After five rejections last year (2013) and two this past year (2014), The Wild Rose Press is taking Sawyer's Rose for it's Cactus Rose line. I could not be more thrilled or surprised than any of you who have helped and supported me along the way. I kept saying that Sawyer was going places and well, he sure is! Monday I got the email that will change the course of my writing. Published. I sat and looked at the email for a few minutes before it would all compute in this brain of mine. I have said the word in the context of 'when I get published' for so long it seems I am not sure I know how to say I am published or at least about to be. I have spent the first five days in shock but it's starting to sink in. The Wild Rose Press has given me a contract on Sawyer's Rose. Darn near amazing and for someone like me who has dreamed of being published like it was only something to hope for but not something that would ever happen. When I was at M&M and Sawyer's Rose was a finalist in the Maggies, I was really overwhelmed with even that much success, but this just about makes me speechless. I took a look at the list I first posted about where I had been so far with my writing and it's funny that I can remember each step of the way and just how I felt at the time. I only started writing for publication in August of 2011 and so a little over 3 years and it happens and with one of the companies I was most interested in working with since I am a new author. Author. I was told I am not longer a writer but an author. I think that will take time to sink in as well. I wrote Sawyer's Rose nine times if I am counting correctly and three of those writes were major story changes. And now I will be heading into revisions wanted by new editor, so Sawyer's Rose still isn't done but I am excited to see just how it goes and how it will end up. I keep reminding myself that now is not the time to get impatient and hurry. Now is the time to make sure that I revise and edit well and make sure this story is the best it can be before it goes out there. Yes, I am still in shock at just writing this because it is about to really happen and I couldn't be happier. I announced this news at the GRW meeting yesterday and I wish I were brave enough to say more than the basics. I wish my racing pulse and issues with being up in front of everyone didn't close off my brain and voice. I would have said to the unpublished writers that they should take advantage of what GRW offers in the Gin Ellis Critique and the Unpublished Maggie awards. I know the success I have with Sawyer's Rose is that I twice put the story in the Virginia Ellis Critique and the Maggies. Also, if it were not for GRW, I would not have met the critique partners that have helped me tweak Sawyer's Rose over and over. Critique partners and beta readers are the ones who really take the win on this, right along with me and I don't take for granted what it means to have the best. And as I kept hoping, Sawyer Rides again but getting this contract blows the heck out of the 2015 plans I had--see below.
So my plans for 2015:
1) Complete Wyatt's Bounty Full Manuscript (Still working on this)
2) Enter Wyatt's Bounty in the GRW's Gin Ellis Critique for some feedback (Now due to being published I can't)
3) Enter Wyatt's Bounty in the Maggies-even with the upped deadline (Now due to being published I can't)
4) Keep the blog updated at least monthly (Doing good here.)
5) Stay hopeful Sawyer's Rose will get it's chance (DONE!!!!!!!!!!!)
6) Start on Dawson's Haven, once Wyatt's Bounty is complete (This will be on hold until Sawyer's edits are done and I have Wyatt written.)
7) Enter All But the Fall, my contemporary in the Maggies (Now due to being published, can't enter.)
8) Maybe enter Sawyer's Rose in the Golden Heart next time (Done....I got Sawyer off in time but I didn't know it was going to get published.)
