Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for;

it is a thing to be achieved.

William JenningsBryan

I’ve tried to think about what I would say or how I would address my big news this week on my blog. I’ve sat down several times to write this post and not a single word would come easily. How do I explain what a momentous event selling my first book is to me? Without sounding sappy or naïve or over the top… but then, anyone who knows me knows I’m emotional and sentimental and, yeah, hmmm. This is even more challenging than I thought.

The facts: I sold my first book to Shana Smith, Associate Editor for Harlequin Desire. She called last Monday and I’ve been over the moon ever since. I’ve celebrated on Facebook, Twitter, with family and friends, and I’ll be posting my call story on The Writing Playground on Wednesday for a big online party over there! Very exciting!

But I think what I want to talk about here, today, is what I’ve learned this week from receiving what we writers refer to as The Call. I’ve been writing for a long time, submitting, selling short stories, getting rejections, finalling in contests, and still no sells. Sometimes the struggle was so hard that I’ll admit, I took a couple of breaks. But I never really stopped.

The voices in my head kept talking; the hope in my heart kept bobbing back to the surface. So I couldn’t stop writing, and I couldn’t stop submitting for long. As the quote above says, destiny is grounded in the choices we make, the achievements we strive for. I chose to hone my craft, actively write, edit my work, and surround myself with encouraging friends. My dream has always been to be a published author of romance novels, and through a lot of hard work, perseverance, and the direction of a great editor, that dream came true this week.

Bottom line: Perseverance isn’t fun, isn’t pretty, and doesn’t always feel good – but it can create the most beautiful results. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Wednesday on the Playground! I’ll be sharing more details from this exciting first step in my publishing career as they become available.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me!