Presenting...Harlequin Hungary (Photo) and Mary-Margaret Scrimger (Interview)

My conundrum: I had a photo, but no interview. An interview with no photo.

So I decided to combine them, though they have nothing to do with each other, except both represent contributors to the editorial team. Here's a picture of the wonderful Harlequin Hungary editorial team, with a note from their editorial manager, Dr. Imre TÉGLÁSY:



"In the background you can see the Picasso painting of the Harlequin child--of course!

"On your left side: Zsuzsanna GLAVINA, senior editor, Vicky SIMORÁDI, senior editor, Dr. Imre TÉGLÁSY, editorial manager, Iren BODA, secretary, Katalin KOLTAY, technical editor, Dora BAKAY, editor.

"Thank you. Köszönöm!"

Imre

Thank you very much--Köszönöm szepen--to the whole editorial team for taking Harlequin editorial to market in your country! (sorry, don't know how to print the proper accents).

I also am delighted to introduce Mary-Margaret, the next installment of the popular editorial interviews:

NAME:
Mary-Margaret Scrimger

TITLE:
Assistant Editor, MIRA Books and SPICE

ROLE:
"My responsibility is varied: I’m responsible for MIRA back covers and prelims; I read a lot of SPICE submissions, particularly SPICE Briefs right now; also, I also work with the Nora Roberts team on Nora Roberts' backlist.

WORK HISTORY:
"I’ve been with Harlequin for 3 years and have recently been promoted to Assistant Editor. Before Harlequin I had a variety of jobs but most of them were part-time or summer jobs to get through school.

WHY PUBLISHING?
"The most important thing for me with work is that I enjoy it and have motivation to do it. If I were working for a financial company or law firm then I don’t think I could get out of bed in the morning.

"Working in publishing is pretty amazing because I get paid to do what I do in my spare time – read. Plus, learning how a book is put together from the inside has given me a new perspective.

FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK
"One of my strongest childhood memories is my Dad reciting Robert Service's poems to us as bedtime stories. Because of my Dad all of my sisters and I have The Cremation of Sam McGee memorized and it is my favorite childhood book.

STORIES THAT APPEAL TO ME NOW:
"I think any story can be interesting depending on the way it is told. I have no interest in brick laying but a few months ago I read a beautifully written story about a brick layer. The author had the skill to pull me into the story and show me a different side of brick laying that I had no idea existed! Those type of books appeal to me--ones that show me hidden secrets that we couldn’t even imagine.

FAVORITE FILMS:
"It really depends on when you ask the question! Right now I’m really into German movies. I bawled in THE LIVES OF OTHERS and GOODBYE LENIN. My all time favorite movie is probably a very unknown movie called SLC PUNK"

Thank you Mary-Margaret for taking the time to share. While I haven't memorized the whole of The Cremation of Sam MacGee (impressive) it is a favorite. And I often flash on the refrain during appropriately strange moments:

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Presenting...Diana Ventimiglia

Name: Diana Ventimiglia

Title: Associate Editor, Desire

Born: Long Island

Lives: Astoria, Queens

What is the last book you bought? Between You and I (and yes it is actually spelled that way; I gasped too)

Last non-job related book you read?
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, currently reading
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Whose books are must-haves for you?
Anything Hemingway and Nick Hornby. I won't say I'm obsessed but I am.

If you were going to the Oscars, what color would you wear? Probably yellow or emerald green.

When you have a terrible day, what comfort food do you have to have?
Burgers and Cupcakes...there's actually a place that sells both and it is the best place on earth.

The movie you need to watch at least once a year:
About A Boy, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (that is certainly the gift that keeps on giving the whole year through), Super Troopers, and When Harry Met Sally...I could watch that movie everyday for a whole year.

What is your theme song?
Sex Bomb by Tom Jones (this could be because I want to go on a date with him) Walk the Dinosaur by Was not Wuz...if you haven't heard it check back to 1986 and you'll thank me.

Go to movies/netflix/buy?
Go.

When you’re not at work, what do you do?
Go to the gym, write, draw, hang out with friends, walk to Magnolia's to get cupcakes.

Where would you live/what would you do if you didn’t have to worry about working?
I think I would live everywhere...or at least try to visit as many places as possible...I'd also study some languages...Italian, French, Japanese.

Who is your longest friend that you still talk to weekly?
My friend Kevin that I've known since middle school.

What was your favorite class in school and why?
Art because there were so many things to experiment with and tools to express myself.

How would you like to become famous?
I'd like to win Project Runway...but first I'll need to learn how to sew....

What do you wish you had invented?
Hmm...cell phones, although I really hate them sometimes.

What other occupation would want?
I would love to be a photo journalist for National Geographic/Anything business... absolutely not want?
Traders, brokers, blah, blah. I don't think I could ever muster the energy to like it.

If you had the option of living one hundred years in the past or future, which would you choose and why?
I've always wanted to go back in the past and see what New York looked like, what my home town looked like, etc.

Which TV show/movie would you like to be on and which character would you play?
Dee from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia...because I have a girl crush on her and I love that show.

What is your least and most favorite household task? Oddly enough I like cleaning the bathroom...I hate doing dishes

What was your favorite childhood book? When did you last reread it? Norma Jean Jumping Bean!!! If anyone has ever heard of it or seen it please let me know!!! I haven’t read it in years!

What would other students have said about you way back when?
They would have said I was outgoing and had really big hair...I'm not kidding, I used to pick out my curly hair in middle school because I didn't know what to do with it.

Do you believe in ESP/magic/ghosts/aliens?
I totally believe in ghosts and they scare the bejesus out of me!

What’s something your colleagues don’t know about you?
I used to figure skate competitively.

What is your favorite sound?
The rain.

Do you have pets?
No, but would like to sneak one into my apartment!

Name one guilty pleasure:
Celebrity magazines--love them!

Who are your role models?
My mom and my friend Mara who has the biggest heart of anyone I know.

And, to paraphrase James Lipton from The Actor’s Studio, when you arrive at the pearly gates, what would you like God/Allah/Mohamed/Moses (insert any other deities here) to say to you?
That I was a kind person who cared about people...and that they have a Burgers and Cupcakes 2 blocks down that way.

Presenting...Allison Lyons

Here's a series of questions Allison answered for an internal wiki that she agreed to share. Some of you may have already 'met' Allison when she posted earlier with her report on the Emerald City Conference.

Name
Allison Lyons

Title
Editor, Continuities

Where were you born?
Queens

Where do you live now?
Queens

Where would you live if you didn’t have to worry about working?
In the mountains

What was your favorite class in school and why?
English--books...

Favorite book you’ve worked out that is out? Ever?
Too many to choose from.

What is the most fun part of your job?
Editing

How would you like to become famous?
I wouldn't...ever

What do you wish you had invented?
The electric fan

If you had the option of living one hundred years in the past or future, which would you choose and why?
Past--I always wanted to know what it was like in turn of the century New York

Which TV show/movie would you like to be on and which character would you play?
TV:
Jane Tennison on Prime Suspect

Movie:
Amelie as Amelie

What is your least and most favorite household task?
least:
Washing floors

most:
Making the bed

What was your favorite childhood book? When did you last reread it?
The Tiny Little House, by Eleanor Clymer--can't remember the last time I read it

Did you ever look back on your high school quote? What do you think about it now?

Yes and it makes no sense--then or now

Do you believe in ESP/magic/ghosts/aliens?
Yes

- Presenting...Mary-Theresa Hussey, Executive Editor

Presenting...Mary-Theresa Hussey

Did you know that when Harlequin Presents launched, it was intended to simply be a verb, that is Harlequin was "presenting" the author to the readers? Well, here I am to present Mary-Theresa Hussey, Executive Editor of the Silhouette imprint.

