The Bumpy Road to Publication by Margaret Daley

The names of the Genesis semi-finalists were announced this week. Congratulations to all who made it on the list! Unfortunately so many of my writer friends did not. If you are suffering discouragement and battling frustration and fatigue, wondering if you will ever sign a contract or final in a contest, wondering if it's worth the time and effort, I hope and pray Margaret's story encourages and refreshes you to continue on your journey. Love you all! Dora

Scorned Justice
Purchase Link

This last year was my thirtieth year since my first book came out from Silhouette Romance called Second Chance on Love. 

I thought once I sold my first book, things would become easy. I would continue to sell, and I wouldn't receive the rejections I did before I sold my first book. It didn't take me long to see the folly in that thinking. My second book was harder to sell than my first one. After finally selling it, I was fortunate to continue to sell eighteen more. 

Then came the eight-year dry spell. The publisher I was selling to the last few years before the dry spell stopped publishing their category series line--Dell Ecstasy. I was out of a job. I tried to sell books, but I had hit a wall. I'd come close, but I couldn't get the contract.

After eight years I went to RWA National Conference in Dallas and heard about a new line opening called Kensington's Precious Gems line. I had a book, and when I got home from the conference, I sent it to them. That was the start of my comeback. 

I sold five books to them and four more to a small press before I found my true home--Christian romances and romantic suspense. In 2000, I sold to Harlequin's Love Inspired and since then, I have been blessed to sell to date fifty-four more books to Love Inspired, Summerside Press and Abingdon Press. But even that journey had its ups and downs, and I'm still receiving rejections.

Rejections are the red badge of courage for a writer. It proves you have written a book and pursued a publisher. Many writers don't get that far. They never quite finish writing the complete book, or if they do, they rewrite their story over and over rather than send it to a publisher and possibly get a rejection. I'm not going to deny getting a rejection isn't hard. It is. I have a huge file of them, but I have survived it. I won't kid you. They often caused me to doubt myself as a writer, but I wouldn't let them stop me from writing. If I had, I would never have gone on after my dry spell to sell sixty-two books.

So the moral of this journey is not to give up. Perseverance and determination are half the battle to become a published writer. You've got to learn the craft, tell a good story and have a bit of good luck and timing, but it is possible with a lot of hard work to become a published writer. 

On that bumpy road to publication, I have sold eighty-four books over a thirty-year span. Check out my website at http://www.margaretdaley.com and read some of my excerpts from my books. 

Dora here. What about you? 

Where are you on your writing journey?

How do you perceive rejections?

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-four books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

To Write Issue Driven Books..or Not… by Margaret Daley

When I came up with the theme for Saving Hope, my first book in the Men of the Texas Rangers Series, I was determined to write about human trafficking (and child prostitution that comes from that problem). I got caught up in the research and issue of human trafficking. It ignited my passion to do something about it. I wanted to write a story that would highlight the issue and how extensive it was in the United States.

After writing Saving Hope, I had a loose framework for my second book in the series--Shattered Silence--about a serial killer targeting illegal aliens along the Texas border with Mexico. But something was missing for me in the story. I needed an added passion for the story. I needed an issue that I was passionate about. As a teacher I had always been concerned with bullying in the schools. I took it a step further in my book and showed it also in other situations--workplace and a marriage. Bullying became my theme as human trafficking had in the first book.

My third book--Scorned Justice--was about revenge and the lengths people went to for revenge. This isn't a social issue like my other books in the series, but it is a unifying theme to help me build my story upon. A lot of things are done for revenge and the subject intrigued me.

Severed Trust, my fourth book, came about when I heard of a friend who was addicted to prescription drugs. It started with a painful affliction that he couldn't control without heavy-duty pain medication. It helped with the pain, but it left him addicted to painkillers. As I've been digging deeper into the issue of prescription drug abuse, I'm shocked at how prevalent it is in the United States. One police officer that works at the state level said about half his cases are connected with prescription drug abuse. Teens are involved as well as adults. Certain prescription drugs can be as additive as illegal drugs like heroin or cocaine. My passion was sparked yet again.

When I can connect with that passionate side of me, I get excited about the story. That's why issue driven books can be so important to a writer. But a writer can be just as passionate about a character, a locale or a career. What's important for a writer is to tap into that passionate subject whether an issue or one of the other aspects of a story. That passion is conveyed to the reader, adding a spark to the story.

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-three books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

Shattered Silence - released October 2012
A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders. 



While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?

Christmas Stalking - released November 2012
Bodyguard Ellie St. James has one objective: protect her client…without letting her know. Pretending to be Rachel "Winnie" Winfield's assistant lets Ellie stay close, but there's an unexpected complication—Colt Winfield. Winnie's grandson wasn't in on the plans, and the suspicious marine biologist isn't easy to fool. When the truth comes out, so do more threats to Winnie's life. Trapped on a Colorado mountain, Ellie and Colt must trust each other to guard Winnie and find the stalker. Before this Christmas becomes their last.

Christmas Treat Series: His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley

Have you ever written a Christmas story? Hey writers, Annette here. I love writing seasonal stories. This month's Mixing-It-Up Mondays we have interviews with authors of some 2011 Christmas releases. So, until we take our holiday break here at SW, sit back, grab some cocoa and a candy cane, and enjoy our focus on Christmas novels and novellas.

Christmas Treat Interview Series: 

His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley

How did this project come about?

I grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi where over the years several hurricanes have struck. I wanted to show a town going through a hurricane and how they can pull together to rebuild. 

Is your book part of a series or a compilation? Any advice for writers who are collaborating on a project?

His Holiday Family isn't a collaborating project. It is a series I have written for Love Inspired, but I have taken part in quite a few continuity series for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. My advice is be flexible and willing to give and take on the formulating of the stories. Brainstorm with the other writers. It can be fun. 

What is the theme of your novel or novella? How did you tie Christmas into the story? How did you go about choosing a theme for this story?

The theme is forgiveness which is often a theme in my books. It is hard to do in real life but important. Gideon, the hero, has never been big on celebrating Christmas. He usually works on Christmas and letting the firefighters with a family have the day off. Kathleen teaches him the importance of Christmas. He teaches her to forgive.

What is your best advice for writers working on a seasonal novel or novella? Did you set a mood as you wrote in order to get into the Christmas spirit? Did you write it at Christmastime in past years, or during the hot summer months? ;) 

I have written Christmas stories at all times of the year. I love the spirit of Christmas. I'm the lady who will listen to Christmas music all year long. 

What are you hoping readers take away from your story? How will your story minister to readers? How can writers help their readers glean the takeaway?

Kathleen had a hard time forgiving her husband. He blamed her for everything. When he died, Kathleen discovered that he had put the family into debt. With two children, she struggled to make ends meet. So often we immerse ourselves in anger at another and can't forgive them. It is hard to move on when that happens. 

Thank you for visiting Seriously Write! We wish you all His best this Christmas season and always.

~~~~~

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of seventy-five books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website.

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About the book:

His Holiday Family

When Hurricane Naomi tears through a small Mississippi town, a daring rescue unites two heroes. Nurse Kathleen Hart is a single mom racked by guilt over her husband's death. Firefighter Gideon O'Brien—orphaned as a young boy—has lost too many people he cared for. To rise above the storm's devastation, Gideon helps Kathleen and her sons rebuild their home. As Christmas approaches, they discover that even the strongest of storms can't destroy a romance built on the foundation of faith.