Happy Birthday TWRP - from the Historical Department

Nothing is more exciting than reading historical romance! It can have murder and suspense, danger and adventure, travel and home truths, all rolled into one great story with dashing, handsome hero and heroine extraordinaire who become our closest friends for the duration of the pages...

NicoleD’Arienzo - I love historical romance and consider it the ultimate form of time travel.... without ever leaving my favorite chair. But perhaps the very best part of being the managing editor of our historical division here at TWRP for the past six years is what the authors have taught me. When we were preparing to open our doors for business, I knew the main thing I wanted to give our authors was variety--the freedom to write about any period in history, even recent history. Not only did our authors take me up on that, they've improved upon it, giving our four historical lines more variety and flavor than I could have ever imagined. If you think historical romance is all Gone With the Wind or Wuthering Heights.... then you haven't met our authors! Stop by our little corner of the garden and visit a while. Your next heart-stopping adventure awaits!

So while we, the editors, celebrate six years in the garden, I raise my glass to the authors who embraced our historical department and made it their own.

And now a celebratory word from the talented, devoted editors who make up the historical department here at TWRP:

I'm Allison Byers. This is my 5th year with TWRP. I began my career here editing in Last Rose and Sweetheart. Then a few months after I started, an opening in the Historical Department--the genre I truly love--became available, and now I'm in editing heaven...well most of the time. I have had the privilege of working with so many talented authors who write awesome stories. I enjoy stepping back in time and reliving history. It is my opinion that historical romances are the real escape literature--allowing the reader to experience the sights and sounds of eras gone by. It has been a great five years here at TWRP, and I hope for many more to read wonderful stories and get to know lots of great writers.

Susan Yates - I remember when I first discovered historical novels. I don't remember the specific book, but I do know the author was Georgette Heyer. I was  hooked. From that time forward, I read every historical novel I could get my hands on. Some of my favorite authors were Georgette (of  course!), Jane Aiken Hodge, Jean Plaidy, and Sylvia Thorpe. I loved how those authors could transport me to another time and place, show me things about history that I didn't know, and make me care about their characters. That is still what I love about historical novels and why I love editing for the historical lines of The Wild Rose Press. I get to read really great stories that transport me from the here and now to the way back when, stories that take me on a journey and make me fall in love with a terrific hero and heroine along the way.

Nan Swanson - Historicals are rich in incidental information—the attitudes, the behavior, the culture, the dress, everything about a time we can never revisit until the fabulous time machine is invented for real. My favorite historical line at TWRP is Vintage Rose, the 1900s, maybe because I remember much of the last half of it and have heard so many stories about the first half (and before) from my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other older folks. A story told by someone who lived it or witnessed it is an escape into reality, the reality that was his life, that she sees in her mind’s eye as she speaks, that becomes reality to me as I hear it. While working on a historical romance I am often transported to a world I may have heard of but never lived in, surroundings unfamiliar to me personally that become as familiar as my own home as I read and edit that book, all through the magic of an author’s ability to bring the people of that time and place to life with her writing skills.

The Wild Rose Press, Inc. is a special place to work first of all because it is full of warm and congenial people, whether authors, editors, readers, management, whoever. There are no strangers. I love the way the founders had everything so well thought out and organized even before they opened the doors, and how they continue to keep everyone focused on our goal of nurturing authors and helping them grow. Keeping processes organized and up to date is part of that effort, and so is the constant communication between all of us as we work together to produce the very best book possible for every contracted manuscript. I’m proud to be a part of TWRP and celebrate its 6th birthday!