His Captive Bride

by Shelly Thacker

  But I digress. Back in 1995, she refused to let me write my proposed book unless I completely removed the paranormal element. Avon, she said, was not looking to be an innovator. She instructed me to turn my novel into a “regular” historical romance, a kidnapping story with no hint of fantasy. She was one of the most powerful editors in New York at the time, and she fully expected me to comply.

  I refused. Partly because I had already written the book she was describing (Falcon on the Wind) and I don’t like to repeat myself. More important, the paranormal element is the heart of His Captive Bride. I wasn’t about to just yank it out.

  Instead, my agent withdrew the proposal and I wrote His Forbidden Touch—a “regular” historical romance with no hint of fantasy—to placate my editor and finish out my Avon contract.

  Then my agent sold my rejected proposal to Dell for more money than I had ever made in my career.

  Even with that contract in hand, I didn’t feel particularly triumphant as I left Avon. After three years of being pummeled by an editor who hated my work, ignored by the marketing department, and generally treated with all the consideration one would show a potted plant, my self-esteem and confidence in my writing were at an all-time low.

  In my first phone conversation with my new Dell editor, Laura Cifelli, I tentatively asked if she was at all worried about the fact that I wanted to write a paranormal romance.

  “Shelly,” she said, laughing, “you could write your grocery list on a paper bag and I would buy it.”

  It had been so long since I’d heard praise from an editor, I’d almost forgotten what it sounded like. Laura, a former literary agent, had been a fan of my work for years. She actually liked the fact that I took risks. She encouraged me to stay true to my voice and be as innovative as I wanted to be.

  This new ebook edition of His Captive Bride is dedicated to her. Every author, at least once in her career, deserves an editor who truly loves her books. Laura was mine.

  For the first time in years, I felt happy about my career and hopeful for the future. Not only did I have Laura in my corner, I also had the support of Dell Executive Editor Marjorie Braman, who had been my editor in my early days at Avon. I was in the best, most secure position an author could possibly enjoy, with two editors enthusiastically supporting my work.

  Best of all, Dell was rolling out the red carpet for this book, which was then titled Timeless: it would have a lead-title position, an expensive step-back cover, an ambitious print run, and the full promotional support of Dell’s marketing team.

  After so many disappointments at Avon, my career had taken a turn for the better. This was the big break I had been hoping for. The brass ring was finally within my reach.

  I was looking forward to a long and successful future as a Dell author.

  Soundtrack

  Readers of previous “Behind the Scenes” features know that I always pick a love theme for my hero and heroine when starting a book. It’s one of my little creative rituals and helps me tune in to the characters and their story. For Hauk and Avril, I chose “Hands to Heaven,” the 1988 hit by the band Breathe. It’s a bittersweet song about a couple who need each other and long to stay together, but realize they have to separate.

  While writing the original manuscript, I listened to a lot of impressionistic and water-themed music to inspire the landscape of Asgard Island, including Debussy’s “La Mer” and “Prélude a l’après-midi d’un faun,” and Vangelis’s “Oceanic”—especially the tracks “Islands of the Orient” and “Song of the Seas.”

  In 2012, when I started work on this new ebook edition, I discovered two indie albums that perfectly evoke the ethereal world of Asgard: “Drift” by Tania Rose and “Vibrant Water” by Thom Brennan. Both are available at Amazon (“Drift” is just 99 cents as I write this) and they’re well worth a download. I played them on a continuous loop while rewriting His Captive Bride.

  The Title

  Back when I wrote for New York, I had some epic battles over book titles. So I was surprised that Dell never asked me to change the working title of this book: Timeless. For only the second time in my entire career (the first being Midnight Raider), I was allowed to keep my original title. I was thrilled!

  In 2012, while preparing the first ebook edition, I almost changed the title myself, after I found about a zillion books titled Timeless on Amazon. But in the end, I just didn’t have the heart to let it go. I tried adding a sub-title, The Asgard Warriors, to help distinguish my Timeless from all the others.

