The first book I ever typed ‘the end’ for is still sitting in the back of my closet. I’ve gone so far as to buy a cover for it and take a peek at the file. Then I close it, wallow in the knowledge of how much editing it requires, and I move on to another book.
The second book I typed ‘the end’ for wasn’t nearly such a disaster. Instead of an unwieldy 126k words, it sat at 85k – the perfect length for Harlequin Superromance. I devoured those books, with favorite authors such as Tara Taylor Quinn, Janice Kay Johnson, and Jean Brashear. After reading so many books, I understood the structure without having studied stuff like that. (I’ve since taken some great classes which have built from that inherent understanding…)
I named this bookThe Making of Marnie Jones. I printed it out and sent it to Harlequin – vaguely dreaming of contracts and seeing my book on shelves.
Quickly, I received an email from the editor I sent it to. She wanted a digital copy. I shot it off and waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, I gently poked, and she invited me to her office where we discussed the book in depth. She had tons of notes and invited me to do a R&R (revise and resubmit). I took a week off work and spent 12 hours a day for 9 days fixing that sucker. I sent it back, even more confident.
Crickets.
I’ve since learned that editors want you to take weeks, if not months. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like you’ve done the work. Only I had – I completely rewrote the book. And was convinced the book was better for it.
I gently poked. She said she’d see me in New York for the Romance Writers of America conference. Now, I’m not a fan of big cities, strong smells, or noise. NYC was so NOT my jam. But I enjoyed the conference, met the editor, met my favorite narrator, and came home, believing I was *this* close.
Still nothing.
Eventually, Harlequin held a Canadian Hero contest. Great! My hero’s Canadian. My whole book is set in Canada. After the contest ended, the editor reached out with a tentative yes. After two-and-a-half years, I wasn’t ready to party. Four months later I saw, in a tweet, that Superromance was being discontinued.
I never heard back from that editor – never got the rejection (or acceptance) I deserved.
When I tell this story to other writers, they question why I didn’t submit elsewhere. But if your number one pick expresses that much interest, why would you go elsewhere? Lesson learned. I submitted Marnie for contests. I pitched her to editors and agents. I got a few nibbles, but no bites. Three years ago, I decided I would go it alone. I hired a freelance editor. The next year, I secured a cover. Finally, I wrote a book to come before it – I just didn’t feel Marnie should be the first in the series.
One more thing I should share – best advice I ever got as a writer: write the next book. While Harlequin sat on my book, I wrote another 16 in that series. The first year I waited? I wrote a million words. I was convinced they’d take my book and then take the next stack. As you now know, that never happened. But I have (now up to) 20 books that need editing and are ready to publish.
I’ll always be protective of Marnie – I love the angsty story. I submitted her for a contest and the lovely Grace Burrowes was a judge. She tore the opening apart and made it a thousand times better. I kept her edits and dedicated the book to her – seemed the least I could do.
I believe in this book. I also warn readers that the subject matter is dark – but that’s often how I write. Now, I’m putting the book out into the world and am forever grateful I didn’t sell it to a publisher. I likely would’ve never found someone who’d take all 20 or so (with more to come). And because I knew this world so well, I’ve written several gay romances in the same world – just under a different penname. I’ve created a place I hope readers will return to again and again.
Okay, thanks for reading that. Thank you, Delilah, for letting me share my story. I hope other newbie writers can see that sometimes the long game is the best way to go.
I’d love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Tell me: what do you love about series? What makes you want to go beyond the first book? A random commenter will win the prize!
The Making of Marnie Jones
What’s better than love in the beautiful Cedar Valley in British Columbia, Canada? Find small town romances with a touch of angst, a bit of heat, and a lot of heart…
Each novel is a standalone, but they are best read in order: The Luminosity of Loriana Harper(A small town interracial romance) The Making of Marnie Jones (A small town enemies-to-lovers romance) The Redemption of Remy St. Claire (A small town single-father fake-marriage romance)
Love without limits.
Librarian Marnie Jones has reinvented herself. After horrors that changed her forever, she’s built a new life and has found what she believes to be safety and quiet happiness. She hopes she’s outrun her past, but all that changes when a stranger comes to the small town of Mission City, British Columbia.
Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance. She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.
