My Success Story by Liz Johnson

Dawn and I met Liz at the recent ACFW conference in Denver and immediately connected. While we sat together at a meal, we discovered she's newly published. Dawn asked her if she'd like to appear on the blog and share her success story. This Fortifying Friday, please welcome new author Liz Johnson to Seriously Write. And may you be encouraged by her story.

My Success Story
Liz Johnson

My first novel, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn, is all Kelly Blewett’s fault.

I met Kelly in the fall of 2006 when I moved to Colorado Springs. We worked together as publicity assistants, and as we spent an inordinate amount of time together, I found in her a kindred spirit, another book lover. We spent hours together talking about our favorite stories.

And then one day in the office workroom, I mentioned that I’d started working on a novel. Well, actually I was just playing around with it, but Kelly demanded to know what my story was about. I was hesitant to tell her too much. After all, writing a real novel had always seemed like an unattainable dream. Sure I loved to write. I just didn’t have the skill to really put a book together or the discipline to complete it.

Kelly begged to differ, so I told her about a woman named Kenzie who taught a GED class in a prison and the prisoner who kidnapped her. The details were still fuzzy, but the characters spoke to my heart.

I told Kelly I didn’t have the time or energy to write. I worked full-time and was still trying to get settled into a new city. She disagreed. Despite my excuses and doubts about my own abilities, she became my accountability buddy. “Did you write last night?” was her daily greeting. I couldn’t let her down, so I found myself setting up a calendar and writing at least three nights a week.

After three months, I looked up to discover a completed manuscript. In October of 2007 I sent off my unsolicited proposal to Steeple Hill. My chances were slim. I knew that, but I still held my breath, and Kelly held my hand as we waited to hear back.

In December I heard back. They couldn’t accept my manuscript. There was a major plot point that didn’t meet their guidelines.

But I could fix that.

So I sent a thank you note saying that I was willing to make the required change.

Two weeks later came a letter requesting to see the full manuscript. Oops! I still had to make that change. So I disappeared for a couple days until the problem was solved. Or so I thought.

The editor at Steeple Hill liked it. But not enough to offer a contract. Would I make more changes? I was happy to.

We went back and forth like that until July 2008, at which point I was so tired and just wanted a resolution. I was in Orlando on a business trip with Kelly when I received a voicemail from my editor. Would I call her back right away? Waiting for a spare moment to return that call was one of the longest days of my life.

When I was finally able to make that call, I sat on the floor with my knees up to my chin, hands shaking so badly that I almost couldn’t read the notes I was taking.

A year later, my first novel hit the store shelves. And in that book is a little, white dog named Henry—just like Kelly Blewett’s own pup. I added Henry to the book to thank her in some small way for speaking truth into my life when I couldn’t see passed my own doubts.

Without Kelly I would never have written the story God placed in my heart. So, you see, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn is all her fault.

Liz Johnson writes about love and such from her home in Colorado Springs. By day she’s a full-time book publicist. By night she’s a writer, ice skater, and lover of the theater. She enjoys making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nephew and nieces. Her first novel, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn, is available now from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Her second novel, Vanishing Act, is due out in September 2010. Visit her online at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com.

My Road to Publication by Tamera Alexander

This Fortifying Friday, please welcome our friend Tamera Alexander. She's an encouraging voice in the lives of other writers and her workshops are very helpful. Her path to publication inspires us, and we hope her story inspires you as well.

My Road to Publication
by Tamera Alexander

As far back as I can remember I’ve loved history. When I was nine years old my family took a trip to Europe. It was a fabulous experience. Touring the castles in Germany was a defining moment for me, though I didn’t know it then. I remember standing in one particular castle on the Rhine River, touching the stone walls, and thinking to myself that I wished I could know the lives and details of the people who had lived there. When I was older I read a ton of Regencies, and when I studied American History in high school, I fell in love with the American Frontier 1840-1880s. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I’ve always loved writing but never seriously considered writing as a career until recent years when God unearthed the love of writing again.

