Couple of questions including genre

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Southern_girl29

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Here is a quick premise to my book:

Grace's dream job as the editor of a small town newspaper isn't working out. Her husband is bipolar. Her mother is a nag and her three-year-old won't sleep through the night. The sheriff of the small town she lives in has fallen in love with her, and she thinks she has feelings for him. So, what does she do? First, she gets good and mad and then she takes control of her life.

So, is this women's fiction? At first, I thought chick-lit, but after reading up on it, I find that it really doesn't fit that description.

My second question is will readers be sympathetic to a character who is married but finds herself falling for someone else. Her husband's bipolar disorder causes him to be really awful to her, and she turns to the sheriff to find support, especially since she's being tormented for a crime story she did in the paper. Eventually, as one step to taking control of her life, she will leave the position of editor, go back to the position she had before, and stay with her husband.

I've posted the first chapter in Share Your Work under Romance/Women's fiction if anyone wants to take a look. All comments are appreciated.
 

Cathy C

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I agree. This would probably find a better Women's Fiction readership. But it might be that the new H/S NEXT line might work too. It deals more with WF topics and since she ends up staying with her husband--"rediscovering" her love, as it were, it might be a good fit. You might wander over and check out the NEXT guidelines to see. :)
 
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Susan Gable

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Cathy C said:
I agree. This would probably find a better Women's Fiction readership. But it might be that the new H/S NEXT line might work too. It deals more with WF topics and since she ends up staying with her husband--"rediscovering" her love, as it were, it might be a good fit. You might wander over and check out the NEXT guidelines to see. :)

Ummmmm...I think infidelity is still frowned upon at HQ, for most of the lines. (I could be wrong, though. It also could be that "it all depends on the execution." <G>) So if she actually acts on her feelings for the sherrif, that could be an issue. It definitely makes it not a romance, that's for sure.

It's an intruiging concept, though. Women's fiction, for sure. :)

Susan G.
 

Southern_girl29

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She's not going to physically commit adultery, although she will think about it. It will be more of an emotional affair. She still loves her husband, but not what the disorder has done to him. So, after he starts taking his meds and showing signs of being himself again, she decides to stay and work. She has a three year old daughter to think of, and that's her biggest motivation.
 

Susan Gable

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Southern_girl29 said:
She's not going to physically commit adultery, although she will think about it. It will be more of an emotional affair. She still loves her husband, but not what the disorder has done to him. So, after he starts taking his meds and showing signs of being himself again, she decides to stay and work. She has a three year old daughter to think of, and that's her biggest motivation.

Then I think you should be okay to give Next a try with it. Or, depending on how you execute the story, possibly even Everlasting.

Susan G.
 

Southern_girl29

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The word count for Harlequin will be a problem for me. I'm awfully wordy but try to fix that on the rewrite. Thanks again.
 

Susan Gable

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Southern_girl29 said:
The word count for Harlequin will be a problem for me. I'm awfully wordy but try to fix that on the rewrite. Thanks again.

Well, it doesn't have to be for HQ. We were just tossing out options to you.

HQ doesn't require an agent, though. :)

Susan G.
 

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Change the locks on the doors, dump the bipolar loser, tell Mom to put a sock in it, take the kid to a doctor, boink the sherriff 'til his eyes cross, then move the bleep outta Dodge.

It worked for me!

:D

Chocolate, not Prozac!
 
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Southern_girl29

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Gillhoughly said:
Change the locks on the doors, dump the bipolar loser, tell Mom to put a sock in it, take the kid to a doctor, boink the sherriff like there's no tomorrow, then move the bleep outta Dodge.

It worked for me!

:D

Chocolate, not Prozac!

You made me laugh out loud. Now, everyone is looking at my like I'm crazy, which might be true, but still...
 

Southern_girl29

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Susan Gable said:
Well, it doesn't have to be for HQ. We were just tossing out options to you.

HQ doesn't require an agent, though. :)

Susan G.

Yeah, that's one reason why they're high on my list. Plus, I've known about Harlequin since I was a little girl and my mom read them.:)
 

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I think it's a good way to show how strong of a woman your heroine. My husband is bipolar and there were times before he was diagnosed and put on meds that he was an absloute jerk. After he went on the meds the difference was night and day to the point several people offered to buy his meds for me should I ever run out of money. Now that he's getting the right meds he's the very sweet attentive man I fell in love with.
 

Southern_girl29

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nanagain said:
I think it's a good way to show how strong of a woman your heroine. My husband is bipolar and there were times before he was diagnosed and put on meds that he was an absloute jerk. After he went on the meds the difference was night and day to the point several people offered to buy his meds for me should I ever run out of money. Now that he's getting the right meds he's the very sweet attentive man I fell in love with.

Hi, Nanagain, my husband is bipolar, too, which is sort of how the idea for the novel started. Thanks again for the input.
 
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