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©My Path to Publication©

I started writing in 1995 while I was on maternity leave with a new baby. I had heard an interview on the radio saying Harlequin Mills & Boon were actively seeking authors. 'I could write one of those books' I thought. And so I started on a long and winding path; one of the biggest challenges I have faced.

The industry says 'write what you know' so with a medical background I decided to write medical romance. Knowing nothing, I turned on the computer and I dashed off three chapters and sent them to the UK. Four days later I flew out to live in Wisconsin USA. The idea of the book sat on a floppy disc, as I had neither computer or a typewriter.

My mother sent me a swag of medical romances, as they were unavailable in the US and a letter from HMB saying they would like to see the rest of the story. Oops! It wasn't written. A year later (yes, I know it was a long time) I sent it off. While I was waiting I joined the Madison chapter of the Romance Writers of America. I learned heaps, attended workshops and joined a critique group. Four of us, all determined to be published.

My first book 'Labour of Love' was rejected with a page of detail telling me why and an invitation to send more work. I wrote a second book, 'Healing Hearts.' One of my critique partners, Judith Lyons finalled in the Golden Heart competition in 1997 and we went to the RWA conference in Florida. She didn't win but she sold a year later to Silhouette Special Edition.

We moved back to Australia at then end of 1997 and within five months we had moved towns, I had become pregnant with number two son, got a part time job and my in-laws had become unwell and 'Healing Hearts' was scathingly rejected. Something had to give.

I stopped writing from 99-02…three years when I had a second child and moved 3 times! I met Marion Lennox, award winning Harlequin Mills and Boon Medical author at a small community writer's festival. She told me to start writing again. I hauled out my rejection letters and re-read them and discovered phrases like 'your writing style shows promise'. It was the first time I saw the rejections in a positive light.

So I went back to writing. I sent off 'Midwives Mission' in February 2003 and an editor asked for rewrites by letter in November 2003 wanting more 'vital medical detail'. The editor also sent a 'with compliments' slip so I bypassed the slush pile. I sent it back and in June 2004 it was rejected on the central conflict and my hero. Neither of these things had been mentioned in the previous revision letter. So I figured maybe I had made it to the next level and been 'nuked' by a senior editor. I was invited to submit another manuscript and sent another 'with compliments' slip.

I received a book in the post from the third member of my Madison Critique group. Carol Voss had sold to Silhouette Special Edition. I was the last unpublished member of our group of four.

Then I got bloody minded. I read a list of what was 'hot in medicals' and I combined the Outback with the Flying Doctors and a pregnant doctor and wrote Outback Baby. With the 'compliments' slip clipped to 'my baby' I kissed it goodbye on December 17th 2004.

Nothing moves fast in this business! On June 16th 2005, I received an email from the editor who had read my previous book. She wanted to telephone me and when would be convenient?

90% of me thought 'revisions'. 10% of me hoped for a sale. I toyed with pen names.

She rang twenty-four hours later. All I heard at first was 'not up to our publications standards.' Then I really forced myself to listen. It showed promise; it was a good story, playing it too safe, has potential. She followed up with a detailed 2.5 page revision email.

Could this get any harder? Post graduate qualifications which I found challenging were now looking like a walk in the park compared to this writing gig. But I was determined. I would conquer this mountain.

So I rewrote the book in four weeks. Some of the revisions were straightforward. Others were clear as mud.

I emailed the revisions back to her on July 15th and enjoyed my birthday the next day knowing I couldn't do anything more except start a new book!

Part of me hoped I would hear before August 26th (the Romance Writers of Australia's annual conference...wouldn't it have been cool to go to that having just sold) but if I have learned anything it is that the universe has its own time frame.

On September 5th, five days before I flew back to the US for a holiday, I was reading DS2 a bed time story. I had the answering machine on to avoid telemarketers. I missed my editor's call as I read the last page of a story to my son. I recognized her English accent. Somehow I managed to find the phone number in the UK and rang only to be told she was not at her desk. I sent an email. She rang back five minutes later

She talked about the weather; she talked about the conference and jet lag. I was busy trying to sound like the cool, experienced writer that I'm not. Then she said. 'We've read your book and we like it.' And I said 'Really?' She said 'Yes, and we'd like to buy it.' And I think I said 'That would be lovely.'

And inside I had this amazing sense of relief, a sort of 'thank God that's over.' Which is crazy, cos it's never over, there is always another book to sweat on.

Then I celebrated! I rang my husband who was interstate, I hugged my eldest son who was still up and whose words at bedtime were 'Goodnight published mother.' I'll never forget that! My writing group spoiled me, my online mates partied with me and I was able to celebrate with my original US critique group back in Madison. (See the Universe does know what it is doing!)

I think it is amazing that from the first badly written m/s to this one, HMB have read and commented on them all. And although this is the toughest thing I have ever done, isn't it wonderful that they really do buy books!

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