First Sale Stories 2:
Or When They Got 'The Call'!
Or When They Got 'The Call'!
Copyright © 2005 by Authors
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Shana Galen
By the time I got THE CALL, I'd been writing for four years and had pretty
much been rejected by everyone. I had recently acquired an agent (who had
previously rejected me, of course!), and we'd been sending out a chick lit and
every editor hated it. I had another book I'd just finished with a Star Wars
theme, and I thought we should shop that around. What did we have to lose?
Just after those submissions went out, I finaled in the Golden Heart for a
Regency historical I'd written. But so what? Nobody's buying historicals, right?
The day I got THE CALL, I was teaching 6th grade and my students had just
finished the state-wide standardized testing. My agent called and told me I had
3 offers for my Star Wars book. I didn't believe him. I kept saying, "Why are you
lying to me? I don't believe you!" He finally convinced me it was true and told
me he'd call me back tomorrow after he had all the details for the offers. The
next day he called and said Avon offered to buy 2 historicals and 2 chick lits,
including the GH finalist and my Star Wars book. And the acquiring editor had
previously rejected me--of course! So in one day I went from being a reject to
selling 4 books!
Click here to visit Shana's website
By the time I got THE CALL, I'd been writing for four years and had pretty
much been rejected by everyone. I had recently acquired an agent (who had
previously rejected me, of course!), and we'd been sending out a chick lit and
every editor hated it. I had another book I'd just finished with a Star Wars
theme, and I thought we should shop that around. What did we have to lose?
Just after those submissions went out, I finaled in the Golden Heart for a
Regency historical I'd written. But so what? Nobody's buying historicals, right?
The day I got THE CALL, I was teaching 6th grade and my students had just
finished the state-wide standardized testing. My agent called and told me I had
3 offers for my Star Wars book. I didn't believe him. I kept saying, "Why are you
lying to me? I don't believe you!" He finally convinced me it was true and told
me he'd call me back tomorrow after he had all the details for the offers. The
next day he called and said Avon offered to buy 2 historicals and 2 chick lits,
including the GH finalist and my Star Wars book. And the acquiring editor had
previously rejected me--of course! So in one day I went from being a reject to
selling 4 books!
Click here to visit Shana's website
Catherine Kean
The day I got “the call” started out like any other Wednesday. That sunny, blue-
skied morning in October, 2004, I hugged my daughter before my husband drove
her to school. I attended my weekly critique meeting, a ritual of my past seven
years of seriously honing my writing in pursuit of my dream of becoming a
published romance writer. Buoyed by my three talented critique partners’
criticisms of my work-in-progress, I arrived home around noon for a quick lunch
before I was to pick up my daughter from school. Sipping a glass of water, I
checked my email. Waiting for me was a message from Wendy Burbank, the
acquisitions editor for Medallion Press.
Somehow, I knew it was good news.
I set the glass down with a thud, ignoring the water sloshed onto my desk. My
heart began to pound as I opened the email. My hunch was right. Medallion
Press wanted to buy my medieval historical romance Dance of Desire.
What a rush of emotions I felt in that moment, among them, relief, a fabulous
sense of accomplishment, as well as tremendous excitement. I’d been writing for
over ten years, completed six manuscripts, and finaled in
thirty writing contests, and had too many editor and agent rejection letters filed
away to count. Yet I had refused to quit. Those two-headed dragons of doubt
had taunted that my writing would never sell, but I refused to let
disappointments or doubts slay my courage.
When I mailed my proposal off to Medallion Press, I hoped it would be the
submission which garnered my first sale. About three months later, on a Sunday
morning, I received an email from Ms. Burbank asking if the manuscript was still
available, and if so, if she could read the full. Then, barely a week later, the email
with the formal offer.
Oh, wow! I’d sold Dance of Desire.
I whooped and shot out of my chair. I snatched up the phone and called my
husband at work. My true Knight In Shining Armor, he was thrilled for me. And,
when I picked my daughter up from school, I had wonderful news to tell her:
“Guess what? Mom’s going to be a published author!”
I still get shivers when I think of that day—and when I hold my gorgeous book,
which is printed with two different cover designs thanks to a cover-voting contest
Medallion Press ran on its web site which resulted in a tie. I remember how my
story began with a mere idea, sparked when I was listening to a CD of medieval
music. I remember the long hours I spent honing each sentence, refining each
scene, threading the intricate plot elements through the novel. I remember the
rejections that really hurt. It would have been very easy to quit. Yet I didn’t.
