Slipping Through the Back Door - Twice

I thought it would be fun to share how I stumbled through the back door of Love Inspired. Many moons ago, after over two hundred rejections, when Heartsong Presents still existed, I submitted a book to both LI and HP. Because let’s face it, if I hadn’t double submitted books, it might have taken me nineteen years to get published instead of nine and a half.

After LI rejected the book and HP didn’t respond, I went to the American Christian Fiction Conference where I had an appointment with the HP editor. She hadn’t read the proposal I’d sent her yet. After I pitched the book, intrigued with my contemporary romance set in Romance, Arkansas, she asked for the full.

Thankfully, at that conference I took a class that finally taught me how to edit my work. I revised the book and sent it to her. Seven months later, I signed a contract for a three book series set in Romance, which is a real town where couples go to mail their wedding invitations and get married.

There wasn’t a cowboy in sight in my first series. But years before, I’d been inspired to write a rodeo book set in Texas. Since my dad used to announce at our small town rodeo and I married a Texan, the story was right up my alley. I ended up signing a contract for another three book series set in the Fort Worth Stockyards with a rodeo theme. LI had rejected this series also.

Shortly after I turned in book two of my rodeo series, Barbour decided to end the Heartsong line. I wailed and flailed in the floor, certain my career was over, then went to ACFW with my heart in the pointy toes of my high heel shoes. At the conference, one of the Barbour editors told me that another publisher was in the process of buying HP and asked how soon I could have book three finished. I blubbered all over her and my critique partner, then came home and wrote the book.

Just before it was time to turn it in, I learned that Harlequin had bought the line. I’d stumbled through

the back door. Once I completed my contract, my agent asked if I had anything similar. Since I had three dangling characters at the end of the series, I asked if I could continue it. I got a new contract with HP and the rodeo series morphed into nine books plus another three book series. But history repeated itself. Just after I turned in rodeo book eight, with four books left in my contract, Harlequin decided to end the HP line.

This time, I didn’t wail or flail or blubber. I knew God had it handled. I wrote a longer length book that had been bugging to get out for a long time and thoroughly enjoyed writing what I wanted to, just for fun.

Soon, I learned from my editor that LI wanted to continue my contract. Because I write cowboys and LI readers can’t get enough of them. So HP and cowboys helped me slip through the door at LI and I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride.