tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post5544470854803220278..comments2024-03-18T13:32:44.865-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Face-Lift 315Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-67723088285964908852007-04-18T00:02:00.000-04:002007-04-18T00:02:00.000-04:00Would an agent who represents romance novels be co...Would an agent who represents romance novels be concerned about all the cliches in your query letter? <BR/><BR/>Or do romance publishers and agents seek the conformity of cliches?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-36059766048264081072007-04-15T17:40:00.000-04:002007-04-15T17:40:00.000-04:00Sylvia, I'm glad I wasn't reading this thread at w...Sylvia, I'm glad I wasn't reading this thread at work - your story had me laughing out loud!<BR/><BR/>Re the query:<BR/><BR/>I'm not a romance reader, so I can't comment on whether this is a story that would hook readers or agents. Personally I'd include more plot and less back-story - this is meant to be a micro-synopsis, not a back cover blurb - but that may not be the right thing in this genre. However I have some thoughts to share on the email issue.<BR/><BR/>I have to admit to having dumped a boyfriend by email, but since we lived in different cities and mostly communicated online between dates, it seemed the best method at the time. Telling someone they're toast after they've just come a long way to see you is way too hard - and who writes snail-mail "Dear John" letters any more? <BR/><BR/>Also, I can imagine how humiliated your heroine might feel, knowing her coworkers have read her reply - when you're on the receiving end of rejection and still in the denial phase, you can write some pretty lame stuff, believe me (and I'm talking from the dumpee perspective this time).<BR/><BR/>Good luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-80240207462856678622007-04-13T21:46:00.000-04:002007-04-13T21:46:00.000-04:00A. I think it's good to have a romantic subplot go...A. I think it's good to have a romantic subplot going in the mystery novel, but I never browse the Romance shelves so I'm not part of the main fanbase for this story. <BR/> <BR/>B. Whenever the heroine falls for the deputy, I would prefer that it not be because everything in the universe is all about Miss Heroine so he was sent to "look after her" even though she had no problems and was in no danger -- but because they overcame their differences while in pursuit of an exciting mission / mystery. Even if that was only rescuing Fifi the cat from a scary apple tree.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-57801355461199973782007-04-13T21:43:00.000-04:002007-04-13T21:43:00.000-04:00My biggest complaint is the exclamation point. It ...My biggest complaint is the exclamation point. It brings me back to fourth grade. I hate them. No, sorry, hate them!!!!!!!! I think a period would do anything an exclamation point ever could. So there. <BR/><BR/>Also, I want to know, like others, what happened to the email plot. If it's so important that the book is named after it, why is it only at the beginning? It would be like calling The Wizard of Oz "The Tornado."Maggie Stiefvaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842527558335640093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-55878828976860576322007-04-13T21:21:00.000-04:002007-04-13T21:21:00.000-04:00I thought I was the only one who worried about my ...I thought I was the only one who worried about my foot fungus becoming sentient. I'm glad I'm not alone.pacatruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125048243775811714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-34555109296433224932007-04-13T21:07:00.000-04:002007-04-13T21:07:00.000-04:00ooops, Robin, not Sylvia. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!ooops, Robin, not Sylvia. <BR/>I'm sorry, I'm sorry!Dave Fragmentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985158361431606939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-78133931640435144182007-04-13T21:05:00.000-04:002007-04-13T21:05:00.000-04:00I thought that was despicable too. It is colorful,...I thought that was despicable too. It is colorful, though. Any guy who would e-mail his "Dear Joan" letter deserves all the scorn he gets. I wonder if Jamie put that in the e-mail she cc'd to everyone in her company. <BR/><BR/>It is a romantic comedy.Dave Fragmentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985158361431606939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-23530829688137300182007-04-13T20:37:00.000-04:002007-04-13T20:37:00.000-04:00..."most guys are as concerned with her feelings a......"most guys are as concerned with her feelings as they are with their foot fungus becoming sentient" <BR/><BR/>OK, Dave - the visuals, or, for that matter, the-olfactory overload-from-hell smell of fungal feet are not big turn ons.<BR/><BR/>Any man who agrees with you on this one deserves the next evil woman he goes out with, the one who lies to him, uses him up, and spits him out like the broccoli leftover she just caught in her floss. Nothing personal, sweetie.<BR/><BR/>But this is a great and disgusting sentence. No joke.Robin S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03258459688300851984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-36376661748305422912007-04-13T20:21:00.000-04:002007-04-13T20:21:00.000-04:00Back in ancient times (1996 actually) I managed to...Back in ancient times (1996 actually) I managed to get confused and my subject line for a mail bitching about my co-workers ("Its all gone horribly pear-shaped") ended up as a cc: line.<BR/><BR/>I posted the mail and the errors started descending on my inbox. Its@company.net doesn't exist. gone@company.net doesn't exist. horribly@company.net doesn't exist. pear-shaped@company.net doesn't exist.