What does she do? She is responsible for overseeing the overall direction for all Silhouette lines: Desire, Special Edition and Romantic Suspense at the moment, as well as working with her own individual author base.

She is a remarkable reader with an amazing memory and is the unofficial "go to" person for all queries received that start: "I read a book about a guy with a girl and an escaped bear and a car race, but I can't remember..." But let me let her speak in her own words! Tell us, how did it all begin?

"I began as an Editorial Assistant for Silhouette Romance, working for Tara Gavin in '89. She said she knew she wanted to hire me when I sat down, saw Diana Palmer and Ann Major covers on her wall and knew the characters names!

From that point on I moved from Silhouette Romance, Special Edition and Intimate Moments, back to Silhouette Romance to be Senior Editor and then Executive Editor for Silhouette. I was also lucky enough to be in on the start of LUNA Books, and still work with many of those authors."

My list is fairly eclectic. I’d love some Romantic Suspense or Desire writers, and currently work with Red Dress Ink and MIRA authors as well as a lot of paranormal/fantasy writers for Romantic Suspense and Nocturne as well as LUNA. While I’m not as active in acquiring as some other editors--I have a lot of management responsibilities as well--I do keep an eye out for strong projects to bring forward for the company.

"I first started reading series romance when I was 11. We were in Ireland and I ran out of my Nancy Drew titles and my aunt (also Mary Theresa), gave me a batch of Mills & Boon titles. The first one was a Janet Dailey title called THE MASTER FIDDLER and I was hooked by Cholla (yes, that was the hero’s name!). After that, I discovered the stash in the library and used book stores and I’ve never looked back!

"Even in college I used a friend’s local address to get access to the library so I could feed my addiction throughout the year. (I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has run out on that crime. :-) ) I still love the books we publish, and my only frustration is that I’ll never get to read them all!

"I read a lot of Presents, Desire, Romantic Suspense, Special Edition, Intrigue and Blaze and a smattering from the other lines. I’ll also read a bunch of the MIRA and HQN titles as well. And of course all the LUNA titles I didn’t work on! So when I graduated and discovered I could actually get a job working for this company and get these books for free…Well, my fate was sealed!

"I was a series addict from a young age! Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Rick Brant, Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, Trixie Belden, The Happy Hollisters , The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Tom Corbett and more were followed by Tolkien, Heinlein, Norton and others. Characterization, dialogue and fast-paced plotting are and were key. Along with romance, I still love fantasy, romantic suspense, mystery, thriller and larger than life stories.

"The best part of this job is access to the wonderful people—authors and colleagues and readers. Even when I’m reading a manuscript that won’t be publishable, I feel that there’s a sense of hope and positivism in romance that I don’t always find when reading other genres.

"For me, the most difficult part of the job is rejecting manuscripts and dashing hopes. It’s especially hard when it comes to projects that aren’t really very bad, but there’s nothing special about them. As we say, we can often work with a storyteller who needs structure, but someone who has structure but no voice, well, that just isn’t something that an editor can easily fix.

"On the positive side, one of my most recent and exciting purchases has been for debut author Rachel Vincent’s werecat series. STRAY came out in '07 and ROGUE is out right now--April, 2008. [Isabel interjects that she's just learned Rachel will make her debut on the April 13th New York Times Bestseller list at #32, whoo hoo!]. I’ve already read PRIDE and the proposal for PREY. She’s got a wonderful voice and energy and enthusiasm and I really look forward to everyone else reading these projects.

"I have always felt that series novels have a 'formula' in the same way that other genre fiction or certain types of poetry does. There’s a structure, a rhyme scheme, an expected conclusion and a theme, but the writer’s voice and subject matter make it sing...or falter.

"And at the heart of genre fiction is the characters. The reason readers can return to a familiar story idea is the characters are believable, relatable and filled with emotion. The ability to have a reader live vicariously through the character is what makes a real storyteller.

