What Are We Publishing?

Publishing is always a bit of a game, but sometimes I feel more like I’m racking up publishing “points.” This year, I’ve found myself with some unexpectedly free writing time. I wrapped up writing the series I was working on (the Valkyrie Brothers) and I didn’t have a next grand project to launch into. Which meant I found myself surfing around the author communities and checking out open submission calls. Short stories are always a unique challenge, but for some reason there have been some what I would call “long-short story” openings.  Usually short stories are under 5,000 words, but these were running 8 or 9 thousand words and then there were some novella openings at 15,000 – 20,000 words.  Which was when I decided to give myself carpal tunnel syndrome and to rack up as many publishing points as possible.

Short Stories

Short stories usually publish in magazines and anthologies and are often snapshots of a moment. Compressing an entire plot into a short story is almost impossible.  Respect to the writer’s who can accomplish it, but my view of short stories are that they are their own format and have their own rhythm and conventions.

Mid-Length

But mid-length stories?  Hmmm… This was a new challenge for me.  At 8-9k words that seemed like enough room to get an entire plot in.  So I went back to my plotting systems, worked on some outlines, and then did math. I know that doesn’t sound natural for a writer, but once I knew how many scenes/chapters I had, I could divide by the total allowed word count and figure out my allowed words per scene.  And then I could see how badly I was blowing past that word count.

Novellas

I used the same formula for the 15-20k word novellas as I did for the mid-length stories and was happy with the increased word count. The finished products seemed a bit “naked” in that I felt like if I wanted them to be full length novels they should have more description. However, even with the length requirements and fast pacing I still felt like I had a complete story and I was happy with the results.

For this experiment the openings were in spicier romance novels, which is not my usual readership.  Since I didn’t want to ambush any of my readers with extra spicy content, I decided to submit the stories with a pen name and I asked readers for help picking what to use. The results are now in and Vivienne Cross was the clear winner.

So What’s Next?

Here’s a quick run down of stories that are in the works (or have been published already).

• Front Desk Staff – Short Story – This crime short found a home in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers and will be out June 18 – BUY NOW: https://amzn.to/3FGfkzF

• Carol of the Bells – Mid-Length – This Hallmark-style small town romance will be in the 12 Knights of Christmas anthology and will be out in October.
• Love, Lefse, & Murder – Mid-Length – This Cozy Culinary Mystery is on submission and was sent off with a lingonberry jam recipe.  Fingers crossed, but if it doesn’t go to the anthology I’ll still be sure to share the recipe with all of you!
• Bound by Desire – Novella – This incubus romance is on submission to the publisher and I’m hopeful that this sex positive tale will find a home, but it will definitely be a Vivienne Cross story.
• Forged in Flame – Novella – Also with a publisher, this dragon shifter romance has got all the tropes and takes place in Hawaii.  It’s possible I just wanted to go to the beach when I wrote it, but it’s another Vivienne Cross novella.
• Savage Hope – Novella – I was going to submit this story about a girl on the run from her necromancer stepdad, but I ended up loving it too much.  So I’m keeping it and will be adding it to my Supernatural series.  It’s got horror story vibes, motorcycles, and an army of undead roadkill.  One of the most fun things I’ve written recently.
• Deja Brew – Novella – A paranormal (but clean) romance, this one features a coffee shop owner who sees the future, but only a few minutes ahead.  I’m still writing this one, and the girl just found out that the guy used to work for the corporate coffee chain that wants to buy out her store! Wish them (and me) luck.
• And of course (and most important) … Emergency Exit – Novel – Release date: 9/22/25 – Book 3 of the Valkyrie Brothers series. Tech investor Asher Valkyrie hired Harper Smoak to be his fake girlfriend for stress-free social events, but the faux-relationship quickly sends real sparks flying. What began as a simple arrangement soon turns into a high-stakes game of love and survival when Ash’s lies begin to unravel. – PREORDER NOW: https://amzn.to/43ZKsT6

If all goes well, then between 2025 – 2026 then I should have 5-6 additional publishing credits beyond my usual novels.  And yes, that seems like a lot to me too.  But if I’m going to get all the publishing points and play the game, then I’m going to play to win.  I’ll keep everyone posted on how things go!