(Today’s interview questions were graciously answered by Amy Pierpont, Editorial Director of the Forever line at Grand Central Publishing! She has also donated 10 copies of Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Taste Temptation, to be given away to 10 lucky commenters)

Risky Regencies: Welcome to Risky Regencies! First, tell us a bit about the Grand Central program in general. How many romances are released each month? Where do historicals fit in? What settings and time periods are you looking for? What is your submission process? And are there any exceptions to the “agented-only” rule? (We like to start out with lots of questions here!)

Amy Pierpont: It’s great to be here! We release 3 titles per month, with one being a “super release” lead title. There are no hard and fast rules about the number of historicals we publish, but we are also publishing romantic suspense, paranormal romances, and contemporary romances, so we have to be selective!

We don’t definitely rule out any time period, but we do tend to focus on England and Scotland, as we know readers love those settings best.

Our submission process starts when an agent pitches one of our editors who expresses interest and asks that the manuscript be sent. We ask for all our submissions by email because we have Sony eReaders as part of our company’s “green” initiative, which makes things easier for everyone. The editor will read the submission–we try to do so within a month–and if they like it they will negotiate with the agent for the rights.

We try to stick to our requirement for agented manuscripts as much as possible. It really is best for both parties when it comes time to negotiate a contract. However, a couple of informal exceptions come to mind: when we judge contests we may discover a new unagented writer, and when we get a recommendation from one of our own authors about a manuscript by a friend, we do read them. And it’s always exciting when we are able to publish a first book from an author!

RR: What is your own background? What brought you to editing, and to GCP? What’s a typical day like for you? And what’s your favorite/least favorite part of the job??

AP: I’m a bookworm at heart. As a teenager I worked at the local library, where I read every single romance I could get my hands on! My background as a reader of romance (and of horror and gritty suspense!) helped me land my job at Pocket Books, where I happily edited women’s fiction for 12 years. The thrill of working with authors I grew up reading, like Jackie Collins and VC Andrews, was a real dream come true! I also have a healthy appetite for non-fiction, and my first job in publishing and my most recent stint as garden/lifestyle editor at Clarkson Potter allowed me to explore those interests as well. The opportunity to blend my experience as a romance editor and my passion for the genre as Editorial Director of Forever at GCP was an offer I just couldn’t pass up! Forever has a wonderful group of editors and authors, and it’s an honor to work with such dedicated and talented people.

A typical day for me includes a long train ride to and from NYC from Connecticut–I don’t have time to read in the office between meetings for cover art, cover copy, marketing and publicity, production and sales, so it’s a great opportunity to get some reading and editing done. The least favorite part of my job is writing rejection letters. I know how much heart and soul–not to mention blood, sweat, and tears!–goes into writing every word on the page, and when I have to reject a project because it’s not right for our list or the genre, I’m aware that I’m stomping on someone’s dream. I hold out hope, though, that they will find a perfect match at another house. And by far the favorite part of my job is calling an author with good news–whether it’s about acquiring another book, winning an award, or reporting great sales. It’s so rewarding when you’ve had a small part in creating a career for an author.

RR: What are you personally looking for in submissions, particularly historicals?

AP: I encourage all the Forever editors to look first for great storytellers. We’re here to help with subject matter, plotting, and other technical aspects of writing, but the natural talent of knowing how to tell a story is something we can’t teach.

In historicals, there is the added skill of getting the setting and tone correct for the period. It’s a talent I admire, and I can provide some suggestions, but ultimately the ability to immerse the reader in the past is what we depend on the writer for, and why we end up choosing their submission over others.

RR: Is there any kind of book you would love to see but haven’t? What “trends” do you see in romance?

AP: That’s the most difficult question of all! I am always looking for an engaging story that’s told in a fresh and innovative way, and I’m a real sucker for voice. I’ve been known to fall in love with a story that doesn’t have much of a plot simply because the writer is a superb storyteller with a strong voice. Of course, then I work long and hard with the author to make sure there’s a plot to go along with the incredible voice!