"It’s not an easy thing to do either—I’ve tried maybe twice to write something and never got beyond two pages. The commitment needed to finish a book is intense, and the work is hard! I have total respect and admiration for those who make it look easy and who can face the screen or empty page day after day.

"As for what it takes to make a good editor, most editors I know are intensely curious about a lot of things, but always about people. They watch movies, read magazines, obsess about TV and pop culture. They respond to the zeitgeist, but what interests them is the individual in the situation. They also have to have great memories and incredible patience, as they read a manuscript multiple times!

"They must be willing to invest themselves by striving to help the author say what she wants to say as clearly and cleanly as possible, walking a delicate balance between being a “first reader,” a representative of the publisher and an advocate for the author. Communication is key, and making sure that the end goal—of a “good story, well told”—is achieved.

"If I wasn't going to be an editor—and money, skill and talent were no object!—I’d probably like to be a photographer for children, landscape or even weddings. But it makes a nice hobby at least!"

Their loss is our gain—though Matrice is also our unofficial photographer and in between the numerous piles of books, her office has many beautiful photographs of children and landscapes and family events. Truly, a renaissance woman.

Presenting...Emily Rodmell

Name: Emily Rodmell

Title: Assistant Editor

Role: I edit and acquire for the Steeple Hill lines.

Tell us about yourself: I've been at Harlequin since 2004. Before that, I worked as a newspaper editor at several newspapers in my home state of Florida, and then worked at Scholastic here in New York City. I started at Harlequin as an Editorial Assistant, was promoted to Assistant Editor and am now acquiring and editing books for Steeple Hill.

For Steeple Hill, I’m looking for inspirational romance, romantic suspense and historicals for our three Love Inspired lines: Steeple Hill Love Inspired, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense and Steeple Hill Historicals.

We're especially focussed on building our author base for the Love Inspired Suspense line. In addition, I’m also looking for women’s fiction and non-fiction for our single title line. Note that Single Title submissions must be agented, though.

In the past year, I've acquired three brand new authors that we’re very excited about. Missy Tippens’ debut novel Her Unlikely Family will come out in the Love Inspired line in February, 2008. Lynette Eason’s debut novel, Lethal Deception, will be published by Love Inspired Suspense in February, 2008 and her follow-up books, River of Secrets and Holiday Illusion, will be released in August and November. And Dana Mentink will also be writing for Love Inspired Suspense. Her first novel with us, Killer Cargo, will be released in June 2008 and her second, Flashover, will come out in January 2009. They have all been very busy writing!

We’re actively acquiring for the Love Inspired Suspense line these days, and we’re very open to new authors. For publishing in general, I would suggest researching the lines you submit to. Make sure your book will fit in, but also make sure that it has a special, unique quality to it. Don’t send in a cookie-cutter manuscript. But also don’t send it something that is so complely different that it doesn’t fit the line.

What are your pet peeves? Manuscripts that were submitted without the author reading our guidelines first. If you’re going to submit, make sure that your manuscript fits within our word count range and doesn’t contain material inappropriate for the targeted line.

What kind of stories appeal to you now? For my personal reading, I like novels with strong heroines. I also enjoy journalistic memoirs and current events titles.

Do you have a favorite book? My favorite book of all time is Gone With the Wind.

Emily sounds like a true romantic--a requirement to be successful at this job. Thank you.

Presenting...Elizabeth Mazer

Name: Elizabeth Mazer

Title: Editorial Assistant, Steeple Hill/Silhouette

Role: Responsible for providing administrative and editorial support to the Senior Editor of Love Inspired/Love Inspired Suspense and the Executive Editor of Silhouette Books primarily through evaluating submissions, providing author support and guiding manuscripts through the stages of production.