Thank goodness.
If I can share one bit of advice, it’s to keep writing and submitting, even when it’s
tough. The dream of becoming a published writer is within reach.
Click here to visit Catherine's website
The day I got “the call” started out like any other Wednesday. That sunny, blue-
skied morning in October, 2004, I hugged my daughter before my husband drove
her to school. I attended my weekly critique meeting, a ritual of my past seven
years of seriously honing my writing in pursuit of my dream of becoming a
published romance writer. Buoyed by my three talented critique partners’
criticisms of my work-in-progress, I arrived home around noon for a quick lunch
before I was to pick up my daughter from school. Sipping a glass of water, I
checked my email. Waiting for me was a message from Wendy Burbank, the
acquisitions editor for Medallion Press.
Somehow, I knew it was good news.
I set the glass down with a thud, ignoring the water sloshed onto my desk. My
heart began to pound as I opened the email. My hunch was right. Medallion
Press wanted to buy my medieval historical romance Dance of Desire.
What a rush of emotions I felt in that moment, among them, relief, a fabulous
sense of accomplishment, as well as tremendous excitement. I’d been writing for
over ten years, completed six manuscripts, and finaled in
thirty writing contests, and had too many editor and agent rejection letters filed
away to count. Yet I had refused to quit. Those two-headed dragons of doubt
had taunted that my writing would never sell, but I refused to let
disappointments or doubts slay my courage.
When I mailed my proposal off to Medallion Press, I hoped it would be the
submission which garnered my first sale. About three months later, on a Sunday
morning, I received an email from Ms. Burbank asking if the manuscript was still
available, and if so, if she could read the full. Then, barely a week later, the email
with the formal offer.
Oh, wow! I’d sold Dance of Desire.
I whooped and shot out of my chair. I snatched up the phone and called my
husband at work. My true Knight In Shining Armor, he was thrilled for me. And,
when I picked my daughter up from school, I had wonderful news to tell her:
“Guess what? Mom’s going to be a published author!”
I still get shivers when I think of that day—and when I hold my gorgeous book,
which is printed with two different cover designs thanks to a cover-voting contest
Medallion Press ran on its web site which resulted in a tie. I remember how my
story began with a mere idea, sparked when I was listening to a CD of medieval
music. I remember the long hours I spent honing each sentence, refining each
scene, threading the intricate plot elements through the novel. I remember the
rejections that really hurt. It would have been very easy to quit. Yet I didn’t.
Thank goodness.
If I can share one bit of advice, it’s to keep writing and submitting, even when it’s
tough. The dream of becoming a published writer is within reach.
Click here to visit Catherine's website
Carolynn Carey
I've always wondered what it would feel like to get The Call after writing only one
book. Most of us will never know, and perhaps that's how it should be. Many
times those first efforts are best left covered in dust
bunnies under the bed. Certainly that's were my first attempt, a contemporary,
remains.
With my next three finished manuscripts (all Regencies), I finaled three times in
RWA's Golden Heart contest, but none of those books sold and eventually my
interests swung back to contemporaries.
I have to admit that I worked on A SUMMER SENTENCE for a number of years,
entering it in contests, revising, and re-entering. I had a number of positive
comments from judges, but I was never quite happy with the manuscript. Then,
in 2004, I entered my own chapter's contest, the Laurie, and finaled. The final
round judge was Erin Cartwright Niumata from Avalon Books, and when I won
the contest, she asked for the manuscript. Guess what? After all that time, it
still wasn't finished.
I told Erin I could have the manuscript to her in a couple of months, which I did,
and I received The Call from her in October 2004. It was just as wonderful as I
had always imagined it would be. A SUMMER SENTENCE is scheduled for
release in August 2005, and I can hardly wait. I've already completed a sequel,
which is on Erin's desk now, and I've started yet another book in the series.
For some of us, the road to publication is long and sometimes extremely
discouraging. But in retrospect, I see that I had much to learn when I started
out. I still do, of course, and that part of the journey will never end, but the
successes along the way are always joyful.
Wishing those same joys for you.
Click here to vist Carolynn's website
I've always wondered what it would feel like to get The Call after writing only one
book. Most of us will never know, and perhaps that's how it should be. Many
times those first efforts are best left covered in dust
bunnies under the bed. Certainly that's were my first attempt, a contemporary,
remains.
With my next three finished manuscripts (all Regencies), I finaled three times in
RWA's Golden Heart contest, but none of those books sold and eventually my
interests swung back to contemporaries.
I have to admit that I worked on A SUMMER SENTENCE for a number of years,
entering it in contests, revising, and re-entering. I had a number of positive
comments from judges, but I was never quite happy with the manuscript. Then,
in 2004, I entered my own chapter's contest, the Laurie, and finaled. The final
round judge was Erin Cartwright Niumata from Avalon Books, and when I won
the contest, she asked for the manuscript. Guess what? After all that time, it
still wasn't finished.
I told Erin I could have the manuscript to her in a couple of months, which I did,
and I received The Call from her in October 2004. It was just as wonderful as I
had always imagined it would be. A SUMMER SENTENCE is scheduled for
release in August 2005, and I can hardly wait. I've already completed a sequel,
which is on Erin's desk now, and I've started yet another book in the series.
For some of us, the road to publication is long and sometimes extremely
discouraging. But in retrospect, I see that I had much to learn when I started
out. I still do, of course, and that part of the journey will never end, but the
successes along the way are always joyful.
Wishing those same joys for you.
Click here to vist Carolynn's website
Shirley Jump
I wrote ten manuscripts in eight years and every single time, I thought the
current one would be THE one. I got an agent with the first version of THE
VIRGIN’S PROPOSAL, and she sent it out. It was rejected by an editor at H/S.
Then it won a contest and was re-requested by H/S. Ultimately, it was rejected
again.
I asked my agent to send it to a different line at Silhouette and she refused. I
disagreed and sent the book in on my own. In the meantime, it became clear that
my former agent and I had a difference of opinion over my
work because she started to refuse to represent everything I sent her. The last
rejection letter I got from her broke my heart -- and my spirit. I had also called
Silhouette that day, looking for my book, and they couldn't find it. I took that as
a strong sign to give up.
On that day, June 23, 2001, I quit writing. I cleared out my hard drive, threw out
all my how-to books, tossed my manuscripts, threw my entire writing life into the
trash. It didn’t matter any more that I had achieved a
lot in my nonfiction career (two books and 2500-odd articles at that point). I had
finally given up on myself. I faxed off a letter severing the relationship with my
current agent and figured that was that.
My husband, bless the man, came in and found me having a damned good pity
party in my office. He encouraged me to put everything back and try again. I sent
out ONE query letter to an agent. A week later, a package came in the mail from
Silhouette. It was a revision letter from Mary Theresa Hussey saying she loved
TVP and wanted me to make some changes. Two weeks later, a different agent
(my dream agent, actually) offered me representation.
On Dec. 12, 2001, I sold TVP to Silhouette Romance. I am continually amazed at
how my career has turned on a dime, especially coming up on this, the four-year
anniversary of my “quitting” the business. I've since sold...oh, I think 15 books
now. I start to lose track after a while :-) My seventh (THE DEVIL SERVED
TORTELLINI) is on shelves now with my 8th and 9th (THE ANGEL CRAVED
LOBSTER and THE MARINE'S KISS) coming out in August.
Hold on to that hope -- it’s the strongest rope you can have in this business.
Click here to visit Shirley's website
I wrote ten manuscripts in eight years and every single time, I thought the
current one would be THE one. I got an agent with the first version of THE
VIRGIN’S PROPOSAL, and she sent it out. It was rejected by an editor at H/S.
Then it won a contest and was re-requested by H/S. Ultimately, it was rejected
again.
I asked my agent to send it to a different line at Silhouette and she refused. I
disagreed and sent the book in on my own. In the meantime, it became clear that
my former agent and I had a difference of opinion over my
work because she started to refuse to represent everything I sent her. The last
rejection letter I got from her broke my heart -- and my spirit. I had also called
Silhouette that day, looking for my book, and they couldn't find it. I took that as
a strong sign to give up.
On that day, June 23, 2001, I quit writing. I cleared out my hard drive, threw out
all my how-to books, tossed my manuscripts, threw my entire writing life into the
trash. It didn’t matter any more that I had achieved a
lot in my nonfiction career (two books and 2500-odd articles at that point). I had
finally given up on myself. I faxed off a letter severing the relationship with my
current agent and figured that was that.
My husband, bless the man, came in and found me having a damned good pity
party in my office. He encouraged me to put everything back and try again. I sent
out ONE query letter to an agent. A week later, a package came in the mail from
Silhouette. It was a revision letter from Mary Theresa Hussey saying she loved
TVP and wanted me to make some changes. Two weeks later, a different agent
(my dream agent, actually) offered me representation.
