Are you an aspiring paranormal romance author? Harlequin’s Silhouette Nocturne line is one of the best markets out there for innovative speculative fiction and here are the top five tips I’ve learned writing for HQN:

1. Nocturne Heroes Don’t Cry

Editor Tara Gavin once shared with me that she rejects many books for Nocturne because the heroes are too soft. Nocturne readers are looking for an unrepentantly alpha hero. Now, as a writer, I know that showing a hero’s heroism is tricky when he’s not the type to show the chinks in his armor, but there are ways to delve into his emotions without letting him get weepy. By way of example, in my Nocturne Bite WILD, TETHERED, BOUND, my hero is a wounded soldier and a gambler. He doesn’t know how to say romantic things, so he explains to the heroine how much he loves her by using casino metaphors instead.

2. Exposition Should be Tightly Woven Throughout

In category fiction, you don’t have a lot of room to both build your world and tell your story, especially when it comes to the novella length Nocturne Bites. Don’t think you’ll save space by dropping a big info dump at the start of your story–you’ll only slow down the pace. Better to draw your world-building through the story with expert exposition, making use of every opportunity to let the mystery of your paranormal world unfold.

3. Settings Should be Atmospheric

It’s always been my belief that a reader wants to be swept away, someplace interesting and exotic, even if that place is simply the wooded lot behind her own house. A writer should exploit the lushness of the setting, conveying the sights, sounds, scents, textures and even the tastes. In my first Nocturne Bite, MIDNIGHT MEDUSA, the Greek god of fury kidnaps the heroine and takes her on a whirlwind journey across the world. My editor seemed to appreciate the small but telling details I included about Asia and Scandinavia, and I have noticed a definite Nocturne trend towards stories that are set in exotic or unusual locations.

4. Avoid Episodic Structure

As an author of much shorter stories, my first instinct is to let the reader infer anything that doesn’t need to be stated outright. As I was told by one of the Nocturne editors, however, readers of romance novellas prefer more grounding. Ideally, each scene should give cues to where and when it is occurring sooner, rather than later.

5. Don’t be Afraid to Color Outside the Lines

There’s been a transgressive element in everything that I’ve written for Nocturne. In MIDNIGHT MEDUSA, I made the unconventional choice to tell a story about love and war crimes; that story ended up being my first sale to Nocturne. In WILD, TETHERED, BOUND, I felt compelled by the divided nature of my hero to write a foursome, and my editor didn’t bat an eyelash. In fact, she asked me for an additional sex scene. In my forthcoming novel about an arms dealer and the knife-wielding nymph of the underworld who is intent upon killing him, I proposed a story about profound identity betrayal, and it was met with an enthusiastic offer. So if your story is good and it speaks to you, don’t hold back. Let your freak flag fly. It might just land you a contract.

Over at Long and Short Romance Reviews, I’ve been rated Spicy and perhaps just short of hawt But enough about me. They also seem to have liked WILD TETHERED BOUND…

Stephanie Draven is a new author for me and after reading this book I am ready to read more of her books.

The characters of this book were unbelievable. They were so easy to understand and relate too…even if it has a twist of paranormal to it. The characters were strong and felt like someone you knew. The scenes in this book are intense and very enjoyable.

The complexity of this novel still blows my mind. Ms. Draven has taken so much and pushed it tightly into 59 pages, which is incredible. As a reader you are able to keep up with the plot, you know what is going on, but you have no idea as to what is going to happen next. It’s a great read and one any paranormal fan will love.

Well, thank you reviewer! Now that you’ve already reviewed my book, I won’t seem like a suckup when I thank you for all you do for the genre.