I’m typing my little fingers to the bone this week. I have a deadline. I’m almost there. Have you pre-ordered your copy of Mica? Well, I hope so. It’s coming NEXT TUESDAY! In the meantime, I have a puzzle for you. I’ve named some of my favorite paranormal creatures. Solve the puzzle and name yours in the comments for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
What will you learn in 2023? That wasn’t a question that I expected to ask but found myself pondering after a friend stated she had enrolled in Japanese classes. She’s not planning on traveling to Japan or any area with Japanese as a primary language, but stated it was something that she always wanted to learn. A few years ago, she became an empty nester and found herself with mounds of free time. She also discovered that she had “lost” herself. Like so many mothers (and fathers), she had set aside many of her hobbies and interest to raise her children. Basically, she had gone to her nine-to-five and returned home in the afternoon to be wife and mother. Her days, nights, weekends, and holidays had been centered around her family and family duties. Then one day, proof, it was drastically changed. No longer did she need to transport little ones to sports practices and recitals. She didn’t have PTA meetings or costumes to sew. In the afternoons, when she returned, she had no need to prepare large meals or have piles of laundry waiting for her. Her house no longer was in disarray from discarded sweaters, toys, and game controllers strewn across furniture and floors. All was calm and quiet.
She didn’t complain that her life had changed and slowed. In fact, she welcomed it. She had looked forward to it for many years. But when it finally happened, it stunned her. Her once full life now had voids. She had nothing to do, nothing to occupy her time. It wasn’t until then that she realized how much of herself she had relinquished. For a long time, she had to reflect on her past to try to remember how she filled her days. She commented, “I don’t remember what I did or how I filled my days before I had children.”
When she attempted to revisit past joys and hobbies such as painting, sketching, and collecting, she found that she didn’t enjoy it as much anymore. Other pasts interests had evolved or disappeared, such as internet comic chatrooms and writing to pen pals. She had moved away and lost contact with many of her friends. Places she used to visit to spend time had long ago shut their doors. She found herself with nothing to do, and no one to do anything with.
“The crazy thing is,” she admitted, “I had been preparing myself for the day my children left. I used to tell them all the time that once they were grown that I would do all the wonderful things that I wanted to do. I intended to do them, too, only I didn’t know what those things were. I went from having dozens of texts and my phone continuously blowing up to days without a single message. And all of this was compounded by the shutdown. It was tough and depressing. Then I thought, I’m not dead. There must be something that I could do, that I wanted to do, that I would enjoy. That’s when I decided to learn Japanese. It had always been a language that fascinated me. I thought, ‘Why not? I have time. My brain still works.’”
This conversation prompted me to ask other people if they were learning any new hobbies in 2023, and I was surprised to learn just how many of them were. Most pointed to the pandemic as the motivation. “I never want to be confined like that again,” one friend admitted. “It seemed once I couldn’t go anywhere that I wanted to go everywhere. I’d watch social media, and there was so much that looked interesting. The problem was that I didn’t know how to do any of it, and I didn’t have the materials needed to try to learn. I vowed that once the world returned to normal, I would join in it—not as a bystander but as an active participant. YOLO.”
In total, over the span of two months, I asked sixty-one people what they were learning new in 2023. My closest compadres heard me ask so much that they began asking people and sending me emails and texts of the answers. It was insane how one question grew. However, once I had the answers, I didn’t quite know what to do with them…that is until today when I sat down to write. So, here I am sharing and hoping others find this useful and/or interesting. Here is a list of the top answers.
Hogwarts Legacy
Cloud computing
Foreign language
Content creating
Genealogy
Skincare
Martial Arts
Landscaping/Gardening
Car restoration
Video editing
Digital marketing
Geography
Piano/Musical
Singing
Sky diving/Parachuting
Yoga
Home brewing
Pottery
Meditation
Cooking/Baking
Magic
Rock climbing
Scuba diving
Sailing
Wine
One final note, on March 31, Out of the Penalty Box, the first book in my Locker Room Love steamy sports romance series will be available for free download for a limited time only. To get the link and be reminded when it is available for download, sign up for my newsletter which will contain all of the information.
And that’s all that I have. Now, it’s your turn to sound tell me you think? Are you learning anything new in 2023? If so, what is it and what has inspired you to do so? Have you had feelings like any of the people described in this post? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
If you like this post, please click the like button and share it. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read. If you’re not following me on Creole Bayou blog, what are you waiting for? There’s always room at the bayou.
Get ready. It’s time to hit the ice again. Future Goals has arrived and is available for download.