On Dec. 12, 2001, I sold TVP to Silhouette Romance. I am continually amazed at
how my career has turned on a dime, especially coming up on this, the four-year
anniversary of my “quitting” the business. I've since sold...oh, I think 15 books
now. I start to lose track after a while :-) My seventh (THE DEVIL SERVED
TORTELLINI) is on shelves now with my 8th and 9th (THE ANGEL CRAVED
LOBSTER and THE MARINE'S KISS) coming out in August.
Hold on to that hope -- it’s the strongest rope you can have in this business.
Click here to visit Shirley's website
Tracy Anne Warren
The date was July 22, 2004, the time somewhere around 2:30 pm. I was in my
home office working on my latest manuscript when the phone rang. It was my
agent calling to tell me Ballantine Books had made an offer. Only the offer wasn’
t just for the novel we had submitted but for an entire trilogy!
Luckily, I was already seated or I would probably have toppled over. Ballantine
wanted to buy three books!
They loved two of the secondary characters from the first novel so much that
they thought I should give each of those characters stories of their own. They
bought the second two books blind, based on nothing more from me than a pair
of very brief story blurbs that I dashed off and faxed to my agent AFTER my
publisher had already offered me a three-book contract. Later that evening my
agent called back to go over the specifics of the deal. I sat on the sofa in my
family room, hands shaking as I listened to my dreams literally come true.
Overcome by excitement, I could barely sleep for the next week. The first
person I told about my sale was my sister because she’s always been my
biggest fan and supporter, then I called my mother and my friends and
everyone else I could think of. I emailed the writers’ loops I belong to and my
local chapter of Romance Writers of America. In fact, it was at my chapter’s
retreat where I had met and signed with my agent only three months earlier.
So after five years, four manuscripts, numerous contest entries, finals and
wins, and more rejections than I care to count, I suddenly took a gigantic leap
forward from aspiring writer to multi-published author. Everyday holds some
new adventure--there are so many things about publishing I have yet to learn--
but the process is a journey I happily embrace. How could I not? when I am
getting to do what I love best--telling stories.
Click here to visit Tracy's website
The date was July 22, 2004, the time somewhere around 2:30 pm. I was in my
home office working on my latest manuscript when the phone rang. It was my
agent calling to tell me Ballantine Books had made an offer. Only the offer wasn’
t just for the novel we had submitted but for an entire trilogy!
Luckily, I was already seated or I would probably have toppled over. Ballantine
wanted to buy three books!
They loved two of the secondary characters from the first novel so much that
they thought I should give each of those characters stories of their own. They
bought the second two books blind, based on nothing more from me than a pair
of very brief story blurbs that I dashed off and faxed to my agent AFTER my
publisher had already offered me a three-book contract. Later that evening my
agent called back to go over the specifics of the deal. I sat on the sofa in my
family room, hands shaking as I listened to my dreams literally come true.
Overcome by excitement, I could barely sleep for the next week. The first
person I told about my sale was my sister because she’s always been my
biggest fan and supporter, then I called my mother and my friends and
everyone else I could think of. I emailed the writers’ loops I belong to and my
local chapter of Romance Writers of America. In fact, it was at my chapter’s
retreat where I had met and signed with my agent only three months earlier.
So after five years, four manuscripts, numerous contest entries, finals and
wins, and more rejections than I care to count, I suddenly took a gigantic leap
forward from aspiring writer to multi-published author. Everyday holds some
new adventure--there are so many things about publishing I have yet to learn--
but the process is a journey I happily embrace. How could I not? when I am
getting to do what I love best--telling stories.
Click here to visit Tracy's website
Juliet Burns
After I’d finished my first manuscript, a bookseller cyber-friend recommended I
join RWA. I joined the local chapter, North Texas RWA, and started learning the
craft.
I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic critique partner, revised my manuscript,
called BET ON LOVE (later renamed HIGH-STAKES PASSION), a LOT, then
eventually entered it in several contests. After receiving more feedback from
contests, I revised the manuscript even MORE. It still received 2 richly
deserved rejections before finally winning first place in the 2002 Golden Rose
Contest!! The final judge was a Silhouette editor who gave it glowing praise,
made several suggestions for revisions, but didn’t ask for the full.
