Hey, Hey, Hey!! We're getting close to the BIG day!
Christmas, that is!!
If you're looking for the perfect confection for the book lover on your list, we've got a sweet line up in today's Featured Author Spotlight.
Please make welcome the lovely Rebecca J. Vickery!!
Christmas, that is!!
If you're looking for the perfect confection for the book lover on your list, we've got a sweet line up in today's Featured Author Spotlight.
Please make welcome the lovely Rebecca J. Vickery!!
Rebecca is in no way a newbie to the TLN Hot Seat. She's survived the grillin' and lived to tell the tale. However, this go-round she's taking off her author hat and donning the mantel of publisher. She's here to give us the scoop on her 'baby', Victory Tales Press.
Just in time for Christmas, VTP has launched a buffet of romance reads geared toward every palette. From sweet to smokin' hot, there's a love story rearin' and waitin' to please!
No need to cinch on a parka and brave dastardly lines . . . TLN is all about one-stop shopping today!
1) If your publishing house were a book, what would your blurb be?
Victory Tales Press is an eclectic mix of talented authors working together to improve our writing skills, provide quality reads, and have a bit of fun in the process. Featuring male-female relationships in a variety of genres, heat levels, and settings, we hope to help keep traditional romance alive and flourishing.
2) Using three words, describe the voice of Victory Tales Press.
The voice of VTP is definitely romantic, varied, and always entertaining.
3) Give us a tasty-teaser of what it's like to be a publisher of e-books?
I sort of fell into publishing, but I am enjoying it. I read a lot of stories and then spend the majority of my time either editing, formatting, or correlating them while also dealing with contracts, approving covers, uploading the files to distributors, and generally dealing with any problems that crop up. I am having a lot of trouble finding time to write, which I will have to change soon. (I need to put myself on a much tighter schedule. LOL) One of the things I like best is at the end of each quarter. I love sending out royalties and hearing from authors that they are so happy to get them. Another great thing is receiving reviews and positive feedback from our readers. After that, I am on a high for days and it makes all the long hours and hard work worth it.
What are the little nuances of publishing that authors don't realize?
Wow, that's a tough one. I don't think a lot of authors realize all the time it takes for formatting that has to be done before the book is uploaded to all the various retailers and online distributors. They all seem to want something done differently and the manuscript might have to be reformatted five or six times (and that's not counting going to print which is a totally different ballgame).
4) Victory Tales Press has been hitting the blog tours promoting the Christmas Anthology Collections and Authors. As a publisher, when considering a manuscript or an author for a collection, what sort of promotional know-how are you looking for?
I definitely like for an author to have a blog or a website and belong to a few Yahoo Groups where they can showcase the anthology cover, share a bit about the stories, or at least provide a link to our website, but I have not made that a requirement for any writer. As a small press, and an author myself, I usually try to assist with promotions more than many publishers would. But lately, as we've grown busier, I've had to leave more of it to the authors. I like to think we have aided a few of our newer writers in broadening their horizons and in learning a bit about promoting.
5) What makes a query letter stand out in your mind?
With me, query letters are welcome to be fairly informal but are all about tone, being professional, and being able to state what you have and what you want me to do with it. The tone should be friendly and polite, but direct. The common courtesy of a greeting and a sentence stating where you heard about VTP or why you are contacting me is a great beginning. Being professional includes using spell-check, checking for missing words, and following the general rules of punctuation. In a query, an author should be able to provide the general idea of a short story in a few sentences; share what type of anthology they think it would fit within; and give an idea of the length.
Do you look for certain elements when considering a manuscript for possible publication with VTP?
So far VTP has accepted stories from invited authors only. If an author wishes to receive an invitation to provide a story for an anthology, they should drop me an email or query at booksbyrebecca@yahoo.com The elements I look for are always a fairly complete, happy ever after (or happy for now) romance involving a male-female relationship. The story-line may be a paranormal, mystery, contemporary, historical, or almost any sub-genre of romance as long as there is no erotica or excessively graphic language. We do accept many stories of a sensual and/or spicy nature as long as the sexual scenes are necessary to the story and tastefully done.
