Chatting with Love Inspired Editor Elizabeth Mazer

Last year at this time, I was in the middle of Love Inspired Suspense’s Search for a Killer Voice contest. The result? Six new authors, including myself,  were contracted. In fact, the first three books are starting to pop up in stores now.

And now the fabulous Love Inspired editors are at it again!!! They have recently announced a new contest called Blurb to Book. This time, they are looking for authors for all three of their lines.

In preparation for this outstanding opportunity,  my editor, Elizabeth Mazer, is with me today to answer some questions. 

So here we go!

1. What prompted you to become an editor?

I’ve always loved reading. From around age seven and onward, everyone pretty much expected to find me constantly with my nose in a book. But it wasn’t until college that I really started to consider publishing as a career path. I got some great internships that whetted my appetite, and it all fell into place from there!

2. What kinds of stories do you particularly enjoy?

I have a weakness for reunion romance stories. There’s just something I always enjoy about the idea of love coming back around—finding you older and wiser, and maybe finally ready for your happily ever after. And the great thing about reunion romance stories is that they can fit any line. Whether you’re rebuilding your life in a sweet contemporary romance, running for your life in a romantic suspense, or going on the adventure of a lifetime in the historical past, there’s always room to find your perfect match in the person you thought you’d left behind.

 
3. What are your other responsibilities as an editor besides reading?

Twitter. J Seriously though, I resisted joining Twitter for a long time, but once I was dragged (kicking and screaming) into the tweetosphere, I discovered it’s a great way to stay in regular, comfortable contact with authors, potential authors, agents and readers, and also a useful way to spread the word about contests and promotions. So yes, I’m on Twitter every day I’m in the office. But I also spend plenty of time editing manuscripts, writing revision letters, working on documents for the cover art and copy, reviewing sales and marketing data and coordinating special projects, like the LIH continuity which I oversee every year.

4. Tell a little bit about life at HQN during contests. Is it business as usual? Chaos?

Somewhere in between, usually. Of course the regular demands on our time don’t stop when we’re working on a contest, so a fair bit of our time is spent doing work as usual. But it’s hard to resist the excitement as the entries come in and we get intrigued not only by the new ideas and new voices but most of all by the enthusiasm for Love Inspired that the contest entrants always show. It’s all very fast-paced and demanding, but still a whole lot of fun for all of us involved.

5. What’s the best part about working with spanking new authors?

I love getting to watch an author experience the whole process for the first time. Nothing beats the joy of getting to make “the call” and know that you’ve just helped turn someone’s dream into reality—it is without question the best part of my job. But the rest of it is delightful, too. Brainstorming revisions with an author and seeing those changes come to life in the final draft of the manuscript; getting an email with an author’s thrilled response to their book cover; receiving pictures of beaming authors showing off their boxes of books when they arrive. It’s all so fresh and exciting to the author, and I get to enjoy it along with them.

6. When you have down time, do you have any movies or tv shows you enjoy?

I have a love/hate relationship with Downton Abbey (mostly love it, but for crying out loud, can we go five minutes without anyone named Bates getting embroiled in a murder scandal?) while I unabashedly adore BBC’s Sherlock. I’m also hooked on the show Forever, but a large part of the attraction is the chance to spend hours staring at Ioan Gruffudd, who I’ve crushed on since he was in BBC’s Horatio Hornblower series. BBC obsession, you say? No, surely not. J For movies, my tastes are rather broader—though I’m too much of a coward to watch horror. I especially love classic movies. Give me Claudette Colbert or Barbara Stanwyck over Lindsay Lohan or Megan Fox any day.

7. If you could travel anywhere for a month, where would go? Why?

I can only pick one? But I love to travel! I studied abroad in Paris when I was in college and the city will always own a piece of my heart—I’d grab any chance to go back and visit. But I also fell in love with Portugal when I visited there a few years back, and would love to return and stay for a while. And there are so many places I’ve never been that I want to explore—South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Alaska, Prince Edward Island… The list goes on and on.

8. If you could sit down to lunch with anyone, past or present, who would you choose and what would ask them?

I’d love to have lunch with Jane Austen, particularly if I could bring a DVD player and we could watch the movie Clueless while we ate. I think she’d love it. J And based on her books and letters, she just seems like she’d be absolutely charming to spend an afternoon with.

 

9. What would you like people to know about the Blurb to Book Pitch contest?

From Blurb to Book: Pitch, Write & Sell Your Book in 5 Months is the newest pitch opportunity from the Love Inspired program. We’ve had fantastic results from our pitch contests in the past, bringing lots of terrific new authors on board (including the lovely and talented Dana from last year’s The Search for a Killer Voice contest J). There is still time to enter. Go to http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/2658-Announcing!!-From-Blurb-to-Book for more information. These contests are a fantastic way to learn more about the Love Inspired program, get to know editors, and receive terrific encouragement from fellow entrants as you work to write your story. We’re accepting entries for all three lines (Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical) but we’d be especially excited to get plenty of Love Inspired Suspense submissions. Not sure if this is for you? Got questions? Want to learn more? Go visit our forum at http://community.harlequin.com/forumdisplay.php/105-From-Blurb-to-Book. We editors visit all the time and are more than happy to answer questions. We’ve also got plenty of current authors stopping by to add their advice and support.

Thanks Elizabeth!  This was awesome! I totally agree about Jane Austen, by the way.  And I can’t wait to read the new authors you’re going to find.