The Story Behind the Story

As a girl, I always liked to write. I wouldn't say I was particularly gifted as a writer, but I did enjoy it. As a teenager, I did the Honors English thing, the A.P. English thing, but would have never dreamed at that point in my young life that a novel was in my future. I had other grand ambitions to be sure, but becoming a novelist wasn't on the bucket list.

Fast forward to ten years later. I had recently graduated from college and was working as a Families First Specialist (the job description was similar to what you see on the show Super Nanny) in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was also expecting my first child. Even with all that going on, I was bored. That's not unusual for me. I am one who craves a challenge and a change of scene. One day I was chatting with a dear cousin of mine and the dialogue eventually turned to how we could be more spontaneous and unconventional. For some people, that might spur a crazy shopping spree or a trip to the tattoo parlor. For an odd duck like me, that sparked a determination to do something I'd never considered -- write a book. At that point I had no plot ideas, but I was going to write a novel.

Some weeks later, I began writing. I had a rough idea of where I wanted the story to go, but it was vague. I like writing about relationships - about people and what makes them tick. Since I was in the middle of working with dysfunctional families, some of what I saw on the job ended up on the page. I also prefer writing from experience. Many of Alex's qualities mirror my husband's, who in my opinion is very nearly the perfect man. But the story itself took on a life of its own after a while. It made twists and turns that even I didn't expect. The characters started becoming very real and doing things I didn't intend for them to do. The writing process, though it required patience and marathon persistence, was a lot of fun and very rewarding.

Then I began the process of trying to get published. That wasn't so fun. I'd read the experiences of many best-selling authors who'd received rejection after rejection early on in their careers, so I knew for someone like me -- who wasn't an English Major from Yale and the typical author-ess --  it would be hard. I had no idea just how hard. I started querying agents. (Agents are the middle-men between the writer and the publisher.) I don't know about you, but I've never known a book agent and only recently heard of someone who has actually met one in the flesh. I still wonder if agents are mythical creatures who live under rocks. After about 25 rejections and no feedback, I gave up - for awhile. About a year later, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and now here I am - with an epublished book. My ultimate goal is to eventually get published by a traditional, reputable publisher. But for now, I am content.

But I'd love to hear from YOU! Have you ever wanted to write a book? If so, tell me about it. If you're not writing, what's holding you back. GO!