Thoughts on Control Vs Lack of Control–Isabel Swift
July 24, 2011 by Isabel Swift in category From Isabel Swift tagged as control, Isabel Swift, pushing boundariesHolding on. Letting go.
Just met a photographer at a two hour batik/dye class who said she was there because she wanted to push herself creatively in areas where she wasn’t—and couldn’t be—in control. Because she knew she relished and enjoyed the control she exercised over her photographic images—it was aligned with her natural inclinations. And she knew as an artist, she needed to challenge her comfort zone on occasion.
She did watercolor for the same reason. You can’t “fix” a “mistake” with water color. You have to listen to the medium and figure out how to reimagine your vision to work with whatever happened. Which can sometimes mean heading off in new, unexpected and eye-opening directions.
Then some years ago, walking into a group of office crafters—knitting, crochet—it seemed a homogeneous gathering of like-minded souls. But mention the word “felting” and the room divides, half enthusiastic, half appalled. Because for some, knitting is about choice and control of all the variables—patterns, colors, materials, tools and talent. And felting, with its ‘lets-just-toss-that-thing-in-the-washing-machine-and-see-what-happens’ attitude is utterly antithetical to what they do, what they enjoy. Because it’s out of their control. And for others, that’s the point and the fun.
Of course people aren’t all one way or another—they usually have areas where they want and need control, and other areas where they are totally laissez-faire. Though some can be judgemental about another’s excessive (or shocking lack of) control in whatever area they differ on! But I will have to explain the Janci Curve in another post….
Do you have areas that you think are too tightly wrapped and could benefit from some loosening or experimentation? Or areas where you’re a little too experimental and need some focus and discipline?
My answer is…all of the above!
3 0 Read moreLaunching in August, Harlequin Teen
August 30, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Harlequin, Harlequin Teen, Isabel SwiftI wanted to update you and share information about the launch of Harlequin Teen. You can click on the Harlequin Teen link & see the information about the line, with text and pictures. I’ve also have included the text and links below.
MY SOUL TO TAKE
by Rachel Vincent
On sale Aug. ’09
Learn more
INTERTWINED
by Gena Showalter
On sale Sept. ’09
Learn more
Presenting…Mary-Theresa Hussey, Harlequin Executive Editor
April 24, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as editor, Harlequin, Isabel Swift, Mary Theresa Hussey, Silhouette, writing
Presenting…Mary-Theresa Hussey
Did you know that when Harlequin Presents launched, it was intended to simply be a verb, that is Harlequin was “presenting” the author to the readers? Well, here I am to present Mary-Theresa Hussey, Executive Editor of the Silhouette imprint.
What does she do? She is responsible for overseeing the overall direction for all Silhouette lines: Desire, Special Edition and Romantic Suspense at the moment, as well as working with her own individual author base.
She is a remarkable reader with an amazing memory and is the unofficial “go to” person for all queries received that start: “I read a book about a guy with a girl and an escaped bear and a car race, but I can’t remember…” But let me let her speak in her own words! Tell us, how did it all begin?
“I began as an Editorial Assistant for Silhouette Romance, working for Tara Gavin in ’89. She said she knew she wanted to hire me when I sat down, saw Diana Palmer and Ann Major covers on her wall and knew the characters names!
From that point on I moved from Silhouette Romance, Special Edition and Intimate Moments, back to Silhouette Romance to be Senior Editor and then Executive Editor for Silhouette. I was also lucky enough to be in on the start of LUNA Books, and still work with many of those authors.”
My list is fairly eclectic. I’d love some Romantic Suspense or Desire writers, and currently work with Red Dress Ink and MIRA authors as well as a lot of paranormal/fantasy writers for Romantic Suspense and Nocturne as well as LUNA. While I’m not as active in acquiring as some other editors–I have a lot of management responsibilities as well–I do keep an eye out for strong projects to bring forward for the company.
“I first started reading series romance when I was 11. We were in Ireland and I ran out of my Nancy Drew titles and my aunt (also Mary Theresa), gave me a batch of Mills & Boon titles. The first one was a Janet Dailey title called THE MASTER FIDDLER and I was hooked by Cholla (yes, that was the hero’s name!). After that, I discovered the stash in the library and used book stores and I’ve never looked back!
“Even in college I used a friend’s local address to get access to the library so I could feed my addiction throughout the year. (I’m pretty sure the statute of limitations has run out on that crime. 🙂 ) I still love the books we publish, and my only frustration is that I’ll never get to read them all!
