Picking my next project

I finished my latest book, DIVIDE AND CONQUER (Woot!), and I'm faced with the task of picking my next project. Trouble is, I have around five different early chapters lying around. They all have something that draws me to them. One has an adorable character who's both funny and so, so hot. But it's a little weak on plot. Another has a pretty cool premise, one which I've toyed with, in one variation or another, for years. And so on.

One thing I have learned: plot is overrated. I like my plots simple enough to follow, but full of twists and turns. But aside from trying to stuff such volume into a synopsis, let alone a query letter, not many people seem to enjoy a plot-heavy book.

Also, nearly everything needs to have romantic elements nowadays, and good luck finding a pitching event for editors who accept books that aren't straight romance.

So, I need a story with engaging characters, high stakes, a steaming romance, which is light on plot. Simple, righ? None of my half-started books contains all these elements, so I'll have to start considering merging one or two. Not ideal, but we want to give the readers what they want, don't we? After all, they're the ones buying the books.