So I sent her a thank you note thanking her for taking the time to judge, telling
her I’d made all the revisions she suggested and would she mind looking at the
first three chapters again. Enclosed in that thank you note, I sent a query
letter, the 2 page synopsis, and a copy of her glowing praise for the story and
characters.
A month later she asked for the full manuscript and a year later… I GOT THE
CALL!! At 4:50pm (yes, I know the exact time), Mavis Allen, an Associate Senior
Editor for Silhouette Romance called me. Well, she emailed me because I was on
the other line with my mother and you just don’t put a mother on hold to
answer another call.
This is the note Mavis sent: (Of course, I saved the email)
Juliet,
I have great news for you on the captioned project. Please email me and let me
know what would be a good time to chat next week. I will be out of the office on
Monday, but I will be in the rest of the week.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t about to wait 3 days until she got
back on Tuesday to find out what this good news is.
So, I called. By now it was almost 6 pm in New York. She answered the phone
and… I’m afraid the rest is a bit of a blur. I know she said she loved the book
and wanted to buy it. And she’d call me next week with the details since she
was on her way out the door. Then it was scream time, hyperventilate, and call
everyone I ever knew.
Click here to visit Juliet's website
After I’d finished my first manuscript, a bookseller cyber-friend recommended I
join RWA. I joined the local chapter, North Texas RWA, and started learning the
craft.
I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic critique partner, revised my manuscript,
called BET ON LOVE (later renamed HIGH-STAKES PASSION), a LOT, then
eventually entered it in several contests. After receiving more feedback from
contests, I revised the manuscript even MORE. It still received 2 richly
deserved rejections before finally winning first place in the 2002 Golden Rose
Contest!! The final judge was a Silhouette editor who gave it glowing praise,
made several suggestions for revisions, but didn’t ask for the full.
So I sent her a thank you note thanking her for taking the time to judge, telling
her I’d made all the revisions she suggested and would she mind looking at the
first three chapters again. Enclosed in that thank you note, I sent a query
letter, the 2 page synopsis, and a copy of her glowing praise for the story and
characters.
A month later she asked for the full manuscript and a year later… I GOT THE
CALL!! At 4:50pm (yes, I know the exact time), Mavis Allen, an Associate Senior
Editor for Silhouette Romance called me. Well, she emailed me because I was on
the other line with my mother and you just don’t put a mother on hold to
answer another call.
This is the note Mavis sent: (Of course, I saved the email)
Juliet,
I have great news for you on the captioned project. Please email me and let me
know what would be a good time to chat next week. I will be out of the office on
Monday, but I will be in the rest of the week.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t about to wait 3 days until she got
back on Tuesday to find out what this good news is.
So, I called. By now it was almost 6 pm in New York. She answered the phone
and… I’m afraid the rest is a bit of a blur. I know she said she loved the book
and wanted to buy it. And she’d call me next week with the details since she
was on her way out the door. Then it was scream time, hyperventilate, and call
everyone I ever knew.
Click here to visit Juliet's website
Robyn DeHart
It was June 14, 2004 and I was with my mom at lunch, so I just happened to
have my ringer turned up on my cell phone. I noticed the area code on the
caller ID and I had just read about a fellow chapter mate noticing the same
thing and how 212 meant NYC. So I immediately started to panic. When I
answered she asked for me and said that it was Kelly from Avon and that this
was, “the call.” She loved my book and wanted to offer me a 2-book deal.
Holy cow. My hands were shaking like crazy and I mouthed to my mom what
was going on and she started jumping up and down and holding her hand over
her mouth to keep from screaming. I remembered vaguely that I needed to
write things down, so I grabbed an envelope and jotted everything down on the
back. I wish I had been more coherent to hear all the glowing things she said
about my writing and the book, but I was listening for number details so I
would have info to give my top choice agent when I hung up the phone. You
see at this point I didn't have an agent. I'd been trying for a while and had no
luck, that’s why I'd started submitting to editors.
So I hung up the phone, jumped around with my mom for a bit and called my
agent choice and left her a voice mail with the details. Then I called a myriad of
people – boyfriend (now husband), critique partners, dad, sister, etc. Then I
had to go back to my day job. ACK! So I reluctantly went back to work, but I
was excited and dazed and shocked. I told all my co-workers and they were all
very excited as well. Then the agent called back and we discussed details, she
offered representation, then she called Kelly back to finalize the details of the
offer.
