Tanya Contois, YA Paranormal Romance Writer of Adoration and Crimson Moon

Dear Readers,

This week I have the honor of presenting to you my friend, Tanya Contois, YA paranormal romance writer of Adoration and Crimson Moon.  Tanya Contois was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. After living in a few different small towns she moved back to Worcester in 2008. In 2010, she created the Facebook page: All Things Books and the Blog :All Things Books. Tanya Contois got her first taste of success when a short story she wrote was chosen to be in an anthology to be published by Firefly and Wisp publishers. In October 2011, she signed with Trestle Press and is currently working on Wicked Little Lies and a full length novel titled Cloaked in Darkness. 
She was gracious enough to do a quick interview and share with us excerpts of her YA (young adult) projects.  Enjoy!

-Danica

 

Hello-

My name is Tanya Contois and I am a fairly new author. I signed with Trestle Press in October 2011 and have had 3 parts of my serial novel Wicked Little Lies released. I am currently working on completing my first full length novel titled Cloaked in Darkness which will be a collection of short stories about a variety of supernatural and paranormal beings. In addition, I also have 3 other projects in the works - Adoration, Crimson Moon, and an untitled WIP.

 

 

ADORATION - YA Paranormal Fantasy

Katerina frowned at Cal, “I don't remember asking you for help so let go of my arm now.” Cal just stared at her like she had two heads. “Are you deaf? I said let go of my arm.” He released her arm and sneered down at her. “Excuse me for trying to help you. I won't make that mistake again. You are one of the most unpleasant people I have ever met.”
“Do I need to remind you that this is the 21st century and I'm not some damsel in distress who needs to be saved. I can take care of myself.”CRIMSON MOON - YA ParanormalCassia hesitantly made her way down what seemed like an endless spiral staircase. As she reached the last step a door shimmered into view. While she was deciding whether she should knock or just open the door a voice from the other side of the door spoke. “Come in dear, I have matters of great importance to discuss with you.”
Doing as the voice told her, Cassia pushed open the door and at a rather large desk sat a wizened little old lady. “Who are you and where am I?”
Laughing softly, the lady pushed the chair she was sitting in away from the desk and stood. “ I am Jarinda, keeper of Lucian Crimson. You are Cassia, the next in line to be a Keeper. It is my responsibility to teach you how to guard all of his secrets.”
“Okay...What if I don't want to be a Keeper? How do I get out of it?”
Jarinda frowned and said, “ There is no way out of becoming the next Keeper. If there were do you honestly think I would still be in this awful place?”

The Gift of Emotion in a Paranormal Romance Novel

In paranormal romance writing, we are given the opportunity to touch people’s lives in ways that are unimaginable to us. When people are hurting, our words, and our paranormal romance writings are there to hold their hands and pull them out of the dark times. When people are happy, our words are there to hold them high and let their feet stay off the ground for a moment longer.

This gift is all about the ability to insight an emotional response from our paranormal romance readers. It is the gift to start with nothing and then with the addition of a special combination of verbs, nouns, and adjectives we can transform our paranormal romance reader’s perception of reality.

There is nothing like watching someone reading your words and seeing a smile come to their face. Even though we may not know our paranormal romance readers, we don't know what is going on in their lives, or their trails or tribulations; we can be a friend and an ally.

Don't forget the power you have over emotion. I like to think of my paranormal romance writing as a light, but others out there certainly use their gift to incite hatred, judgments, and fear. As a reader, we must ask ourselves what message the writer is trying to give us. What is the feeling they want us to walk away their story with? Do you like it? Why or why not?

As a paranormal romance writer, remember the power of your words. You can create happiness, joy, and love, but you also have the power to open people's minds.  Use the chance you are given to the best of your abilities.

What a Paranormal Author Should Expect From A Literary Attorney

A few weeks ago, I had the opporunity to meet with Katherine Carmody Holliday Esq. of Carmody Holliday Legal Service about a contract I had received for my paranormal romance novel.  She gave me some wonderful insights and advice and after our meeting I asked her to write a letter explaining what paranormal romance authors should expect from a literary attorney.

I hope you find her letter helpful.  And remember, paranormal romance contracts are two way streets.  You must protect yourself, be educated about your options, and only sign after you have complete knowledge of what the fine print truly means.

 

(Shared with permission from Katherine Carmody Holliday)

CARMODY|HOLLIDAY L E G A L S E R V I C E S , P L L C 101 East Broadway · #503 · Missoula · Montana · 59802 PO Box 8124 · Missoula · Montana · 59807 tel 406.830.3327 · fax 406.830.3328 · katie@carmodyhollidaylaw.com 

[A paranormal romance] author may wonder why she needs an attorney when signing a publisher’s contract. Keep in mind that a contract is a legal document which means that each word has legal consequences. Typically, the publisher will present a contract that its attorney has drafted. The language of the proposed contract will likely favor the publisher.

[A paranormal romance] author should never feel pressure to sign the publisher’s contract as proposed. Contracts should be negotiated to ensure fairness.

[A paranormal romance] author’s attorney will review the contract, and make suggestions on how to change the contract so that it will fairly achieve the author’s goals and desired relationship with the publisher. A main goal of this contract review is to edit the contract in a way that allows the author to keep more rights to her work.

The attorney will provide the publisher with a copy of this edited contract, and the negotiation process will ensue. It is unlikely that the publisher will accept all proposed changes, and it is up to the author to decide which changes are necessary; a lawyer will help with that decision-making process. A publishing deal will occur if the publisher and the [paranormal romance] author can agree on the contractual terms. If the publisher demands terms that are unfair, then the [paranormal romance] author will likely want to walk away from the deal and not sign anything.
When meeting with an attorney, the [paranormal romance] author will want to come to the meeting with any items that the attorney will need to review a particular contract. Usually, these items include a copy of the publisher’s proposed contract and any emails that the [paranormal romance] author has had with the publisher relating to the contract and other aspects of the future relationship between [paranormal romance] author and publisher. Also, competing offers from other publishers for the Work can be helpful for the attorney to have, since that information may assist in the negotiation process.

Hiring an attorney, should make the contract negotiation process more comfortable, since, the [paranormal romance] author will have someone on her side answering questions, looking out for her interests, and handling the negotiation communications with the publisher. I hope this letter answers questions that people may have about using a literary attorney! Feel free to call me with questions.

Best regards,
Katie Holliday