My conference name tag – Golden Heart® and Firebird pins and my Finalist and First Timer (at an RWA conference) ribbons
I had no idea how big the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Contest was until Book 5 became a finalist in 2012. In fact, I knew so little about it that I didn’t even know the results were going to be announced that day.
Later, I learned that finalists had “the call” stories because that was how they usually found out—via a phone call. From about midnight Brisbane time (9am Texas time), finalists are contacted with the good news. Afterwards, their name is added to the website.
I never got “the call”. Plus, according to the email’s time stamp, I didn’t receive my notification in my inbox till about 6am (about an hour after all finalists are usually notified in the US). The reason behind this was I live in Australia and the person in charge of contacting me didn’t want to disturb my sleep.
As it turned out, ignorance was bliss. My fellow Aussie finalist, Joanne Lockyer, had waited all night for “the call”. In disappointment, she’d finally given up hope when her phone finally rang a little after 5am. Again, the person in charge of notifying her was conscious of the time difference between the countries.
Joanne and I having one of our writer catch ups – June 2017
So, what happened next? A fellow finalist contacted me and invited me to join a Yahoo message group, and I contacted my local paper.
The article in the Wynnum Herald – May 18, 2012
After a couple of days, all 62 finalists (from about 9 categories) were members. Some had finalled before. Others were new like me. Everyone was so helpful and supportive. Finally, I’ve found my people. We voted for a group name—The Firebirds. Like the legendary Phoenix, writers need the ability to rise back up from the ashes of rejections and bad reviews.
The Firebirds’ conference pin – 2012
Other than having a network of supportive, knowledgeable kindred spirits, the benefits of becoming a finalist were innumerable. For starters, we got first pick of agents and editors at the conference. I wasn’t planning on attending. I was on maternity leave at the time which meant no income and a baby (and his only slightly older sister) to look after. But my husband encouraged me to embrace the opportunity, so that July (on his birthday), I left Brisbane to set off for California alone. I’d been to the US a couple of times before, but going by myself as a parent carried guilt and fear that I’d never experienced in my previous travels.
Early morning flight to Los Angeles via Melbourne – July 2012
I made the most of my time—did additional research around Los Angeles for a couple of days (the setting of Book 5) before heading to Anaheim for the conference.
Open-top bus tour of Los Angeles and Hollywood – July 2012
The Marriott was filled with writers—more than I’d ever seen in my life. I was glad for all the newbie advice I’d received from my fellow Firebirds. I ran into a few around the hotel—finally, people to go with the photos and the messages of the last three months.
The Firebirds who finalled in the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category
Unfortunately, there were just so many faces that I began speaking to someone at the lobby, thinking she was a Firebird. She wasn’t—she was a famous published author!
Even though I write books with romantic elements, I wasn’t a big romance reader (traditional or otherwise) so at the time, I’d never heard of that writer in the lobby, nor other big names like Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann and Jill Shalvis. I didn’t even know what “HEA” meant (happily ever after, in case you’re wondering!)
I had a lot to learn.
Here are the main things I took away from that conference:
- There were lots of other people out there like me, who have struggled to reach their dream and faced rejection. The keynote speakers at the receptions brought tears to my eyes—because as they spoke of their struggle-filled path to publication and success, I saw myself in their personal stories.
- Being a professional author is not just an artistic pursuit. It’s a job that requires commitment and the ability to produce several books a year if necessary.
- My very first critique partner who tried to teach me plotting—thanks 😊 And later, my second and awesome critique partner, Heather Ashby, who is a “pantser” like me.
The first time I met Heather (at a workshop) – we had no idea we’d become critique partners in December 2012
4. About a million acronyms and terms like “pantser” (a writer who writes by the seat of their pants instead of plotting out the whole story first)
5. Agents and editors ask you what else you have, so it’s good to have something ready.
Nerve-wracking but a priceless experience
That last point was very good motivation to try to write and complete another manuscript. The editor I’d spoken to had asked me for a summary of another project. Instead of coming up with a completely new story, I went through my Thought Book and found a storyline I wanted to explore. Of course, that meant I had to actually write it. And I did.
