I think most writers agree that in order to sell your work, you’ve got to have talent. But, in addition to having the talent, I think timing plays a HUGE role.

There are thousands of writers out there, all fighting to break into the publishing world. And many, many of those writers are talented. So, I think the “break” comes with perfect timing.

Think about it: If a new line is opening somewhere (say, Harelquin and their Nocturne line or Avon Red), then those lines need writers…and it’s the perfect time to submit.

Or, if a line expands, say a category line goes from producing 4 books a month to 6….it’s definitely the perfect time to submit.

Yes, I think talent will push a writer’s work out of the slush pile, and timing, the perfect timing, will push you to a sale.

But if you submit at the wrong time…say you send in a western just as a publishing house has decided to end their western line, talent won’t be enough to save that story. Or, if you have a fresh, brilliant idea that you submit–and then you find out that the publishing house of your dreams just bought a nearly identical fresh, brilliant concept…the timing will just work against you.

So, the issue becomes when do you know the time is right?! Ah…that’s the trick. I read industry blogs, industry mags (Romantic Times), and I try to eagerly grab every bit of gossip that I can in order to seek out my perfect time. And here’s a bit of news that I’ve picked up recently:

Harlequin American is looking for new writers (per the July issue of the Romantic Times).
And, a few weeks ago, Anna Genoese of Tor posted on her blog that she was looking for paranormal romance novels and romantic suspense tales.

Yep, it’s about talent…and timing.

According to a Business Week report, a romance novel is purchased every five seconds. Wow. That’s pretty incredible. And great news for romance writers!

There are certain extremely popular themes that you’ll see over and over in romance–in category romances (Silhouettes/Harlequins), popular themes are: secret babies, amnesia victims, and cowboys.

Some other themes that you may see (not limited to category releases) are: bad boys (this theme is so popular, that Kensington Brava has released a whole series of “Bad Boys” books), marriages of convenience (of course, this generally is more believable in historicals), beauty and the beast relationships, and, the timeless classic–presumed dead heroes/heroines.

I found an interesting listing of popular romance themes on the Romantic Times website. It seems they polled about 200 readers and came up with the fav themes. My favorite: the dangerous hero.

What’s your favorite?

Tuesday is my birthday. I’ll be turning thirty. Yep, the big 3-0. And I have so not been looking forward to this big day.

On Saturday, my good friend Ashley offered to take me to lunch–a nice early birthday treat. I went with her, gossipped happily, and had a rather yummy apple martini. Then, we went back to my place…and I found a party waiting for me.

The hubby (thanks, Nick!) and my truly wonderful friends had arranged a surprise party for me. When I first saw everyone standing in my kitchen, my first impulse was to turn and run–and, um, I think I may have done that. My second impulse was to kick previously mentioned good friend Ashley in the shin and demand to know why she hadn’t warned me. (By the way, I did restrain my kicking impule–after all, she really is a good friend!)

I had delicious ice cream cake, fun chats, and perfect presents. I got a book of hexes, a book of spells, a henna tattoo set, enough chocolate to happily knock me into oblivion, a gift card to my favorite clothing store, a gi-normous witchcraft encyclopedia, a perfect lounge suit for reading/writing, scented candles, a dreaming kit…oh, my lovely list could go on and on! Dang–but I was one happy camper. And, honestly, I was very impressed by my gifts–those people sure know what I like!

(The party concluded with a song from my oh-so-muscially-talented buddy Saundra!)

But wait…cuz the fun didn’t stop there!

Ashley and Felecia then went with me to a local martini bar (hey, I’d only had one so far!). I ordered a Harry Houdini and decided that I’d have to go back to that place soon–it had awesome atmosphere!

Then we headed to the movies–saw The Breakup (um, I’m not going to recommend this–I still don’t really understand why the characters broke up, and I found myself wanting Jennifer’s character to get together with a handsome, rich guy, even though I’m normally a huge Vince fan…)

After the movie…we headed back to my house. And Nick joined us for a tarot reading. We took turns, gazing into the cards and predicting.

I think I got in bed around one.

Very cool. Sigh.

Vampires and werewolves seem to be dominating the paranormal market these days, and hey, I’m not complaining…I love–and write about–both these para faves. But, I’m wondering…what else is hot? What else are readers loving right now?

A demon?
An alien?
A djinn?
A witch?
A sorcerer?

What paranormal character would you like to see taking up a larger chunk of the market? Personally, I’d love a good mummy tale…