6) What's up next for you?
Staying busy, busy, busy. (LOL) VTP is scheduled to release approximately sixteen anthologies in 2011. The next one will be for Valentine's Day and will be released in mid-January. Then, with the assistance of Laura Shinn and a few others, I have begun two other imprints: Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery provides all or any part of an Indie or self-published author's publishing needs (such as editing, covers, formatting, or uploading to distributors). We also began Western Trail Blazer recently to help revive and showcase stories about the American West (including dates from the Old West to Contemporary).
Any books or collections you'd like to dish about?
Our current releases from VTP are our Christmas Collections. We offer seventeen stories in four separate books ranging from sweet to spicy (male-female) romance. We have received excellent reviews and several stories have already been nominated for upcoming awards. Here is a very brief description of the stories within each book:
A Christmas Collection: Sweet
Christmas with Hope by Anne Patrick
Hope Erickson, a Blackhawk pilot, and Nick Cunningham, an army ranger, renew their acquaintance on the battlefields of Iraq.
A Christmas Full of Memories by Markee Anderson
Piper Sage knows the man who enters her travel agency franchise at Christmas is trouble from the moment he tells her he's the owner's son.
Severed Hearts by Laurean Brooks
Julie Blanton's dream is realized when shy Johnny Michaels all but professes his undying love. When he enlists two days later without so much as a goodbye, her world crashes.
An Unexpected Holidate by Evie Alexis
Audrey Christensen is in no mood for Christmas cheer and Tom Finster hates the holidays. Will they make a little Christmas magic of their own?
Homecoming by Cheryl Pierson
A holiday skirmish sends Union officer, Jack Durham, on an unlikely mission for a dying Confederate soldier—his enemy. Will the miracle of Christmas heal his heart?
A Christmas Collection: Sensual
Scarlet Ribbons by Cheryl Pierson
Miguel Rivera is known as El Diablo. Persuaded by a street vendor he makes a foolish holiday purchase—two scarlet ribbons.
The Proposal by Diane Craver
Jacqueline hopes Brad is giving her an engagement ring for her birthday. Tyler wants Jacqueline to be happy, but not with Brad.
My Life and Times with Nickolopolus Christog Cringelenstien Clausener by Charlotte Raby
Miranda Jane's one last customer turns an ordinary work night into something magical. Her letter to the world tells what it's like being married to a famous elf!
Angel and the Cowboy by Celia Yeary
When U.S. Marshal Max Garrison meets lovely Daniella, his life changes. Different her entire life, will Daniella learn love is all that matters?
A Christmas Collection: Stimulating
Christmas in Bayeaux by Stephanie Burkhart
After leaving the ravages of war, Aiden travels to Bayeaux, France on a pilgrimage. Will Noel be able to help him feel again?
Mars Needs Men by Gerald Costlow
Carla tries to help an astronaut who will be in space for another year, but now she is the one with a problem. She needs a Christmas miracle.
Fast Forward Love by Rita Hestand
Connie and Ed, both widowed, would make a great couple. Connie is interested, but Ed seems to have an on-again, off-again attitude. Will Christmas make a difference?
Wanted by Karen Michelle Nutt
Emma is convinced her Christmas wish has come true when outlaw JoBeth Riley is brought into town and Sheriff Jace Kelly brings her home for Christmas.
A Christmas Collection: Spicy
Feliz Navidad by Kit Prate
Gabriel wants vengeance for a boy's death. The son of a powerful man is to blame, but Hawkins won't let that, or Christmas, stop him.
Underneath the Mistletoe by C. A. Paris
Scott allows Tiffany to talk him into playing Santa for a group of children. When circumstances force a kiss underneath the mistletoe, will their relationship change?
White Christmas by Cheryl Pierson
ER nurse, Carlie Thomas, usually works on Christmas, but this year she has an unexpected houseguest who needs special care.
The Hands of Time by Laura Shinn
Lady Graciela is imprisoned in a snow globe. Released when Ken finds the globe, will she later return to the snow globe forever?
