Tuesday, February 25, 2014

So, My Sister Got THE CALL (or, so you want to get published)

If you're an aspiring writer, you know exactly what that means.

She got THE CALL. The one that brought her from unpublished novelist to published novelist.

The phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. There it was, bold as you will - Harlequin.

Seconds later, she had an offer she couldn't refuse.

Well, she could have, but it would have been a little strange seeing as how she'd actually spent time writing a manuscript that fit the Love Inspired Suspense line.

Now, to be clear, Sara was already published in the non-fiction arena. This isn't her first sale, but it is her first BOOK sale.

She is now officially writing for Harlequin, and, to make things even more fun, she's writing for the same line I write for.

I'm over the moon with excitement for her, and I'm already planning the book signings we'll do together, the research trips we'll go on. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll even work on a continuity together!

I'm getting all twiterpatted just thinking about it!!

How is it that we both ended up in the same house in the same line?

Well, it's like this. Love Inspired Suspense needs authors. Really. Seriously. The editors are  looking for authors. They are going above and beyond the call of duty to find authors. To do this, they are running fast track events that give writers a quick way to get their work in front of the editors' eyes.

I heard about these fast track events and encouraged a friend to submit. When another one came along, I called my sister Sara Parker (remember that name and look for her book next year) and told her she should do it. She already had a couple of manuscripts under her belt, and this was another opportunity. Why not take it? She listened to me (because who wouldn't?) and just as quick as that, she got an editor's attention. It wasn't long before she got THE CALL.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, first, I am proud of my sister.

Second, if you're an inspirational writer and want to try your hand at romantic suspense, Harlequin is a great company to work for. Manuscript are 55-60K and the books go out in book club (read that as instant sales!). They're also on store shelves all over the country.

Interested?

Check this  out. You can read the rules, chat with editors about what they're looking for, ask just about any question you want.

What could be cooler?

Not much.

So, really, check it out! This might be the golden opportunity you've been waiting for.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, Shirlee. Thanks for the additional encouragement to participate in the current LIS fast track event. I've submitted my first page already, but I just wanted to stop by to say how happy I am for you and your sister. Keep up the great work, you two!

Shirlee McCoy said...

Sybil, I'm very excited for my sister and for a friend who is waiting to hear on her fast tracked manuscript. It is such an awesome opportunity! I'm looking forward to hearing how things go for you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this. After seeing it I entered and I got picked for a team! On to the synopsis!