• The Call


    So, did you celebrate yesterday with the Kool and the Gang song?

    Well, as promised here is the story we’re celebrating.

    ~~~

    I started on this journey to publication May of 2008 by joining ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). I’d had this 87,000-word novel, Light of Truth, but no knowledge of what I should do as my next step.

    A fellow writer suggested I join ACFW, so I did. I got connected with a fantastic critique group where I learned the art of handling critiques and rewriting. Over the next eighteen months, I wrote and wrote, attended conferences, and found some authors willing to walk me through my questions/mistakes.

    Then I found RWA (The Romance Writers of America) and more specifically, the special interest FF&P group (Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal). I got even more support, encouragement, and critiques.

    I never really knew exactly what would happen, if anything, with my writing. Would it ever be good enough for publication? Good enough for an agent to take a risk on me? Or was I destined to just write and share it with my friends and encourage people in their writing.

    I trusted God to lead the way.

    Well, on Sunday January 10th, 2010, Violet Midnight won a contest & the first prize was a publishing contract-the story is HERE. Then, later that same night, I got a request for a full manuscript for Heaven’s Fire from an agent I really wanted representing my work.

    Needless to say, more squealing ensued.

    I mean, a contest win, then a request from a dream agent in a five-hour span?

    MUCH ice cream and chocolate consumption followed as my sweet hubby and I celebrated.

    So, I sent off my full to Dream Agent on Monday January 11th and then, a few hours later, my FIRST EVER book contract popped into my email box.

    **Yes, I nearly fell over, yet again! I think I even found some more chocolate to eat!**

    By Wednesday morning, I was finally starting to calm down a bit, but then, later in the day I got an email that shook me up all over again.

    Dream Agent wanted me to call her about Heaven’s Fire.

    –Gulp–

    Of course I called.

    Thirty minutes later, I hung up, disbelieving I’d heard Dream Agent say, “We’re interested in representing you, so think it over and let’s talk Friday.”

    I must have hallucinated it. . . no other explanation.

    It couldn’t happen that quickly, could it?

    But then, on Friday, January 15th, it happened.

    I signed on with Tribe Literary Agency. My rockstar agent is Cari Foulk.

    So, thanks for celebrating this with me.

    Ashley Hayes, the main character from Heaven’s Fire, demanded she get to come on the blog and tell the story, but I had to put my foot down this time. I promised her a week to host in the near future. . . so stay tuned for that.