Wow, it’s been some ride over the last five years. I took a moment today to reflect on all the milestones I’ve ticked off with my writing over that period.
There was that exciting call, in March 2012, from Carol George of Penguin, with my first publishing offer for Princess Avenger. I made a trip to the Romance Writers of Australia conference on the Gold Coast where the Destiny imprint authors shot a video, launched the imprint and had our author shots taken. It was a massive weekend and none of us could know how the next few years would unfold.
The next year Penguin released The Lady’s Choice, the second book in this fantasy romance series that I am absolutely hooked on writing. I decided I wanted to write a love story featuring a mermaid but when that was rejected I had a big decision to make. Find another publisher (if I could) or venture into the scary and unknown world of self-publishing.
At the time I just didn’t have enough confidence to step onto the self-publishing pathway and so I pitched The Lord and the Mermaid to Momentum (Pan Macmillan). Hayley Nash loved it and offered me a two book contract as long as we began Momentum’s own mini series. The Wildecoast Saga was born. The covers were amazing and I had The Lord and the Mermaid and The Elf King’s Lady both released in 2015.
I began writing the book that I will release on the 14th of February- The Lady and the Pirate. I loved the freedom that came with having a pirate and a smuggler butt heads, not to mention the intrigue of a member of the aristocracy carrying on an illegal operation in a man’s world. Alas, hard times had fallen on the ebook publishing industry and Momentum didn’t want my story.
I had already begun self-publishing with the titles that were returned to me from Penguin, and added to my stable with Princess in Exile, the sequel to Princess Avenger, so I was keen to expand yet again.
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I hope you enjoy reading The Lady and the Pirate as much as I enjoyed creating it!