Thanks to everyone who stopped to congratulate me on my news about The Call!!!! I am so thrilled and still amazed that I got that magical phone call. It's definitely a dream come true. I read Harlequin Presents novels behind my textbooks in school. I read them on my very first job as a receptionist at a real estate office (and earned the distinction of being “the reading-est thang”), and I read them in my bedroom at night. I subscribed to the Harlequin reader service where they sent you all the Presents every month, even though I was a teenager and money was tight. *g*
And now to think I am a Presents author! My book will be on those shelves someday next year, and it's so incredible and awesome for me. Who knew? 🙂 Entering the Presents contest was definitely the best choice I ever made for my writing!
So, this isn't the Call Story, is it? Well, I've promised to write that up for the I Heart Presents blog and it will appear next week. So until then, I'll just pop up from time to time and say how stunned I still am. 🙂 It's true; I am.
Congratulations Lynn! I’m so happy for you. I hope you called PC to tell her the news.
WoooHooo for you!
It will take a while to sink in. PC kept forgetting, then she’d remember again, and get this giddy grin. It was pretty funny. Ride the wave as long as you can.
Thank you, PC’s Mom! I called PC bright and early yesterday morning. 🙂 We squeed together! It’s awesome to have a line buddy! We have three Blaze authors in the chapter (and maybe more) but only two of us writing for London. So it’s nice to have someone to share the experience with!!!
SP, I know you’re right! Life settles back into the usual groove — and then you have a moment where you gasp and thing, OMG, I sold my book. 🙂
Congratulations again, Lynn. I won the Mod Heat contest and can only dream of the same result. Any tips?? 🙂
Lucy
OMG- I was so busy at work yesterday that I didn’t get a chance to check the blogs and totally missed the news!
Congratulations and way to go!!!! 😀
Thank you, Sherry! 🙂
Lucy, many congratulations on winning the Modern Heat contest!!! You are in for such a fabulous year of learning how to write the best story you can for the Modern Heat line!
My last blog post over at the IHP site probably gave the best advice for writing these kinds of stories. it was just last week, and I think it was titled “Learning to love Revision.”
Mostly, I’d tell you to relax. You have an editor for a YEAR! You aren’t in a race, and you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact they chose YOU. They already see something in your writing that they love. So just follow your editor’s guidance and work hard to craft the story with plenty of emotion and passion. 🙂 (MH’s aren’t as intense emotionally as Presents, of course, but they still need strong emotion.)
Just trust yourself, trust your editor, and realize that you probably won’t get the story right the first time. And that’s okay. 🙂 Because you will get it right through hard work and dedication.
OTOH, you may get it right the first time! It can certainly happen — but if you don’t, don’t worry about it. You have a year and an editor who wants you to succeed. 🙂 Good luck!
Wise words – thank you! Looking forward to reading your ‘the call’ post on IHP.
Lynn,
I’ve been following your blog since you won the contest back in February, but I’ve never commented. I’m thrilled for you about the call! You definitely worked your buns off this year. I’m a Blaze wannabe and you give us (as yet) unpubbeds reason to believe. Congratulations and enjoy the ride! 🙂
Lucy, it’s so nice to see you’re getting your blog set up! And it’s great to see a picture of you. 🙂
Cari, thank you so much! Keep writing, working, and dreaming. You can get there. 🙂
Congratulations, Lynn!
I’ve been following your journey for a long time but had to stop lurking and say you deserve it.
Congrats again!
Lynn,
I know I already ‘twittered’ this, but I thought I would stop by and say congrats. I look forward to reading your book.
And I love the title “Spanish Magnate, Red Hot Revenge.”
Barbara Burnham
Hi Mrs Published Author!!!
I’m so thrilled for you! Hard work should always pay off. I can’t wait to see it on the shelves!
Nikki
Thank you, Sri Pammi, Barbara, and Nikki!
I’m really starting to like SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE too. It seriously says, “Read me!” Or so I hope, LOL!
Dang it, I want details. Details I tell you! LOL.
Congrats, again!