A few years back (five? six?), I was falling asleep one night when a new fictional friend materialized. She seemed so real that I thought she was standing beside her bed. Don’t judge. My vivid imagination has served me well. This character’s name is Avery and evidently she has a story that needs to be told. And she refused to leave me alone. The first few chapters flew from my fingers like a gift from above. I couldn’t stop thinking about these characters or this wild idea. I knew with everything in me that I had something special here.
Until I shared with my writing friends about my brilliant idea and they looked … confused. Until it got rejected multiple times. Until I tried to finish it and couldn’t. So I abandoned the half-written manuscript, convinced I’d been wrong about my grand plans. Maybe Avery was just a pesky imaginary friend. I moved on. Wrote other manuscripts. Enjoyed celebrating the publication of my Love Inspired romance novels. Avery and her incomplete story languished on my hard drive.
Several months ago, I asked my current editor at Harlequin if she’d take a look at the first three chapters and my plot summary. I told myself if she didn’t want it, then that would be confirmation that my idea was a dud. Meanwhile, I prayed HARD that if God wanted this story to be told, then I’d need Him to make a way.
Last week I received word from my agent that Harlequin loved my idea, loved my first few chapters and they wanted to publish this story. Avery will finally get her day in the sun. 😍 This will be part of Love Inspired’s new trade paperback line (yes, it will be available in ebook and audio too!) If you’d like to learn more about this new addition to the Love Inspired family, check out the recently published titles here.
This week I had the privilege of seeing my name and the working title of this manuscript mentioned in Publisher’s Marketplace. It’s where publishing houses and agents officially brag about their latest book deals. I’ve reopened the file and started re-reading my current draft. It’s a good thing this one is slated for a 2023 release because I have A LOT of writing to do. Thanks for celebrating with me. I hope my experience and this manuscript’s long journey to publication inspires you to keep chasing that thing you’re longing for too!
In other news, The Bull Rider’s Fresh Start releases in less than a month. I’m super excited to share Kelsey and Landon’s story with you. This book is special to me because it will always be the story I wrote in 2020, during an unusual time in our world, as well as the book I wrote while my father was dying. The art we create during the difficult seasons of our lives gets to hold a tender place in our hearts. You can preview the first chapter here and pre-order your copy today.
