Alright, here’s part two of the history of The Most Special Chosen (TMSC). This is another one of those posts I can’t explain why I haven’t written. But, finally, here is the story of how The Most Special Chosen got picked up by a publisher.
In 2016, Burning Willow Press (BWP) attended Paracon in Virginia Beach. Because it was only 4 (ish) hours away, we decided to attend. Jim wanted to meet the publishers in person. I was also interested in taking photos of Ferry Plantation because I’d only recently gotten my Canon Rebel T5.
We spent some time talking to Edd and Kindra and met another BWP author, Mark Reefe. After a bit, we went inside to take photos and get out of the heat. Unfortunately, my battery died after the second room.
So, once we finished going through the house, I took my camera back to the car. No sense in lugging around something basically useless.
When I got back, Edd caught me off-guard by mentioning, “I hear you’re an author, too.” If you haven’t read The Most Special Chosen, Pt. 1, I suggest you do so.
After a few panicked milliseconds where I had no idea what to say, I acknowledged that I had a self-published novel. We had a short conversation about my book. I was very surprised when he requested I submit the first three chapters. At the time, BWP was almost exclusively horror and suspense/thriller.
I’ll admit, contrary to logic, I was annoyed with James for mentioning my book. Not because of the ultimate outcome, but because I was blindsided.
I actually considered not submitting my book. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go down that route. But, ultimately, I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So, I submitted the first three chapters and waited. And waited. After about 9 weeks, I heard from Edd. He liked my book and offered me a contract.
Once again, I had to ask myself if this was what I wanted. It would be a year and a half until TMSC re-released, and I’d have to take it off sale during that time. Jim and I had a long discussion, and, ultimately, I decided to accept the contract.
Looking back, I have mixed feelings about my decision. I’ve learned a lot since then, about writing, marketing, and myself. I’ve made a lot of author friends. But, I miss feeling as though my time is my own.
There is a certain level of stress that comes with being an author, and it would be a lie to say I don’t miss the days when I didn’t have that. But, ultimately, I’m fairly satisfied with how things are going.
I wish I could have given you a great story about working hard and ultimately succeeding, but my story, like so many in the world, came down to a case of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right person. After all, Fate Happens. 😉
