The Call

For many romance writers (myself included), the road from aspiring writer to published author was a long one.  I know I am in good company when I admit it took me a number of years and more than one completed manuscript before I finally received “the call.”  How did I get from hopeful to contract-in-hand?  Well, I won’t bore you with the hours/days/years I spent learning the craft.  I’ll begin with when I started writing COMMAND PERFORMANCE.

In May 2011, I received a call from an agent who had read one of my manuscripts.  She politely told me it was unlikely to sell, but that she liked my writing and would be interested in signing me.  I said yes.  She suggested I start working on a new manuscript.  Before I broke out the bubbly (every step in a writing career should be celebrated), I confirmed what I’d suspected for a few days—my husband and I were expected our second child.  When my husband came home, I shared my news: “I have an agent!  Oh and we’re having another baby.”

A few days later, I pitched my idea for a Blaze novel featuring a hero from the U.S. Army Ranger team who rode horses through Afghanistan and a heroine looking for a one-night stand.  My agent asked to see pages.  A few weeks later (after morning sickness had firmly set in), I had the first fifty pages of COMMAND PERFORMANCE. 

I think I will always remember my agent’s words after she read the partial.  Standing in the lobby to the Marriott hotel in Times Square surrounded by hundred of other romance writers at the RWA National conference, I nearly jumped up and down when she said: “I don’t know if this is it, but you’re going to sell something.” 

Later that day, with a new-found confidence, I went to my editor appointment with Brenda Chin, the senior editor at Harlequin Blaze.  I can attest to the fact that the worst place to be when you’re suffering from all-day “morning” sickness is in a ballroom surrounded by other aspiring authors all trying to pitch their work in ten minutes or less to an agent/editor.  It’s terrifying, but somehow I came away from the experience with a request to see pages and a much better idea of what Brenda was looking for in a Blaze submission. 

A week later, my agent sent Brenda the partial.  I spent the next few months writing and getting bigger and bigger.  In late October, I received the request for the full along with notes for proposed changes.   Writing fast and furiously, I sent the full off to my agent on December 12, 201l.  That evening my daughter arrived seven weeks ahead of schedule. 

Thankfully, it took Brenda many months to read my full.  Right around the time my six-month-old daughter was finally starting to sleep instead of cry all night, Brenda called.  She asked if I would be interested in submitting a revised version.  I said yes! 

About two months after I submitted the revised full (and about a year since the first draft was sent off), my agent called with the good news.  Brenda wanted to buy my manuscript!  It was the call every aspiring author waits for (at least I’m assuming that is what they are after) and I wish I could say we celebrated with champagne and chocolate.  Instead my children, who were probably tired of listening to me say “I sold a book” all afternoon, came down with the stomach flu.  And as soon as we recovered, I started work on the revisions 🙂