What do you know? Silhouette finally came out with another paranormal series, The Nocture series...woo hoo...vampires, wolves, demons oh my!! So here are the writer's guidelines.

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Writing Guidelines

Silhouette Nocturne

Length: 70,000 – 75,000 words
Editorial Director: Tara Gavin
Associate Senior Editor: Ann Leslie Tuttle
Editorial Assistant: Sean Mackiewicz
Launch: October 2006 (2 books/month)


Nocturne is looking for stories that deliver a dark, very sexy read that will entertain readers and take them from everyday life to an atmospheric, complex, paranormal world filled with characters struggling with life and death issues. These stories will be fast-paced, action-packed and mission-oriented, with a strong level of sensuality. The hero is a key figure — powerful, mysterious and totally attractive to the heroine. In fact, both main characters are very powerful, and their conflict is based on this element. The author must be able to set up a unique existence for the characters, with its own set of rules and mythologies. We are looking for stories of vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, psychic powers, etc. set in contemporary times.

The plots and characters of Nocturne:


Fast-paced, action-oriented. There are life/death issues at stake.
The books are contemporary, but can go back into history, depending on the needs of the story.
Strong sexual/sensual overlay.
The main characters are very powerful — and the conflict is based on this element. The hero is an alpha male.
Characters do not live by predictable rules; instead they respond to the needs of the paranormal world that the author has set up for them.
There is a "mythology" created to explain the characters existence, and their actions must not run contrary to this setup. The mythology must remain consistent and support the action of the book.
Miniseries are welcomed.
The books can be set anywhere throughout the world.
Books that are good reference points for Nocturne include: stories by Maggie Shayne, Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Lindsay McKenna's Heart of the Jaguar and the subsequent books in her Jaguar series are also good reference points.

If you want to write a paranormal story with strong sexual, fantasy and danger elements, then please submit a query letter with a detailed synopsis and three chapters with a SASE large enough to hold the entirety of your work.

Tara Gavin
Silhouette Nocturne
233 Broadway, Suite 1001
New York, New York 10279