No Returns is now a reality, or it is to me once I see the cover.  Then it feels like a real book.  And I must say a huge thanks to Jess Dawson and Sara Lundsford for all their help. Of course I printed it and showed it to my dh and all he asked was who pays $750.00 for a purse?  Such a man thing to notice.


Had a lovely day yesterday with my critique buddy.  It helps when your critique buddy writes humor, lots of laughter as she shared her latest chapter.  Made me think about all the critique groups I've had along the way.  A critique group, or rather one honest person in said critique group, is responsible for me selling my first book.  I had spent nearly 10 years trying desperately to write a Silhouette Desire (yes, I go back that far).  I read every Desire released and I really tried hard to capture the feel and tone of the line.  Then one day, as we were carpooling back from critique group, the one honest person (who was and is a good friend) turned to me and said your action and dialogue and action are great but everything else sucks.  Have you ever considered writing romantic suspense?

Actually, no.  I'd never thought of it and even worse, I'd never read one.  So I spent a few weeks reading every romantic suspense released by Harlequin and Silhouette.  It was like a bulb turned on over my head.  I could relate to solving a crime while finding romance.  After all, who doesn't like a hot detective or PI?  So I set to work (on my typewriter) and the words just flew out of my fingertips.  It was almost effortless.  I'd always been a mystery reader and a true crime reader, so I was in my element.  And writing sexual tension was so much easier for me than writing actual sex scenes.  I had found my nitch, all because a dear friend had done me the favor of being honest with me.  Oh, and after 10 years of failure, I sold the first romantic suspense novel I ever wrote.

I tell this story and some people gasp at the notion that she told me my stuff sucked.  First, she was a good friend and didn't mean it in a nasty way.  Secondly, she knew ten times what I knew about the business of publishing.  I often think about how that single sentence changed my life and I am forever grateful to her for her input.  And I try to pay it forward.  I learned from that experience that sometimes you can be so close to a project that you don't see how it isn't working.  I also learned not to say sucks, unless it's a good friend.

So thank you my Sunday writer ladies for your input and your honesty!