“I read a lot of Presents, Desire, Romantic Suspense, Special Edition, Intrigue and Blaze and a smattering from the other lines. I’ll also read a bunch of the MIRA and HQN titles as well. And of course all the LUNA titles I didn’t work on! So when I graduated and discovered I could actually get a job working for this company and get these books for free…Well, my fate was sealed!
“I was a series addict from a young age! Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Rick Brant, Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, Trixie Belden, The Happy Hollisters, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Tom Corbett and more were followed by Tolkien, Heinlein, Norton and others. Characterization, dialogue and fast-paced plotting are and were key. Along with romance, I still love fantasy, romantic suspense, mystery, thriller and larger than life stories.
“The best part of this job is access to the wonderful people—authors and colleagues and readers. Even when I’m reading a manuscript that won’t be publishable, I feel that there’s a sense of hope and positivism in romance that I don’t always find when reading other genres.
“For me, the most difficult part of the job is rejecting manuscripts and dashing hopes. It’s especially hard when it comes to projects that aren’t really very bad, but there’s nothing special about them. As we say, we can often work with a storyteller who needs structure, but someone who has structure but no voice, well, that just isn’t something that an editor can easily fix.
“On the positive side, one of my purchases has been for debut author Rachel Vincent’s werecat series. STRAY came out in ’07 and ROGUE in ’08. [Isabel interjects that Rachel made her debut on the April 13th 2008 New York Times Bestseller list at #32, whoo hoo!] and PRIDE is out now. I’ve already read the proposal for PREY. She’s got a wonderful voice and energy and enthusiasm and I really look forward to everyone else reading these projects.
“I have always felt that series novels have a ‘formula’ in the same way that other genre fiction or certain types of poetry does. There’s a structure, a rhyme scheme, an expected conclusion and a theme, but the writer’s voice and subject matter make it sing…or falter.
“And at the heart of genre fiction is the characters. The reason readers can return to a familiar story idea is the characters are believable, relatable and filled with emotion. The ability to have a reader live vicariously through the character is what makes a real storyteller.
“It’s not an easy thing to do either—I’ve tried maybe twice to write something and never got beyond two pages. The commitment needed to finish a book is intense, and the work is hard! I have total respect and admiration for those who make it look easy and who can face the screen or empty page day after day.
“As for what it takes to make a good editor, most editors I know are intensely curious about a lot of things, but always about people. They watch movies, read magazines, obsess about TV and pop culture. They respond to the zeitgeist, but what interests them is the individual in the situation. They also have to have great memories and incredible patience, as they read a manuscript multiple times!
“They must be willing to invest themselves by striving to help the author say what she wants to say as clearly and cleanly as possible, walking a delicate balance between being a “first reader,†a representative of the publisher and an advocate for the author. Communication is key, and making sure that the end goal—of a “good story, well toldâ€â€”is achieved.
“If I wasn’t going to be an editor—and money, skill and talent were no object!—I’d probably like to be a photographer for children, landscape or even weddings. But it makes a nice hobby at least!”
Their loss is our gain—though Matrice is also our unofficial photographer and in between the numerous piles of books, her office has many beautiful photographs of children and landscapes and family events. Truly, a renaissance woman.
Isabel Swift
http://isabelswift.blogspot.com
Channel Your Inner Guy….
January 24, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Isabel Swift, Presentations, Public SpeakingRecently attended a presentation given by a very smart and talented group of people, but I came away with a powerful impression about girlspeak and boyspeak and a compelling message for people of the female persuasion:
You have got to Channel your Inner Guy when you speak publicly!
Both men and women presented. Both were smart, articulate, but the impact was night and day. Now there were some great women speakers and some not so great men, but there was a steriotypic role tendency that I fall into myself that hit me over the head listening.
You know where I’m taking this. Girlspeak meant presenting their recommendations tentatively, their language filled with caveats, ‘mights,’ ‘coulds,’ efforts to please, to question, to solicit approval, information couched with options and alternatives. If they were a dog, they’d be approaching you head down, ears flattened, tail low and wagging frantically.
And of course the guys would say their piece much more directly and quickly, with focus, specifics, to the point, putting their opinion out there, appearing to know everything, taking the risk. If they were a dog, they’d be sitting up straight or standing, ears pricked, legs apart, tail high, barking loudly for attention.