Bookstores tell us paranormals are continuing to be strong, and that historicals are on the rise. And the sexier the better; we are looking for super-erotically charged romances. But, like any other business, the popularity of genres seem to be cyclical in nature, so I don’t encourage an historical writer to switch to paranormal just because that seems to be working. There is a real power to sticking to what you know and love to write.

RR: Tell us about GCP’s new covers!

AP: Since coming on board as editorial director, I’ve been working with the art and design team to make the Forever covers sexier than they ever have been! This is the super-sexy paranormal romance Pleasure Unbound by a new author for us, Larissa Ione. And for some books, we have spiced it up by adding our first-ever stepbacks, like the one for To Taste Temptation by historical author Elizabeth Hoyt.

RR: What are some upcoming GCP books we should look for?

AP: This June, look for Pitch Black, romantic suspense from our returning author Susan Crandall, and contemporary romance by Jane Graves in Tall Tales & Wedding Veils.

In July, I’ve already mentioned debut novel Pleasure Unbound, and we’re also excited to be publishing Wendy Markham’s new contemporary romance, That’s Amore, as well as Shari Anton’s wonderful medieval historical Magic in the Night.

In August, we’re publishing the superbly sexy My Wicked Enemy by Carolyn Jewel, the chilling paranormal/romantic suspense Out of Time by Samantha Graves, and the enchantingly romantic A Highlander Never Surrenders by Paula Quinn.

It’s going to be a hot summer! Enjoy!

(This is a continuation of Monday’s blog! You all asked so many great questions, and now we have your answers…)

What does Grand Publishing not want to see in a historical?

I’m a big advocate of never say never. Other than settings which have proven unsuccessful in the marketplace (England and Scotland are still the most popular settings), we’re open to all plot lines and characterizations. As long as there’s a strong love story with a dynamic hero and heroine, strong conflict and engaging drama, as well as strong secondary characters and intriguing secondary plots, we’re happy to take a look. The key to remember is to stay true to the heart of historical romance–an incredible love story set against a lush, fully-realized historical backdrop that makes readers feel as if they’ve stepped into another time and place.

What are some of the Romantic Suspense books that you have coming out soon? I really lean towards that genre in reading.

We’ve got an exciting array of Romantic Suspense writers on our list. Just out now is Karen Rose’s debut hardcover, SCREAM FOR ME, which is heart-stopping suspense at its finest! In June we’re publishing Susan Crandall’s chilling PITCH BLACK, which is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like military heroes, you’ll love our October release NO ESCAPE by Shannon Butcher and Marliss Melton’s TOO FAR GONE, which hits the shelves in November. And for readers who like a splash of paranormal with their suspense, we have Samantha Graves’s OUT OF SIGHT publishing in August, and Rita Herron’s INSATIABLE DESIRE in November.

I am a rabid reader of historical romances but am equally excited to read about your contemporaries and what you look for in one.

We’re looking for contemporaries that create a fully-fleshed out world inhabited by an extended cast of characters and a setting readers will want to return to time again. Meeting our hero and heroine’s family and friends, getting to know their town and their neighbors, really builds a sense of community in the stories, and it’s this sense of community that readers embrace. Heroes and heroines with challenges and conflicts that reflect readers’ own lives and fantasies is also something we look for.

I am curious. What is it about “voice” that speaks to you? What does it tell you about an author and the possibilities? And what sort of voice gets your attention?

Here at Risky Regencies, we decided that once in a while we’d like to take a little break and have you, our wonderful visitors, take over! This month, we welcome Pamela Bolton-Holifield, aka Doglady, who is a 2008 Golden Heart finalist. Congrats, Pam, and welcome!

Hello, my name is Pam, and I am a Big Fat Chicken. There, I said it. Bwawk! Bwawk! Bwaak! Let me explain.