The first novel I wrote in 1999 is one I targeted specifically for Bethany House Publishers (BHP) and their historical line. It got to the final review board but then was ultimately “passed over” in early 2002. There were problems in that novel and in my writing that needed major work, so BHP was wise to let that manuscript slip through their fingers. After that experience, I realized that if I was going to have a good shot at being a serious writer, I needed to get serious about learning the craft of writing and in addressing the weaknesses in my writing.

I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and began dissecting novels—books that I’d loved and read multiple times—with the goal of finding out what made them ‘tick’ for me. I also asked God to bring people into my life who would help me become a better writer by telling me what I needed to change, how I needed to grow. And He did.

The Inheritance (Women of Faith Fiction) is actually my first novel that was rejected—several times. After receiving numerous rejections, I put the novel away and spent subsequent years learning how to write. Then I started on a brand new story. But when Thomas Nelson approached me about writing the first historical for Women of Faith Fiction, I immediately thought of this novel, still tucked away in my drawer and within me.

The Inheritance is a complete rewrite of that original manuscript. I literally chucked the old manuscript (it had way too many issues), and I wrote the story again with where I was at that current point in my life and in where I was at that point skill-wise. I added some new subplots and new characters, but the hero and heroine remained much the same. It was wonderful to revisit these characters—Wyatt Caradon and McKenna Ashford—and to see their story finally come to life. And to the printed page.

So, fellow writers, if you’ve gotten rejected manuscripts stuffed in desk drawers, don’t lose heart. And don’t toss them. It could be that that rejection isn’t God saying “Never.” But rather, “Just not right now.” I blogged on Rejection’s Silver Lining on my blog.

Tamera Alexander is the bestselling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, and From a Distance and Beyond This Moment, all novels of bestselling historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Tamera's The Inheritance, the first historical for the WOMEN OF FAITH fiction line (Thomas Nelson Publishers), released in March 2009 and joined her other books on the bestseller lists. She and her husband, Joe, make their home in Nashville, Tennessee with their two adult children who live near by. To learn more, visit Tamera’s Web site and her blog. Within My Heart released October 1, 2009.

Mary DeMuth's Success Story

This Fortifying Friday, we're excited to welcome author Mary DeMuth. Her current series has hooked me. I (Annette) read both Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn (see Net's Book Notes for reviews). Mary graciously agreed to stop by and share her "success story" with us. Happy Friday!

And now, here's Mary . . .

I spent over ten years writing in obscurity while my children were young. During that time I created newsletters and short stories, always forcing deadlines on myself—and then meeting them early. When my youngest child started preschool, I dusted off my dream of writing a novel, completing it in four months. I also became a newspaper columnist and found success in writing for national magazines. I attended a small, regional writers' conference, then packed my bags for a major (400+ writers) writing conference in the spring of 2003.

On the plane, my writing friend asked me what I hoped to accomplish there. I said something about finding a publisher.

"Don't you want an agent?"

"Are they really that important?" I asked.

She shook her head, then explained why I needed one.

We arrived in the wooded hills above San Jose, eager and ready to knock 'em dead. I sent ahead the first three chapters, a synopsis and a query letter from my novel Crushing Stone to three publishing houses. I retrieved my manuscripts with shaking hands. I tore open the envelopes and let out a breath.

All three expressed interest. I hollered. And yelled. After writing in obscurity for so many years, the publisher’s approval validated me.

I took the intermediate writing track taught by a big-name agent (from this time forward, known as The Agent). He said up front, "I am not looking for clients. I'm happy with my stable of authors." So, when I met with him, I didn't consider him as a possible agent prospect. I simply wanted to ask his advice.

The Agent was very late for our meeting. I almost left. He came rushing in, apologizing. I told him I had some interest in my book and asked if he'd be willing to answer a few questions. He said sure. He asked for my proposal, and when I gave it to him, he said, "I've seen this before."

I wanted to die. In wanting to be efficient, I not only sent my proposal to the people at the conference, as instructed, but I also I sent it to his agency, even though I didn’t quite know the purpose of an agent. At the conference, I found out his firm did not accept unsolicited manuscripts, particularly from unpublished authors like me. In that, I violated the don't-send-your-stuff-if-you're-a-nobody rule. Note to readers: This is probably not a good idea.