At worst, boyspeak delivers the not-too-subtle tyranny and bullying of ‘my way or the highway,’ ‘there is one correct opinion & you have just heard it, no conversation, questions or dissent will be tolerated’ and other forms of oppressive language. And girlspeak is sensitized—in the worst case, over sensitized—to that, and can go too far to compensate. But let me tell you, boyspeak was a lot easier to listen to!
Frankly, it is exhausting to listen to girlspeak. My stomach was clenched the whole time wondering where the sentences were going, whether there was any certainty or clarity I could hang my hat on, or whether it was all just a morass of possibilities that I was now supposed to figure out and sort through without clear direction, just a few gentle hints and hopes expressed.
I think there’s a happy medium—a combining of forces that is what a good relationship is all about—that captures the best of both.
It entails channeling your inner guy—you’ve seen it in the yin yang symbol,
or C.G. Jung’s animus/anima: finding that core piece of “other”—of our own direct opposite—that we carry within ourselves.
It means speaking clearly, confidently, directly, with passion and commitment to your point of view—but setting things up briefly at the beginning and/or at the end in a way that opens the door to feedback, or sets up the points to be discussed, what those discussion goals are & how that feedback will be managed.
All tentative and qualifying terms need to be ruthlessly eradicated from the general text. If you can’t bear to get rid of them entirely (I can’t) they go into a one sentence direct, opinionated qualifier. You don’t need to say the recommendations are just your opinion (duh!) and for heaven’s sake don’t be apologetic about having an opinion; you insult the person who is asking you for it.
No one is interested in how nervous you are or how unqualified you feel; they just want you to tell them what you know or recommend in as clear and compelling a manner as you can.
Just shut up about everything else. Ask yourself, would a guy ask that? Say that? Worry about that? No. So forget it.
Later, you can graciously open the door to comments (but don’t stop channeling your inner guy).
Unsolicited advice from Isabel Swift
Wishing you a very Happy Holidays…And taking the opportunity to present Joan Marlow Golan, Executive Editor
December 24, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Harlequin, Inspirational fiction, Isabel Swift, Joan Marlow Golan, Steeple Hill
I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to a remarkable woman: Joan Marlow Golan, Executive Editor, Steeple Hill Books. It’s the season to be thankful for our many gifts, and I consider Joan one of them. Here’s Joan!
“As Executive Editor of Steeple Hill, I manage Harlequin’s inspirational books imprint, with an editorial staff of five in addition to myself. The Steeple Hill imprint consists of three original series, Steeple Hill Love Inspired ®, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense ® and Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical ®–LIH will be launching this February–as well as a single title program that includes Steeple Hill Women’s Fiction and Steeple Hill Cafe®.
“The greatest asset at Steeple Hill is our authors. Steeple Hill authors have won the highest awards in inspirational publishing, the Christy Award and the RITA® Award, as well as myriad prestigious awards from the American Christian Fiction Writers, various regional RWA awards and other honors. Our books have been featured in the media, including The New York Times, USA Today and on The Today Show and even Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show!
“In addition to managing the imprint, I am the proud editor of Steeple Hill authors Hannah Alexander, Judy Baer, Vanessa Del Fabbro, Annie Jones, Catherine Palmer and Janet Tronstad as well as HQN New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller and radio personality Delilah, with whom I’m developing non-fiction titles for Harlequin’s new non-fiction program. Her first title, Love Matters, is out right now.
Q: What is your work history?
A: I’ve celebrated my 10th anniversary at Harlequin—in some ways I feel as if I’ve been here forever, because it’s such a good fit, it feels like “home.†My first job here was as Senior Editor of Silhouette Romance, and then I became Senior Editor of Silhouette Desire. In 2003, I was asked to manage the Steeple Hill imprint, of which I’m currently Executive Editor.
“I began my publishing career in 1979. I’d spent six years getting a doctorate in English and American Literature from Harvard University and was a diehard bookaholic. When I realized that there was a job that involved actually getting paid for reading books, I knew that was the job for me. I was determined to break into publishing despite being told by many that I was “overqualified and underexperienced†for an entry-level job.
“Ultimately, my entrée into the industry was as a Book of the Month Club reader. It took me three months to get that position—I kept calling the BOMC Editor-in-Chief, Al Silverman, and since I knew he was a Yankees fan would chat with him about Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and company, and every month he’d tell me he wasn’t hiring but to call him back next month.
“My first full-time job was as a nonfiction editor at now-defunct Hart Publishing Company, where I edited the bestseller THE 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael Hart, which has spawned many imitators. I went on to fiction, and then I discovered romance publishing—it was love at first sight, and for most of my publishing career I’ve been a romance editor.
