Harlequin Presents Series Spotlight: My First Book by Sandra Marton
16 Comments June 26th, 2009 in 60th anniversary, author Posted by Amy
July is series spotlight month on Harlequin Presents, part of Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary celebrations. Among other special events coming up next month, soem of your favorite Presents authors will be writing a series of posts on their own history with this fabulous romance series. First up is Sandra Marton, who launches the new Royal House of Karedes series in July with Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress!
I knew nothing about the writing business when I wrote my first book, but I’d always been a writer. I hand-wrote my very first story when I was seven. I called it The Girl From The Wrong Side of the Tracks. It was about a poor girl who’s swept off her feet by a powerful rich guy who doesn’t want to admit he’s fallen in love with her until almost the end of the story. Hmm. You think my seven year old self was predicting something???
I studied creative writing in high school, then in college. I graduated, taught elementary school, was a wife, a mother, a Board of Education president. And I kept writing: poems and short stories. Never a novel. It really didn’t occur to me that I could write one.
Then, without warning, I woke up one morning with a story in my head.
The story wouldn’t go away.
So I sat down at the typewriter that had seen me through college — remember typewriters??? — and wrote my very first book.
When I was done, I asked my husband to read it. He did, and told me he was proud of me for having put 60,000 words on paper. It took a few days to realize that he hadn’t really said anything about my book! I figured that was meaningful so I waited for a quiet moment, settled down and read it from start to finish.
Uh oh. It needed work!
I tore that manuscript apart. I wrote. Edited. Rewrote. Held my breath while my husband read it again. This time, he smiled. “It’s a good story,” he said, and I remember whooping with joy.
But I didn’t mail my manuscript to Harlequin. He did. Yes, you read that right. My husband mailed it! See, by then, I’d done some research. I knew Harlequin was the world’s biggest publisher of romances. Why, I asked, would they want to buy a book from an unknown like me???
Luckily, my husband had the confidence in me that I lacked. He packed up the pages, inserted the generic query letter I’d written, addressed the envelope and took it to the post office.
Two long weeks passed-and then a letter arrived. Not a self-addressed-stamped-envelope containing my returned manuscript. An actual letter!
I’ll always remember the opening line.
“Dear Sandra: The consensus is, we think your novel shows great promise…”
Those were, and still are, among the most wonderful words in the English language!
Tagged with: author Sandra Marton • Harlequin Presents series spotlight • Harlequin's 60th Anniversary • my first sale story
What a wonderful story – and husband! I started my first book on an IBM Selectric.
Yay for your husband having that confidence in you!
Wonderful story!
What a very inspiring story!
I love reading how my favourite authors started out in the world of publishing and had their very first book published. And Sandra, you’ve always been one of those favourites so I loved reading your story.
But what makes it extra special is that it’s a love story too -with your husband showing such confidence in you.
Kate
Wonderful story, Sandra! And like Kate says, it’s as much about the love and support of your husband as it is just about the first of so many great books. I’m so glad you started writing — and he believed!
Anne
That’s a great story – what a wonderful hubby you have!!
Thanks for sharing
Cheers, Joanne
Oh, that is such a gorgeous story. I can imagine your husband’s face when you opened the letter and shrieked with joy!
Robbie
That’s a lovely story, Sandra. It makes you believe in destiny, doesn’t it?
Sandra, what a wonderful man your husband is! And I’m impressed by you polishing that very first story. I remember finishing my own first attemt and it took a long time before I was ready to settle down and face the idea of improving it!
Annie
What a fabulous story, Sandra! I’m also impressed that you revised that first story. I don’t think my first was fixable.
Thank you all for saying such nice things! And you’re right: my acceptance story does make you believe in destiny and, absolutely, in the power of romance. I don’t know what would have happened if my husband hadn’t held such wonderful belief in me but I suspect my “sale story” might well have had a very different ending.
As many of you surely know by now, I’m a true romantic. I believe in the one man, one woman kind of love, and that’s what informs the books I write.
As for that first book… without realizing it (this was in the days before RWA, tipsheets, etc) my story contained the elements that most of us look for in a Presents. A proud, somewhat arrogant hero; a stand-up heroine; a sophisticated, romantic setting; a real conflict between the hero and heroine and–of course!–an exciting sexual attraction.. My point is that, instinctively, women like us–Presents readers and writers alike–know what makes for a much-needed couple of hours of fantasy and escape. I think that’s why Presents are so amazingly popular all around the world.
Sandra, that’s a lovely story, and what a demonstration of true love. I’ve always believed it isn’t about bunches of flowers or chocolates but about meaningful gestures (and your husband obviously has that lovely Presents man quality of taking over when the occasion demands it and just doing what needs to be done!!)
The thing about you, Sandra – is that you always write a good story….so that even your story of selling your story is a good one!
How exciting that your Karedes book is about to hit the shelves since I know that the entire series is sizzingly hot.
I love your books and can vouch that your husband is wonderful!
Sarah, you’ve got it right! My husband isn’t a flowers or chocolates kind of guy but he’s wonderfully romantic in a different way. He’ll swoop into my office when he figures my day’s been tough and lure me from the computer with a glass of wine; he’ll take me to dinner when I least expect it (and most need it!); he’ll look up from his coffee as he did the other morning and pay me the sweetest compliment about how I look even when the mirror says something else; he’ll come running when I shriek that there’s a spider in my office and he has to Do Something About It, which in his case means carefully catching said spider, taking it outside and releasing it.
Alpha traits, all of them, I think–and just right.
Sandra
Sharon, wasn’t this Karedes series fun to write? Your book is up next and I can hardly wait to read it.. I know you’ve done your usual great job, telling your story.
Sandra
Sorry, Sandra, I’m chiming in far too late on this – blame work – but I really had to comment on your call story. It was absolutely perfect. You were meant to be a Presents author, right from the start!