, Mona Kubrek finds herself facing an onslaught of harmful spells, as well as goons with conventional guns after using her Warder ability to save a friend. Attraction to sexy Protector ‘Cart’ Dupree only adds to her problems
First 100 words:
The blaring, tinny trumpets of a Sousa march battered against Mona's sleep-deprived brain. She lifted her head, her cellphone was on her coffee table, so close and yet so far.
Wait. Why wasn't she in bed?
And why did she feel like she'd slammed into a brick wall?
Memory flooded back. The ground buckling under her feet, the sheer panic as she scrambled away from the erupting boulders. No matter what Warder Smythe said, her detecting and escaping the spell hadn't been a training exercise. If her hat hadn't blown off and broken the plane of the working thereby triggering it, she'd have been killed.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to pitch Ms Firasek. Etopia is actually one of my targeted publishers for The Blood Bride. The first hundred words are essentially an explanation of how the danger emerges.
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Nicola Pitt writing as Imogene Nix
Title: The Blood Bride
Word Count: Incomplete Currently 51 789 projected 60 000
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
50 word pitch:
Since vampires emerged from their hiding places there has been a fragile peace with humans. Now, a struggle emerges, centered around a human...a mere girl, whose existence threatens all. Xavier must protect Hope, the one the Brethren will kill to possess. Can love triumph against the darkest evil ever known?
First 100:
The shadows grew as silence descended on the house. First one figure then another breaks away, making a run towards the house. Silent as the grave they moved swiftly over the dew slicked grass, before stopping still. Nothing betrays them until a single movement then they propel into action.
The shadows start to move, crawling up the walls. The slick coating offering no resistance as they continue to ascend.
The sound of glass breaks out from each window and the figures are inside. Screams echo through the night, but in this area, no one will hear.
Hey, Rachael. Congrats on the new position. I just wanted to drop in and show some love. Besides, my tiger shark shifters always get the floors wet.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have many submissions.
Cora Blu
Thank you!!! :) I'm very excited to be working with Etopia. And yes, your sharks are making a big enough splash, lol. :)
DeleteKate Lynd & Melissa Goodman
ReplyDeleteGunpowder & Lead: Book 1
Post Apocalyptic Romance
Daniel Walker left home twice. Once as a teen to serve in a second civil war, the second to get away from a murderous and violent father. When he runs into the woman who saved his life 18 years ago when he returns home for a third time he is forced to either face his past, or miss out on a chance at the only true love he's ever known.
Daniel Walker hadn’t been back in Craft’s Colley since the war had ended. The United States, once the most powerful country on the planet had disintegrated into a second civil war, this time between the East and the West. And eighteen years later the nation still had factions who believed the war wasn’t over yet. At fifteen he had run off to fight for democracy. At first they put him on the front lines. But after two years of service they made him a medical apprentice. It was bloody, it was messy, and it was harrowing.
Author: Renee Pace, www.reneepace.com
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Forsaken
Genre: Upper YA
Word Count: 58,000
50 word pitch - Banished from Heaven to Earth and cursed as an immortal teen, Isabella’s worlds collide when she saves a fallen male angel. She’d rather stake demons then deal with the passionate thrum she feels for her soul-mate. Her fight for women’s independence could break the gates of Heaven.
100 word pitch - “Your actions have cast a black mark on your name. You were warned to stay out of this fight. For your disobedience and because you recruited your fellow Cherub sisters to join your independent movement, you will all be punished as an example. Disobeying heavenly decree, no matter what the motivation, is not accepted.”
Raphael spoke in pleb, the language of the lowest caste, further condemning her by treating Isabella like a commoner. His authoritative voice peppered through the pain gripping her body. She gagged on the blood in her throat. She knew he made his task showy when his pointed whip sliced through the air to punctuate the ending of each sentence, cutting into her already sore and scar-covered back, ensuring she got the message.
Tamara Hoffa
ReplyDeleteA Soldier's Heart
Contemporary Romance
7901 word count
Pitch:Returning stateside, CWO Jameson Hunter faces the battle of his life, winning the heart of Charlotte Mackenzie, widowed mother of a young recruit.