“I began my romance publishing career with Richard Gallen, a packager, and then became an editor at Berkley’s Second Chance at Love line, which I eventually managed. When my daughter was a toddler, I decided corporate life wasn’t sufficiently family friendly and mommy-tracked myself for seven years, continuing to freelance.
“Working at home eventually got lonely, but I still wasn’t ready to reenter corporate life, so I got into religious publishing as an editor for Catholic publisher Liguori Publications. After four years, Liguori decided to close their New York office, and by that time I was ready to come back to the corporate world—and Harlequin was ready for me. My friends think I have the dream job . . . and I’m inclined to agree! I especially value the warm relationships built up over years of working together, both in the author/agent community and with Harlequin colleagues.
Q: What are you looking for in submissions?
A: Please note that while we accept all submissions for Steeple Hill series, we do not accept unsolicited manuscripts for the single title program, which includes Steeple Hill Cafe®. As an editor I look for:
– Characters I care about
– A compelling, distinctive author voice
– A story that hooks me with the first sentence and won’t let me put it down.
Q: Do you have any advice for writers for Steeple Hill?
A: Yes.
– Please read our guidelines before submitting to Steeple Hill:
Steeple Hill Love Inspired
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical
Steeple Hill Women’s Fiction
Steeple Hill Cafe
You will also find them on eHarlequin.com—scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click on Writing Guidelines.
– Remember that Jesus got His points across by telling wonderful stories and do likewise.
– Keep in mind that if you do not interest an editor on page one, they aren’t going to read much more (if the editor is me, I am not going to read any more).
– Try to read your work not like an author but like a consumer who has picked it up in the bookstore and is sampling to decide whether or not to buy it.
– The best way to endear yourself to your editor is to deliver your mss. on time.
Q: What are your favorite childhood novels?
A: My all-time favorite novel, which I reread every few years, is LITTLE WOMEN. I also consider it the ur-inspirational novel—not only are many of the chapters named after elements from John Bunyan’s Christian classic PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, but the four March sisters each make an inner pilgrimage to spiritual enlightenment and each finds her mission.
It’s also a very well-written book with a dynamite first line—“’Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ †grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.â€
At various times in my life I’ve identified with each of the sisters, but now I identify most with Marmee—who is a great role model for me as a manager. I have to admit, for me life doesn’t get any better than lying in bed rereading LITTLE WOMEN—I find the March family endlessly fascinating, not to mention never having gotten over my childhood crush on boy-next-door Laurie.
– Another book I adored as a child and is back in print again today is HALF MAGIC by Edgar Eager. Four children, whose widowed mom works so that they are often left to their own devices, find a magic coin that grants wishes—but only by halves. This leads to some terrific adventures and profound life lessons for all of the children. What I really love about this book is the author’s voice. I used to read HALF MAGIC to children I babysat for and they all loved it, too, as did my own kids. I enjoyed it just as much rereading it as an adult. If you’ve never read it, treat yourself!
– Both of these beloved books have great dialog. Dialog is really important in making a novel work—it can provide sparkle, humor, reveal character and fill in the backstory as well as making the pace sufficiently brisk that the reader doesn’t get bored.
Q: Is being an editor what you imagined when you first decided to become one?
A: Actually, not so much. I thought all editors did was read and edit! So what do I do besides read and edit? I participate in a lot of meetings and spend untold hours responding to and generating email, and using my computer, with which I have a love-hate relationship. I also talk on the phone, which I still prefer to email for a real discussion (I respond to the human voice and tend to “hear†books as I read them).
Q: Is there any activity you prefer to reading?
A: I do enjoy other forms of entertainment and am particularly passionate about opera and theater. In the years since my husband died, I have become an avid gardener as well, and planted over 400 bulbs this fall so that I will have “Little Amsterdam†in front of my house in the spring. I enjoy traveling and spent a memorable week in Rome, Italy last year. I also take a Qi Gong class, meditate, and say the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy, the prayer I feel especially called to, every day, and I’m a lector at my church.
But to answer the question, no, nothing does it for me like a good book—and I founded a bookclub in my community that has been meeting for over a decade! I especially enjoy poetry and biography in addition to fiction, with Linda Pastan and Mary Oliver my two favorite contemporary poets at the moment.
My favorite quote is by Logan Pearsall Smith: “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.†Amen!
May visions of sugar plums dance in your head….
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