Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Romantic Suspense proposal

Captain's Log, Supplemental

Some news on the writing front:

I had put together a romantic suspense proposal for Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. I would love to write for Steeple Hill (in addition to Z). The editors totally rock and I’ve been reading their books for like forever.

I had written one suspense (not romantic suspense) manuscript years ago before I contracted with Zondervan (the manuscript is languishing under the bed), but since then I’ve written chick lit and humorous women’s fiction, and that’s the voice I’ve developed in the past few years.

I suspected my voice in the romantic suspense proposal wasn’t quite the same tone as other Love Inspired Suspense novels, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to fix. I sent the proposal in anyway (which, in hindsight, I really shouldn’t have done—I was too impatient and should have gotten more feedback first).

God totally gave me grace because the editor came back with, “We like the story but your voice isn’t quite right for the line. Can you revise and resubmit?”

Those words are gold for any writer. It’s also a test—can I revise to fit what they need?

So I did what I should have done originally—I went to writer friends who read lots of Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense novels.

Two of them actually write for those lines (Cheryl Wyatt writes for Love Inspired, Margaret Daley writes for both Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense). A third friend (Danica Favorite-MacDonald) is a writer targeting Love Inspired.

These three women are completely awesome.

Danica gave me this light-bulb moment of what exactly was wrong with my voice and how exactly to fix it. I had to get out of the chick lit mindset I have been in for the past three years and try to find again that suspense mindset I’d had when I wrote that first suspense story. I had to find my little “suspense cave” and burrow in it, to completely overhaul my writing voice. Danica also pointed out some places where my characters had the more typical “chick lit” attitudes, thoughts, and reactions.

Cheryl found a bunch of inconsistencies in the story that, when I fixed them, would add more suspense and conflict to the story.

Margaret is freakin’ brilliant. She gave me ideas for restructuring the scenes to add more suspense and up the tension.

So now I’ve sent the revised chapters to the Steeple Hill editor. The chapters are almost completely different from what I’d sent to her—and I’m heartily embarrassed I sent the original version in the first place.

Lesson to all you writers—GET MORE FEEDBACK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT!

Anyway, I’m praying they’ll contract this book. I know it’s in God’s hands, though, and I can honestly say I’m totally okay with that.

Anyway, I’m in the midst of a couple freelance editing projects (to be honest, they were really good distractions for me to focus on when I was frustrated at my lack of ability to fix my chapters. They saved a lot of hair being pulled out). And after I’m done with those, I’ll be working on another (new) Love Inspired proposal.

I think that another reason I’m doing Love Inspired proposals is to give me a legitimate excuse to read Love Inspired novels! LOL I had stopped reading them when I was writing chick lit because I had other chick lit novels I had to read instead. But now that I’m doing romance, I can read romance novels again. I love them—they’re short, sweet, and entertaining.

Comments

Good luck on resubmitting your proposal! Friends sure are great, aren't they?! Glad yours were able to help you with your script.
Anonymous said…
WOO HOO! Praying they will snatch it up.
On a totally different note - thanks for making my day/week/month by reading and commenting on my blog. Trying to figure out how to frame it...
PatriciaW said…
Hope you get even better feedback--a contract?--this time.

Would love to see Camy Tang on an LI Suspense cover.
Anonymous said…
How exciting - but what a great exercise to have to rewrite with a different voice. The editors must have seen it what is "in you" and the story to ask for you do rewrites! Best of luck with your submission!
Anonymous said…
Good luck to you! I write for Silhouette Romantic Suspense and a revise and resubmit offer is a big deal. Love the covers on your chick lits. Very cute.
Camy Tang said…
Thanks, guys!

Tricia, you crack me up! But please don't frame it. LOL ;)

Mary, it was a really great exercise. I feel like it was one of those things that somehow makes me a better writer, to do something so different.

Jill, thanks for visiting my blog! And I'm so glad you like my covers!

Camy
Amy said…
Well, congrats to you....but I'll miss your chick lit something fierce! Can't you write a chick lit romantic suspense?? :)
Ausjenny said…
i forgot to wish you the best for your proposal

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Behind the Scenes: Original Cover

Prelude for a Lord (the extended version) releases on Amazon on December 2! You can buy it early at a discount from my website . (Want to join my Launch Team ?) The current cover is actually the second version of the cover for this book. Here’s what the original cover from my publisher, Zondervan, looked like. The original stock photo was of a blonde woman, and when I pointed out the error, the graphic designer at Zondervan did a nice job coloring her hair brown. For the new cover, I kept the orange and blue colors but chose a model in profile rather than with her entire face hidden. This new re-release is an extended version of the original book. Zondervan had a strict word count of 100,000 words, but my original manuscript was 120,000 words, so I had to cut 20,000 words. But when I got my rights back and started planning to re-release it, I realized I could release the original manuscript before it was cut. So the version coming out is the uncut, extended version. ...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Renumbering and renaming books in Lady Wynwood's Spies

On my Patreon, I posted a short explanation of all the renumbering and renaming I was doing for the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series books. If you “Follow” my Patreon page (you’ll need to set up a free Patreon account if you don't have one), then you’ll receive email notifications whenever I have a public post, even if you’re not a paid subscriber. I have lots of extras for free Followers !

Merry Christmas! Enjoy The Spinster's Christmas

As a Merry Christmas gift to all my blog readers, I’m going to be posting my Christian Regency romantic suspense, The Spinster’s Christmas , for free on my blog! I’ll be posting the book in 1000-1500 word segments every Tuesday and Friday. (When I do the calculations, it’ll finish around the end of May.) Why am I posting a Christmas story when it won’t be Christmas in a week? Because I can! :) The Spinster’s Christmas is the prequel volume to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . Right now I’m editing volume 1 of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, and it’s on track to release in 2020. (If you’re on my Camille Elliot newsletter , you’ll be sure to hear when it’s available for preorder.) I anticipate that the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series to be about ten volumes. I think the series story will be a lot of fun to tell, and I’m looking forward to writing up a storm! Below, I’ll be listing the links to the parts of The Spinster’s Christmas as I post them. (I created the html links by hand so please ...

You're worth more than gold

I was recently just listening to my music playlist and it cycled to one of my favorite songs, “Gold” by Britt Nicole. This was one of the songs that inspired me as I was writing Gone Missing . Joslyn, my heroine, was from a poor background, so she was working at an electronics store in Los Angeles and putting herself through school in computer programming. When she got involved with her ex-boyfriend, who murdered her father, she ran away to Oregon. She lost her baby and the woman she was working for helped her through that ordeal. The woman also talked a lot about Christ to her, and so Joslyn has been seeking Christ more and more. She’s lost a lot and has gone through a grieving process after her father was murdered and she miscarried her baby. She had to leave school and her job to run away from her ex, so she has to start the school year all over again. At least she’s able to work for Liam and Elisabeth in Sonoma, California, at their new skip-tracing agency rather than try...