In fact, ever since coming back from my first RWA conference in 2012, I have completed 11 books to date (Books 6-16). That is about 1-3 books per year. All of them are in a series—some complete while others are only as far as the first sequel. It was important to me to prove to myself that I could finish my drafts. I no longer started anything without finishing it—because something can be edited while a blank page cannot.
With my awesome critique partner, Heather Ashby, at the 2015 RWA conference in New York – the lady who always encourages me to “write on”. She’s read ALL my manuscripts since Book 6!
How do you write and edit up to three manuscripts in one year? I set myself a challenge and wrote a minimum of 800 words a day. Sometimes, I fell asleep at my keyboard but I woke up and kept going until I was done. I’m not currently doing this challenge but I still write/edit on the bus to and from my day job, and wherever/whenever I can.
Typical bus ride to/from work
Editing a manuscript (Book 16) on paper while on a cruise – in Vanuatu 2018
In 2014, I got an agent in the US, and I thought I’d made it! To put this into perspective—one big agency in the US receives close to 40,000 emails a year from authors wanting representation. They only ask for 900 to send partial or full manuscripts. Of those, they only sign about 7 new authors to represent. As you can see, it’s not easy to land a literary agent. However, after a year, I decided it was better to find different representation, someone who would be interested in the different genres I write in.
In 2015, I went to my second RWA conference. This time it was in New York City. Again, it was such a treat to catch up with my Firebird sisters. Most of them are published now. I am one of the few who is still in the writing, entering contests and submitting to agents and editors merry-go-round.
With Rita finalist and fellow Firebird, Natalie Meg Evans – thanks for all the advice about the British publishing industry, Natalie!
Since 2012, I’ve become a finalist and won a few more contests. 2015 was probably my biggest year with five finals which included winning the Gold Ticket in the Toronto RWA’s Catherine Contest, and being shortlisted in the international contest, Myslexia. Again, I thought, surely, this was it, that I would sell a book in 2016. But I didn’t.
As well as contest success, I’ve also had several partial and full manuscripts requested by agents and editors. As I mentioned above, just to be asked is an achievement people in the industry might not appreciate. These requests somewhat affirmed that my writing doesn’t totally suck—a little boost despite the eventual rejections. In early 2017, Book 10 reached the Acquisition Meeting stage at a publisher, who asked me if I had any books about ice hockey.
Wow, really? As a matter of fact, my first three manuscripts were about ice hockey (first written 1993-1995).
The best part about going to Canada: researching ice hockey – Vancouver Canucks game 1998
But they were YA (young adult books) and written twenty plus years ago. So, I began writing Book 16 last year. Like me, my original characters were no longer teenagers. Unlike me, who turned 40 this year, they are twenty-seven and still trying to figure out their HEA.
Thank goodness for the internet, it’s much easier to research ice hockey and follow an NHL season – whenever possible, it’s still better to experience what your characters experience
After twenty-five years, I feel like I’ve come full-circle. I’m currently working on Book 17 (the next story in the ice hockey series). It’s been a very long and bumpy road. And despite all the work and the expense, I don’t have a publishing contract yet.
Do I get depressed by this fact? Yes. Do I consider ever quitting? No.
I can’t control what others think of my work. But I can control how I respond to rejection. My response: don’t give up. Besides, writing is a compulsion, a part of me. If I didn’t write my ideas down, they would build up in my head.
For me, writing professionally as a full-time author is the dream. But writing is life. It has enriched my existence in countless ways. It has shaped my life choices and framed the way I perceive and approach new experiences and challenges.
I may not be published yet, but I am already a writer.
Editing BOOK 16 (an ice hockey book) at the ice rink while the kids and hubby skate – 2017