What do you find romantic?

I used to think roses and candlelight dinners were the ultimate in romantic gestures. Then I realized anyone can send flowers or make dinner reservations. True romance comes from someone who knows your heart. For example, on my birthday, my husband gave me a beautiful amethyst ring. It wasn’t my birthstone. I hadn’t dropped hints about it. He picked it because I was writing a story in which an amethyst figured prominently in the romance. Only some who knows me and who knows my passion for writing would choose to express his love by using a symbol from my work. That’s romantic.

The other thing I find incredibly romantic are the personal gestures and languages that couples develop over the years. Like everyone, my husband and I use "cute" names for one another. (No, I’m not telling you what they are!) We found tiny, stuffed toys to symbolize that name. Whenever I travel alone, I pack one toy and put the other on his bedside table. It’s a way to stay emotionally close, even when we’re physically apart. After all, how lonely can you get when there’s a fuzzy "you-know-what" sitting on top of the hotel’s clock radio?

Why do you like reading and writing romance?

That’s easy--I love the happy endings. I like entering a story knowing that, no matter how difficult things look, they will end happily. I also love the emotional journey of both the hero and the heroine. My keeper books are full of angst and emotion.

Writing romance is like falling in love. I fall in love with my characters at the same time they fall in love with each other. And, unlike real life, I get to experience both sides of falling in love--his and hers.

It is also fun to try on new careers, new styles and new surroundings. With every book, I get to "become" someone new and look at the world through their eyes.

What do you think is unique about writing an e-published story?

The flexibility of e-publishing appeals to me. For example, Echelon Press is publishing a series of my work as "Dollar Downloads." These are shorter "novella length" stories. There isn’t a large market for this type of story in print--it’s too long for a short magazine story and too short for most romance publishers. Of course, print publishers do put out anthologies of similar length stories, but it isn’t the place for a new writer to break in.

Share how you went about e-publishing One Glass Slipper and Ellie’s Angel with Echelon Press.

Ellie’s Angel was originally written for a Christmas anthology. I started by imagining the most unusual place to spend Christmas. A blaring police siren helped me find my setting--prison! The challenge was too tempting to ignore, so I started writing. When the anthology fell through, I had a story and no market. A friend introduced me to Echelon Press, and I realized their Dollar Downloads would be a perfect fit for Ellie’s Angel. I studied their guidelines, edited the story one last time and sent off a query/cover letter with a copy of the manuscript. Once I became part of the Echelon "family" I was able to submit electronic queries and proposals.

One Glass Slipper is part of a series I proposed to my Echelon editor. The "Once Upon A Wish" series features interconnected "Cinderella" stories featuring modern women. I’ve sent in a proposal for the next story in the series, and I’m working on the third. Keep checking Echelon Press for new releases in the series.

I can’t compare electronic publishing to print publishing since all of my fiction is electronic. I can say that there are slush piles, edits, moments of cover art angst, and the overwhelming feeling that you’ve got to market your tail off in order to get ahead. And although electronic publishing is faster than print publishing, there are still long periods of waiting. As my editor says--a book is a book is a book. Through it all, Echelon has been extremely supportive. The editors and artists are wonderful and responsive. The authors share dozens of marketing ideas and tons of support. I’ve learned a lot about the business from the Echelon family.

What is your favorite romance sub-genre? Who are your favorite authors?

Although I write contemporary romance, I prefer reading historical romance. Reading a different sub-genre lets me enjoy my reading time. When I read contemporaries, I inevitably start to study the structure, analyze the plot and otherwise turn reading into work. That still happens when I read outside my sub-genre, but to a lesser degree. Two of my favorite historical authors are Julia Quinn and Patricia Potter.

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Romance Authors Corner

Kelle Z. Riley
(The Writing Craft)

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