Charlie’s heart dropped into her stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she read the letter again.
Dear Evan, It was a pleasure meeting you on October 4. I would like to schedule a meeting with you and your family to further discuss the career opportunities available to you through military service. The 101st Airborne Division here at Ft. Campbell appears to be a perfect fit for your goal to become a pilot. Please contact my office at 615-555-9981 to make an appointment.
Sincerely,
Jameson Hunter, CWO, SF, US Army
What was she going to do? Charlie had already lost so much.
Amber Belldene
ReplyDeleteBlood Vine
Paranormal Romance
91K Words
Pitch:
Bites are an inconvenient bliss, exiled vampires are wasting away, and the fate of their kind depends on the perfect public relations campaign. Zoey’s sexy new client is the almost one-night stand she can’t forget. Vampire Andre needs the help of the only woman he’s wanted in centuries. Both are sworn never to love again.
1st 100 words:
The Hunter crouched close to the ground. As lights came on inside the house, a wall of windows gave him a perfect view of two figures. His breath hitched. The males were tall by human standards. The dark haired one was Andre Marasović. After nearly two centuries, his people had finally found the vampires. He wanted to laugh aloud, but that would be certain death.
The wind shifted abruptly, and his stomach sank. He squeezed his eyes shut and whispered a silent prayer. Please, don’t let them smell me. When he opened his opened his eyes, both figures faced him through the window. They sprinted towards the door.
Anne Francis w/a Celia Breslin
ReplyDeleteEVA’S HOMECOMING
Paranormal Romance
10K
[Pitch]
Eva O’Riley hasn’t been home in years, but the sudden death of her mother forces her return. Aengus of the Tuatha De Danaan is elated when his childhood sweetheart finally comes home and he’s determined to win her heart all over again. There’s just one problem: she can’t see him.
[1st 100 words]
Eva O’Riley hovered on the sidewalk in front of her childhood home, butterflies tap dancing in her stomach. She wanted to avoid the reason for this visit. She wanted to turn around and walk away as fast as her four-inch designer heels would allow. Instead she made the Sign of the Cross, her right hand raising of its own volition, index finger touching her forehead, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder.
She hadn’t crossed herself in seven years, not since her high school graduation at the Church of the Sacred Heart. She did it now, “For you, mama.”
Author: Linn Young
ReplyDeleteTitle: Sin City
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Word Count:Approximately 100k
Pitch:
Desperate for money, Rumor St. James agrees to pretend to be a call girl to Marcos Vanderling, millionaire and CEO of a Las Vegas casino hotel. Marcos and Rumor end up having explosive sex and the two get embroiled in a passionate relationship that neither expected nor wanted.
1st 100 words of story:
Las Vegas. Glittery Las Vegas. City of dreams. City of greed. City of lust. City that never sleeps, never tells.
It was a city that was tailored made for Marcos Vanderling, a gambling man who played for high stakes, who enjoyed his sins, did what he wanted, and didn't care what people thought.
And because Marcos was so good at gambling, he was in his element as the CEO of Ryland, one of the city’s largest casino hotels and the fifth largest in the world.
But this morning Marcos wasn't in the mood for high stakes.
What he needed was sex.
Author: Sarah Mäkelä
ReplyDeleteTitle: Skin Deep
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 24k
Pitch:
After a painful break up with the love of his life, Connor is set on winning back Angelique regardless of the power she possesses. He has a secret of his own, which may wedge another gap between him and his flighty ex-girlfriend, but answers are the least of their concerns.
1st 100 words of story:
Angelique Trinette sat on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She stared at the small box on the nightstand that arrived a few days ago in the mail. Did she have the strength to go down that road again? Heaven knew she wanted him, but it was her birthday. How could he do something like this when they’d parted ways so badly? It still hurt to remember.
A swish of fur brushed against her lower back, and she heard a soft growl. Kira, her inked on familiar, reacted to her emotions.
