A True Cinderella Story
Romance Author Lydia
Michaels
I began writing not to get
rich, but because I felt driven to put words on a page. I had a nagging sense of obligation, a
compulsion to write my story, that only grew more and more difficult to ignore
as time went on. So on
December 7, 2007 I put my two-year-old daughter to bed, sat down at my
computer, and began to type. By
the next morning I had pounded out fifty pages.
I became obsessed with
writing. I finished my
first manuscript in less than one month on about three hours of sleep a
night. I was so proud of my
work that I rushed out and had five copies printed and bound. I then dropped a copy off with each of
my closest friends. Of course the pages were littered with typos, but the
plot was there and the reviews I received were very good.
I spent months polishing and
revising my manuscript, putting well over 40 hours a week into my craft. The funny thing about revisions is
that each time you edit a story you arrogantly assume it is as perfect as it
can get, but then you read it again and become disgusted with how much it can
actually be improved. I
realized my book was like a house; it would never be completely
finished. Publishing my book would be the only way to stop my obsessive
refinement. So I edited my
manuscript one more time and sent it out to fifteen agents and ten publishers.
I waited a grueling six months
for all of my replies and with each rejection a small piece of me died a
little. Rejection is
difficult no matter who you are. When
you put your heart and soul into something, only to be so universally
discarded, it can be crushing. Being
an author is a very personal experience. No one will ever love your manuscripts
as much as you do, at least not when you are a new author without any
fans. In the beginning I
cried a lot, but I always brushed myself off and tried again.
After I read my first
manuscript so many times even the sight of it made me sick, I decided I needed
to take a different approach, so I wrote something new. My theory was: the more manuscripts I
could submit the more probable it was for my work to get published. I wrote my next novel, a ninety
thousand-word romance, in ten days. It was a sweet, warm and fuzzy story
about a young mother. I
submitted that manuscript to fifteen publishers over the span of two
years. Some took an
interest and asked for more, but in the end I received fifteen more
rejections.
There is a lot of time spent
waiting when you are a new author. Typically the wait period on a submission
is three months. If the
publisher is interested he or she may ask you to send some sample
chapters. After a few more
months they may request the entire manuscript. It then takes another length of time
for them to read and reply. All
in all it can take anywhere between six months to a year to hear back from just
one company and it’s devastating when all you hear is bad news. Rather than spend this time pining
away, waiting for replies, I spent it writing. In those two years my work became
better, more polished. My
characters became more developed and my plots more intricate. My typos dropped from 1,000 to
200. That may still seem
like a lot, but on a first draft of a manuscript over 120,000 words I assure
you it’s not.
For three years I had blown out
my birthday candles with one wish on my mind. Please let me be published. The week of my thirtieth birthday
I received my thirtieth rejection. I
felt like an absolute fool. I spent six months thinking about other career
choices. After finally admitting
to myself that there was nothing else I would rather do than write, I gave
myself a six-month extension. You
see my two year old was now a five year old and entering kindergarten. It seemed silly for me to work from
home when all of my hard work amounted to nothing, but there was still a small
part of me that could not give up. I
spent the summer before my daughter started school reevaluating all of my
rejections. What did the
publishers like? What did
they criticize? If I found
a weakness in my writing I studied ways to overcome it. I then brainstormed. What did publishers want to
publish? Once I had my
ideas in order I began to write what would either be my first published book or
my last submission.
In June I had written 75,000
words, the first half of what would be my next manuscript. I gave a copy to one of my friends in
my book club and two days later she called to yell at me. How could I leave her hanging like
that? I had better start
typing as soon as I got home! She
loved it! She told me there
was just something different about this story. Perhaps it was desperation, lol. Her
optimism fueled my energy to try harder. I completed the first draft by
September and submitted it.
Mid-September, my thirty-first
birthday, as I blew out the candles on my cake, I wished one last time, Please let me be published. A week later I received a very
cold, generic rejection, the kind that tells you the publisher barely glanced
at your work, and those little broken pieces inside of me seemed to come
crumbling down. As much as
I wanted to be an author, as much as I wanted to follow my dreams, I felt like
Wendy when she had to force herself to leave Never Never Land. I needed to grow up, stop fantasizing,
and join the real world. I remained hopeful against all odds for almost
four years, but I had run out of optimism. Then everything changed.
