When I was nine years old I read all of Laura Ingals Wilder’s Little House books and fell in love. I decided that telling stories for a living was the greatest thing a person could ever do and announced that I was going to be a writer. Soon thereafter, I wrote my first story, about our family’s Siamese cat who liked to sleep in my bathroom sink. I wrote it with a big fat pencil on a Big Chief talent and illustrated it with crayon drawings.
Thus began my career as a writer. I wrote stories, poems, songs and plays all through elementary and middle school. In eighth grade my best friend and I teamed up and wrote a western historical romance. The heroine’s name was Desiree and the hero was Trace. We illustrated that one, too. The manuscript got passed around to our classmates, who loved it. That spring, a new eighth grade annex was built and each class got to pick a scene from literature to paint on a designated wall in the building. Our class was assigned the girls’ restroom to designate and they elected to decorate it with a larger than life rendition of none other than our heroine, Desiree.
My early brush with fame was not, however, a sign of things to come. I did not, as I had fantasized, become one of the youngest New York Times bestsellers in history. I finally sold my first short story at age 19, and by 20 I was writing a column for the local paper. At 21 I graduated college and went to work for that paper as a reporter. I began selling short stories and articles.
Fast forward a number of years. I had finally decided I wanted to be a novelist and spent the next ten years completing ten manuscripts and collecting reams of rejection slips. I went through two different agents. I was discouraged but I couldn’t quit.
Finally, in 1997, I sold my first book, a historical romance, to Berkley Books. I came home from vacation and stood in my office at midnight, listening to the message from the editor saying she wanted to buy my book. It was too late to call her back and too late to call anyone else. I can’t say I slept that night, I was so excited. That call changed everything.
And in ways, it didn’t change all that much. I’m still writing books and some of them don’t sell. I still haven’t made the Times list. I still have ups and downs. But I can say I’m making my living as a writer, and I still think it’s one of the greatest jobs a person could ever have.
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A Big Thanks to Coffee Time for inviting me over today. This month I’m celebrating the release of two new books:
THE FATHER FOR HER SON
Harlequin Superromance
January 2010
Life hasn’t been easy for single mom Marlee Britton, but she’s proud of her ability to look after herself and her son. Then old flame Troy Denton shows up after seven years, wanting to be a father to his son. and to rekindle his relationship with Marlee. While Troy struggles to prove himself trustworthy, Marlee wonders how she can ever give her heart to the man who broke it so long ago.
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MELTING POINT” in BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE
with Jennifer Greene and Merline Lovelace
Harlequin Anthology
January 2010
Kristjan Gunnarson is Iceland’s first ever Olympic medalist. Coloradoan Stacy Bristol thinks he’ll be the perfect model for her new advertising campaign, but she isn’t prepared for the impact handsome Kristjan has on her. As she supervises filming around Iceland, Stacy fights her attraction to Kristjan. Can a down-to-business American and a footloose Icelander find love in the land of ice and fire?
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0 COMMENTS
Patricia K
14 years agoI found another person who love the LIttle House On The Prarie.That was a great way for you to know what you wanted to when you older.You write great books and I now found another book I need to buy. I would loved to do that when I was eighth grade.I hope you keep on writing as some of us live in the books we read.
horseunicornkey@aol.com
Lilly Cain
14 years agoI enjoyed Lillt House as well, and have tried to get
my daughter into it, but no go. I wonder why? All she wants to read is the edgy paranormal books. I would love for her to see what I see in it, but I am glad that at least she seems to love to read – anything! 🙂
Lilly Cain