Horoscope for Aries: You’ve never been known for being especially quiet, shy or retiring — but now? Well, at this moment in time, you’ll be more spontaneous and unpredictable than ever. Does this mean you’ll set a new record for surprising the masses? Maybe.

Hey masses, get ready to rock. Although, according to this next horoscope, I’m not supposed to be speaking to any of you this month:

Astrology for writers,editors,filmmakers
Aries: The New Moon will occur in your House of Enemies and Contemplation. What a combo. The Universe wants you at the keyboard, not gallivanting around. Character development and the deepening of plot lines flourish now. BIG STARS: Mars, your ruler, is currently not friendly. Friction is best avoided by becoming a loner for a month or so.

…because sitting home writing for hours at a time is such a social event anyway, I guess. But I’ve obviously been spending time at the keyboard — got 14 more pages done yesterday. This writing spurt happened once before, and I’d ended up with about 50K in a week. It would be nice to be able to do this on a regular basis, although I’m sure the husband and the three year old would like to see a little bit more of me on a regular basis. So we’ll see what happens - right now I”m just going with it. I mean, after all, I’ve got my new best friend forever, Brenda Chin, waiting for this book.

I am still on the heightened, false sense of well-being migraine meds, in case you all were wondering.

Just FYI - a CD I’ve found is really good for writing love scenes to is Stevie Nick’s Time Space. There’s just something about the blend of music on there, the beat and the tempo just work. It’s subtle and ballsy and funny and sweet, and that’s kind of what I’m aiming for in these love scenes.

Okay — off to write. Have to get my RTB article done today before I start in on the WIP. Have to drink lots of coffee too.

Steph T.

*UPDATE* Some info for my friends who write chick lit - TOR/Forge is looking for you - I’ve cut and pasted the guidelines below for you, so click on the continue reading more link!

PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED:

Natasha Panza, an up and coming young assistant in the editorial
department, will be acquiring chick lit novels of 75,000 - 90,000 words for publication by Tor/Forge.

They will most likely be done first in trade paper original and then in mass market, but we reserve the right to publish these books as we see fit; we will be publishing them just like all our other books — that is, in a manner in which we can expect them to sell the highest possible quantities.

Our definition of chick lit is slightly different from that of other
publishers. We are not looking for the standard New York City/L.A.
shopping/complaining/sex novels, but rather somewhat humorous, romantic and/or sexy novels about protagonists in their mid twenties through late thirties who are doing interesting things and lead interesting lives with whom readers can relate and sympathize. These novels may have paranormal elements, but we are *not* looking exclusively for paranormal chick lit.

From unagented authors, Natasha is accepting proposals ONLY — no queries. Proposals should contain the *first* three chapters, a 2-3 page synopsis, and a cover letter. Previously unpublished authors (or authors who have only published in category romance) must have a completed manuscript. Previously published authors who are unagented may submit a proposal and a copy of one of their previous books.

Agents, of course, can submit the way agents normally submit.

Natasha is accepting submissions via post *only*. They may be directed to:

Natasha Panza
Tor/Forge
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

Natasha will be at the Romance Writers of America national convention in Reno,and will be accepting appointments with chick lit writers ONLY — she is not acquiring for the sf/f lines, the paranormal romance list, or straight romance.

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