Two weeks later, on September
29, 2011 I opened up my mail and saw what was likely another rejection, but I
did not cry. Yes, there
were no tears at first, not until I read the words, “We would like to publish
your book.”
It took me a moment to
comprehend that I was not reading another rejection. It didn’t completely sink in until I
read on and saw the projected publication dates. My heart began to pound, yet I don’t
think I was breathing. I
read the letter out loud and when my ears actually heard the words I screamed
and burst into tears. My
dreams were coming true! I
picked up my daughter and danced around my home like a loon. By the time I made my first call to
family I was shaking and crying so hard the person on the other line couldn’t
make out what I was saying. When
they finally understood they screamed as well (right in the middle of the
dollar store). I had
friends screaming and dancing all over the place once I sent out a text.
It was a moment I don’t think I
will ever forget, a moment just before all faith was lost, but then suddenly
found. For all of you
struggling authors out there, don’t give up! If you love to write as much as I do,
stick with it! Try and try
again for as long as you can. I
am proof that with enough heart and determination dreams do come true!
That article was written a year
ago and I still feel every bit of the passion I felt then, only so much has
changed. I love to encourage new authors, because I still consider myself new.
First, if you write, you are an author. Don’t wait for others to validate your
talent. My first year ‘out there’ has been insane and beyond incredible. Am I
rich? Not even close! But that was never the goal. The goal was to follow my
dreams. So here is a brief summery of my first year as a published author.
I was accepted by Siren
Publishing in September 2011. They contracted The Order of Vampyres, an erotic
Amish vampyre series that now has three books (more to come) and recently won
the Top Bite Award from Bitten by Paranormal Romance. If you like a good vamp
saga, check out The Order, but warning, you should really read them in order
(pardon the pun).
I spent the winter writing and
editing and learning the ropes. In spring of 2012 I began finishing my New Castle series. It was
the first romance series I had ever written and it basically needed to be
rewritten, a daunting task, but I did it. I then submitted it and—what do you
know—it was picked up by Secret Cravings Publishing! The first New
Castle book, White Chocolate, was just released this August and All
4 You {New Castle
2} just came out this month and has already climbed to the top of several
bestseller charts.
It is an incredible feeling to
actually see my name out there, but the most magical feeling comes when a
reader tells me they enjoyed something I wrote. I love my readers and they make
everything worthwhile!
I definitely believe I am
living my own Cinderella story. I can’t even begin to describe my emotions over
the past ten days. My world literally shifted. Last Tuesday I opened my mail
and found a contract for Breaking Perfect, an erotic MMF romance I write. That
afternoon I was contracted for another 6 books in a new Irish series, McCullough Mountain! The first of that series,
Sacred Waters, comes out spring 2013. And then something incredible happened…
It is widely known that you
can’t get into the “Top 6” New York
publishing houses without an agent. I am still searching for my agent (If you’re reading this…feel
free to shoot me an email and let me know where you’ve been. LOL). Well, I took
a chance and at the Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together this year. I mingled
with some pretty talented authors, agents, and I even had a chance to pitch to
some of the big guys. I returned home from the convention and wrote my heart
out, thinking sooner or later I’m going to write the one. Well, I wrote it. Just last week I was contacted by
Penguin regarding a new trilogy I wrote this summer! I made it!
Life is an incredible (an
emotional) journey. Thirteen months ago I thought about giving up. Today I have
16 books contracted and many more to come! My fans are absolutely incredible
and spend a good part of each day being thankful for the path my life has
taken, even the dips along the way. I now go to schools and talk to children
about following their dreams. This summer I got a letter from a little girl that
said, “Ms. Michaels, you aimed for the moon and became a star.” When I read
that line I burst into tears. I think that was the moment I realized my dreams
had come true.
All I can tell you is if you
love writing, stick with it!
Where can you find Lydia Michaels?
Lydia
can be found/reached at www.LydiaMichaels.org
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/lydia-michaels
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/lydia-michaels
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