Recently I heard some horror stories about reviews on one of the loops. Like if the hero drove a red car, and the reviewer didn’t like red cars, she trashed the book. I know authors, in submitting their work to other publishers, worry about the little things. Will the editor like my work? What if the editor doesn’t want to see another vampire/historical/lady who runs a bookstore romance? Writers obsess over the tiniest detail of the work, trying to make things “just right.”

And it’s good that writers work hard at their craft. Don’t get me wrong. But I think, to be honest, if an author worries about whether an editor will enjoy the meal the heroine serves her potential hero (oh wait, she offered him steamed broccoli, and people can hate that vegetable), then perhaps the author worries too much?

I’ve read books where the author had a cowboy riding a Morgan horse on his ranch. I have nothing against Morgans. They’re a versatile breed developed right here in the US to be a riding and a carriage horse, and they’re good at what they do. However, on a large-spread cattle operation, I’ve yet to meet a rancher who breeds Morgans and raises Texas Longhorns. Just saying. Nothing against the breed, just a case of either a fanciful author or bad research on the part of the writer or the editor. That’s something to worry about.

But what if the same cowboy had worn a Resistol hat, and the editor preferred Stetsons? Would that really be something to reject a story over?

Or to bring it personal, I really really don’t like cooked broccoli. If the heroine serves steamed broccoli with a thick, rich cheese sauce over it, my stomach is going to twist, and I’m thinking ICK, not “oh, yum!”. I’m not rejecting a book over that. Seriously.

And honestly, if that’s the only negative thing a reviewer had to say about a story, that the heroine served a vegetable that people either love or hate, then maybe the reviewer is looking too hard for something to trash. Know what I mean?

So when you submit your work, dear writers, do not sweat the small stuff. If you’ve written a great story, got your researched facts correct, and you’ve presented yourself well, it’s not going to matter if your hero drives a Ford, or a Chevy, or roots for the Packers or the Vikings, or even likes the Yankees. Okay maybe the last one. (Just kidding!)

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Because the Dark Moon is coming and the shifters are hunting!

Dark Moon by Connie Wood

novel length sensual paranormal shifter romance

$4.95 in electronic format

Tynan is a Venator; a hunter of the shape shifters banished to exile in the coldest ice planes of Alaska–where the only things to hunt are the shape-shifting polar bears and warmth. But someone has brutally murdered his brother and he’s out for revenge.

Moon’s finally living her dreams, leaving a controlling past far behind her. Until the grisly murder of a friend lands her with a devastatingly sexy stranger and plunges her into the deep recesses of her darkest nightmares.

With the time of total darkness and carnage, the dark moon, looming it’s a race against time to search for the truth. Or die trying.

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Don’t forget to visit the author’s website for information about a super contest!

The Wider Circle by Mary Caelsto

novel length sweet pagan inspirational romance

$4.95 in electronic format

Still grieving from the loss of her father, Dharma takes a job in a neighboring state with the hopes that the change in location will help her get on with her life and maybe find her faith again. She arrives to find the job gone and with it her hopes. She goes to a ritual on the Autumn Equinox, a time for thankfulness, and when a handsome man asks her what she’s thankful for, she finds she cannot answer.

Acting as a High Priest in the ritual changes Sid’s life. He’s making plans to move out of state and form a new Wiccan Covan, except he’s missing the other half of his circle–a high priestess. When he sees Dharma he knows there’s a spiritual soul hidden inside her grief, and he longs to bring her out.

But when Sid can’t wait any longer and has to move in order to keep his job opportunity, will Dharma go with him? Can Sid show Dharma that the Goddess hasn’t forsaken her, and that there’s a wider circle for them to explore?

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Pink Petal Books…because love is a beautiful thing!