Kevin Hosey is wearing his Co-Editor's hat today

Kevin Hosey, Co-Editor Paramourtal: Tales of Undying Love and Loving The Undead

Today I am sharing some of my thoughts about editing Paramourtal:

I posted last time about writing my first paranormal romance tale for Paramourtal, the collection of stories published by Cliffhanger Books. Now I’ll pass on my experiences of co-editing that anthology. But before I do that, I want to give you a little history of how I ended up editing in the first place.

I've been writing tales of fiction (mostly sci fi and horror), for almost 30 years. But, due to focusing on my career in marketing, I didn’t get serious about it until about seven years ago when I began submitting them to publishers. Never too late to start, right? I was fortunate enough — and excited (I'm a big Trek fan) — to have stories included in volumes 6 and 8 of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds anthologies from Simon and Schuster. Since then, I've managed to have a few more short stories included in various collections and magazines. I've also written two novels (one horror and one sci fi), but I'm still searching for the right publisher to handle them. By "right," I, of course, mean one that will finally say "yes."

Then, in 2008, I decided to try my hand at editing. Why? I was afraid you’d ask that. The phrase "mental breakdown" comes to mind. But in reality it suddenly hit me one day that with all the effort and hard work I put into writing and submitting my stories, why not try editing an anthology myself? It sounded like fun (yep, definitely a mental breakdown), plus, it would give me the opportunity to help other talented writers unleash their work into the world.

But, the aspect of spending months searching for incredible stories and putting an entire book together was daunting, to say the least. So the first thing I did was find a partner in crime who could share in the stress…I mean, glory of my quest. Fortunately, my good friend, Evelyn Welle, an exceptional editor and writer I've know for sixteen years, agreed to accompany me on the journey (and she still hasn't forgiven me).

Once I convinced (begged) Cliffhanger Books to release the book, Evelyn and I began discussing which type of anthology we would produce. She immediately suggested we do a collection of romance tales. Evelyn is a dedicated romance fiction fan and even wrote a novel that won second place in a contest held by the Romance Writers of America. While I consider myself a fairly romantic person, I didn’t feel straight romance would be something I could handle effectively. Also, I prefer fiction with more of a darker edge. So I suggested we compromise and focus on paranormal romance instead. She considered it and agreed.

We spent the next three months accepting submissions from all over the world. That was followed by two months of trying desperately to narrow them down to the ten stories that would go into the book. To be honest, when we began the project I was concerned we wouldn’t receive enough decent submissions to fill the anthology. That wasn't the case at all. Evelyn and I were surprised and delighted to discover that most of them were excellent. Not just the writers' styles, but their ideas, as well. We were afraid all we would get were hundreds of vampire and werewolf tales. We did receive some of those, but we also ended up with some truly unique supernatural characters. And it was tough choosing which were the "best" because they were all so damn good. In fact, I still feel that deciding which stories to use to be the most difficult task of the entire project. It was like deciding which was better: chocolate or peanut butter.

Bearing down, we forced ourselves to select the final ten stories. The interesting thing is, except for myself, all of them were written by women, most of whom had never been published before. When we began searching for stories, we invited both male and female writers to submit. I'm assuming it's just a coincidence that the selected stories were all female. Either that, or maybe there's a good reason that most paranormal romance is written primarily by women. But I'll let you be the judge of that.

We then began two months of working with the writers to do some story edits. All of the authors were very patient and accepted (most of) our suggested revisions. Finally, we reached the point where we were all very happy with the results (and exhausted). So on Sept. 2010 we kicked it (lovingly) out the door.

Our intense work and dedication paid off. Not only has the book been successful, it was also nominated for Best Romance Anthology for 2010 by TheRomanceReviews.com. That recognition is, of course, due to the combined efforts of all the Paramourtal authors. Each of them did a wonderful job, and it was a joy and honor working with them.

I just finished co-editing Gods of Justice, a collection or superhero stories for Cliffhanger Books. Now that its off and running (and garnering some exceptional reviews), I'm about to begin work on Paramourtal 2, the second volume of our para-rom series. Sadly, Evelyn Welle isn't able to commit to the book due to a new job. She will definitely be missed. But K. Stoddard Hayes (Karen, to her friends), my co-editor on Gods of Justice, has volunteered to make sure I don’t screw it up. Needless to say (but I will anyway), we're both very excited about the prospect of finding and working with a new batch of gifted writers.

And that could be you. If you are a writer interested in submitting a story for consideration, we invite you to visit the Cliffhanger website for details and guidelines. Go to http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com. But hurry, the deadline is Oct. 31, 2011.

