My Story as an Author…

Getting published is a long road. No shortcuts. It’s a slog—and grit is key.

I started to write about fifteen years ago. In a year, I finished two books and had two partial manuscripts. When one of the books became query worthy, I started the process of searching for an agent. I sent out ten queries and the rejections flowed in. Discouraged, I gave up. Life happened. Kids were raised. My professional career bloomed. Writing was put on the back burner.

Fast forward to early 2025. This is the year, I told myself. I wrote a new book, queried it, and signed with an agent in the summer. A huge accomplishment, but still just the start. My agent, who is a rock star, told me to keep writing. It’s what I’ve done all year.

The book’s sequel came next. Then, I switched gears from paranormal romance to contemporary romance. Writing a minimum of seven thousand words per week, some weeks as much as fourteen thousand, I completed first drafts of the next two books. I joined a writers’ group. I’m studying the craft. I attended a conference. Got on TikTok—something that I still struggle with! But this is part of the process, and I’m all in on succeeding.

This weekend I put together the outline for my next project. It’s another contemporary romance and I’m itching to start it. And I also keep editing, editing, editing my last finished book. It’s a romantic suspense set against a college football backdrop. I LOVE how it turned out. But then again, I suspect all authors love their own books. We wouldn’t write something we don’t like, would we?

My literary agent has one book on submission, with another to come around year end. I suspect a third will come in late Q1 2026.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to write. This is a slog—and grit is key. And I’ve got that in spades.