"The Call'

Terri Reed here reminiscing about the day I received the call from Love Inspired.  The year was 2003. It was February and I was driving a mini-van load of kids to school--only two of which were mine. I had this new, fancy flip phone and it rang. 

This was before the ‘no cellphone while driving law’. 

I answered, anticipating that the call would be regarding my father, who had recently passed away, so I wasn’t looking forward to talking to whoever was on the line. Thankfully, I was greatly surprised when this nice woman said she was an editor with Harlequin Love Inspired and she wanted to buy my book.

As I came to a stoplight, I remember asking, "Is this for real?"

She laughed and said yes it was. She wanted to talk terms. Flabbergasted, I stammered that I was driving and would have to call her back.  She graciously agreed to wait.

In a bit of an excited stupor, I got all the kids to their classes and then I called my critique partners, both wrote for Harlequin, but not one of them answered their phones!

So sitting in the parking lot of my kid’s school, I took a deep breath, and with pen and paper in hand, I called the editor back. I furiously wrote down everything she said and then told her I would have to, once again, call her back when I returned home to look at my calendar for due dates for the next book.  She was very nice about being put off a second time, which I appreciated.

On my way home I tried my critique partners once more and finally reached one. She walked me through the terms and realistic due dates for the next manuscript so I was ready to agree to a contract with Harlequin. I called the editor back and we talked for a long time about the book she was buying. She gave me some feedback right then but said I would also get her critique in writing. I couldn’t wait. When I hung up, I screamed and danced around my living room. I’m not sure what my dog thought but she barked and danced around with me.

I wrote five books for Love Inspired before I moved to Love Inspired Suspense.

My most recent books Tracking Danger and Mission to Protect are my forty-first and forty-second books, respectively.  This has been the best job I could have hoped for.