Publishing Background: I began at Harlequin in my current position in April, 2007. Prior to that, I worked in the editorial department at what was then known as Bookspan (now Bertelsmann Direct North America) first with Crossings Book Club, and later with Book Development.

Submissions: We’re actively looking for new authors for Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense, and the Silhouette lines, and will consider both agented and unagented submissions.

As for formatting, I’d prefer to receive a full synopsis along with the first three chapters. Please list the specific line you’re targeting.

Pet Peeve: Insufficient research! Misspelling my name, or the name of the line in the cover letter can make it very hard for me to give the rest of the submission serious consideration.

The author has to sell me not just on the qualities of her book, but also on how well her story would fit into our line, and I become very hard to convince when I sense that the author hasn’t done her homework.

What I Want to See: Strong, sympathetic characterization. The harder I have to work to relate to the characters, the more likely I am to give up on the book altogether!


Thank you, Elizabeth. So there you have it--I couldn't add a thing. Which comment, coming from an editor, is a real compliment!

- Presenting...Joan Marlow Golan, Executive Editor

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to a remarkable woman: Joan Marlow Golan, Executive Editor, Steeple Hill Books. Here's Joan!

"As Executive Editor of Steeple Hill, I manage Harlequin’s inspirational books imprint, with an editorial staff of five in addition to myself. The Steeple Hill imprint consists of three original series, Steeple Hill Love Inspired ®, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense ® and Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical ®--LIH will be launching this February--as well as a single title program that includes Steeple Hill Women’s Fiction and Steeple Hill Cafe®.

"The greatest asset at Steeple Hill is our authors. Steeple Hill authors have twice won the highest awards in inspirational publishing, the Christy Award and the RITA® Award, as well as myriad prestigious awards from the American Christian Fiction Writers, various regional RWA awards and other honors. Our books have been featured in the media, including The New York Times, USA Today and on The Today Show and even Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show!

"In addition to managing the imprint, I am the proud editor of Steeple Hill authors Hannah Alexander, Judy Baer, Vanessa Del Fabbro, Annie Jones, Catherine Palmer and Janet Tronstad as well as HQN New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller and radio personality Delilah, with whom I’m developing three non-fiction titles for Harlequin’s new non-fiction program.

Q: What is your work history?

A: I just celebrated my 10th anniversary at Harlequin—in some ways I feel as if I’ve been here forever, because it’s such a good fit, it feels like “home.” My first job here was as Senior Editor of Silhouette Romance, and then I became Senior Editor of Silhouette Desire. In 2003, I was asked to manage the Steeple Hill imprint, of which I’m currently Executive Editor.

"I began my publishing career in 1979. I'd spent six years getting a doctorate in English and American Literature from Harvard University and was a diehard bookaholic. When I realized that there was a job that involved actually getting paid for reading books, I knew that was the job for me. I was determined to break into publishing despite being told by many that I was “overqualified and underexperienced” for an entry-level job.

"Ultimately, my entrée into the industry was as a Book of the Month Club reader. It took me three months to get that position—I kept calling the BOMC Editor-in-Chief, Al Silverman, and since I knew he was a Yankees fan would chat with him about Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and company, and every month he’d tell me he wasn’t hiring but to call him back next month.

"My first full-time job was as a nonfiction editor at now-defunct Hart Publishing Company, where I edited the bestseller THE 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael Hart, which has spawned many imitators. I went on to fiction, and then I discovered romance publishing—it was love at first sight, and for most of my publishing career I’ve been a romance editor.

"I began my romance publishing career with Richard Gallen, a packager, and then became an editor at Berkley’s Second Chance at Love line, which I eventually managed. When my daughter was a toddler, I decided corporate life wasn’t sufficiently family friendly and mommy-tracked myself for seven years, continuing to freelance.

