(Tara here again.) Absolutely! There are so many subgenres in romance, and so many categories; we want to highlight them and see what folks come up with, and make each zine feel special and like a good time. It's also a fun challenge for the authors. :)
I'm currently outlining a story to submit to the Fireworks open call in January. Could somebody please point me to some short romance fiction with a "3 heat level"? I want to make sure I'm not to chaste or too steamy with my "moment".
This is Jenna...in our past submissions, our writers have been too chaste :) We haven't had any go overboard in the spice. A general rule of thumb is that a heat level 3 includes on page spice, but it can be done without a great deal of elaboration. Four spice ramps it up; usually a bit longer and more details, higher sensuality. A five spice is cranked up to high, often the most sensual (veering into erotic...but not erotica...stories need a romance plot), and often coarser language (tho not required). I hope that helps.
I think I get it at this point. Just read/listened to an Elizabeth Hoyt novel, and she gets pretty spicy (I’d call it a 4), but her “spicy scenes” start out in solid “3” territory (to me anyway) before they become TMI. I’ll just write what feels right and let you folks give feedback. For myself, I prefer the “less is more” approach. I don’t need every little detail and clinical description. Some of Hoyt’s sex scenes read like they were written by the folks at Chilton’s (car repair manuals), which actually knocks me out of the moment. Anyway, you guys know what your readers want.
My thoughts around steamy scenes is that while it can be titalating (4+), it should focus more on sensual and emotional. It doesn't need to describe tab b into slot a, even though that's what's going on. I look forward to reading your story! And yes, if we like it but it needs a tweak, we'll let you know.
(Tara here.) Yes, absolutely! All our anthologies are at a three-chili pepper (or higher) heat level, but most of the stories are three chili peppers, with a few listing into four. I would recommend checking out our extant anthologies to get a good idea of the form, and you can see how it's done in the various subgenres there as well. A good example would be Urna Semper's "Kandiers Summer," which makes excellent use of euphemism, which you can find in MOONLIGHT AND MARGARITAS. https://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Margaritas-steamy-romance-anthology/dp/B0FD7WGJVC
Hi! (Tara here!) We use Pubshare and divide the royalties between the authors for each volume, and hold the copyright for a year, after which you can republish, and we've just added the anthologies to KU as well. They continue to get eyes as time goes on, and because they're seasonal, they will hopefully continue to perform when their seasons come around again. At the moment, we're a small press; with an author share, I made about fourteen dollars from being in Moonlight and Margaritas after the three-month mark. The more the authors help promote, of course, the better, and we're hopeful that the anthologies and zines will gain a reputation over time for spice, good value, fun romance, and quality. I hope this is helpful, Sarah. :)
As a side note, getting author copies and selling in person has also done quite well. Romance anthologies perform well during in-person sales, if you attend any events.
Intriguing. The variety of calls is quite somethin', I have to admit. A clear vision for the stories, indeed.
(Tara here again.) Absolutely! There are so many subgenres in romance, and so many categories; we want to highlight them and see what folks come up with, and make each zine feel special and like a good time. It's also a fun challenge for the authors. :)
I'm currently outlining a story to submit to the Fireworks open call in January. Could somebody please point me to some short romance fiction with a "3 heat level"? I want to make sure I'm not to chaste or too steamy with my "moment".
This is Jenna...in our past submissions, our writers have been too chaste :) We haven't had any go overboard in the spice. A general rule of thumb is that a heat level 3 includes on page spice, but it can be done without a great deal of elaboration. Four spice ramps it up; usually a bit longer and more details, higher sensuality. A five spice is cranked up to high, often the most sensual (veering into erotic...but not erotica...stories need a romance plot), and often coarser language (tho not required). I hope that helps.
I think I get it at this point. Just read/listened to an Elizabeth Hoyt novel, and she gets pretty spicy (I’d call it a 4), but her “spicy scenes” start out in solid “3” territory (to me anyway) before they become TMI. I’ll just write what feels right and let you folks give feedback. For myself, I prefer the “less is more” approach. I don’t need every little detail and clinical description. Some of Hoyt’s sex scenes read like they were written by the folks at Chilton’s (car repair manuals), which actually knocks me out of the moment. Anyway, you guys know what your readers want.
My thoughts around steamy scenes is that while it can be titalating (4+), it should focus more on sensual and emotional. It doesn't need to describe tab b into slot a, even though that's what's going on. I look forward to reading your story! And yes, if we like it but it needs a tweak, we'll let you know.
(Tara here.) Yes, absolutely! All our anthologies are at a three-chili pepper (or higher) heat level, but most of the stories are three chili peppers, with a few listing into four. I would recommend checking out our extant anthologies to get a good idea of the form, and you can see how it's done in the various subgenres there as well. A good example would be Urna Semper's "Kandiers Summer," which makes excellent use of euphemism, which you can find in MOONLIGHT AND MARGARITAS. https://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Margaritas-steamy-romance-anthology/dp/B0FD7WGJVC
So excited to see what you come up with!
Hi. I have some nifty ideas floating in my head. What's the pay like for these??
Thank you. :) It's good to be among someone's favorite authors, isn't it?
Hi! (Tara here!) We use Pubshare and divide the royalties between the authors for each volume, and hold the copyright for a year, after which you can republish, and we've just added the anthologies to KU as well. They continue to get eyes as time goes on, and because they're seasonal, they will hopefully continue to perform when their seasons come around again. At the moment, we're a small press; with an author share, I made about fourteen dollars from being in Moonlight and Margaritas after the three-month mark. The more the authors help promote, of course, the better, and we're hopeful that the anthologies and zines will gain a reputation over time for spice, good value, fun romance, and quality. I hope this is helpful, Sarah. :)
As a side note, getting author copies and selling in person has also done quite well. Romance anthologies perform well during in-person sales, if you attend any events.