That
sounds so good I almost impressed myself just
typing it. LOL Well, a few shiny sentences can
cover a lot of gritty truth. The above bio is my
glamor version for press releases. My path to
publication, on the other hand, was nothing if not
unglamorous. I wrote for 13 years and completed 4
books (as well as writing a lot more that didn't
get finished), before I finally received the call
from a major NY editor. I was beginning to wonder
if I was being tenacious or just too stupid to
know when to quit.
When
the editor called, I was so nervous, I was
standing by the kitchen counter with the wall
phone, my knees shaking. I sure wished for a
chair. I sure wished for some paper and pen, too,
to write down all the things she was throwing at
me, like the possibility of pen names, deadlines
and contract details. I listened to everything in
a daze, hoping I'll remember half of it. After we
hung up, I realized the phone was cordless. I
could have gone and grabbed a piece of paper and
sat down.
Everything
worked out in the end. I looooove writing, and
would spend all day doing it if I could only break
my family of the pesky habit of wanting to wear
clean clothes and eat. What's up with that? My
wonderful assistant is Toby, a 6 mos old
goldendoodle. If I have free time between books
(I'm talking about a day here), I enjoy flea
markets, gardening and going on long walks in the
woods with my husband. He's my hero. He's served
in the Army, was a volunteer medic for years for
the free ambulance, was a volunteer firefighter,
and when I lost my office job and still hadn't
sold any books yet, he offered to sell his SUV, a
car he loves beyond words, and trade it for the
cheapest clunker he could find, so I could stay
home for a few months and see if I could give
writing a little more time. It didn't come to
that. I sold my first book, SHADOW SOLDIER, a
romantic suspense novel, just in the nick of
time.
I'm so excited about being part of our BookDerby on Dec. 5-6 and giving away a ton of 99c and FREE Kindle books for readers. How is that for a bargain? Make sure to check back in with us!
Dana Marton
Like you, I've got a husband who's totally supportive of my career. And we have an arrangement where he will buy groceries and I'll cook.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love gardening. Instead of a dog for an assistant, I've got cats--who huddle up to me when I'm typing.
I do remember those long ago conversations with editors where I felt like I was talking to a god.
LOL, Rebecca. Isn't that the truth :-)
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ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not as lucky in love, but ever since I decided to publish independently my luck has shot up. I sure feel lucky to be part of this new journey. Go BookDerby, my money is on . . . all of us.
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited about the BookDerby, too. I'll be picking things up as gifts.
DeleteI already had several Intrigues published before I met my boyfriend, so the support question never came up, but with such a great husband- you too, Ruth- you must have felt invincible, especially after that first magic phone call. We've all been there, hearing the buzz of the editor's voice in our ears,hanging up and thinking we just had a conversation with Charlie Brown's teacher. Your story will inspire a lot of writers who are questioning their decisions, Dana.
ReplyDeleteInvincible? You must be kidding. I always feel like I'll turn in a book, and they'll hate it. That's partly got to do w/ my miserable school experiences. And I think that no writer is perfectly confident in herself or her career.
DeleteThink I used the wrong word there. It's so true. I don't really believe any writer could feel confident enough to think she or he will never have stories turned down. I've had more than my share of disappointments. Truly, I cross my fingers with every proposal I send, and no way are they all accepted. So-not invincible, but in yours and Dana cases still very lucky to have such great support from your hubbies.
DeleteThank you, Jenna! You had me laughing out loud with the Charlie Brown comment :-)
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ReplyDeleteWow, Dana, I'm impressed. I didn't know you'd won the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteGinger