Saturday, February 22, 2014

CALL TO SUBMIT! Christian New Adult Imprint, Pure Amore from Pelican Book Group


Recently a lot of discussion has taken place on the reader/writer loops to which I belong concerning the genre of "New Adult" books.

In mainstream terms, New Adult books deal with twenty-somethings coming of age in their careers, their lives and their loves. Many of us who write Christian romance and fiction have been intrigued by the concept, but wondered how we could bring New Adult stories to life from a Christian world view.

I'm thrilled to say, my publisher Pelican Book Group, is leading the charge to fill that need with a brand new imprint, coming soon, called PURE AMORE.

Following are all the details if you're interested in submitting - and if you can't wait to read these stories, I assure you, you're not alone!!!

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Pelican Pure Amore™
Sweet Romance, Pure Enjoyment ™

Pelican Pure Amore™ romances are sweet in tone and in conflict. These stories are the emotionally-driven tales of youthful Christians who are striving to live their faith in a world where Christ-centered choices may not fully be understood.

Plots should not contain overly hard-hitting or controversial subjects but should be hope-filled, enjoyable reads that don’t come with a lot of excess baggage. Stories should be written in an active, engaging style that leaves the reader satisfied and smiling. Plots should focus on the love between a man and a woman who both hold God at the center of their lives and who have never been married. The hero and heroine will exhibit traditional Christian values but also should be three-dimensional and therefore exhibit flaws as well as virtues.

•    Neither the hero nor heroine can have been married before. No divorced, separated, or widowed protagonists

•    Both Hero and Heroine should be Christians throughout. While Pure Amore™ may feature subplots that include the hero or heroine rediscovering or growing to a deeper faith, these are not stories centered on conversion. Therefore, both Hero and Heroine must be Christian at the onset.

•    Either the hero or heroine, or both, must be a virgin. That means they must be physical virgin as opposed to being a “rededicated” virgin, and this fact must be addressed naturally within the context of the story.

•    These are stories of Christians living Christian lives. Characters should adhere to mainline Christianity, but should not be preachy or didactic. The Christian element and/or lesson should be inherent to the characterizations and so should come through in the protagonists’ natural actions/reactions to events and people around them.

•    Heroes and heroines must be between the ages of 21 and 33, inclusive.

•    ALL titles must be between 40,000 and 45,000 words. No exceptions.

Pure Amore™ romances emphasize the beauty in chastity, so physical interactions such as kissing or hugging should focus on the characters’ emotions rather than heightened sexual desire, and any scenes of physical intimacy should be absolutely integral to the plot and/or emotional development of the character or relationship.

At this time, we are interested in finished manuscripts only. Please do not query unless your manuscript is complete. Please visit our web site for the access to the submission form: http://pelink.us/write4pbg

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Doesn't this sound awesome?? Blessings to you all - happy reading, and happy writing!

Marianne

Sunday, February 9, 2014

From the Staff of Clash of the Titles...

Please enjoy this sampling of New Releases from the staff at
Clash of the Titles 


The Last Detail
by Lisa Lickel
Hope, love, and loss meld two polar opposite personalities. How long can they keep passion for their ministry and each other after the wedding? Merit ushers in new life; Amalia ushers it out. Love? Obviously. Marriage? Check. Dealing with the family closet? Step back…When tragedy strikes, they must learn to rely on each other in ways they couldn’t have prepared for.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH LISA




Lea's Gift
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A victim of a house fire during infancy, Lea Dale’s severe facial disfigurement pales in comparison to the scars Laren Meadows carries inside...and his painful secret could destroy their chance at true love. For the first time ever, an emotional Lea questions her special connections with Heaven even as she investigates cruel pranks
at her father’s ranch for disfigured teens and tries to deal with her roller coaster heart.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA




A Cowboy Christmas
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A mom on the run; a special child and her “imaginary” friend; a cowboy; and God. Shy horseman Dex Beckett longs to help lovely Layne Mabrey and her daughter, but Layne's lack of faith and stubborn refusal to relinquish her distrustful heart could get in the way of even Heart's Haven's heavenly residents.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA







  Stopped Cold 
by Gail Pallotta
Margaret McWhorter lives in tranquil Mistville, North Carolina, but there’s no peace in her life since her brother, Sean, took a steroid and nearly died. Margaret and Sean’s father demands excellence in sports, but Sean fell short. Margaret’s still hustling to win at swim meets at Meriwether Christian High, where Sean was the number one quarterback for the football team. In quiet moments she asks God to heal Sean. She’s angry at her father for pushing Sean, but hate for the drug dealers drives her to find them. A clue overheard at a teen hangout sends Margaret and two friends to the edge of this dangerous sub-culture.   
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH GAIL

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Clash of the Titles First 2014 Winner!



