Focus on Love Inspired Historical-Inside Tips from the Authors

We've been counting down until today. This is the day the editors at Harlequin Love Inspired reveal a big, editor pitch opportunity for the historical romance line.

We have inside tips from many of your favorite Love Inspired Historical authors, and we also have a short Q & A with Editor, Emily Rodmell, to assist writers who are submitting to the line. 

There's also a giveaway of thirteen Love Inspired Historical Romances for commenters. A few are IOUs for upcoming releases! Let us know if you want your name entered, and feel free to shout out the name of the book you'd love to win! Winners are announced in the Weekend Edition.

 

Author Tips:

The hero and heroine should meet in the opening pages. Use both points of view so the reader can crawl inside both heads. Janet Dean. The Bounty Hunter's Redemption.

While other authors are great resources, when in doubt, ask your editor directly. Different editors may have different answers to the same question. You're not bothering them, you're saving them time. Sherri Shackelford. The Rancher's Christmas Proposal. 

Collect pictures of your characters, setting, clothing of the era, even furniture--anything you can send to the art department for your cover. It gives them a taste for the time period and helps them when it comes time to design your cover. Patty Smith Hall. The Baby Barter.

Be flexible! Realize that if an editor wants a change, there are ways to incorporate that change and still keep your voice, your story. Respect the editor's advice. Jessica Nelson. The Matchmaker's Match.

I like to draw ideas from historical books. In researching my setting, the Smoky Mountains, I learned that chestnuts used to be an important commodity for settlers. I decided to portray my characters going camping high in the mountains for their annual supply. Adding authentic details enriches your story and gives readers a greater understanding of the world you've created. Karen Kirst. Reclaiming His Past.

•  Investigate and know which editor to submit to. Different editors have different likes and dislikes and those can make or break an acceptance.

•  Be original, but don't be too original. Tried and true works, so put a twist on a trope that editors and readers love.

•  Have a series planned. LIH is hungry for series and readers eat them up.

•  Save all your research. You'll get called on it in the line edit.

•  Save inspiration photos and scene ideas as you're writing. It will save pain and heartache at the art fact sheet stage.

•  Search for marriage license records or passenger lists in your year and choose realistic names.

•  Don't lean toward denominations in church affiliations or teachings. LIH has a broad readership.  Cheryl St. John. Want Ad Wedding.

Coming up with titles for a LIH became easier when I learned to use keywords that let readers know they’re going to enjoy a story that fits one of LIH’s tried and true themes, such as cowboys, family or home. Other themes that work well are fake courtships/engagements, mail-order brides and marriages of convenience. To ensure that the titles I suggest are LIH-friendly and haven’t been used on a previous LIH, I refer to a list of all the LIH books that I’ve added to my website, which you’ll find here. (http://keligwyn.com/library/all-love-inspired-historicals). That’s my top title tip. I hope you find it helpful.  Keli Gwyn. A Home of Her Own.

In my experience, Love Inspired Historical editors love when you put a new spin on a tried and true hook, plot or character element. To do so, ask yourself what is the worst, most interesting or most unexpected thing that can happen in your story to your characters and do that. It will make your writing, story and chance at publication better. Noelle Marchand. The Texan's Engagement Agreement. 

Don't let your favorite historical details overwhelm the romance. As with any other Love Inspired line, romance needs to be front and center in an historical. Let your hero and heroine fall in love during a cattle drive, but make sure they fall in love! Jan Drexler. A Home for His Family. 

Trust your editor to know what readers want. Don't take edits or requests for rewrites personally. It's all about turning out the best product possible in order to meet reader expectations. Erica Vetsch. His Prairie Sweetheart.

