[New Release] Angel by Laura Lee

Since the loss of his lively, charming wife to cancer six years ago, minister Paul Tobit has been operating on autopilot, performing his religious duties by rote. Everything changes the day he enters the church lobby and encounters a radiant, luminous being lit from behind, breathtakingly beautiful and glowing with life. An angel. For a moment Paul is so moved by his vision that he is tempted to fall on his knees and pray.

Even after he regains his focus and realizes he simply met a flesh-and-blood young man, Paul cannot shake his sense of awe and wonder. He feels an instant and overwhelming attraction for the young man, which puzzles him even as it fills his thoughts and fires his feelings. Paul has no doubt that God has spoken to him through this vision, and Paul must determine what God is calling him to do.

Thus begins a journey that will inspire Paul’s ministry but put him at odds with his church as he is forced to examine his deeply held beliefs and assumptions about himself, his community, and the nature of love.

*****

Buy Angel at Dreamspinner Press

Buy Angel at Amazon

Submission Guidelines

What kind of submissions is Itineris seeking?

We are looking for novel and novella length contemporary fiction (15,000 words and up) with gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender main characters. The stories can contain romance, adventure and mystery, but the absolute focus of the work must be the positive change that comes from the spiritual growth of the main character.

Currently we are not accepting: historical, science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural (even angels). The exception would be a human character experiencing something like an angelic vision or spirit quest that has a positive impact on their life.

Do the stories have to be Christian?

No. The growth in faith can involve any religion or no organized religion at all. The Higher Power of the 12-step programs, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, or a spiritual epiphany experienced on a ten day hike through the mountains are all possible paths.

We are looking for books that explore the development of inner peace, personal acceptance and unconditional love through faith.

If you feel you have a manuscript that would be a good fit for Itineris, follow the guidelines below to submit it for review.

Please submit the following:

In the body of the e-mail:

• Your legal name, pseudonym if applicable, and contact e-mail address.
• Working title, series name if applicable. We are primarily looking for stand alone stories so series and sequels will only be considered in extraordinary circumstances.
• Genre and manuscript length, including whether your main character is gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender.
• General story description in two paragraphs.
• Writing credentials.

Attach to the e-mail the following:

• A short but complete story summary and/or synopsis.
• The complete manuscript, for all lengths of works.

Formatting Your Submission:

Please follow these simple formatting guidelines. Our editors will thank you.

• Submissions will be accepted in .docx, .doc, and .rtf formats.
• Standard 12 pt Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, 1.5 line spaces between lines. No tabs or spacing to indent, please! Page numbers in the footer, author name in the header with the title of the work following.  Example:   Stephen King / The Shining
• Send your submission to: submissions @ itinerispress.com.  The word Itineris Submission must be in the subject line.
• All submissions must be spellchecked and edited for U.S. grammar and spelling. Regional words and slang are accepted when appropriate to the setting of the story. There are no exceptions to this rule based on author nationality or book setting. If you don’t wish your book published using U.S. grammar and spelling conventions, please don’t submit it.

Itineris Press edits works using The Chicago Manual of Style as its primary reference. Editing your work to these standards prior to publication will greatly facilitate the publication process.  http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

Length standards:

• Novel: 60,000 words and up
• Long Novella: 30-59,999 words
• Novella: 15-29,999 words

What you can expect from us: 

• Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted at any time.
• We will acknowledge all submissions by email in 5-7 days.
• Submissions will be read by an editor and you will have a response in 6-8 weeks. We do not  provide feedback on rejected manuscripts beyond notification.
• All accepted works will need to be provided to us as an electronic file (docx, doc, or rtf only).
• Electronic contracts are exchanged via Echosign.

Advances and contract terms:

• All contracted submissions receive an advance. Depending on the length of the submission and previous publishing history, advances vary between $500 and $1000. Payment is issued in full within 30 days of the receipt of the signed contract.
• All novels are contracted for print, digital and audiobook formats. Novellas are contracted for digital and audiobook formats. Our contract period is five years from date of publication.
• Royalties are paid on all titles. Once the advance is satisfied, the author is paid 35% royalties for digital sales, 30% royalties for paperback sales, and 25% royalties for audiobook sales. Royalty payments are issued quarterly, 30 days after the close of each calendar quarter.
• Copyright remains with the author.
• There is no first right of refusal clause for future work.

Questions about the submission process can be directed to Elizabeth North at elizabeth @ itinerispress.com. Submissions may be addressed to Elizabeth North but need to be sent to the submissions email address.

Revised October, 2011