When a college hockey player needs the help of an attractive older attorney, he gets more than he bargained for when trying to sort out the troubles in his career. Falling in love was never part of either man’s plan, especially as Corrigan’s and Sacha’s lives should never have collided. Now they’re left questioning if they’re standing in the way of the other’s future goals, or if there’s room for redirection.
Missed the first four books in my hockey romance series? No frets.
Out of the Penalty Box (book #1), where it is one minute in the box or a lifetime out, is available at https://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links on where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit https://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.
For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays, and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.
Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.
Author Bio
Genevive Chamblee resides in the bayou country where sweet tea and SEC football reign supreme. She is known for being witty (or so she thinks), getting lost anywhere beyond her front yard (the back is pushing it as she’s very geographically challenged), falling in love with shelter animals (and she adopts them), asking off-the-beaten-path questions that makes one go “hmm”, and preparing home-cooked Creole meals that are as spicy as her writing. Genevive specializes in spinning steamy, romantic tales with humorous flair, diverse characters, and quirky views of love and human behavior. She also is not afraid to delve into darker romances as well.
Our little town had their first annual St. Patrick’s Day parade! Okay, so it was a parade of only children. They decorated their skateboards, bikes, mini cars, hoverboards, etc., and had a parade around Main Street. This is the 9-year-old. Wish you could see the full picture of the bike. My SIL hot-glued the hell out of it. LOL That’s a leprechaun’s hat attached to her handlebars. The parade was fun and afterward, we went out to dinner to celebrate the holiday. It is an Irish household!
I’m working hard on finishing a book by next Friday. Just wrote the first sex scene. It wasn’t what I expected. That’s all I’ll say. 🙂
I’ve been painting every day of #the100daychallenge. So far, I haven’t missed a day. I passed the 1/4 mark of the challenge yesterday. Here’s a couple of things I finished this week…
So, I’ll keep my nose to the grindstone and power through until Friday. I’ll get ‘er done (I really detest that phrase!).
Puzzle-Contest
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me when, where, and who is he?
Little did I know when I posted this picture of my current favorite coffee cup, and asked y’all to share pictures of yours, that you’d actually play! Apparently, folks love their cups! And some of you told me why. So, without further ado, here they are!
From Beckie Johnson
From Beverly Blank
This is special to me… I make myself one each year with pics of my grandchildren throughout the year. They’re all special that I make. When I’m having my tea, I feel their presence by seeing their smiling faces in the photo.
From Bn100
Attached is a picture of my favorite mug because like Alice in Wonderland
From Deb Robinson
My 2 fave cups. The one on the left is a set of four that reminds me of morning tea with my Gran over the decades. She lived to be 98 so I was lucky to have her into my early forties.
The other one is from the Venetian in Las Vegas where we went in 2013.
From Debbie Chenault
This is my favorite because it is the first gift I received from my husband when we were still dating. He knows I love Eeyore.
From Jennifer Beyer
I don’t know if the picture is clear enough but the mug actually looks like lace in person. I don’t know how they made it with all of the little clear parts but I just had to have it when I saw it in the gift shop.
From Misty
This was my dad’s favorite mug and he always chuckled when he used it. I love the memories that it brings back.
From Sue Payton
I thought I had you in my contacts in email but couldn’t find it. Anyway I have a lot of mugs, too many actually, but this one is special to me because my mom (who is in heaven) got it for my late husband who died from cancer last month. I have memories of him everywhere, he’ll never be forgotten. He was a avid hunter and this one always stuck out for me.
From Nancy Schreib
From Sharon Landry
Sharon’s second picture made me laugh! That’s my expression when I face my first cup of the day! 🙂 ~DD
From Sharron Riddle Houdek
From Sue Payton
From Terri O’Connell
From Thia Mackin
This line is special to me because all four of these were gifts from readers.
These have hidden messages.
The winner of the gift card I offered to those who sent me pictures is…Sharon Landry!
It’s a cold, cold day today, and I hope it warms up. This evening, the 9-year-old is participating in a kid’s parade for St. Paddy’s Day. She’ll be riding her decorated bike down main street with other kids riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. We’ll take pics!
Afterwards, I told the family I’d spring for dinner out. (We ate corned beef and cabbage last night!) This holiday is ours to celebrate. Do y’all do anything special for St. Patrick’s Day? Do you at least wear green?
Tagged: St. Patrick's Day Posted in General|8 People Said|Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Anna Taylor Sweringen - Eileen McCall - Deb Robinson - Diane Sallans - Cindy -
When Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he is quoted as saying, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” While Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred the hearts and minds of many against slavery, Mary Ellen Pleasant struck an actual blow against it.