So that day, I had woken up with 5 completed manuscripts and having written
for 7 years and yet another frustrating day having not heard anything from
NYC and that night I went to bed as a multi-published author – or at least
contracted as such. For all the difficulties in this business, the highs are
pretty stinking high!
Click here to visit Robyn's website
It was June 14, 2004 and I was with my mom at lunch, so I just happened to
have my ringer turned up on my cell phone. I noticed the area code on the
caller ID and I had just read about a fellow chapter mate noticing the same
thing and how 212 meant NYC. So I immediately started to panic. When I
answered she asked for me and said that it was Kelly from Avon and that this
was, “the call.” She loved my book and wanted to offer me a 2-book deal.
Holy cow. My hands were shaking like crazy and I mouthed to my mom what
was going on and she started jumping up and down and holding her hand over
her mouth to keep from screaming. I remembered vaguely that I needed to
write things down, so I grabbed an envelope and jotted everything down on the
back. I wish I had been more coherent to hear all the glowing things she said
about my writing and the book, but I was listening for number details so I
would have info to give my top choice agent when I hung up the phone. You
see at this point I didn't have an agent. I'd been trying for a while and had no
luck, that’s why I'd started submitting to editors.
So I hung up the phone, jumped around with my mom for a bit and called my
agent choice and left her a voice mail with the details. Then I called a myriad of
people – boyfriend (now husband), critique partners, dad, sister, etc. Then I
had to go back to my day job. ACK! So I reluctantly went back to work, but I
was excited and dazed and shocked. I told all my co-workers and they were all
very excited as well. Then the agent called back and we discussed details, she
offered representation, then she called Kelly back to finalize the details of the
offer.
So that day, I had woken up with 5 completed manuscripts and having written
for 7 years and yet another frustrating day having not heard anything from
NYC and that night I went to bed as a multi-published author – or at least
contracted as such. For all the difficulties in this business, the highs are
pretty stinking high!
Click here to visit Robyn's website
Robin Owens
I thought it was the air duct suckers. They were supposed to call Sunday night
(Superbowl Sunday) to set a time to come on Monday. Naturally I'd spent the
whole day cleaning (you know how particular those air duct suckers are about
the state of a house). So after a bout of vacuuming and taking the trash out, I
checked the phone. It beeped. It was Cindy Hwang of The Berkley Publishing
Group offering me a contract for HeartMate.
This sale was to Berkley's Magical Love line and the first futuristic they have
purchased and they were trying me out. Cindy said that she'd been looking for a
futuristic for the line for a while but hadn't seen anything she wanted before
HeartMate.
This particular offer happened this way. Wisconsin's Romance Writer's chapter
of RWA weren't getting enough entries in the paranormal category of their
contest, so they advertised on the FF&P loop. A lot of us entered. I won. (I
didn't think I would, I thought I'd take 3rd.) This contest is interesting because
it only asks for the 1st 10 pages, no synopsis. I reviewed and revised my ms.
and sent it to Cindy at Berkley with big permanent marker letters on it
"Awarded 1st Place by Cindy Hwang in the Wisconsin Fabulous Five Contest".
This was in May 2000. I did a follow up letter in November. (Having revised the
ms. for Hardshell and submitted it there and to Dorchester -- AND having
looked at the ms. I sent to Hwang and found out that in the last 3rd of the book
the hero's name was capitalized every time **wince**). I got the letter back and
found out Berkley had been gobbled up by Putnam/Penquin (ok, I should have
known this before, but I didn't). I sent an express letter (mucho dough)
mid-December. I tracked it and the p.o. said they couldn't deliver it, would make
a second attempt and then return it in 5 days. It didn't come back. I was
convinced my ms. got lost in the move.
Click here to visit Robin's website
I thought it was the air duct suckers. They were supposed to call Sunday night
(Superbowl Sunday) to set a time to come on Monday. Naturally I'd spent the
whole day cleaning (you know how particular those air duct suckers are about
the state of a house). So after a bout of vacuuming and taking the trash out, I
checked the phone. It beeped. It was Cindy Hwang of The Berkley Publishing
Group offering me a contract for HeartMate.
This sale was to Berkley's Magical Love line and the first futuristic they have
purchased and they were trying me out. Cindy said that she'd been looking for a
futuristic for the line for a while but hadn't seen anything she wanted before
HeartMate.
