Writer to Author

My Debut Novel

I’ve been a writer for years. Long letters home from NYC and Germany. Poems, numerous stories. Writing a first novel (now in a drawer). Afraid I’d never do it again, writing a second, a third.

Letters and hand written stories from early on

To improve, I took classes, went to workshops, and eventually, began to query - mostly a black hole of non-response. Pitching at conferences where joy or despair occurred in real time. Close calls but no dice. The dashboard from QueryTracker shows I went above and beyond.

A few amazing responses kept me going.

“You have a great imagination - I love the premise - I thought the dialogue was fine, the characters well-crafted, and the plot well-conceived. I think it's the kind of thing that really is subjective - why some people adore the book on the top of the NYTimes bestseller list, and others don't.”

“I think the novel has a strong narrative voice and is very well written. I was immediately drawn to the medieval setting and admire your desire to bring women from this period out of the margins.”

The ensuing “but…” from these responses helped with revision. Finally, deciding to try another route, I researched, talked to published friends, and in November, 2023, submitted to She Writes Press.

In December, a nanosecond in publishing time, I received this:

“. . . congratulations on passing through our two-tier submissions process with such flying colors. I'm excited to be writing to let you know that we would love to offer you a contract . . . your submissions rose to the top of the pile, so congratulations and THANK YOU!”

So here’s the book that made me an author at last. You can click on the cover to pre-order. Or not. I’m just glad you’re here, listening.