Feast to Famine, and Famine to Feast, Writer Style

Five years ago, I was living what I will affectionately call “the writer high life.” I’d been in the business as a professional for a short time and felt like I was doing a good job of building my career and my backlist. With a decent helping of luck going my way, I saw no end in sight for that growth. I had several book deals and a whole lot more ideas on the way. I signed with a reputable agent and made good contacts inside the biz. I assumed (dammit) that the next deal was just around that writerly corner.

But in December of 2018, I experienced a trauma—being hit by a car whilst crossing the road. Zero out of five stars for that, by the way. Do not recommend. Though my injuries were minor (ish) the initial road to recovery was 8.5 months long. I say “initial” because during that time, I didn’t really notice my slump. I kept writing. Crafting. Toiling. Even when the ache in my back would reach a crescendo, I pushed on. After all, it was—is—my job. What I did not see coming was the big R. Rejection.

I had no clue that over the course of those months of recovery, I’d lost something. A touch? Some mojo? Even now, I can’t even say what it was. But for three full years after my accident, I couldn’t find a place to sign on the dotted line. Don’t get me wrong. I still kept writing. I penned a couple of novels. I jotted down elevator pitches for a dozen fresh plots. I hassled my agent (sorry!) and tried to get back to that place I’d been, but those novels and ideas stayed just where they were—on my laptop’s hard drive.

For the first time since choosing to make writing my career, I questioned its sustainability. My pitches were being returned with comments like, “This is a great story, but…” The same editors who had reached out to me in the past for new work were turning away. It was at this point that I decided to focus on a passion project. If you’re a writer, you know the one I mean. That idea that’s been bubbling in the back of your head but never made it onto the page because of…REASONS. Or—ahem—excuses.

Either way, from that passion project, my first mystery novel was born. I’d like to claim that Can’t Go Home was an immediate success. That it found a home right away. But that’s just not the case. In fact, it was also turned away. I had little choice but to leave it in the computer nether with its rejected brethren. I loved it still, but from afar. Unsure where to focus my attention, I turned back to an old project. And other things weren’t working, so why not?

Headfirst, I dived in. I took the book and wiped out some elements. Third person dual POV became single first person, then back to dual third. I added in curse words. (True story.) I hassled my agent (sorry again!) and set to work pitching. And waiting. So much waiting. As The Hostage made the rounds for weeks and months, I happened to come in contact with an old editor, to whom I mentioned Can’t Go Home. She was eager to read it, and I was more than happy to send off that beloved MS of mine.

Fast forward just a few weeks (more waiting) and an offer came in for Can’t Go Home, along with a request to turn it into a trilogy. Within days, I also had an offer for The Hostage. And amazingly, yet a third offer came in for a YA book I’d pitched an eon earlier. Thankfully, three of those five books were either complete or nearing completion, and my workload didn’t explode too terribly. After three contract-less years, I had not just one contract but three. I had not just one book releasing but five.

It sounds like a happy ending, doesn’t it? Books. No books. Then lots of books. As always, there are a whole lot of ideas in draft form, too. But the truth is, writing success can swell and ebb. As I sit here now, with two titles out and three more to go before the end of the year, I am again without a contract. I have nothing to come for 2023. No dotted lines. No one banging on my door. And no car accident at which I can toss the blame. (Seriously, though. That did a number on me, emotionally and physically.)

All of that said, I’m not going to let it worry me or get me down. Okay, that’s a lie; I’m sending a million emails a day to my agent. But the one thing I know for sure is that I have to press on. Even in the midst of all this looming famine, I have to keep writing. Keep honing my craft. Keep submitting and keep waiting. Because if I don’t, I might not be ready when the time to feast comes along again.

The Hostage, with Headline Eternal is out now, as is Can’t Go Home with Tule Mystery. The next two books in the Trinity Calhoun series are No Safe Haven (Apr 28th, 2022) and Better Left Behind (Aug 30th, 2022). My first YA, Counting Scars with Orca Publishing will be released Aug 15th, 2022.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips