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"By The Seat of Our Pants: Secret Love"

THE THEME:
The theme of the story is A Secret Love Story.

THE STORY FOUNDATION REQUIREMENTS:
Maintaining THE LOGIC of a FORWARD STORY ARC is essential.  Build on what other authors write as you move the story onward toward “The End.”  Yes, it’s fiction, but it still needs to make sense.
 
GENRE: Romantic Suspense:
A romantic suspense novel is a romance novel with a plot that focuses on a mystery, suspense, or thriller storyline. It's a love story that develops in the context of a crime—or potential crime—situation. The stakes are high on both the romance and suspense fronts.  Romance and suspense should be mixed into the story equally.
 
Rated Moderate Plus (MO+) 
If necessary, a “mature content” warning will appear on the front cover of the finished novel.
  • Inter-Racial and LGBTQ relationships are acceptable
  • May contain up to 100 swears
  • May contain moderate crude humor
  • May contain passionate and extended kissing
  • May contain discussion of sexual intimacy that includes some details
  • May contain closed-door, interrupted, or fade-out love scenes with mild details (taking off clothes, mention of breasts, etc.)
  • May contain some descriptions of nudity
  • May contain significant violence
  • May contain mild drug, alcohol, or tobacco use
 
Characters:
  • Hero: A Writer with a Secret.  This character MUST be established in Chapter One and remain the same throughout the story.  Subsequent chapter authors may add nuances to the Hero’s character but may not deviate from the foundations designed for this character in Chapter One (i.e. male/female; race; height; weight; eye & hair color, disabilities, etc.).  Disguises that move the plot forward are acceptable, as long as the character is still recognizable throughout the story as the Hero to the reader.  The Hero’s Secret may be established in Chapter One, or not… the Hero may have multiple Secrets throughout the story, or one big Secret that is revealed in pieces but not fully assembled until the end of the story.
  • Hero’s Ally: A Stranger or Friend with a Special Skill.  It is NOT required that this character be established in Chapter One, and multiple allies may be introduced throughout the story.
  • Villain: Author’s Choice. This character may stay the same or change throughout the story. (HINT: authors can shift this character between people, organizations, animals, ideologies; etc; and there may be multiple Villains simultaneously throughout the story.)
  • A Dog; the Hero’s Companion.  This character MUST be established in Chapter One and MUST remain the same throughout the story.  If a second (or multiple) dog(s) are introduced, they MUST remain the same to the end.  Cameos are permitted, but the Hero’s Companion must stay with the Hero through to the end of the story.
  • Hero’s Love Interest: Author’s Choice.  It is NOT required that this character be established in Chapter One… but once the character is established in the story, the Love Interest may NOT change.  If Authors choose to include a Love Interest triangle or poly-relationship, all Love Interest characters MUST move forward from that point with the Hero and enjoy a Happy Ending when the story ends.
 
The Story Begins:
  • Time: Present Day
  • Place: A Cottage in A Tourist Town, Situated Near a Forest or a Body of Water.
  • Tropes To Include:
    • Second Chances
    • It Was Right In Front Of You All Along!
    • Other tropes authors may choose to include.
Story Details:
  • The story may or may not include time travel.​
  • Sub-plot characters, locations, props, and themes may be anything authors choose to include.
  • The Narrative may begin in 1st person, 2nd person, or 3rd person.  After Chapter One, the Narrative may change with each chapter, but not inside chapters.  (i.e. If an author starts a chapter in 1st person, that chapter must stay in 1st person through that entire chapter – no “head-hopping.”)
  • The main plot ends with a reveal of the Hero’s Secret(s) and a Happy Resolution with the Love Interest.
  • Subplots may be left unresolved.
  • Villains may be captured, or not, as it serves the story.
Picture

    Sign Up To Write!

    Once you sign up to be a participating author, you will be sent a link to the Organizational Meeting held via Zoom on April 5, 2023 @ 7:30pm EST US Time.
    The Sign Up Deadline is March 31, 2023.

    Writers must be 16 years old to participate.
Submit

Contributing Authors,
​Chapters Assignments, and
​Writing Deadlines
Watch this space to see the chapter assignments and writing deadlines.  Remember to bookmark this page, and check back frequently, as the deadlines could become fluid if writers submit early!
Last Updated: December 29, 2022

Mackenzie Flohr
MacKenzie Keetley
Veronica Shaw
Keith Stone


​​THE WRITING PROCESS:
Interested authors must sign up to write for this project no later than March 31, 2023.
 
