“Never, never, never give up.” ~Winston Churchill
Today is release day for what authors often call the book of their heart. Until You was a project I started over a decade ago. It was the second full length book I’d ever written and it started as a flash fiction challenge. Once I’d written the first three pages, the characters wouldn’t let go. They were raw and real and emotional. I loved every minute I’ve spent with Kate and David, and I hope you do to. There’s an excerpt on the book page.
I won’t go into all the gory details about the ups and downs with the story, but it certainly made the rounds. Editors loved it, but no one was quite sure where it fit. Is it a romance? Is it women’s fiction? My answer is it’s both. Very simply, love is a journey. It’s messy. It’s confusing. And sometimes the path isn’t always clear. It wasn’t clear with this book, that’s for sure, as it took a bit of luck to find it a home.
I almost gave up on it. A few years ago, I was pretty beaten down from the rejections and on top of that my father was suffering from Leukemia. But my dad was an eternal optimist, and on his last lucid day, about a week before he died, he made me promise not to give up. “You’ve put too much of yourself into the writing to let it go,” he said. “Don’t give up. It will happen if you don’t give up.”
He was right. It did happen, and I have a feeling he was up there in heaven, helping things along. My very first published work, The Temporary Wife, is dedicated to him, but Until You is a testament to the lessons my father taught me. Lessons about perseverance, humor, and believing in the power of your dreams.
Look, Daddy! I did it.