"Working at home eventually got lonely, but I still wasn’t ready to reenter corporate life, so I got into religious publishing as an editor for Catholic publisher Liguori Publications. After four years, Liguori decided to close their New York office, and by that time I was ready to come back to the corporate world—and Harlequin was ready for me. My friends think I have the dream job . . . and I’m inclined to agree! I especially value the warm relationships built up over years of working together, both in the author/agent community and with Harlequin colleagues.

Q: What are you looking for in submissions?

A: Please note that while we accept all submissions for Steeple Hill series, we do not accept unsolicited manuscripts for the single title program, which includes Steeple Hill Cafe®. As an editor I look for:

- Characters I care about

- A compelling, distinctive author voice

- A story that hooks me with the first sentence and won’t let me put it down.

Q: Do you have any advice for writers for Steeple Hill?

A: Yes.
- Please read our guidelines before submitting to Steeple Hill:
Steeple Hill Love Inspired
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical
Steeple Hill Women's Fiction
Steeple Hill Cafe

You will also find them on eHarlequin.com—scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click on Writing Guidelines.

- Remember that Jesus got His points across by telling wonderful stories and do likewise.

- Keep in mind that if you do not interest an editor on page one, they aren’t going to read much more (if the editor is me, I am not going to read any more).

- Try to read your work not like an author but like a consumer who has picked it up in the bookstore and is sampling to decide whether or not to buy it.

- The best way to endear yourself to your editor is to deliver your mss. on time.

Q: What are your favorite childhood novels?

A: My all-time favorite novel, which I reread every few years, is LITTLE WOMEN. I also consider it the ur-inspirational novel—not only are many of the chapters named after elements from John Bunyan’s Christian classic PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, but the four March sisters each make an inner pilgrimage to spiritual enlightenment and each finds her mission.

It’s also a very well-written book with a dynamite first line—“'Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,' ” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.”

At various times in my life I’ve identified with each of the sisters, but now I identify most with Marmee—who is a great role model for me as a manager. I have to admit, for me life doesn’t get any better than lying in bed rereading LITTLE WOMEN—I find the March family endlessly fascinating, not to mention never having gotten over my childhood crush on boy-next-door Laurie.

- Another book I adored as a child and is back in print again today is HALF MAGIC by Edgar Eager. Four children, whose widowed mom works so that they are often left to their own devices, find a magic coin that grants wishes—but only by halves. This leads to some terrific adventures and profound life lessons for all of the children. What I really love about this book is the author’s voice. I used to read HALF MAGIC to children I babysat for and they all loved it, too, as did my own kids. I enjoyed it just as much rereading it as an adult. If you’ve never read it, treat yourself!

- Both of these beloved books have great dialog. Dialog is really important in making a novel work—it can provide sparkle, humor, reveal character and fill in the backstory as well as making the pace sufficiently brisk that the reader doesn’t get bored.

Q: Is being an editor what you imagined when you first decided to become one?

A: Actually, not so much. I thought all editors did was read and edit! So what do I do besides read and edit? I participate in a lot of meetings and spend untold hours responding to and generating email, and using my computer, with which I have a love-hate relationship. I also talk on the phone, which I still prefer to email for a real discussion (I respond to the human voice and tend to “hear” books as I read them).

Q: Is there any activity you prefer to reading?

A: I do enjoy other forms of entertainment and am particularly passionate about opera and theater. In the almost two years since my husband died, I have become an avid gardener as well, and planted over 400 bulbs this fall so that I will have “Little Amsterdam” in front of my house in the spring. I enjoy traveling and spent a memorable week in Rome, Italy, in October. I also take a Qi Gong class, meditate, and say the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy, the prayer I feel especially called to, every day, and I’m a lector at my church.

But to answer the question, no, nothing does it for me like a good book—and I founded a bookclub in my community that has been meeting for over a decade! I especially enjoy poetry and biography in addition to fiction, with Linda Pastan and Mary Oliver my two favorite contemporary poets at the moment. My favorite quote is by Logan Pearsall Smith: “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.” Amen!