We invite everyone to drop by our website where they can find all the buy links to our books:
http://victorytalespress.yolasite.com/online-store.php
Thank you so much, Sarah, for inviting me to share what I'm up to with all your followers.
It's been a blast, as always! I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season.
No, THANK YOU, Rebecca! This was definitely a post I enjoyed writing up. It's not every day we get a sneak-peek at what goes on behind the scenes. I appreciate your time and willingness to let me interview you. Best wishes for tons of sales and here's hoping your holidays are festive and full of cheer! :) ((hugs!))
THANK YOU, TLN'ers!! With the close of this week, I've got a 20 days left being a baby-oven. LOL It's been a long 9months this time around and I can't wait to get back in the swing of things. If you've got a release coming in 2011, shoot me an email at: thelovestrucknovice@gmail.com and we'll get you scheduled for an interview or a guest blog. (Best part is I work cheap-- F-R-E-E!!!) Have a great weekend and we'll catch you back next week! :)
Just in time for Christmas, VTP has launched a buffet of romance reads geared toward every palette. From sweet to smokin' hot, there's a love story rearin' and waitin' to please!
No need to cinch on a parka and brave dastardly lines . . . TLN is all about one-stop shopping today!
1) If your publishing house were a book, what would your blurb be?
Victory Tales Press is an eclectic mix of talented authors working together to improve our writing skills, provide quality reads, and have a bit of fun in the process. Featuring male-female relationships in a variety of genres, heat levels, and settings, we hope to help keep traditional romance alive and flourishing.
2) Using three words, describe the voice of Victory Tales Press.
The voice of VTP is definitely romantic, varied, and always entertaining.
3) Give us a tasty-teaser of what it's like to be a publisher of e-books?
I sort of fell into publishing, but I am enjoying it. I read a lot of stories and then spend the majority of my time either editing, formatting, or correlating them while also dealing with contracts, approving covers, uploading the files to distributors, and generally dealing with any problems that crop up. I am having a lot of trouble finding time to write, which I will have to change soon. (I need to put myself on a much tighter schedule. LOL) One of the things I like best is at the end of each quarter. I love sending out royalties and hearing from authors that they are so happy to get them. Another great thing is receiving reviews and positive feedback from our readers. After that, I am on a high for days and it makes all the long hours and hard work worth it.
What are the little nuances of publishing that authors don't realize?
Wow, that's a tough one. I don't think a lot of authors realize all the time it takes for formatting that has to be done before the book is uploaded to all the various retailers and online distributors. They all seem to want something done differently and the manuscript might have to be reformatted five or six times (and that's not counting going to print which is a totally different ballgame).
4) Victory Tales Press has been hitting the blog tours promoting the Christmas Anthology Collections and Authors. As a publisher, when considering a manuscript or an author for a collection, what sort of promotional know-how are you looking for?
I definitely like for an author to have a blog or a website and belong to a few Yahoo Groups where they can showcase the anthology cover, share a bit about the stories, or at least provide a link to our website, but I have not made that a requirement for any writer. As a small press, and an author myself, I usually try to assist with promotions more than many publishers would. But lately, as we've grown busier, I've had to leave more of it to the authors. I like to think we have aided a few of our newer writers in broadening their horizons and in learning a bit about promoting.
5) What makes a query letter stand out in your mind?
With me, query letters are welcome to be fairly informal but are all about tone, being professional, and being able to state what you have and what you want me to do with it. The tone should be friendly and polite, but direct. The common courtesy of a greeting and a sentence stating where you heard about VTP or why you are contacting me is a great beginning. Being professional includes using spell-check, checking for missing words, and following the general rules of punctuation. In a query, an author should be able to provide the general idea of a short story in a few sentences; share what type of anthology they think it would fit within; and give an idea of the length.
Do you look for certain elements when considering a manuscript for possible publication with VTP?
So far VTP has accepted stories from invited authors only. If an author wishes to receive an invitation to provide a story for an anthology, they should drop me an email or query at booksbyrebecca@yahoo.com The elements I look for are always a fairly complete, happy ever after (or happy for now) romance involving a male-female relationship. The story-line may be a paranormal, mystery, contemporary, historical, or almost any sub-genre of romance as long as there is no erotica or excessively graphic language. We do accept many stories of a sensual and/or spicy nature as long as the sexual scenes are necessary to the story and tastefully done.