This particular offer happened this way. Wisconsin's Romance Writer's chapter
of RWA weren't getting enough entries in the paranormal category of their
contest, so they advertised on the FF&P loop. A lot of us entered. I won. (I
didn't think I would, I thought I'd take 3rd.) This contest is interesting because
it only asks for the 1st 10 pages, no synopsis. I reviewed and revised my ms.
and sent it to Cindy at Berkley with big permanent marker letters on it
"Awarded 1st Place by Cindy Hwang in the Wisconsin Fabulous Five Contest".
This was in May 2000. I did a follow up letter in November. (Having revised the
ms. for Hardshell and submitted it there and to Dorchester -- AND having
looked at the ms. I sent to Hwang and found out that in the last 3rd of the book
the hero's name was capitalized every time **wince**). I got the letter back and
found out Berkley had been gobbled up by Putnam/Penquin (ok, I should have
known this before, but I didn't). I sent an express letter (mucho dough)
mid-December. I tracked it and the p.o. said they couldn't deliver it, would make
a second attempt and then return it in 5 days. It didn't come back. I was
convinced my ms. got lost in the move.
Click here to visit Robin's website
Jenna Black
I wrote my first book in fourth grade. It was an autobiography, written on a
lined notepad with a construction paper cover stapled to it, and illustrated in
crayon. Little did I know that was the beginning of a lifelong obsession.
When I was a freshman in college, I wrote my very first novel, a very odd--and
now that I look back on it, not all that good--science fiction novel with a premise
reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." I made a few efforts to sell it,
meanwhile writing short stories off and on, as the muse hit me. I dreamed of
starting off on the road to stardom at a young age, being some kind of a
phenom . . .
Then, in 1989, I went to an intensive science fiction writers workshop called
Clarion West. This is a six-week, total-immersion workshop, where you live in a
dorm and have a different published author or editor teacher each week. After
this workshop, I decided to get serious about writing. It was, after all, my
dream.
The years went by. Fourteen of them, to be exact, in which I wrote seven
sci-fi/fantasy novels. The rejections piled up. Many of them were personalized,
but after the first handful of those, the novelty wore off and personalized
rejections were just as demoralizing as form letters. Unlike many writers who
tell stories like this, I never really considered quitting. I wanted it too damn
much. Quitting was always something I'd have to think about doing "someday,"
but I never let someday be today.
In the spring of 2003, I went to another intense, life-altering sci-fi/fantasy
writer's workshop. One of our assignments in this workshop was to write a
mystery short story--forcing us to try a different genre. Also during the
workshop, the teachers, who were both multi-genre authors, sang the praises
of Romance Writers of America as an organization. These two teachers (Dean
Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch) pounded a message into me--if I
worked hard enough and produced good enough work, I would sell eventually.
Period.
I took their teachings to heart. I tried writing other genres, just to see what I
did best. I switched to writing romances, which in the end seemed to be a
better fit for me, and I started writing every single day. In 2004, I wrote seven
novels--as many as I'd written in the previous 14 years. And one of those
novels tempted an agent into offering me representation.
Skip forward to spring 2005. My agent wrote me to say that the editor at Tor
wanted to buy my book but had to pitch it to her superiors first. There followed
a few weeks of nail-biting tension that just about drove me insane. I'd gotten
this close before and failed to sell. Was history repeating itself? Finally, on one
Monday morning, I wrote my agent an email asking if she had any idea when I
would hear from Tor.
She wrote back quickly, something to the effect of "Oh, I guess you didn't get
my message on Friday--they want to buy your book." My screams scared my
poor husband and dog to death. There were plenty of tears. I called my boss
and told her I wasn't coming to work--I had a 45-minute commute, and didn't
trust myself behind the wheel.
There's something to be said for achieving a goal after such a long struggle. I'm
sure it was vastly more satisfying that way than if that long-ago editor had
bought my first novel. But it was a long, bumpy, painful road. And am I ever
glad I stuck it out!
Click here to visit Jenna's website
I wrote my first book in fourth grade. It was an autobiography, written on a
lined notepad with a construction paper cover stapled to it, and illustrated in
crayon. Little did I know that was the beginning of a lifelong obsession.
When I was a freshman in college, I wrote my very first novel, a very odd--and
now that I look back on it, not all that good--science fiction novel with a premise
reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." I made a few efforts to sell it,
meanwhile writing short stories off and on, as the muse hit me. I dreamed of
starting off on the road to stardom at a young age, being some kind of a
phenom . . .