  But making a business decision with my heart instead of my head turned out to be a mistake. The 2012 edition of Timeless got lost in the shuffle of all those other Timeless titles. Even after I changed the cover to a romantic clinch, it remained my lowest-selling book.

  So in 2013, as I prepared to re-launch my Stolen Brides series with sexy new covers, I decided it was time for Timeless to get a sexy new title as well. I wanted to give the entire series unified titles, centered around the word “his,” so Timeless became His Captive Bride.

  The Cover

  You’ll find full-color photos of the original paperback covers (both versions) and all my digital covers on the Fun FAQs page on my website: http://www.shellythacker.com/FAQ

  When I signed with Dell in 1997, editor Laura Cifelli asked to see my “wish list” of perks that I had always wanted but never received at Avon. I was a little cynical about it, figuring my list would end up in the shredder, since that was how Avon had handled my requests. But I had nothing to lose, so I decided to shoot for the moon. I included on my wish list the name of a particular cover artist I had always admired—a major name that Avon had considered too expensive for the likes of me.

  To my surprise and joy, Laura hired him to do the cover of Timeless. She didn’t promise to try, didn’t explain why it would be difficult, didn’t talk about it at all. She just went out and did it. I was simply stunned. It was beginning to sink in that what I wanted actually mattered to the Dell team.

  They gave Timeless a “step-back” cover, a process that involves creating an inside cover with an illustration of the characters, and a flashier outside cover with the author’s name and title in big foil letters.

  The original Timeless step-back has Hauk on the inside—painted by my favorite artist—and a storm-tossed Viking ship on the outside, in shades of dark blue with red foil lettering. That cover appeared on all the bookseller websites, on the advance-review galleys, and in my promotional materials. However, it ended up being scrapped just before Timeless was published.

  After the regime change (details below), Dell completely re-designed the front cover, tossing out the blue-and-red version and switching to a bright orange one with silver and gold foil. It’s extremely expensive for a publisher to change a cover at the last minute, but the new team in charge felt that the brighter color would sell better. I liked the original cover just fine, and I had doubts about putting an orange cover on a Viking romance—but the new team in charge wasn’t asking for my opinions.

  The blue cover still shows up on websites here and there, but it never actually appeared on any copies of the book sold in stores.

  For the 2012 ebook edition, I wanted to capture both the fantasy and the romance elements of Timeless, hoping to catch the attention of both fantasy fans and romance readers. I asked designer Kim Killion to create a cover that evoked the Claiming voyage and my strong, stubborn Viking hero. I absolutely loved what she delivered… but instead of creating a crossover hit, it turned out to be a miss with readers, as fantasy fans and romance fans all passed it by.

  So we tried again a few months later, with a second cover that moved away from the fantasy genre and focused on the romance. But even that steamy clinch cover didn’t catch on with readers.

  I’m hoping that the fifth time will be the charm: for this 2013 edition, Kim created a sizzling new cover inspired by the scene in chapter 10 when Avril awakens on the beach, and Hauk emerges out of the darkness… and a steamy encounter
ensues. My fingers are crossed that this cover will catch fire with readers at last.

  Trivia

  ~ Avril, Celine, Ciara... as I mentioned in the “Making of” features in Forever His and His Forbidden Touch , I didn’t set out to name all of my Stolen Brides heroines after pop stars. Future pop sensation Avril Lavigne was just nine years old in 1993 when Lady Avril de Varennes made her first appearance in Forever His. Only one of the Stolen Brides heroines was named after a pop star. Can you guess which one?

  ~ Are you a fellow Pinterest addict? I’ve created inspiration boards for each of my books. Visit my His Captive Bride board at http://pinterest.com/shellythacker/ to see what Asgard’s waterfalls and rugged coastline might look like; take a peek at Hauk’s stallion Ildfast and adorable little Floyel; and find out which movie stars I would pick to portray Hauk, Avril, Keldan, and Josette.