Editor/Author Biography:
Kevin Hosey is an author, editor and cartoonist. His short stories have appeared in several publications, including two Star Trek Strange New Worlds anthologies (Simon and Schuster), Hint Fiction (W.W. Norton) and the sci-fi magazine, Beyond Centauri. He also co-edited and wrote stories for two anthologies published by Cliffhanger Books. The first was a paranormal romance collection entitled Paramourtal which was nominated for Best Romance Anthology of 2010. The second, a collection of superhero stories called Gods of Justice, premiered at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. His short story, "Cure" (from Hint Fiction), will be filmed by contestants for the 2012 Hint Fiction Film Contest. The films will premiere at the 2012 Vail Film Festival in Colorado. Visit him at kevinhosey.net.

Related Links:
Author Website: http://www.kevinhosey.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKevinHosey
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kevinhosey
Paramourtal Buy Link: http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com/books-paramourtal.html
Publisher Website: http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com

Tomorrow Kevin talks about his writing.

Kevin Hosey Author of "Rain" from Paramourtal (Cliffhanger Books)

Kevin Hosey Author of "Rain" from Paramourtal (Cliffhanger Books)

My thoughts about my Paramourtal story and being in the book.

While I had written a paranormal horror novel and short stories before (still looking for publishers for them), I had never written paranormal romance prior to co-editing the anthology Paramourtal for Cliffhanger Books. In fact, it wasn't my idea to adapt that genre for the book. It was mostly Evelyn Welle's, my co-editor. She is a huge romance fiction fan and even wrote a novel that won second place in a contest held by the Romance Writers of America. Yet, while I consider myself a fairly romantic person, I wanted to do something with more of a darker edge than just pure romance. So we ultimately agreed on paranormal romance.

That decided, I was faced with the one thing that terrifies most writers: coming up with an idea.

But then, to my relief, I suddenly remembered I had already written a story about thirty years ago that contained para-rom elements. Since, fortunately, I have never thrown out any unpublished story I ever wrote (I hate wasting my hard work), I still had the original hand-written tale stuffed in an old box in my attic. So, like the undead buried for centuries waiting for the chance to rise again, I dug it out, dusted it off and typed it into my Mac.

I initially wrote the story not long after I began dating the woman who would become and still is my wife (Hi, honey!). While the basic idea was still sound (a man staying in a mountain cabin meets his soul mate in the woods, only to discover that she is not…quite…normal), it needed some drastic revisions. For one thing, it was just too…sweet. So I watered down much of the sunshine and sugar I pumped into it years ago, and made it darker and scarier. Why? Because that's the kind of stuff I love to read and write. It also gave the two main characters, Kyle and Reanna, more hurdles to overcome in their quest for true love.

Oh, and I saddled Kyle with a very cynical attitude toward the world. In my original version, he was a happy-go-lucky guy who grew even giddier after meeting the "perfect" woman in the woods. But in the revised story, he is in the midst of a very bitter divorce, which is why he journeys to the cabin deep in the mountains in the first place. That change in attitude was something I felt he needed to give him more emotional depth.

I could go into more details about the changes, but then I’d spoil the story. I will say that the new ending I attached has sparked some heated debates amongst people who have read it. Some people love it, while others truly hate it. But as I wrote the story, I felt it was necessary. I didn’t want a typical "happy ending." I'm not saying they don’t end up together (SPOILER ALERT!). They do. Just not the way some people wanted — including Kyle and Reanna.

As for my overall experience of working with paranormal romance, I had a blast. Not only did I enjoy writing the story, but also co-editing the book. It was a wonderful experience working with Evelyn and the other extremely talented authors. Plus, we were all very excited when Paramourtal was nominated for Best Romance Anthology by TheRomanceReviews.com.

Currently, I'm getting ready to co-edit the second volume of the Paramourtal series with the help of K. Stoddard Hayes, one of the authors in the first book. That, of course, means I'll need to write a story, too. Problem is, I don't have another para-rom tale sitting in my dusty old box. So, now I'll have to come up with an entirely new idea.

And that is more nerve-wracking than any paranormal story I could ever write.

Describe your thoughts on being a romance writer.
To be honest, I don’t consider myself a "romance" or even a "paranormal romance" writer. I also don’t consider myself a an author of science fiction, horror, adventure or even young reader fiction, though I have written those type of stories. In reality, I prefer to just think of myself as a writer period. I love trying my hand at various forms of fiction, no matter what the genre or the format.

