Paranormal Writing (Happy Halloween!)

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I spent hours obsessing over my synopsis for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant." I was able to shorten the synopsis considerably by taking out all mention of the villain, but that just didn't feel right. So I decided, hey, I have 2 single spaced pages of synopsis - I'll just double space them to make it easier for the editor to read, and leave it at that. According to eHarlequin.com, they want all of the plot points spelled out, so it doesn't seem like a good idea to not even mention my main subplot.

Today is Halloween so I took my baby out in a cute little giraffe costume while DH and I were running errands. We stopped by the Barnes and Noble at the Cortlandt Town Center and said hi to Vinny Dacquino, who taught my Advanced Writing Workshop. He signed a copy of his book "Hauntings of Hudson River Valley" for me, writing: "To Shana, May the spirits be with you, and may I be receiving a copy of your signed books soon! Best Wishes, 'Vinny' V.T. Dacquino." From his mouth (pen) to G-d's ears!

In honor of Halloween, I am posting the writer's guidelines for Silhouette's short ebook program, Nocturne Bites, from eHarlequin.com.

Length: 10,000—15,000 words
Senior Executive Editor: Tara Gavin
Associate Senior Editor: Ann Leslie Tuttle

Silhouette Nocturne books is looking to acquire paranormal editorial with strong sexual, fantasy and danger elements for its new eBook program, Nocturne Bites.
We’re looking for fast-paced novellas that hook the reader early on by establishing a paranormal world and its conflicts. We are looking for stories of vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, psychic powers, etc. set in contemporary times.
Many of the elements that make a Silhouette Nocturne book successful remain true for the Nocturne Bites series. Stories should deliver a dark, highly sensual read that will entertain readers and take them from everyday life into an atmospheric, complex world filled with characters struggling with life and death issues. A strong alpha hero is of utmost importance—he should be powerful, mysterious and totally attractive to the heroine.
While action-packed and mission-oriented, the scope of these stories should be more contained, with additional focus placed on character development. All stories should be capable of standing alone; all loose ends need to be tied up, and the relationship between hero and heroine should resolve itself in a satisfying manner.
For published authors, this line is a great way to build their miniseries with Harlequin and Silhouette books. Unpublished authors are welcome as well.
Only complete manuscripts submitted electronically will be considered from unpublished authors; no partials or queries, please. Submissions should be sent as a Word-compatible attachment. Submissions should also follow standard formatting guidelines and should be double-spaced and typed in a clear, legible font on numbered pages. Author name and title should appear as a header or footer on each page.
Nocturne Bites e-mail address: nocturnebites@harlequin.ca

That sounds like so much fun to write! I may consider giving it a shot - but not for another month. Today I'm going to print out my plot outline for "Snowed in With a Millionaire" - because NaNoWriMo starts at midnight! Join me and write an entire 50k word novel in one month! I can hardly wait for the official beginning of November 1st! In the meantime, I'll be handing out candy to any little ghouls who happen to knock on my door.

Happy Halloween!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers