It’s a brave new world out there and there are more resources and opportunities for romance writers than ever before. Here are five great sites you may not have known about, but which could help launch your career:

• Romance Divas. This website is command central for many romance writers. Founded and frequented by many published authors, Romance Divas offers free workshops, a very active forum, and a chat room in which writing challenges are the order of the day. (I confess that without this chat room and the writers there who egged me on, I might not have finished my last novel for HQN’s Silhouette Nocturne line.) While a popular hangout for published authors, it’s also a very welcoming place for the aspiring author and readers too. Just this month, several Romance Divas (including yours truly) offered up a virtual anthology of free stories in honor of Valentine’s Day.
• Dear Author This review site can be funny enough to make you spit-take, but it also strives to be fair to the romance community. Thoughtful discussions on the future of the industry take place regularly here and the cross-section of opinions from readers and authors alike is valuable for the professional writer.
• eHarlequin.com. It may seem a little dodgy for me to recommend my own publisher’s website, but in spite of the recent self-publishing debacle, eHarlequin remains one of the most active romance communities on the net. Readers not only buy books there and subscribe to category lines, but they also hang out and chat with authors. I’ve had more than a few readers tell me that they’ve picked up my books simply because I participate in the forums.What’s more, there are many resources for the aspiring writer–including virtual pitch sessions with editors.
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Sometimes the snark factor at “The Bitchery” can be a little much, but the site is a wonderful hodgepodge of all things Romance, great and small. Sometimes it’s a quest to expose plagiarism, other times it’s a quest to find the title of a book that a reader once read but can’t remember. What’s more? Nora Roberts shows up in the comments section all the time, as if she were a mere mortal.
• Romance Wiki. I didn’t even know this site existed until a fan wrote to me to ask me for a list of every Silhouette Nocturne ever written. I had no idea, but Romance Wiki came to the rescue. The resource page alone is worth its weight in gold.
• Romance in the Backseat. I had the pleasure of meeting Terry Kate at RWA Nationals last year. She was the first friendly face I saw, and she carries her enthusiasm to her website where she offers interviews and promotional opportunities for authors. She even sponsors virtual writing conventions!

Okay, so that’s really six great sites for romance writers, not five. But instead of contemplating my abysmal math skills, get online and make the most of the opportunities available!

I’ve had a pretty great year, but with deadlines looming, I’m a stress-case right now and the day didn’t start well. I woke up to snow outside and cat-hairballs on the inside. But then I found this little gem in my inbox from The Naughty Little Vamp. I’ve been fortunate enough to have garnered a string of glowing reviews for my work, but this one may just be my favorite so far because she shares my appreciation for nymphs and because she said “wow.”

The review reads in part:

I first stumbled across Stephanie Draven’s work via her Nocturne Bite Midnight Medusa, and was immediately captivated. I had to pick up Wild, Tethered, Bound, as soon as it was available. Draven explores much darker territory than you might expect – war being crucial to the plot of this story. Nick, whilst a typical alpha male in some respects, is uniquely presented via his split personalities and the aspects of his psyche they represent. Dessa is a strong, determined heroine who initially pursues Nick for her own ends rather than any real emotional attachment. At first glance, this should make for a rather cold, selfish romance, but Draven neatly and expertly redeems her characters through their interactions with each other. Whilst mutual need might be the starting point for their romance, by the end of the story you’re in no doubt that these two are genuinely in love. And Draven doesn’t use the “fated to mate” trope to accomplish it, which gains bonus points from me.

I found the backdrop for the story fascinating. Whilst it’s not unusual for romances to use exotic locations, this is the first I’ve read set in the Middle East, using war as a catalyst for the plot. It works well, giving an extra depth and realism to the mythology of the story. Nick is a believable war veteran, and Draven offers some poignant memories of the conflict, via her protagonists, that completely sells the location and time period.

Draven also uses mythology expertly. I haven’t come across any other books using nymphs/dryads before, and after finishing Wild, Tethered, Bound, I wasn’t quite sure why. Greek mythology crops up fairly frequently in the paranormal romance genre, and I’d love to see more people using these lesser-known entities. Dessa was lovely – strong, compassionate, and very definitely not human in her thoughts and actions. And I thought Draven’s use of the chimera story, via Nick’s condition, was very fresh – something else I’d like to see more of.

And speaking of Nick’s condition – wow. The sex scene. No, the sex scene. I’ve never read anything quite so risqué in a Harlequin romance, but really? We need more. The possibilities available to a man who can literally split himself in three are hot.
There’s a lot to like about Wild, Tethered, Bound. Our hero and heroine are deftly characterised and convincingly brought together as a couple. The sense of place is strong, and the story is compelling. If I have one complaint about the novella it’s that it was just that – a novella. I can’t wait to see what Draven will do with a full-length novel. And I highly recommend both this story and the first, Midnight Medusa (although they can be read separately). Draven is a writer to watch.

Thank you for brightening my day, intrepid reviewer. And never fear. My full-length Nymph-of-the-underworld should be out in the coming year!

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.