<BR/><BR/>It took about 30 seconds for me to realise the missing word...Sylviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05925593802209715440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-47306395901619052922007-04-13T20:05:00.000-04:002007-04-13T20:05:00.000-04:00Sorry, fixed.Sorry, fixed.Evil Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-42549876957694982542007-04-13T19:40:00.000-04:002007-04-13T19:40:00.000-04:00May I say that at the point of breaking up with a ...May I say that at the point of breaking up with a girl, most guys are as concerned with her feelings as they are with their foot fungus becoming sentient. <BR/><BR/>E-mail is the perfect vehicle - <BR/>Dear ex-girl friend, <BR/>Sorry to break the news. <BR/>It was great while it lasted. <BR/>Ur Boi-Toi-no-more<BR/><BR/>And it's done. No face-to-face with tears or water glass in the face at a restaurant. <BR/><BR/>I think that you need to think out of the box on this. I do wonder what her coworkers did. Most coworkers who finds out secrets about the women they work with, never repeated the stories. <BR/><BR/>The latest HOT show on TV is Ugly Betty that has a workplace filled with wild and crazy characters who become more human under the influence of Betty. It is all about the workplace - a fashion magazine. Where does Jamie work? Do her coworkers sympathize and form a lynch squad to, uh, take revenge on the former boyfriend's orbs. OR, do the men line up to catch her on the rebound? Or are the women catty and bitchy and giggle as Jamie passes?Dave Fragmentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985158361431606939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-80790899026548844982007-04-13T19:08:00.000-04:002007-04-13T19:08:00.000-04:00Er, why is the heading Reply All if the book is ca...Er, why is the heading <B>Reply All</B> if the book is called <I>Hit Reply?</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-17154564459415172062007-04-13T18:29:00.000-04:002007-04-13T18:29:00.000-04:00Hey, maybe the title should be Hit Return?*cricket...Hey, maybe the title should be <B>Hit Return</B>?<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>*crickets*batgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15143310557906978680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-80141894717695165082007-04-13T17:11:00.000-04:002007-04-13T17:11:00.000-04:00Here's a link to a recent discussion about issues ...Here's a link to a recent discussion about issues in romance novels of heroines returning home. Food for thought for the author, anyway. It's at <A HREF="http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2007/04/10/margaret-meet-barbara-2/" REL="nofollow">Romancing the Blog</A>.pacatruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125048243775811714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-24976796786963044502007-04-13T16:35:00.000-04:002007-04-13T16:35:00.000-04:00These are some of the best yet -"1. Discovering he...These are some of the best yet -<BR/><BR/>"1. Discovering he installed a webcam in your shower six months ago.<BR/>2. Discovering he has a conjoined Siamese twin you hadn't previously noticed.<BR/>3. Discovering the bones of his previous four girlfriends are stored in his cellar.]"<BR/><BR/>Especially the conjoined twin.Robin S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03258459688300851984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-57187845595006307132007-04-13T14:39:00.000-04:002007-04-13T14:39:00.000-04:00The same old-same old works if it's got some twist...The same old-same old works if it's got some twist or hook that makes it interesting. I was wondering what happened to the email conceit: it's clever enough to add freshness (although some here question its plausibility). What about continuing the email conceit, letting it perform some plot turns now and then? Perhaps you do but haven't mentioned it in the query.<BR/><BR/>The plot seemed to veer off the romantic comedy road onto a standard romance highway. <BR/><BR/>The fact that about half the books from at least one huge publisher use this exact plot--return to hometown, independent woman resists love, etc.--means it's a cliche, but a publishable one.<BR/><BR/>pulpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-79160368821261616382007-04-13T14:33:00.000-04:002007-04-13T14:33:00.000-04:00December pretty well covers it.And I can think of ...December pretty well covers it.<BR/>And I can think of a LOT of things more "devastating" than having a boyfriend break-up with one by email,cced or not.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-51799775342900995852007-04-13T13:43:00.000-04:002007-04-13T13:43:00.000-04:00Oh, dear. The "heroine returns to her small town a...Oh, dear. The "heroine returns to her small town after the devastating break-up" really, really needs to be done well to work, because it's such a cliche.<BR/><BR/>Also, heroines who "are hell-bent on proving they don't need a man to take care of them" bug me, especially when we don't see any men insisting on taking care of them in the vicinity; and B) their idea of "taking care of themselves" almost always seems to be "acting like a complete moron".<BR/><BR/>How much of an indpendent, outspoke lady is Jamie, when she's so humiliated by having a jerk break up with her that she has to run away? Why is she running, anyway? It's summer vacation, isnt it, so she's not going to be seeing her coworkers on a regular basis for at least two months whether she stays in the city or not, right? Seriously. If one of my co-workers got a break-up email and I was cc'd with it, I'd do what any normal decent human would do and pretend I never read it. What kind of monsters does she work with that she can't even be in the same city as them? Are they going to tp her house or put up flyers with her picture on them and a printout of the email? Who cares how she got broken up with, really? I could understand her humiliation if she worked at some Ugly Betty-esque office, but I just don't get the problem here.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and ho ho ho, there's an old lady with a sex drive, too! How funny!<BR/><BR/>I'm sure there's an audience for all of this--but really, be careful with the heroine's motivation for the small town return, and the return itself, because I can think of a dozen books and movies with this plot without even having to stop typing--but I'm not that audience. Sorry.<BR/><BR/><BR/>And you should answer some of these questions.Staciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07969399927758009095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-85931592875095295652007-04-13T13:34:00.000-04:002007-04-13T13:34:00.000-04:00"A high school teacher beginning the summer break,..."A high school teacher beginning the summer break, Jaime finds herself doing the one thing she swore she’d never do. She’s returning to Elm Creek to lick her wounds and reclaim her dignity."<BR/><BR/>I would start here.Sylviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05925593802209715440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-35663433346721140852007-04-13T13:31:00.000-04:002007-04-13T13:31:00.000-04:00Back in some ancient time (1995 which is ancient t...Back in some ancient time (1995 which is ancient times in e-mail), I sent a meeting notice with the wrong date to all 500 employees on the email list. At least it was business related!!!<BR/><BR/>We had the Computer Geeks neuter the "reply all" and "send all" buttons after that.Dave Fragmentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985158361431606939noreply@blogger.com