Once I think a story is polished to perfection, I seek the opinions of my critique partners and follow their suggestions for improvement. Once they too believe the story is polished to perfection, I send it to my agent, who then offers her feedback. Once she too agrees that that my manuscript is as sparkly as it can be, it’s time to find an editor who feels the same way!

I was sooo thrilled to get The Call letting me know I’d sold Too Wicked To Kiss (and my upcoming release, TOO SINFUL TO DENY) into the debut author program at Kensington Publishing! I was deliriously happy for weeks on end… and in fact, I continue to be deliriously happy, because things just keep getting better!

This week, I asked my editor, the wonderful John Scognamiglio, just what he saw in my manuscript that made him decide to give a chance to a brand new author like me. This is what he had to say:

As an editor, I’m always looking for novels that have a new take on a “classic” theme. While Erica Ridley’s TOO WICKED TO KISS had a solid love story, what drew me to the novel was its “dark” elements. I’ve always been a fan of murder mysteries/film noir/gothic novels. TOO WICKED TO KISS had all those “dark story night” elements that I love so much, but set against the backdrop of Regency England, which has always been is a favorite setting of mine. Not only that, but there was also a hint of paranormal. The end result was a fresh, inventive romance that had me eagerly turning the pages.

How awesome is THAT!?

I’d been so terrified that by blurring genre lines, I would blur myself right out of the running… and in the end, it turned out that he and I share a lot of the same favorites! Perfect!!!

How about you? Do you have someone who shares the same taste you do? Do you swap books with friends or family? Or do you and your sister/best friend/whomever share the exact opposite likes when it comes to books, movies, etc?