January 2002 - Issue 5

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In this issue

• Editorial comments

• Livewire update

• "The Investigators" - Livewire's latest category

• Feature article - the missing ingredient - "romantic intensity"

Next issue

• Livewire update

• Establishing our "house style"

• Feature article - Originality - the key to writing a book that will interest a publisher

Editorial comments
Since the last newsletter, I've been involved with editing four novels and guiding the first release Livewire authors through the re-write process. This has been a huge task - one that requires total focus.

I have been fortunate to collide with some talented writers who submitted works of an extremely high standard in the first instance. The books also had the component I'm looking for - Originality.  This is the topic for the  feature article in the next issue.

Writing techniques, story structure adjustments and character re-development are all things that an Editor can work with a writer to "fix". Originality is something that must come from the writer. This relates to the story content and, to a large extent, the characters and how the writer orchestrates their behaviour, speech, thoughts and feelings.

With so many romance novels in the market, and so many  writers striving for publication, it isn't easy to formulate something different. It takes ingenuity and the willingness to stretch your imagination beyond its extremities. If you can capture an "original concept" when you formulate your stories, you'll have a better chance of writing a much richer romance novel and achieving publishing success.

Another vital component of any romance novel is "romantic intensity" - the subject of the feature articles in this issue. I see a lot of submissions in which there is too much conflict and action and not enough of the romance elements that should be a big part of any romance novel.

The Livewire first release authors have all given me originality and lots of romantic intensity.  Once the books come onto the market, readers and writers will be able to see why Livewire new millennium romance novels are original, very romantic, exciting and in tune with today's lifestyles.

Robyn Lidstone - Publishing Director