Writer's Wednesday - The Call with Lee McKenzie

This Writer's Wednesday, the Pink Hearters are please to have with us Lee McKenzie, Harlequin American author with her inspiring call story. Welcome, Lee!

When I began to write romance, I believed my path to publication would be short and direct. I joined RWA, finished my first book, and attended my first romance conference. I pitched that book to an editor and she requested the complete manuscript. Convinced that I was about to launch a brilliant career, I mailed the manuscript to New York. Three weeks later I received my first rejection letter. I was stunned by the speed at which she rejected it and devastated that she didn’t want to buy it.

Looking back it’s hard to believe I was so naive, but I had a lot to learn. I’m very lucky that on my eight-year journey to publication I was accompanied by an extremely supportive family, some excellent critique partners, and several published authors who constantly assured me that someday I would be published.

My first three manuscripts were contemporary romances, but then I switched to romantic suspense. Although those projects fared better in contests, they never sold.

But I was nothing if I wasn’t persistent. During those eight years I wrote six complete manuscripts and five partials. I sent out eight-seven submissions to editors and agents. I entered fifty-one contests and won or finaled twenty-nine times, including four Golden Heart finals. The highlight of being a GH finalist in 2003 was becoming a member of the Wet Noodle Posse. [http://www.wetnoodleposse.com/]

Gradually I began to realize that romantic suspense was not my thing. I’d had interest from several editors after those Golden Heart finals but no sale, and to be honest I was getting a little discouraged. I switched back to writing short contemporary romance with a more light-hearted tone and finally seemed to hit my stride.

I loved the characters and the storyline in that new book, and writing was fun again! I entered Maggie’s Makeovers in the Golden Heart Contest but it didn’t final. I worked on it some more, changed the title to Fixing Mr. Fix-it, and entered the Golden Heart Contest again. It still wasn’t a finalist. I also pitched it to an editor at a conference. The editor and I hadn’t met before but she was familiar with my writing because she’d judged one of my Golden Heart entries. Even better, she wanted to see the complete manuscript. There was only one small hitch. I had to lengthen it to fit her line.

Could I really add twenty thousand words to an already completed book? It was a challenge, but I decided to go for it. I took my time and it paid off because six weeks after I mailed the complete manuscript to the editor, I got The Call!

My daughter had a break between her college classes that day so she was at home with me when the phone rang. The editor introduced herself and told me she’d read a manuscript the day before and she wanted to turn it into a book. My book! My daughter came into the kitchen to find out what was going on. Amidst all the excitement, the editor graciously asked if she should call me back in an hour. After I hung up, my daughter and I danced around the house, hugging each other and laughing and crying. Then she made me a cup of tea while I did my best to collect myself and prepare for the next call from the editor. My editor!

She didn’t want me to do any revisions, but she did want to see a proposal for a second book I had pitched in my cover letter. Luckily for me that proposal was already written, and a week later I had a two-book contract. The first book was given a new title, and The Man for Maggie was a June 2007 Harlequin American Romance. The sequel, With This Ring, was a December 2007 release.

I’ve sold two more books to Harlequin American Romance (titles and release dates TBA) and at the end of December I was thrilled to learn that The Man for Maggie is a double nominee in the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards -- for Best First Series Romance and Best Harlequin American Romance. [http://romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?type=book&level=1&year=2007]

After eight years my persistence had paid off. I am beyond grateful for all the support and encouragement I received along the way, especially from family, and dedicating my first book to them was a dream come true. It’s my wish that all aspiring authors will achieve their dreams.

From the time she was ten years old and read Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, Lee McKenzie knew she wanted to be a writer, just like Anne and Jo. In the intervening years she has written advertising copy, magazine articles, and an honors thesis in paleontology, and edited conference proceedings, educational material and technical publications. Along the way her imagination demanded a more creative outlet, and she soon discovered the world of romance. Becoming a four-time Golden Heart finalist and a Harlequin author are her proudest accomplishments yet.

Lee and her artist/teacher husband live on an island in the Pacific Northwest, and she loves to spend time with two of her best friends—her grown-up children. For more about Lee and her books, readers are invited to visit her at www.leemckenzie.com and at thewritersideoflife.blogspot.com.