It seems that 64 heads may actually be better than one. Although too many cooks generally spoil the broth, romance novelist Diana Laurence discovered that input from 64 rabid romance readers actually made her new book, "Bloodchained," a better product.

By day, Laurence (her pen name) is a marketing coordinator for a New Berlin company that sells machine parts. But in her off hours this married mother of two grown daughters writes and markets her romance novels.

Laurence admits she doesn’t write your typical Harlequin romances. She prefers sci-fi and classic literature to the old bodice rippers that many romance books were. "I pretty much like the happy ending," she explains. "And I like exploring how the couple gets together and their interactions."

Laurence got four fiction/romance Web sites to sponsor her project and 64 people signed up to contribute to Laurence’s paranormal suspense novel featuring vampire elements and powerful romantic forces. The volunteers came from as far away as Bolivia, Wales and Malaysia. Making participation flexible, Laurence utilized online surveys, chats and e-mails to ask for opinions on everything from character names to plot choices. She actually let the 64, whom she calls "partners," determine the story’s genre. Comments were often incorporated into the text. Each of the partners will be listed in the book’s acknowledgments.

After finishing a draft, she asked six of the most active partners to read it and make additional comments. One of the six lives in Finland and English was her second language. "That’s the nature of the Internet," says Laurence, explaining her international reach. Two of the six were the author’s daughters, one of whom created the cover.

Conceiving of the idea on New Year’s Day, she promoted the idea via her Web site (www.dianalaurence.com) in February, kicked off the project in March, finished writing the text in August and published it in September through Living Beyond Reality Press (www.livingbeyondreality.com). The book is available in e-book form or in paper.