Carina Press

Note: Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to a second member of the Carina Press team, Amy Wilkins. You can see from her bio that she likes Chuck. I knew I liked her for a reason.

Amy Wilkins is Assistant Manager, Digital Content & Social Media for Harlequin Enterprises. When not dabbling with Carina Press, she works on Harlequin’s eBook production, blogs, Twitter account, and more. She has a growing reputation as the office geek. Her favorite things include: Chuck (TV), Lord of the Rings (movies), books (duh) and her Sony eBook Reader (just awesome).

You can follow Amy on Twitter

Last week, Emily introduced herself and blogged what it’s like being a Carina Press reader – and I’m here to introduce myself, too! At Harlequin, my title is Assistant Manager, Digital Content and Social Media. I work on things like Harlequin’s blogs, Twitter, audiobooks, and –the biggest part–eBooks. In 2010, a new job will be helping to figure out how to make the best Carina eBooks, too…but that’s a post for another day. Like Emily – and Malle, and Angela, and Aideen, and the others you’ve already met – I’m part of the Carina Press acquisition team, reading submissions for possible acquisition.

For Harlequin I have read slush submissions for Spice Briefs and Silhouette Nocturne Bites, and I currently still read submissions for Harlequin Historical Undone. In fact, some of you submitting may even have received rejections from me before. If you have, don’t let that stop you sending your work to Carina! I have a good memory for recognizing names and if I think a story comes in that I have read before, I let someone else read it. We are committed to giving everything – including manuscripts rejected by Harlequin – a fresh chance. For Carina, I tend not to read the historical submissions since I already read so many for Undone and I like the variety we see in the Carina inbox. Luckily there are plenty of other historical fiction fans on the team to read them instead!

My other responsibilities mean I don’t read nearly as much as Emily or Angela, but for the few submissions can get to, I find myself being drawn to stories similar to what I read on a regular basis: some fantasy/paranormal, the odd historical and erotic romance.

If you had asked me a couple years ago if I would become an erotica/erotic romance “expert”, I would have thought you were crazy. But between reading Spice Brief subs and reading the new Spice Briefs each month to write the blurbs that appear on websites, I’ve ended up reading quite a few erotic stories! I knew I had crossed a point of no return when Emily called me up to ask, “Is this normal in ménages…?” and I knew the answer. I’m sure my parents would be horrified!

So what stands out to me in a good submission? Some things I like are:
- Innovative settings and set-ups.
- Snappy dialogue.
- Heroes who strike the right balance between strong but not too aggressive (especially in a sexual way).
- Historical accuracy – I’m all for artistic license, but if a “fact” is a major part of a story, I have been known to crack open my university texts to look something up.

Keep in mind that I am also just one reader – at this point, many submissions are read by at least two people, so even if something doesn’t appeal to me personally, it has another shot.

But our erotic romance inbox is looking a bit slim these days, writers. If you have a story, please send it in! I’d love to read it…

Note: Meet Emily, she’s one of the Carina Press Acquisitions Team and probably the one person on the team other than the editors who reads the most submissions. She is super enthusiastic about reading manuscripts and she agreed to write a blog post for us. So please welcome Emily!

When Emily is not moonlighting on the Carina acquisitions team, she works at eHarlequin.com. She loves to read, tan, and spend time outdoors, though not necessarily in that order. She is still experimenting in the kitchen, and tests frequently on her friends. Her favorite ingredient is garlic, and she’s convinced that the more she eats, the less likely she is to get sick.

I tried a new recipe the other night and had a friend over for dinner. This friend had once criticized a soup I’d made (corn chowder, from scratch). We’d fought. Granted, I’d put the bowl in front of her, saying: “I’m not sure how this is going to be.” But I hadn’t wanted her to be honest with me, really.
“It’s sweet,” she’d said—in the same tone she uses to tell me that she thinks I should wear something else. I was totally deflated. When I served this new thing—a kind of chick-pea curry—I was nervous. Every time I’ve served her something since the corn chowder incident (which was almost four years ago), I’ve been nervous. This one went over fine—it wasn’t a showstopper, but it did the job.

But the experience got me thinking about something else: being nervous about someone’s reaction, or rather, not doing something because you’re afraid of the reaction. And so, rather selfishly, I’d like to take a moment to encourage shy writers to submit their manuscripts. If you’ve got a completed manuscript and you’re afraid to send it in— overcome!

I work in publishing because I love to read. Even before I started here, the thought of employee books thrilled me. Now that I’m with Carina and reading manuscripts in their most raw form, that thrill has intensified. Sometimes I think: This is having an ear to the ground. I am obnoxious to friends slogging over expense reports at night; I frequently make comments like: “Ah, you know. I’m going to tuck in early. Do some work reading.” or: “I know—I take work home with me all the time.” When you submit, you make it possible for me to say these things. Please, please—keep them coming! And remember: we know how it feels to put something on the table and have someone not love it. We will be gentle, and we are happy to read whatever we can get our hands on!