A writer’s journey doesn’t necessarily get easier after being published—or even after being multi-published. Nothing is guaranteed.
Today on Seriously Write, author Irene
Hannon shares personal experiences and how she tackled new
challenges in her writing career. Enjoy! ~ Dawn
A
Veteran Writer’s Ongoing Journey
by
Irene Hannon
I guess you could call me a veteran writer. I’ve been
published for 20+ years and just saw the fabulous cover for my 40th novel, Vanished
(January 2013).
Yet four years ago, after 26 books, a RITA award and various
other honors, I found myself once again classified a newbie when I decided to
expand from contemporary category romance into single-title, trade-length
novels.
Let me tell you—that was a big surprise. I had no idea
breaking out of category was going to be so tough. Or that I would essentially
be starting all over. But the hard truth was, very few people in the
single-title, trade-paperback world had ever heard of category-writer Irene
Hannon.
My first effort, a longer contemporary romance, drew little
interest. So I tucked the manuscript away in a drawer, hoping to sell it
someday down the road. (And I’m delighted to report that day seems to be fast
approaching!)
When I couldn’t sell that book back then, I decided to try
my hand at a different genre. Since my Nancy Drew days, I’ve been a fan of
suspense. In fact, my very first novel (novella, really), was a romantic
suspense. I still have it; it’s in the deepest, darkest corner of my
closet—where it shall forever remain. To put it delicately, the book stunk. My
writing in those days was unpolished and I had no law enforcement or military
background—nor was there an internet to consult. (We’re talking the dark ages
here.)
But this time when I tackled suspense, I had my ducks in a
row. I’d polished my writing. Established publishing industry contacts. Lined
up amazing sources in law enforcement and other professions. And even though my
original intent was to write one book, two more hunky FBI characters appeared,
begging me to tell their stories. So without even a nibble from a publisher,
and in between category commitments, I took the plunge and wrote the entire
Heroes of Quantico series on spec. Kind of like newbie writers do when they’re
trying to break into the published ranks.
I’m happy to report my gamble paid off. All three of those
books became best sellers. They garnered two RITA nominations and a RITA win,
as well as a Daphne du Maurier award. So far—fingers crossed!—all the books in
my second, series (Guardians of Justice) have been best sellers, too. And one
of them (Deadly Pursuit) is up for a RITA as I write this. The third
book, Lethal Legacy, has just been released.
So what does all this mean? Simple. When spreading your
wings, perseverance, risk-taking and a belief in your own talent is as
important to multi-published authors as it is to the unpublished. My experience
also reminded me that while nothing about this business is easy or guaranteed,
if you want something badly enough you can find a way to make it happen. But it
takes work—homework, groundwork and hard work.
I’m glad I made the effort!
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Irene Hannon is the
author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and
Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA
awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a
Daphne du Maurier Award and two Reviewers’ Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels
in its “Top 10 Inspirational Fiction” list for 2011. She lives in Missouri.