The reason he recognized it? My unusual stationary—not scented or colored, but it sported a curve on the right hand side.

"Do you mind if I take this with me?" he asked.

"Not at all."

We shook hands and parted ways.

I came home from the conference happy to know editors liked my writing, but discouraged to not have immediate interest.

A few weeks later, I received an email from The Agent. He wrote, “You are one of the best new writers I've met and I'd like to talk about representation. Would you be interested?"

Would I?

I screamed. Hyperventilated a bit. I hollered some more. The children thought I was dying, so they raced upstairs, followed by my husband.

"What's wrong mommy?" the children asked in unison.

"I . . . uh . . . I . . . "

I jumped up and down. Though they didn't know the reasons behind my pogo-ing, they joined me. Eventually I spilled out the email's words. The children cheered. My husband cheered. I cheered.

I later found out the proposal I'd sent before the conference (oh woefully naive me!) made it into the hands of The Agent’s assistant. She screened it while The Agent attended the conference.

The Agent read my proposal on the plane. When he came into the office, his assistant stopped him, my proposal in hand, and said, “You need to sign this girl.”

He showed her the same proposal. “I already planned to.”

So, I received the email that supercharged my career, pulling me from obscurity onto the publication path. Within six months, I sold two books to major publishers.

~~~

Mary DeMuth is a speaker and the author of three parenting books and four novels, her latest entitled A Slow Burn. As a book mentor, she helps aspiring writers seeking publication at www.thewritingspa.com. Mother of three, pet owner of two and wife of one, she lives in Texas. Find out more at her Web site.

Tammy Barley's Success Story

This Fortifying Friday, please welcome new author Tammy Barley as she shares her fascinating story of God's calling in her life to become a writer.

God Called Me to Write. Literally.

God said, “You’re supposed to be a writer.” I actually heard His voice beside me.

I was alone, puttering around our backyard pool in Arizona, and watching the night sky. Since I had recently graduated high school and had searched for years for direction but still had none, I turned to God for the answer. In my thoughts I asked him, “What am I supposed to do with my life?” He answered, out loud . . . a voice beside me in the dark. Isn’t that where he always is? Right beside us, guiding us, even when we can’t see the way.

Let me tell you—when God literally speaks to you, you listen. (Can anyone identify?) =) And yes, as you can tell by my question and his answer, God truly has a sense of humor. And a twisted one at that. I took a mandatory typing class four years prior, and hated it so much that I read romance novels instead of practice. While I got lost in fabulous stories and other students banged away at the keys, I used to swear to myself that no matter what I did with my life, I’d never type. So now I laugh about that. And use the backspace key a lot.

So God told me to become a writer, and I went to college, took every writing class—prose, poetry, journalism, fiction writing: the novel, nonverbal communication, and others. Then I took theatre and acting classes to learn how to get into and develop character. All the while I read Writer’s Digest magazines cover to cover, and studied the techniques of bestselling authors with pen and highlighters in hand. If you want to learn how the best of the best craft technique, there’s no better way.

Now, twenty years later, my historical romance novel, Love’s Rescue, book one of my new series, The Sierra Chronicles, has gone into its second printing only five weeks after its release, and has been as high as #11 on ChristianBooks.com’s historical fiction bestseller list. Love’s Rescue won the Golden Rose Contest, 2^nd place, inspirational category, and is currently being considered for translation and distribution in Europe. I have an upcoming interview on the radio show Aging Outside the Box, this Thanksgiving night 6-7 p.m. Central, so God is doing great things.

Besides writing my novels, I professionally ghostwrite and edit. My clients' books have won multiple writing awards, series publishing contracts, five-star reviews, been listed as recommended reading at Focus on the Family, and a few books have received national media attention. (To see whom, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/MyClientsBooks.html.)

When God said “You’re supposed to be a writer,” he already had a plan worked out, just as he has for you. Self-doubt and fear do not come from him. So dare to be bold as lions as your careers surge forward and you touch lives for his kingdom. God is right beside, guiding you, even when you can’t see the way.