The author who will write the first chapter, and the writing order of subsequent authors, will be chosen at random, at the project’s Organizational Meeting, using the "Spinny Wheel of Happiness" during a live Zoom event, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 @ 7:30pm EST US Time.  The first chapter will be due on April 11, 2023, to accommodate the Easter Holiday.
 
Each author writes ONLY ONE Chapter.  In the spirit of true collaboration, participating authors will be able to read the ENTIRE manuscript that has been written before it is their turn to write. 
 
​To avoid spoilers of the final novel, public sharing of chapters and story details written before the book's publication will FORFEIT an author's participation, and their Chapter will be excluded.  If authors want to connect and collaborate via the Private Facebook Group set up for this project, that is acceptable and encouraged; but public conversation of the story’s details is not permitted.  The Facebook Group link will be made available to authors at the Organizational Meeting on Zoom or by specific DM request afterward.  Authors must be assigned a Chapter to be a part of the private group.  Authors who forfeit their Chapter will be removed from the Private Group.
 
Chapter submissions must be between 200 and 10,000 words.  Once an author's writing has been submitted, edits and changes will not be accepted, even if the author submits earlier than the expected deadline.
 
Chapter submissions must be written based on a "logical" sequence from the chapters written before.  Authors may add new characters, locations, details, props, and themes, as they write… as long as the story remains true to the Story Foundation Requirements. 
 
When it is their turn to write, participating authors will receive a private email which will include the manuscript in its current iteration.  A link to the manuscript will also be shared via the Private Facebook Group so authors may read along and begin brainstorming before writing their Chapter.
 
Each author has a maximum of FIVE (5) days to read the manuscript, write their chapter, and submit it.  Authors may submit early, if they choose.  
 

Authors who do not return their chapter within the fully allotted FIVE (5) days will FORFEIT their opportunity to write for this project.
 
All submissions must be returned no later than 11:00pm EST US time on day five.  (EXAMPLE:  If you receive the manuscript on the 1st day of the month, then your final chapter submission is expected no later than 11:00pm EST US time on the 6th day of the month.)
 
A full author list with Chapter status, word counts, and deadline dates will be posted on this page, and to Facebook on April 6, 2023, after we complete the selection and order assignment process.  Updates to the novel’s status will be posted as the project progresses.
 
A final edit of the entire story will be performed after all of the Chapters have been submitted, to be sure grammar, spelling, and continuity of story are well accomplished.
 
The final submission deadline and publication date will be determined by how many Authors are participating.   
​
The book will be available for purchase on Amazon.com in both print and e-book formats.
​
​NOTICE: To avoid copyright issues, please be sure that what you write meets one or all of these three criteria:
  • A re-imagining of a work that is in the public domain (author is responsible for verification and any violation consequences).
  • Permission has been gifted from the original creator of the story or characters that you are using as your foundation (author is responsible for verification and any violation consequences).
  • Your submission is a 100% original writing.
 
​Complimentary Author Copies will NOT be provided for this project.  An "author's discount" price will be sent to each participating author for purchase of books. 
​​
Proceeds from sales of this book will support The Haley Sue Foundation.
(c) 2021-2023 Diana Kathryn Plopa      Pages Promotions, LLC     All Rights Reserved
Pages Promotions, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Pages Promotions, LLC also participates in the following affiliate programs: Book Cave. Other links may include affiliate codes that afford the site owner a small commission at no additional cost to the buyer.  We truly appreciate your help in supporting this website. We only post affiliate links for products that we use and recommend ourselves.
  • Home
    • Contact
    • Our Sacred Text Philosophy
    • Terms & Conditions & Privacy Policy
  • Editorial, Book Design Services
    • Past Project Portfolio
    • Reviews & Testimonials
  • Marketing Services
    • Indie Reads TV & Festival Replays >
      • Indie Reads Aloud Podcast Season One
      • Indie Reads Aloud Podcast Season Two
      • 2021 Regatta Race Leg Replays
      • 2021 Winter Festival Replays
      • 2020 Autumn Festival Replays
      • 2020 Summer Festival Replays
      • 2019 Summer Book Fest Photo Album
      • TV Season One Episode Archive
      • TV Season Two Episode Archive
  • The Blog Thingy
    • Resources
  • Community Service Projects
    • By The Seat of Our Pants: Madmess
    • By The Seat of Our Pants: Chaos
    • By The Seat of Our Pants: Secret Love
    • 2023 The Quire Omnibus
  • Writing Craft Mentoring
  • 2023 Winter Virtual Festival
    • 2023 Mystery Game
    • 2023 Scavenger Hunt
    • 2023 Event Schedule
    • 2023 Fingerprint Casebook