I even wrote one story last year called "Cure" that was only 25 words long. It was included in a book of 250 stories entitled Hint Fiction. Recently, I was excited to learn that my story was one of only ten chosen from the book to be included in a Hint Fiction Film Contest. Those stories will be used as the basis for films running one minute or less. All of the entries will then be shown at the 2012 Vail Film Festival in Colorado. I am thrilled to be part of the event and I can’t wait to see what they do with my story.

A couple of years ago I made the decision to become an editor in order to help other writers unleash their talent into the world. But I'll discuss more of that and the process of editing Paramourtal in an upcoming post.

A short excerpt from "Rain" (from Paramourtal):
“Kyle….”
Startled by the whisper, Kyle Waite spun away from the deformed tree. No one was there. He stood still, listening. But all he heard were rain drops spattering against the forest floor.
Then he spotted something across the clearing. It was a white form standing amongst the trees. Stepping closer, he realized it was a young woman. And she was staring at him.
“Hello?” Kyle called. When she didn’t answer, he said, “Are you lost?” Then he mumbled, “Join the club.”
Instead of answering, she motioned to him gracefully. Curious, Kyle approached her. As he did, he saw that she was incredibly beautiful. No, she was gorgeous. Shoulder-length honey-tinted hair framed her fair-skinned porcelain face. And her green eyes seemed to reflect bright sunlight even though there was none.
Then he noticed she was only wearing a thin white ankle-length dress that flowed slowly in the cold mountain breeze. It was so sheer he could clearly see she wore nothing underneath.
Why would she be dressed in such skimpy attire? In fact, why was she wandering the woods anyway?
Reluctantly, Kyle pulled his gaze away from her near-perfect figure and focused on her face. There was something oddly…familiar about—
“Hello,” she said. Her voice was gentle and soothing, like the rain falling around them.
“Hi. Are you…aren’t you cold? Would you like my jacket?”
“No, thank you,” she smiled. “I’m fine.”
Kyle nodded. Not sure what else to say, he introduced himself.
She was silent a moment as she gazed into his eyes. Then she whispered, “Reanna.”
“A beautiful name,” he said, and then grimaced. It sounded like a cheap pickup line. He indicated his jacket again. “Are you sure about—?”
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Kyle,” she said, and he smiled at the way she spoke his name. “But, I really don’t need it. I love this weather. It makes me feel alive.”
She did a graceful pirouette and muted sunlight glinted off her hair.
He began to ask what she meant, then blinked when he noticed something incredibly peculiar: She wasn’t wet. They both stood in the midst of a cold mountain rainfall, yet she wasn’t wet. Not even damp.
“I don’t…understand,” he said. “You should be soaked. Why are you still dry?”
She didn’t reply. Instead, her eyes again captured him. Oddly, the fact that she wasn’t wet slipped away. He was still aware of it, it just didn’t seem as important as it had a moment before.
“I don’t mean to be forward, Reanna,” he said hesitantly, “but you are absolutely incredible.”
More possible pickup lines, but he didn’t care. It was true, and he felt compelled to tell her.
Reanna laughed softly. “Thank you.”
She began walking away from the clearing, so Kyle followed.

Author Biography:
I am an author, editor and cartoonist. My short stories have appeared in several publications, including two Star Trek Strange New Worlds anthologies (Simon and Schuster), Hint Fiction (W.W. Norton) and the sci-fi magazine, Beyond Centauri. I also co-edited and wrote stories for two anthologies published by Cliffhanger Books. The first was a the afore-mentioned paranormal romance collection entitled Paramourtal, which was nominated for Best Romance Anthology of 2010. The second, a collection of superhero stories called Gods of Justice, premiered at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. My short story, "Cure" (from Hint Fiction), will be filmed by contestants for the 2012 Hint Fiction Film Contest. The films will premiere at the 2012 Vail Film Festival in Colorado. Visit him at www.kevinhosey.net.

Current and upcoming works:
My previous work can be seen at kevinhosey.net. Currently, I am putting the finishing touches on a horror novel and getting ready to begin co-editing Paramourtal 2, the second volume in Cliffhanger Books' award-nominated para-rom series. If any writers are interested in submitting a story for consideration, we invite you to visit the Cliffhanger Books website for details: http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com

Related Links:
Author Website: http://www.kevinhosey.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKevinHosey
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kevinhosey
Paramourtal Buy Link: http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com/books-paramourtal.html
Publisher Website: http://www.cliffhangerbooks.com

Come back for more from Kevin tomorrow.