6) What's up next for you?
Staying busy, busy, busy. (LOL) VTP is scheduled to release approximately sixteen anthologies in 2011. The next one will be for Valentine's Day and will be released in mid-January. Then, with the assistance of Laura Shinn and a few others, I have begun two other imprints: Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery provides all or any part of an Indie or self-published author's publishing needs (such as editing, covers, formatting, or uploading to distributors). We also began Western Trail Blazer recently to help revive and showcase stories about the American West (including dates from the Old West to Contemporary).
Any books or collections you'd like to dish about?
Our current releases from VTP are our Christmas Collections. We offer seventeen stories in four separate books ranging from sweet to spicy (male-female) romance. We have received excellent reviews and several stories have already been nominated for upcoming awards. Here is a very brief description of the stories within each book:
A Christmas Collection: Sweet
Christmas with Hope by Anne Patrick
Hope Erickson, a Blackhawk pilot, and Nick Cunningham, an army ranger, renew their acquaintance on the battlefields of Iraq.
A Christmas Full of Memories by Markee Anderson
Piper Sage knows the man who enters her travel agency franchise at Christmas is trouble from the moment he tells her he's the owner's son.
Severed Hearts by Laurean Brooks
Julie Blanton's dream is realized when shy Johnny Michaels all but professes his undying love. When he enlists two days later without so much as a goodbye, her world crashes.
An Unexpected Holidate by Evie Alexis
Audrey Christensen is in no mood for Christmas cheer and Tom Finster hates the holidays. Will they make a little Christmas magic of their own?
Homecoming by Cheryl Pierson
A holiday skirmish sends Union officer, Jack Durham, on an unlikely mission for a dying Confederate soldier—his enemy. Will the miracle of Christmas heal his heart?
A Christmas Collection: Sensual
Scarlet Ribbons by Cheryl Pierson
Miguel Rivera is known as El Diablo. Persuaded by a street vendor he makes a foolish holiday purchase—two scarlet ribbons.
The Proposal by Diane Craver
Jacqueline hopes Brad is giving her an engagement ring for her birthday. Tyler wants Jacqueline to be happy, but not with Brad.
My Life and Times with Nickolopolus Christog Cringelenstien Clausener by Charlotte Raby
Miranda Jane's one last customer turns an ordinary work night into something magical. Her letter to the world tells what it's like being married to a famous elf!
Angel and the Cowboy by Celia Yeary
When U.S. Marshal Max Garrison meets lovely Daniella, his life changes. Different her entire life, will Daniella learn love is all that matters?
A Christmas Collection: Stimulating
Christmas in Bayeaux by Stephanie Burkhart
After leaving the ravages of war, Aiden travels to Bayeaux, France on a pilgrimage. Will Noel be able to help him feel again?
Mars Needs Men by Gerald Costlow
Carla tries to help an astronaut who will be in space for another year, but now she is the one with a problem. She needs a Christmas miracle.
Fast Forward Love by Rita Hestand
Connie and Ed, both widowed, would make a great couple. Connie is interested, but Ed seems to have an on-again, off-again attitude. Will Christmas make a difference?
Wanted by Karen Michelle Nutt
Emma is convinced her Christmas wish has come true when outlaw JoBeth Riley is brought into town and Sheriff Jace Kelly brings her home for Christmas.
A Christmas Collection: Spicy
Feliz Navidad by Kit Prate
Gabriel wants vengeance for a boy's death. The son of a powerful man is to blame, but Hawkins won't let that, or Christmas, stop him.
Underneath the Mistletoe by C. A. Paris
Scott allows Tiffany to talk him into playing Santa for a group of children. When circumstances force a kiss underneath the mistletoe, will their relationship change?
White Christmas by Cheryl Pierson
ER nurse, Carlie Thomas, usually works on Christmas, but this year she has an unexpected houseguest who needs special care.
