The Following are the Only Categories of Original Fiction We are Currently Acquiring.

Editorial Guidelines for Leisure Books and Love Spell

Historical Romance — Sensual romances with strong plots and carefully thought-out characterizations. Spunky heroine whose love for the hero never waivers; he’s the only one she makes love with and she’s as passionate as he, although he may have to instruct her in the ways of love, since she’s almost invariably untouched before she falls in love with the hero. Hero is often arrogant, overbearing; heroine often can’t stand him at first, but discovers that beneath the surface lies a tender, virile, and experienced lover. It helps if both the heroine and hero have a sense of humor — a certain amount of wit leavens the heavy-breathing passion. Hero and heroine are separated by emotional conflict or the twists and turns of the plot, but in the end they overcome the barriers between them and live happily ever after.

We don’t want a heroine who sleeps around, or a hero who’s sadistic, although if there’s a villain or villainess, he or she can be as nasty as possible.

Historical background, details of costume, etc., should be accurate; however, we don’t want endless descriptions of battles, the political climate of the period, or a treatise on contemporary social history. Our readers are much more interested in the trials, tribulations, and love life of the heroine than in how many men Napoleon lost at the Battle of Waterloo.

Historical Romances should be approximately 120,000 words.

Futuristic Romance — Futuristic Romances contain all the elements of Historical Romances — beautiful heroine, dashing hero, some conflict that separates them, a happy ending, etc. — but they are set in lavish lands on distant worlds. Avoid science-fiction-type hardware, technology, etc.

Finished manuscripts should be 120,000 words.

Time-Travel Romance — A modern-day hero or heroine goes back in time and falls in love. Traditional guidelines for Historical Romances apply. The challenge here is to maintain credibility during the transition between the present and the past. The fun is seeing history and another way of life through the eyes of someone from our own time. The conflict and resolution of the romance arise from the fact that the hero and heroine are from different eras.

Beware of a lot of philosophizing about fate, the meaning of time, and how the past affects the present. No time machines please.

Finished manuscripts should be 120,000 words.

Paranormal Romance — Either historical or contemporary romance with magic, witches, ghosts, vampires, etc., as a subsidiary element. Must have a happy ending.

Finished manuscripts should be 120,000 words.

Other Categories

Westerns — Exciting novels set in the Old West (before 1900 and west of the Mississippi River) with three-dimensional characters and strong plots. Historical accuracy is important, but should not eclipse the story. In addition to traditional heroes, Native Americans, women, African Americans, etc. are fine as protagonists.

Finished manuscripts should be 70,000 to 90,000 words.

Historical Fiction — Sweeping sagas set primarily in the Old West, containing all of the general elements of Westerns, but with a larger scope and greater cast of characters.

Finished manuscripts should be 90,000 to 115,000 words.

Horror — Suspenseful, terrifying novels in a contemporary setting. Supernatural horrors (ghosts, vampires, demons, monsters, etc.) are strongly preferred, although psychological suspense and killers on the loose can work if well-handled and original. Please avoid science fiction.

Finished manuscripts should be 80,000 to 115,000 words.

Technothrillers — Action-filled, contemporary or near-future thrillers with emphasis on cutting-edge technology, frequently featuring advanced jets, submarines, weaponry, etc. Conflict should be on a large, usually international, scale.

Finished manuscripts should be 90,000 to 115,000 words.

Other Guidelines for Submmiting Material to Leisure Books and Love Spell

Please query or submit synopsis and first three chapters only — no complete manuscripts unless specifically requested. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope (of sufficient size) for possible return of proposal or manuscript. No material will be returned without SASE.

Synopsis, sample chapters (and manuscript if requested) must be typed, double-spaced. Word processors are okay, but letter quality only. Please retain a copy of all material sent, in case the original gets lost in the mail.

For a free catalogue of Leisure Books, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (#10) to:

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc. 276 Fifth Avenue Suite 1008 New York, NY 10001 Tel: (212) 725-8811 FAX: (212) 532-1054

The best way to learn to write a Leisure or a Love Spell romance is to read a Leisure or a Love Spell romance.

Leisure & Love Spell Temporary Acquisition Subgenres

Legendary Lovers — Legendary lovers is a series intended to revolve around well-known characters from popular culture. Classic romantic characters — either a pair or alone — from all categories are welcome, including literature, mythology, history, and film. The story must be carefully plotted, drawing the legendary lover(s) out of their original setting and forcing them into a situation which makes them either find new love, or work through romantic conflict with their legendary counterpart. The setting can be historical, time-travel, paranormal or contemporary, but the focus should be either upon the theme which makes the original so compelling, or a clever new retelling of the old story.

In all other respects, authors should follow the basic guidelines provided earlier.

Finished manuscripts should be approximately 95,000 to 100,000 words.

Faerie Tale Romances — Though we have already scheduled a year’s worth of faerie tale romances, we will continue to acquire the occasional faerie tale manuscript if particularly strongly written and well told. faerie tale romances can be historical, time-travel or contemporary in setting, and should follow our other submissions guidelines. The books are retellings of well-known faerie tales, in which the authors have tapped into what they find particularly evocative and everlasting about those tales.

Dorchester Publishing
Leisure Books and Love Spell
276 5th Avenue, Suite 1008
New York, NY 10001
E-mail dorchedit@aol.com
Website http://www.dorchesterpub.com