Shannon Stacey


Another story gets away from me

The story I intended to write: A fun and sexy romp in which a cowboy tracks down his wayward bride and wins her back.

What I’m ending up with: Cowboy finds his wayward bride, a town rife with corruption, and two children who need him. The poor guy not only has to win back his wife’s love and trust, but save an entire town.

:cowboy: + :nookie: = :bang:

:cowboy: + :hug: vs :villain: = :type:

NOT what I was going for, but apparently the story I’m going to get. Of course I probably tanked its chances of being chosen for the antho I’m subbing it for because the intended hot, warning-worthy sex was replaced by regular sex, fistfights and a gun battle, but I think it’s still a good story, so who knows?

(Submitting to an editor who’s not MY editor makes me nervous, anyway.)

It’s funny, but it just occured to me—if Tony Casavetti (from On the Edge) had been born a hundred years earlier, this could have been his story.

EDITED TO ADD:

I want to clarify something before I get in trouble. I don’t believe the stories for the anthology will be chosen based on sexual content. That’s not what I meant. What I mean is this:

I see an editor’s job as being twofold: 1) To work with an author to make a story the best it can be and 2) to make her publisher money.

Now let’s say—hypothetically—it comes to down to a choice between my story and another. Both romantic, well-written (hopefully) and strong. But the other is a cowboy menage or a m/m or has some other currently uber-selling element—as poignant as Brokeback Mountain, but with smoking hot sex. If you really want both books, but can only take one, you take the one that will sell like homemade blueberry hotcakes.

6 comments to “Another story gets away from me”

  1. Charlene
    Comment
    1
      · November 8th, 2008 at 11:31 am · Link

    Or in the case of anthology selections, you go with the best one that also best fits the theme. But in any case, it sounds like a good story.



  2. Annmarie
    Comment
    2
      · November 8th, 2008 at 11:54 am · Link

    Did you mention blueberry hot cakes? Cause. I want some if you have them.

    The story sounds great. I love heroes that make it all better for everyone. And. I’m a sucker for kids.



  3. Lori
    Comment
    3
      · November 8th, 2008 at 2:02 pm · Link

    Either way, it sounds like another story I’m bound to love :)



  4. Bev Stephans
    Comment
    4
      · November 8th, 2008 at 2:42 pm · Link

    But will the other story be as well written as yours? Just askin’.



  5. Shannon
    Comment
    5
      · November 8th, 2008 at 3:53 pm · Link

    Well, I guess the real question would be is mine as well-written as I hope it is? :baby:

    But that’s my hypothetical theory—if both books are equally well written, and both fit the theme, one would choose the one that would sell the best.

    Or maybe not. They get a LOT of awesome submissions for anthologies, so that’s kind of a crap shoot anyway. If it gets passed on, I’ll have to whine at Angie until she agrees to read it just to shut me up.

    :lol:



  6. Anna Louise Lucia
    Comment
    6
      · November 9th, 2008 at 2:50 pm · Link

    It’ll be fine… *soothe soothe*

    I’d swap 1) and 2), meself. And I in no way think that’s a bad thing…







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