Then, in 1989, I went to an intensive science fiction writers workshop called
Clarion West. This is a six-week, total-immersion workshop, where you live in a
dorm and have a different published author or editor teacher each week. After
this workshop, I decided to get serious about writing. It was, after all, my
dream.
The years went by. Fourteen of them, to be exact, in which I wrote seven
sci-fi/fantasy novels. The rejections piled up. Many of them were personalized,
but after the first handful of those, the novelty wore off and personalized
rejections were just as demoralizing as form letters. Unlike many writers who
tell stories like this, I never really considered quitting. I wanted it too damn
much. Quitting was always something I'd have to think about doing "someday,"
but I never let someday be today.
In the spring of 2003, I went to another intense, life-altering sci-fi/fantasy
writer's workshop. One of our assignments in this workshop was to write a
mystery short story--forcing us to try a different genre. Also during the
workshop, the teachers, who were both multi-genre authors, sang the praises
of Romance Writers of America as an organization. These two teachers (Dean
Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch) pounded a message into me--if I
worked hard enough and produced good enough work, I would sell eventually.
Period.
I took their teachings to heart. I tried writing other genres, just to see what I
did best. I switched to writing romances, which in the end seemed to be a
better fit for me, and I started writing every single day. In 2004, I wrote seven
novels--as many as I'd written in the previous 14 years. And one of those
novels tempted an agent into offering me representation.
Skip forward to spring 2005. My agent wrote me to say that the editor at Tor
wanted to buy my book but had to pitch it to her superiors first. There followed
a few weeks of nail-biting tension that just about drove me insane. I'd gotten
this close before and failed to sell. Was history repeating itself? Finally, on one
Monday morning, I wrote my agent an email asking if she had any idea when I
would hear from Tor.
She wrote back quickly, something to the effect of "Oh, I guess you didn't get
my message on Friday--they want to buy your book." My screams scared my
poor husband and dog to death. There were plenty of tears. I called my boss
and told her I wasn't coming to work--I had a 45-minute commute, and didn't
trust myself behind the wheel.
There's something to be said for achieving a goal after such a long struggle. I'm
sure it was vastly more satisfying that way than if that long-ago editor had
bought my first novel. But it was a long, bumpy, painful road. And am I ever
glad I stuck it out!
Click here to visit Jenna's website
Gena Showalter
I wrote for two years before signing with my agent, Deidre Knight. Within
months we almost sold me to a top NY publisher. I was devastated when the
deal didn't go through, and nearly stopped writing. However, I decided to give it
another shot and wrote The Stone Prince. We shopped that book and rejections
flooded in during the year and a half. Yep, almost two years ticked by. It looked
like I wouldn't sell that book, either. Man, I was so bummed!
Then Harlequin decided to launch the HQN single title line and called my agent,
asking if a particular client of hers would be interested in writing for them. This
author couldn't, but Deidre said, "Have I got the author for you," and sent them
The Stone Prince. Within weeks, we had an offer.
Mine isn't a "The Call" story, though. It's a "The Fax" story. Phones were down
at HQN, so Tracy Farrell (my editor) was reduced to faxing my agent - who was
out of town. When Deidre returned, she read the fax and called Tracy, but
Tracy was out of town. What followed was a two week, tortuous wait for the deal
to be cemented. It's been a roller costar ride of excitement ever since, with
eleven sales to my credit!
Click here to visit Gena's website
I wrote for two years before signing with my agent, Deidre Knight. Within
months we almost sold me to a top NY publisher. I was devastated when the
deal didn't go through, and nearly stopped writing. However, I decided to give it
another shot and wrote The Stone Prince. We shopped that book and rejections
flooded in during the year and a half. Yep, almost two years ticked by. It looked
like I wouldn't sell that book, either. Man, I was so bummed!
Then Harlequin decided to launch the HQN single title line and called my agent,
asking if a particular client of hers would be interested in writing for them. This
author couldn't, but Deidre said, "Have I got the author for you," and sent them
The Stone Prince. Within weeks, we had an offer.
Mine isn't a "The Call" story, though. It's a "The Fax" story. Phones were down
at HQN, so Tracy Farrell (my editor) was reduced to faxing my agent - who was
out of town. When Deidre returned, she read the fax and called Tracy, but
Tracy was out of town. What followed was a two week, tortuous wait for the deal
to be cemented. It's been a roller costar ride of excitement ever since, with
eleven sales to my credit!
Click here to visit Gena's website