The Pregnant Presents Writer’s Call, by Maisey Yates

On Dec. 1, Maisey Yates got a wonderful early Christmas present — The Call from Harlequin Presents! Please welcome Maisey with her Call story!

by Maisey Yates

I’ve always wanted to write, but I haven’t always known exactly what I wanted to write. That changed when I was pregnant with my second son and I picked up my very first Harlequin romance, a Presents by Miranda Lee. I was hooked.

In that year I think I read over three hundred Presents. I couldn’t get enough of them. I loved the glamour, the passion and the seduction. And I decided I wanted to try to write one. But when I went to Harlequin’s website site and saw the guidelines for submission I was so intimidated at the thought of trying to submit that…I just didn’t try. Until I saw the announcement for the Instant Seduction contest.

I sat down to write my chapter and synopsis and after a couple of weeks, with butterflies in my stomach, I entered my chapter into the contest. That step was the confidence boost I needed to start writing a manuscript that I could get ready for submission the traditional way.

By the time the contest results were announced a couple of months later, I had finished a complete manuscript. I didn’t get any feedback from the Instant Seduction contest, but by then I felt absolutely committed to the manuscript I had completed, and I sent the partial all the way from Oregon to the Richmond office.

In the months that my manuscript waited in the slush pile, Harlequin held the Feel the Heat contest for Modern Heat. I entered that contest as well, and again, got no feedback other than the standard form letter. I was feeling pretty dejected at that point! I wasn’t sure what hope the Manuscript I’d sent had with two contests behind me and no personalized feedback to show for it.

But, only a week later I received a letter from the United Kingdom. I had been waiting seven months at that point and, as I opened the letter with (very) shaky hands, I anticipated a rejection.

I spent the next month or so working on revisions with the help of my lovely critique group and my patient (and gorgeous!) husband. After much agonizing, I resent my partial with (still) shaking hands.

A couple of months later another letter landed in my mail box. This time a request for the full manuscript. I was (and sort of still am) totally shocked. So much so that I literally couldn’t speak, and as my husband can attest to, that is an unusual turn of events. I imagine he must have thought I was somewhat crazy when I came running into the house waving a letter in the air, unable to string two words together.

I sent the full manuscript and three weeks later, received another revision letter, this time in my inbox. I was so excited that it wasn’t a rejection I set to work right away getting the revisions done, once again with my lovely critique group offering me much cyber support.

About six weeks after returning those revisions I got yet another revision letter. And at this point I’m just feeling eternally grateful for my editor’s patience! After completing those I sent them (yeah, hands still shaking). I had a feeling that this would be it. Three rounds of revisions. It had to be rejection or acceptance.

So I cringed every time of opened my email and jumped every time the phone rang. And then, on December 1^st, I got up and checked my email first thing. There was one from Jenny Hutton sitting in my inbox. She asked if she could call me and talk about the manuscript sometime that morning. And after squealing and jumping up and down (as best as a woman who is eight months pregnant can), I calmed down enough to get the phone and tell my husband my editor was going to call. Well, it may have come out more like “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!! She’s going to Call me!!!”

And then the phone rang at 8:00 am and a woman with a very lovely, sophisticated accent asked to speak to me. And then she offered to buy my book. Of course I said yes.

It’s a dream come true to write for Presents. I’m a true fan of the line and seeing my name on (here in the US) that white cover with the red stripe and the very beautiful people in the circle makes me absolutely giddy. In fact, I foresee being completely giddy for the next few years.