I finally sold this year, after many, many, many years of writing and querying and getting rejected. When that magical moment came, I was thrilled. I’d finally achieved my dream. I’d made it. My work was good enough, I was smart enough, and doggone it, people liked me. And I wouldn’t get rejected anymore. 

Boy, was I wrong. 

I went on a day trip this week to do some shopping and take in the sights over in Asheville, N.C. (A lovely, bohemian town, for anyone who’s thinking about visitng.) While I was there, I went into a few bookstores to give them my business card, ask about signings, chat up the locals, you know the drill.

One guy was very friendly. Asked me how long I’d been writing, etc., etc., etc.

But the other woman I talked with not friendly at all. She looked at my card for maybe half a second before saying that she’d need to see a copy of my book to determine if it was right for the store. That was it. End of discussion. We talked for less than a minute.

She runs a bookstore. I write books. Seems like a natural fit to me. But apparently not.

But her cool reception reminded me of all those rejections I use to get. The ones that are form letters or where your name and book are so badly misspelled that you wonder if the agent even bothered to read it.

Her rejection depressed me. At least, until I went to this fabulous little chocolate shop. It’s amazing what truffles can do to restore you. 😉

A couple of pounds of chocolate later, I’ve decided not to let it bother me. It’s just another part of the author game. I’ve gotten hundreds of rejections. What are a couple hundred more?

What about you? Have you ever been rejected by a bookseller? How do you cope with it? Inquiring minds want to know …

Erin Fry is officially my hero. If you don’t know Erin, she’s one of the staff members at Romance Writers of America.

And she really saved my bacon today.

I submitted a workshop proposal for the Dallas conference to RWA … and then my computer decided to die. I didn’t have a backup of the proposal anywhere. Not in my e-mail, not in my documents, not in my files.

Dumb, huh?

Panicked, I emailed RWA, and Erin sent me a copy of my proposal in less than twenty minutes. Which saved me from having to do the whole thing over. Thank you, Erin! :-) 

If you write romance, and you haven’t joined RWA, I encourage you to. It’s a great organization with a professional, courteous staff who are real lifesavers. 

I have to ‘fess up to something. I wrote recently that I don’t have a TBR pile.

Well now I do, thanks to my local library (which is staffed by Kathryn and Dottie, two of the nicest people in the world).

I went to return some books today and found out that they had gotten 15 of my requests in all at the same time. Now, I have more books than know what to do with! There’s paranormal romance and historical romance and epic fantasy … and I don’t know how I’m going to read all these books in a month.

Good thing I’ve got some vacation time coming up … 🙂

I finally read Marley & Me by John Grogan. It’s the best-selling book where the guy chronicles the life and antics of his dog, Marley. You’ve probably heard of it.

It made me chuckle. It made me cry. And it made me think about Lucky.

This summer, my family and I had to put Lucky, our 19-year-old Corgi mix, to sleep. It was one of the worst days of my life. I’d had Lucky since I was a kid. He was the best $10 pound dog that money could buy. He was sweet and playful and affectionate and a total ham. I miss him.

While Marley & Me was a good book, it can’t hold a candle to one of my all-time favorites — Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. It’s one of the most touching stories I’ve ever read. Someday, maybe I’ll be able to write a book like that. In honor of Lucky and all the joy that he brought into my life.

What about you? What’s your favorite animal-related book? Inquiring minds want to know …

If you’re a romance writer, chances are you know what the initials TBR mean — to be read.

It’s usually used in reference to a pile of books that are leaning haphazardly on someone’s already overflowing bookcase. In other words, it’s books you buy because they sound interesting and you want to read them. But life has a funny way of happening, and those TBR piles have a funny way of growing … and growing … and growing … 

I have a confession to make. I don’t have a TBR pile. The only books in my cases are treasured gems that I’ve already read — and splurged for in hardcover. There’s not a single book I have that I haven’t read at least twice.

Weird, I know. But the thing is, I absolutely HATE to see unread books sitting on my shelves. Hate it, hate it, hate it with the burning passion of a thousand suns.

What about you? How big is your TBR pile? Inquiring minds want to know …