  Challenges

  Hmm, challenges. That word is much too mild to describe what happened when Dell published Timeless in 1998. The memories are so painful, I’m reluctant to revisit them. But I feel an obligation to be candid here, especially for any aspiring writers out there who are unaware of just how quickly—and how badly—the New York publishing industry can break your heart.

  Readers, this part is not much fun. You might want to skip ahead to the “Joys” section.

  Writers, buckle your seatbelts.

  During my seven years at Avon, one of the major problems I faced was the fact that I kept getting “orphaned”—the industry term for what happens to an author when her editor leaves the company.

  A good editor is essential to an author’s success. She not only helps make your books as strong as they can be, she acts as your champion inside the publishing house. Your editor works hard to generate in-house excitement about your books, get you the most favorable release dates and best covers, and secure as much marketing support as possible. If she likes your books and views you as a valuable partner, you can become a formidable team.

  But if she leaves, you become an “orphan.” Your champion is gone and your career momentum abruptly stalls. The publisher assigns you a new editor—eventually—but you have little or no say in the choice.

  This new editor might like your work and become an enthusiastic new champion.

  Or she might be indifferent or antagonistic, in which case, you’re toast.

  During my seven years with Avon (1990 to 1997), I worked with four different editors. I was orphaned so many times, I started writing my editor’s name in pencil in my address book. It’s pretty much impossible to sustain any kind of career momentum when you’re constantly being handed off from one editor to the next.

  When I signed with Dell, I felt confident that my orphan days were behind me. I now had a “dream team” (my agent and I actually called them that) of top-notch editors supporting my career. If Laura Cifelli ever left, Marjorie Braman would still be there. If Marjorie left, Laura would still be there. The odds that both of them would leave at the same time were... oh, that could never happen. Not even I could be that unlucky.

  Could I?

  Yes, I could.

  My happiness about my Dell contract lasted only weeks. The ink was barely dry on the signatures when I got the call from my agent: Marjorie was leaving Dell to accept an executive position at HarperCollins.

  And a month after that, the second call: Laura was leaving Dell to work for the Doubleday Book Club.

  She had been my editor for exactly 102 days.

  I had been orphaned. Again. In record time. By two editors at once. My dream team was gone.

  For solace, we Dell romance authors turned to our private e-mail loop. Anxious rumors flew back and forth about who might be hired as our new editors. We were all relieved and happy when the company brought in Maggie Crawford as the new editorial director. Authors who had worked with Maggie raved about her editing skill and business savvy.

  But Dell had far too many romance authors for Maggie to manage on her own. So they hired a second romance editor.

  From Avon.

  And I was assigned to work with her.

  This was not the same editor who had made my last three years at Avon miserable, thank God, but we knew each other. I was familiar with what she had done—or rather, not done—for her authors at Avon. I had little hope that she would become an effective champion of my work.

  As always, though, I had no say in the matter. This ex-Avon editor was now in charge of my career at Dell, and I was expected to make the best of it.

  The dust had barely settled before I got another upsetting phone call: an important Dell author had missed her deadline, and they needed to delay her release date. They had decided to give her my May slot and move Timeless up to March—which meant I had to turn in the manuscript several weeks early.

  My new editor didn’t think this would be a problem because “you have such a great reputation for turning in polished manuscripts.”

  Um, yes, I did—but that was because I always spent the last several weeks before my deadline polishing the entire book. That revision time was essential to the quality of my work.

  My editor assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem to turn in my first draft.

  My agent encouraged me to show the new regime that I could “be a team player.”

  I, as usual, had no say in the matter.

  I flew through the last few chapters of the book, throwing it together as quickly as I could. I had to abandon two love scenes I had planned to write. I never had the chance to smooth out the characters’ emotional journey throughout the book. I crammed major revelations into a few pages of rushed dialogue: “Tell me about your painful past, now I’ll tell you my painful past, and oh look, here comes the villain. Gotta go!”

  While the copy-editor worked on the first half of the book, my editor worked on the second half. She faxed me her revision notes, and I faxed back the final scenes as I finished them.

  In industry terms, this is known as “crash-publishing”: pushing a book through production at lightning speed and sending it directly to the printing press.

  It meant that Dell had no time to send out advance-review galleys or do any kind of promotional campaign. My first lead title was published with an expensive orange cover—and no marketing support at all. No pre-publication reviews. No push in the chain bookstores. No advertising. No galleys sent to independent booksellers. Zip, zilch, nada. Unlike my previous books, Timeless didn’t appear on any bestseller lists.

  The brass ring had slipped through my fingers.

  All because another author missed her deadline.

  In the end, my editor brushed the whole thing off with an empty phrase spoken daily by New York editors: “I’m sure we’ll do a big push on your next book.”

  I tried to look on the bright side. I still had a lead-title position, and I had proven that I was a team player. I had taken a bullet for a fellow Dell author, and that had to count for something, right? Next time, Dell would keep their promises. On my next book, they would do better. I mean, they couldn’t possibly do any worse.

  Or could they?

  The story continues in the “Behind the Scenes” feature in After Sundown.

  Joys and Changes

  My happiest moment with this book came in May 2011, when I reclaimed the publishing rights from Dell. I had always wanted to make this story something special, but because of the way Dell “crash-published” the first edition, I didn’t have that chance the first time around. The 1998 paperback arrived in bookstores with only two sketchy love scenes, a rushed ending, and a hero who came across as overbearing and manipulative.

  Getting the rights back meant that I would finally have the chance to fix all that.

  For this new edition, I gave myself all the time I needed to make His Captive Bride what I had always wanted it to be. I deepened the hero’s emotional journey. Expanded the existing love scenes. Added new love scenes. And I slowed down the "sharing our painful pasts" conversations, which now take place over tw
o chapters instead of being jammed into seven pages.

  I also added a glossary, which my Dell editor had refused to include because “it would make the book seem too much like a fantasy novel.” You’ll find it here in the bonus materials.

  I also felt the need to make one more small change. When I wrote the first edition, I didn’t have children yet, so I relied on a friend—the mother of two small boys—to supply me with details about what little Giselle might be like.

  Today, I’m the mom of two beautiful, smart, spirited daughters—and as soon as I started revising this book, I realized that I had gotten Giselle all wrong. She seemed more like a three-year-old boy than a three-year-old girl. So I replaced my friend’s “boyish” details with more accurate “girlish” details, inspired by my own daughters. Avril’s love for Giselle feels much more authentic and poignant to me now.

  So at long last, His Captive Bride is finished, and it’s finally the book I always wanted it to be: a fantasy romance filled with adventure, tears, laughter, characters to cherish—and smokin’ hot love scenes.

  Future Sequels

  I would love to spend more time on Asgard Island and weave new stories about some of these characters. I’m dying to reveal what happened between the Italian bride and her innfodt husband, whom we glimpsed briefly in Chapter 5 and Chapter 9. And now that Asgard needs a new vokter, who might be chosen? I also think the English girl, Blythe, has an interesting decision to make as she tries to select a husband.

  Then there’s Nina. Okay, yes, she was the villainess in this book, but I believe she could be redeemed. She longs for a family more than she’s willing to admit, and even “bad girls” need love. When Avril questioned why the innfodt women aren’t allowed to seek husbands in the outside world, wheels started turning in Nina’s head—and I can just imagine her pursuing that idea and landing herself in serious trouble.

  Now that I’m an indie author, I no longer have an editor leaning over my shoulder saying, “You can’t do that.” I’m free to write any stories I choose. Some might be full-length novels, some might be short stories or novellas. It’s all up to my muse and my readers. If you’d like to return to Asgard Island, please let me know via e-mail or Facebook.