There are two things I have always done. I have always sung and I have always told stories. My Mom says I could sing every word of the Frosty Morning Bacon commercial when I was 3. Don’t remember that one. I’m sure it was a toe tapper. Apparently about the same time I started telling stories. These weren’t the “I didn’t do it. The dog did it,” kind of stories, but real stories with characters and adventures.

Here comes the chicken part. I was fine as long as my audience was doting grandparents and my adoring Dad, who thought I could do no wrong. I miss you, Dad, every day! Put me in front of an audience that has even one stranger in it and I clammed up like Ebeneezer Scrooge with his last penny. I sealed my lips, shook my head, and that was it. Not a word, not a note. Nothing. See? Chicken!!!

I wrote my first novel when I was 9. It was an 800 page romance novel about a half-breed Indian scout and the general’s daughter. My Mom suggested I let the lady who drove the bookmobile in the English village where we lived read it. Nope. Not doing it. To this day not a soul has read I Hate You General Sir. Chicken syndrome strikes again. Although with a title like that I think my poultry imitation was justified.

When I was 12 there was a school-wide talent contest. The prize was a humongous book–The Complete History of Great Britain. We’re talking a “his lordship was killed when his Complete History fell on him in the library. Killed him instantly and left a terrible port stain on the Persian rug” kind of book. I wanted that book. I did not want to sing in the contest. Bwaak! Enter my two best friends, Elizabeth Burt and Tammy Burton. They insisted I enter the contest. In fact, they signed me up for it without telling me. They picked the song–Wandering Star from Paint Your Wagon. They literally shoved me onto the stage when it came my time to sing. And I did, sing that is, and I won. I still have that book. If I can get to that book anyone who breaks into my house is a dead man.

Of course there were consequences. My teacher called my parents in for a conference. I knew I was in trouble. The song has the word “hell” in it. I was in trouble for singing the wod “hell” in a school assembly. I had my defense all ready. “They made me do it!” I was wrong. He told my parents I had real talent. Before I knew it I was talking music theory and piano lessons at the London College of Music. The rest, as they say, is history. My opera career took me all over the world. I sang in some of the best opera houses, cathedrals, and concert halls in Europe, and I had a ball. And I cannot tell you how many times I paused before I went onstage and thought “How did I get here??”

Fast forward a little over a year ago. My local bookseller sent me an email about the Avon FanLit event. “You should do this,” she said. Nope. Not gonna. Bwaak! She bugged me. Worse, she called my BFF and got her to bug me. I finally signed up for it and entered the first chapter just to get them to shut up. They were relentless. Every round I entered, and every round I told them, “My stuff is crap.” My chapter 3 crap won! So I decided to try writing again. I discovered that writing was like the bad boy you keep taking back. He leaves town, treats you bad, and you still take him back.

I entered Lost in Love in contests, and it made the finals in 3. It won the Royal Ascot, and I was thrilled. Then my BFF teamed up with my critique partner, Erin. They bugged me some more. They harassed me. They refused to let up until I said I would enter the Golden Heart. It became a big conspiracy. I had all kinds of people encouraging, aka badgering, me to enter, including some ladies you all know–Risky Regencies, The Goddess Blogs, the Wet Noodle Posse, History Hoydens, and Romance Bandits. How do you say no to two authors whose work you admire–Diane Gaston and Anna Campbell?

Adding fuel to the fire, everyone in my writing group–Passion’s Slaves (hey, Gillian, Erin, Terry Jo, and Marianne!)–decided to enter, too. Kind of like the group of friends who decide it’s okay to streak across the quad naked if you do it in a large group. Not that I know about that sort of thing…

So here I am, a Golden Heart finalist, and no clue how I got here. The writing part is easy (most days), but letting my baby go out into the wide world–that is hard. Especially for the Queen of the Big Fat Chickens.

There are those who say romance novels are fairy tales written for grown women. I happen to like fairy tales. One of my favorite Broadway musicals is based on a fairy tale. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella has lyrics that describe how I feel about romance novels.