It is my great pleasure to announce the winner of this month's clash...



Redneck Debutante 
by Jenny Hammerle

Congratulations, Jenny!
Your book will be automatically entered for a chance to win a Laurel Award later this year!

And a big thank-you to ALL our participating authors!

Lacey Williams with Return of the Cowboy Doctor,
Norma Downing with A Promise Made,
and Anne Greene with Marriage byArrangement

Here are a few of the comments left by our voters:
  • Jenny Hammerle is a talented author who knows how to connect with girls through an engaging story where the reader can gain valuable life lessons along the way!:-)
  • I have spent some time in Fruitville and I Love this place. Many great memories there. I must read your book, I am sure it is wonderful, as are the People of Fruitville. Thank You for taking time to write this book.
  • Redneck Debutante is a great title! The cover is spectacular and really catches your eye. I have read this book and it is a very good, fast-paced read.
  • Great story and character development! Loved Redneck Debutante and am loving the second book Cowgirl Down!
And a couple Amazon Reviews:
  • "Jenny Hammerle's Redneck Debutante is a breath of fresh air that you don't want to miss. Her characters will engage you and keep you involved just as if you knew them personally. Whether you are an adult reader or a young adult, you will be captivated by this book and find it hard to put down. I enjoyed this first book in the series immensely and I can't wait for more of the story! Write faster Jenny!"
  • "If you or the teen girl in your life is tired of sparkly vampires, witches and werewolves this is a wonderful book about the real issues teen girls deal with. It is wonderfully written and will keep you engaged all the way through. Can't wait for the second book!!"

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the rugged cowboy.
Green eyes, dark-brown hair, tall, tanned, nicely muscled.
And there she was, standing in the creek in only her underwear.


West Palm, Florida

Fifteen-year-old Rachael Harte has everything she could want—plenty of money, hang-out time with friends at the beach, and Colten, the hot boyfriend every girl in her prep school drools over.

But just as she receives her long-awaited debutante invitation, scandal strikes her family. Now Rachael has to go to public high school and live with her Aunt Margaret in a place called Fruitville. How much more redneck could it get? The first day, as she’s cooling off from the heat, she hears a soft “ahem” and looks up into the eyes of Travis Baxter, the most handsome cowboy she’s ever seen. His smirk is bad enough. Worse, they’re now neighbors and will attend the same school.

As Rachael plunges into redneck life in rural Florida, she’s charmed by a quirky new group of friends, including Travis’s twin, Maysie, but still misses her friends back home. Can Rachael and Colten survive on once-a-month visits? Or will Travis’s cowboy charms win her over? What she learns as a Redneck Debutante will teach her more about love and life than she could ever have dreamed.

The REDNECK DEBUTANTE Series®
Romance that’s a little bit city, a little bit country.
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Book Two, Cowgirl Down, is also available!

And guess what? Extra congrats are in order because Redneck Debutante recently won the ACFW Book Club Poll and will be one of three books for the Spring reading list. What fantastic news!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


On my father’s side we are sixth generation Floridians- cattle and citrus mostly. I grew up on a working cattle ranch. My dad still manages ranches in twelve Florida counties.

I have been bucked off more than a few times- I survived and lived to write about it. That is why you will find that some of my writing revolves around rural Florida and ranch life. My favorite place to be is at the hunt camp sitting around the campfire listening to, or in some cases, telling funny stories! I love to work cows in the cow pens- branding, tagging, marking, legging and parting out calves to keep or sell is always a good time!

I currently stay home with our two wonderful little boys. I can be found coaching a group of middle school cheerleaders which serves my writing well by keeping me in touch with the youth of today and their slang, drama and texting practices!

Storytelling is something that comes naturally to most cowboys and cowgirls. If you join us on any workday, around a campfire or in the cow pens you can experience the true nature of the cowboy storyteller and see that it is a living, breathing verbal tradition still being shared today. This storytelling tradition comes alive in the texture of my writing!


Congratulations, Jenny! We can't wait to watch your story unfold.