Born free in 1814, Pleasant was brought to Nantucket to work as an indentured servant for the Husseys, an abolitionist Quaker family in whose store she developed a knack for business. While with the Husseys, Mary encountered the blacks of Newtown who grew into a prosperous middle-class thanks to the whaling industry. She married James Smith, an abolitionist who identified as Hispanic. They hobnobbed with the abolitionists of Boston and helped runaways get to Canada. Upon Smith’s death, Mary inherited a sizable fortune and continued her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. In 1848, she married John Pleasants, a former slave and abolitionist who worked with her for twenty years against slavery.
She moved to San Francisco during the gold rush of 1849 and created wealth as a commodity trader, a money lender, and owner of businesses like laundries and lodgings and the Bank of California. She continued her abolitionist activities by using her money to help slaves escape from their masters who brought them there. Her ultimate contribution to the cause of ending slavery came in 1858 when she went to Canada and gave John Brown $45,000, $1.3 million in today’s dollars, for the raid on Harper’s Ferry. She laid claim to being the author of the note found on him when he was executed. She dictated an account of this in 1904’s How A Colored Woman Aided John Brown.
Her fight for civil rights in San Francisco continued when she brought two racial discrimination suits against streetcar companies in San Francisco, both ultimately settled in her favor. She established black schools and fought for the repeal of Jim Crow laws, earning her the nickname, “The Mother of Human Rights in California.” In his book Black Fortunes, Shomari Wills shares how she amassed a fortune of $30 million dollars, making her one of America’s first black millionaires.
It never ceases to amaze me how women like Mary Ellen Pleasant used the skills they had, in her case, the talents of a cook and domestic with a keen eye for business, to make life better not only for themselves but for others as well. Being a philanthropist was just a way of life.
In Black Fortunes, I learned her last days weren’t free from the drama racism wreaks upon the lives of pioneers like her, but thanks to this video done on her by a local San Francisco TV station during Black History month she at least has been given her due for posterity…
For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, leave a comment on what you think about Mary Ellen’s life.
Better to Marry than to Burn
Wife Wanted: Marital relations as necessary. Love not required nor sought…
A bridal lottery seems the height of foolishness to ex-slave Caesar King, but his refusal to participate in the town council’s scheme places him in a bind. He has to get married to avoid paying a high residence fine or leave the Texas territory. After losing his wife in childbirth, Caesar isn’t ready for romance. A woman looking for a fresh start without any emotional strings is what he needs.
Queen Esther Payne, a freeborn black from Philadelphia, has been threatened by her family for her forward-thinking, independent ways. Her family insists she marry. Her escape comes in the form of an ad. If she must marry, it will be on her terms. But her first meeting with the sinfully hot farmer proves an exciting tussle of wills that stirs her physically, intellectually, and emotionally.
In the battle of sexual one-upmanship that ensues, both Caesar and Queen discover surrender can be as fulfilling as triumph.
Excerpt:
Why would a woman of obvious education and means be willing to brave the hardships of life out West as an ex-slave’s mail order bride? With grave ceremony, he withdrew, unfolded, and then read the letter.
Dear Mr. King,
My name is Queen Esther Payne. I read your ad and found your inquiry both refreshing and intriguing. I stand five feet six and weigh one hundred forty pounds. All of my six brothers will attest that I am no wallflower and do not fear hard work. Also as I come from one of the most respectable families on Lombard Street, my Philadelphian stock guarantees I have the ability and the requisite knowledge to help you establish a legacy in Douglass. I can commit to the two years you require, provided the marital relations are limited to the “as necessary” stated in your ad. I am willing to negotiate if more than two years are required.
I have only had relations with women, so you need not fear I will fall in love with you. Thus your “love neither required nor sought” dictum proves no obstacle. However, my woman-loving-woman proclivities may disqualify me in your eyes. If so, I await your refusal. If not, I anticipate your proposal.
Sincerely,
Queen Esther Payne.
Caesar read and reread the line again.
I have only had relations with women, so you need not fear I will fall in love with you.
His Emma had only known women too until she united with him. Could fate be so kind as to smile upon him twice?
I’m typing my little fingers to the bone this week. I have a deadline. I’m almost there. Have you pre-ordered your copy of Mica? Well, I hope so. It’s coming NEXT TUESDAY! In the meantime, I have a puzzle for you. I’ve named some of my favorite paranormal creatures. Solve the puzzle and name yours in the comments for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
