For tens of thousands of self-employed people, myself included, January 15th is the day the final quarterly payment (otherwise known as the final pound of flesh) for the previous tax year is due. But for me it has an additional significance. Twenty-seven years ago (January 15th, 1983)—the exact time, other than it was in the morning, escapes me—my entire world changed. At the time I was seven and a half months pregnant with my second child, my physicist husband had been laid off for eight months and my mother, my best friend in the whole world, had died the previous year, one month before my very first book hit the stands. I was in the shower when my husband knocked on the door to tell me that my agent was on the phone and wanted to speak to me. Lumbering out (I was eating for seventeen at the time) I resigned myself to hearing my agent read yet another rejection letter to me. After selling a heady six books in a short amount of time, three to Second Chance at Love and three to Loveswept, I was stuck in a holding pattern, unable to get another sale with either publisher, or any other for that matter. In a nutshell I was feeling less than optimistic about what seemed to be my late, lamented so-called career.

And then, suddenly, as I took the receiver, placed it to my ear and said hello, the black storm clouds dried up, the raindrops vanished and the sun burst forth. Karen Solem, the then head of Silhouette Books, had read my Desire proposal and had called it “Perfect.” That was the word she used, my agent assured me as I struggled desperately not to hyperventilate. “Perfect.” Moreover, Karen was offering me a contract for this “perfect” proposal. Was I interested? Interested??? I would have written it for free, naked in Times Square (I was seven and a half months pregnant, who would look?). Luckily, I wouldn’t have to write it for free (or naked). Terms were quoted and quickly agreed to (I wasn’t taking any chances that they would come to their senses and change their minds) and thus my lovely, charmed life with Silhouette began. Twenty-seven years later, they still haven’t come to their senses. I was just offered an eight book contract this morning, bringing my grand, unbelievable total to two hundred twenty-eight books, two hundred and fourteen of which bear the Harlequin/Silhouette insignia.

What this back-story qualifies me to say is, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (or, if you prefer, If you write it, they will come). Simply put, if you want something, really want something, don’t give up. Keep trying, keep working, it will happen. It did for me.

http://www.marieferrarella.com/