Author: Leia Rice
ReplyDeleteTitle: THE CHIEFTAIN’S DAUGHTER
Genre: Erotic Romance
Word Count: 28k
50 word pitch: Set in an ancient tribal community, THE CHIEFTAIN’S DAUGHTER tells the tale of a young tribal princess who is kidnapped and forced to slavery by her father's rival, but while trying to win her freedom, she instead wins the heart of her master.
1st 100 words of story:
The drums were heavy, and Ishara’s head throbbed with each beat. She had been shackled in a foreign pen for what could have easily been hours, and the crude, iron manacles were just now beginning to wear into the delicate, tan skin of her wrists. She could not remember the last time she had been fed or watered, which did not help the headache developing from the rhythmic booming of the deer-skin drums.
A few days before this, Ishara would most definitely not be in the state she was in now.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteJust popping in to say congrats on your new position. That's so cool. I wish I have something to pitch to you, but I'll keep you in mind for when I heave my wip completed. Hope you find a gem.
All the best,
Zrinka
You are so sweet! Thank you!!! :)
DeleteAuthor: Michelle Hughes
ReplyDeleteTitle: Undercover Submissive
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Suspense
Word CT: 48,000
Pitch:
Twin Sisters, hidden secrets, and dark passions.. let the deception begin! When Cait goes missing and local law enforcement won't help, Cayce goes undercover to find her. Stepping into Cait's world, she'll be destroyed or discover more than she wanted to know about her own sexuality!
1st 100 words of story:
Walking into the police station, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. Before last week she had only visited this place when renewing her driver's license. Making her way up to the glass partition she waited for the officer to notice her. When his eyes found hers she could notice his expression change to one of frustration.
"How can I help you," his voice exasperated because he knew the woman was here to badger the detective again, just as she had every day for the last week.
"I'm here to speak with Detective Ingram," fighting to keep her eyes
Thank you for this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Wendy Knight
Title: Feudlings
Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
Word Count: 90,000
Pitch:
Two teenagers on opposite sides of a magical war must find and kill each other to bring it to an end. Arianna finds Shane at an ordinary boarding school without realizing who he is, and now she’s falling in love with the nemesis she has been hunting her entire life.
First 100 Words:
A blue flame erupted from the Carules spell smoldering in the air and shot toward the Edren warrior, twisting and transforming into a giant skeletal hand. He darted to the side, but came up short as a wall of rusted machinery appeared through the haze. The Edren whirled in horror but there was no where else to go. The spell closed around him like a giant fist, squeezing as he screamed in agony.
“We’ve got them!” The Carules commander, his dark eyes barely visible through the haze, shrieked at his team. They were hidden in the smoke choking the warehouse
Theresa McClinton
ReplyDeleteThe Stone Guardian
YA paranormal romance
85,000
Pitch:
Ashley, a seventeen-year-old orphan in an institution for the insane is taken to Belize by her astringed uncle who shares secrets of their Maya legacy, and her responsibility to protect it.
When she falls for a hot Belizean time bender, she doesn’t expect their love may release the powers of the underworld.
First 100 words
“Alright, lets get the formalities over with before we begin,” Dean Nelson said as he shifted through paperwork. “Patient identification number A692. Age, seventeen. Mother, unknown. Father, unknown. No living relatives. Hm, that’s unfortunate. Name, Ashley—” He double checked the case file. “No last name.” He looked up at Ashley, who sat in the center of the nearly vacant evaluation room in a single chair. “Now that that’s over with, let’s continue. Nice to meet you, Ashley. I’m Dean Nelson. I don’t think we’ve met. How are you feeling today?”
She glanced at him between the wavy
Thank you for taking your time out!
Congrats on the new position! I know I'm late but I'm not actually pitching (today). Just wanted to wish everyone good luck and I'm glad you got so many good submissions. I should be finishing up my WIP by the end of August. So keep your fingers crossed for me when I do start submitting.
ReplyDeleteI'm not pitching, but I wanted to say "hi" - I'm an author with Etopia. It's a great publishing house. See you there :-)
ReplyDelete