I am convinced that the reason I sold to LIH is because I forgot about the “rules” of writing, and just wrote a book for the fun of it. I wrote my first LIH because my agent dared me to. I wrote the book I wanted to write, not what I thought would sell. That’s not to say that I ignored the rules and didn’t adhere to LIH guidelines. I had read almost every single LIH out there, and the line was so familiar to me that rather than going by a checklist of what writers are or aren’t supposed to do, I followed my instinct for the story, and I let it be what it needed to be. So don’t obsess over details or worry about conflicting writing advice about your book. Let it be the book it needs to be (while following the LIH guidelines, of course!) and trust yourself where it needs to go. If you’re familiar with the books, you probably already know deep down, what you’ve got to do. So trust that instinct! When you doubt yourself, ask yourself if it violates the guidelines. If it doesn’t, then stop doubting and just go for it! You can do this!  Danica Favorite. Shotgun Marriage.

The Love Inspired line is all about the romance! Make the romance the central focus of the book and include a lot of romantic conflict. From the very beginning, show us why the hero and heroine cannot fall in love—and then prove us wrong.  Gabrielle Meyer. A Mother in the Making.

My first editor told me about etymonline.com. I was amazed to discover how important the origin of words can be to a story. Often I've missed being able to use a word because its first origin came five years after the setting of my story. I keep it open on my desk while I'm writing. You never know when a word just won't do. Angel Moore. The Marriage Bargain.

Question & Answer with Love Inspired Editor, Emily Rodmell. Keep updated on the Love Inspired Historical Editor Pitch Opportunity by following Emily on Twitter. @EmilyRodmell

 1. What are you looking for in Love Inspired Historical?

We are on the hunt for great stories with strong hooks and great internal and external conflicts. Stories should be 70k words, focus on the romance and be inspirational in content. Our readers respond well to Westerns settings, and we’d love to see more Amish, but we’re open to anything. If you want the inside info on exactly what plotlines make us sit up and pay attention, tune into our big announcement this afternoon for a list of the specific hooks we are looking for.

2.     Why should I submit to Love Inspired Historical?

We have a great opportunity launching around noon eastern time today. I can’t share all the exciting details yet, but if you are an inspirational historical romance writer or even if you just have thought you’d like to try your hand at writing historical, keep your eyes peeled. The Love Inspired Historical editors want to find new authors for the line, and we are willing to work with authors to make your books shine. Being a Love Inspired author makes you part of a big family of fabulous authors who are super supportive. And you’ll have an editor who’s excited about your work and a whole team of marketers, artists, sales people and more working to make your book the best that it can be and to get it in the hands of readers through numerous channels (retail, direct mail, ebook). We don’t require an agent and are open to published and unpublished authors alike.

3.     When do you like to see the hero and heroine's first meet in a Love Inspired Historical?

As soon as possible. Don’t make the readers wait to see the sparks fly. Resist the urge to spend your first chapter setting up the backstory. Instead jump right in with the story.

4.     Does a Love Inspired Historical typically have any other POV besides the hero and heroine?

We prefer to keep the focus on the romance and the hero and heroine. Readers don’t need to see what Great Aunt Edna thinks of their relationship. So avoid secondary points of view.

5.     Should both the hero and heroine have a fully developed internal and external conflict? Or can one have more at stake? 

Both should have internal and external conflict.

6.     How can I learn more about Love Inspired Historical?


The best way to learn what works for the line is to read the books we publish. If you’ve never read an LIH, I’d recommend binge reading at least a couple before entering. This month, we’ve got great options including Reclaiming His Past by Karen Kirst and The Texan’s Engagement Agreement by Noelle Marchand. You can also follow the editors on social media and join the Harlequin.com message boards to interact with other authors. But most importantly, stay tuned for our big announcement this afternoon. The Seekerville ladies will post a link once it’s live.   

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Okay, Villagers, the clock is ticking down. If you have any other questions about LIH, leave them in the comments and we'll be sure to get an editor or an author to answer your question.



It's LIVE!!    Manuscript Matchmakers!

And if you have words to go on your novel targeted for LIH, don't forget to enter Seekerville's fifth annual book-in-a-month program. Speedbo starts March 1. Details here.