Tammy Barley loves her home in dairy cow country in northern Illinois, and is proud mom of three eighth graders whom she home schools and who constantly make her laugh. To introduce readers to The Sierra Chronicles, Tammy Barley is sponsoring a phenomenal contest: Read Love’s Rescue for a chance to win a one-week western guest ranch resort vacation for two to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! For details, including date of drawing and to enter, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html. To read a blurb about Love’s Rescue, and to find a copy, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html (the link to ChristianBook.com offers a great price—only $4.99 through December 31^st).

True Confessions by Betsy St. Amant

Please welcome guest writer Betsy St. Amant, fellow White Rose author and good friend, as she shares her journey to publication and beyond.

True Confessions: My Journey

Do you ever feel that you should start your personal story with a confession?

Hello, my name is Betsy St. Amant, and I’m an author. ::grin:: It feels that way sometimes, doesn’t it? Writers have it tough. Not only do we have to learn about the craft of writing and implement these never-ending rules and suggestions into our stories, but we also have to go through critiques, submissions, rejections, head-banging-against-the-desk . . . oh wait.

But you see what I mean. Not only do we go endure the creative exhaustion of pouring our souls on paper, we have to face the harsh reality of someone in the industry not liking it.

My journey to publication was just that. Pathetic attempts, learning, slightly less pathetic attempts, more learning, then submissions, embarrassment, new drafts, head-banging, resubmitting, prayer, exhaustion, defeat, and then—success. Or so I thought.

When my first contemporary romance was picked up by The Wild Rose Press, a new POD press, I thought I had arrived. I was so excited to receive an acceptance letter instead of another rejection; I dove in headfirst, expecting others to share my joy. Not entirely true. My friends and family were happy and supportive, of course, but other writers had pointy pins ready to pop my bubble. Apparently POD publishing (print on demand) wasn’t viewed with the same respect or recognition as mainstreaming publishing through the more traditional houses like Steeple Hill, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, etc.

This was very discouraging to me but I pressed on. I published two more short story e-books with The Wild Rose Press and learned a lot from my sweet editor.

In the fall of 2007, I signed with Tamela Hancock Murray of Hartline Literary Agency and a few months later, she sold my next romance to Steeple Hill Love Inspired. Things really happened fast then. I went through the process with Steeple Hill, and ended up with two more contracts a few months after that. I’ve been a busy girl with deadlines the past year, plus a new baby, a new house, and big career changes in my family.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way, and you know what else? I wouldn’t change my beginning, either. I’m proud to say I started my writing journey at The Wild Rose Press and would recommend other authors getting their “pens” wet there, too.

My advice, from my personal journey, is to keep an open mind, pray about your career decisions, and go where God leads you—whether that be self publishing, POD publishing, e-books, print books, etc. Don’t let others around you discourage you from your dream. Do listen to the advice of respected and trusted mentors and friends, but remember that your career and writing ministry ultimately comes down to you and to God. So boldly walk through the doors He opens and don’t pay attention to the negative whispers from the hallway.

Hello, my name is Betsy St. Amant, and I’m an author—and proud of it. =)

Betsy St. Amant lives in Louisiana and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group. Betsy is multi-published/contracted with Steeple Hill and has been published in Christian Communicator magazine and Praise Reports: Inspiring Real Life Stories of How God Answers Prayer. One of her short stories, 'Kickboxing or Chocolate', appears in a Tyndale compilation book, and she is also multi-published through The Wild Rose Press. Betsy has a BA in Christian Communications and regularly contributes articles to Crosswalk.com. She is a wife, author, new mother and an avid reader who enjoys sharing the wonders of God's grace through her stories. You may contact Betsy at betsystamant@yahoo.com or visit her websites at www.betsystamant.com or www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com. Her first novel RETURN TO LOVE with Steeple Hill Love Inspired is available now through Amazon - click here! And be sure to watch for the sequel A VALENTINE'S WISH coming February 2010.