The Hands of Time by Laura Shinn
Lady Graciela is imprisoned in a snow globe. Released when Ken finds the globe, will she later return to the snow globe forever?
We invite everyone to drop by our website where they can find all the buy links to our books:
http://victorytalespress.yolasite.com/online-store.php
Thank you so much, Sarah, for inviting me to share what I'm up to with all your followers.
It's been a blast, as always! I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season.
No, THANK YOU, Rebecca! This was definitely a post I enjoyed writing up. It's not every day we get a sneak-peek at what goes on behind the scenes. I appreciate your time and willingness to let me interview you. Best wishes for tons of sales and here's hoping your holidays are festive and full of cheer! :) ((hugs!))
THANK YOU, TLN'ers!! With the close of this week, I've got a 20 days left being a baby-oven. LOL It's been a long 9months this time around and I can't wait to get back in the swing of things. If you've got a release coming in 2011, shoot me an email at: thelovestrucknovice@gmail.com and we'll get you scheduled for an interview or a guest blog. (Best part is I work cheap-- F-R-E-E!!!) Have a great weekend and we'll catch you back next week! :)
6 comments:
Sarah,
What a fantastic interview session with Rebecca! I so enjoyed reading it! I designed the four ebook and print covers (along with the Halloween & Summer ones) and have enjoyed the whole process! Especially working with Rebecca. *g* She's a sweet, intelligent and talented woman who has taken on the role of publisher in order to help so many of us.
I've written a story in the Summer Collection, the Halloween: Stimulating Collection and the Christmas: Spicy Collection. She's simply been a joy to work for and be published by. You couldn't ask for a nicer publisher who truly cares for the authors she publishes and promotes.
After the first of the new year, I'll be starting on the cover for the Valentine's Day anthology. That one is going to be a load of fun!! It'll feature more incredibly talented authors and tales that will entertain and place you in a romantic mood. Ladies, hint to your husbands and boyfriends, this collection will make an outstanding Valentine's Day gift, one you can enjoy without having to hit the gym once you've recieved it. LOL
Sarah, thanks again for featuring the Christmas anthologies here today! We so appreciate it. *g*
Laura Shinn
Thank you, Sarah, for having the books on your beautiful blog!!! And congratulations on the upcoming baby!! Rebecca and Laura did a FANTASTIC job on the look and editing of the book and all of us are indebted to them!
I have a story in the sweet anthology. It was a lot of fun to write and with a team like Rebecca and Laura behind the authors, we can't fail!!!
Thanks, everyone, and have a FANTASTIC Christmas!!
Hi Sarah and Rebecca!
Fantastic interview, as always, Sarah! I learned a few little things about Rebecca that I didn't know! I have enjoyed working with Rebecca so much. She is a wonderful person, and always keeps the authors' best interests at heart, providing a top notch publishing venue that is HONEST and that has integrity. This means more than I can say.
I have three stories in the Christmas anthologies. My story in the sweet collection is HOMECOMING, set during the War Between the States. My story in the sensual collection is called SCARLET RIBBONS and is a western historical about a gunfighter who finds his own miracle on Christmas. This is based on an old folk song sung by Harry Belafonte, and if you have never heard it, look it up on youtube and give it a listen. It is just beautiful. My third story is called WHITE CHRISTMAS and is a contemporary. It is in the spicy edition.
I'm so proud to be in these collections along with some other excellent writers. I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories so much!
Congratulations on your new soon-to-be little addition, Sarah! I remember how my back just killed me in the last month of pregnancy. Hope you are feeling well and ready for the holidays! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Hugs,
Cheryl
Great interview, ladies! Laura did a fantastic job with the covers and you couldn't ask for a better publisher. Congrats to all the authors and thank you Rebecca for all you do!
Great interview Ladies. It was great to learn more about VTP and you, Becky. I've enjoyed my experience with VTP - very professional and honest.
Smiles
Steph
What a wonderful interview, ladies.
I've learned a few more things about Becca I didn't know.
I've enjoyed working with Becca and VTP. It's been a true pleasure.
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