Happy To Be Blogging at WWK By Marilyn Levinson

I'm delighted to be here, blogging every other week about writing, publishing and various and sundry topics. It's been some time since I've been part of a group blog—or even posting on my own blog—and I thought it was time I started doing so again. There are so many wonderful writers here on WWK. I know many of you already—in fact, a few are dear friends—and I hope to get to know everyone who's a part of this wonderful and friendly group.

I've been writing fiction for many, many years. I started out writing middle grade and YA books for kids. My debut novel, AND DON'T BRING JEREMY, was published by Holt in 1985 or '86. I suppose today it would be classified as an early YA. It got a great write up in Publisher's Weekly, was a nominee for six state awards, and I thought I'd arrived as a working author.

Not so. Four more juvenile novels were published over the years. Yes, RUFUS AND MAGIC RUN AMOK was A "Children's Choice," and  NO BOYS ALLOWED stayed in print for over twenty years, but sales of new titles were far and few between. So I decided to try my hand at writing romantic suspense and mysteries.

I sold a romantic suspense and some mysteries to small e-presses as well as a few more juvenile novels. I had what felt like more than my share of bad luck along the way: small presses closing as my book was about to be published; not getting paid royalties owed to me. But I had some good luck, too, part of which I attribute to networking and connecting with other writers and people in the field.  I'm mentioning the best one yet so unpublished writers can take heart and see that networking sometimes works in mysterious ways.

Someone I knew told me that an agent was interested In her book. I asked who that was and she said it was Dawn Dowdle. Now I was on Facebook with Dawn. Months earlier, an agent very "big" in the cozy field had turned down a cozy proposal I'd sent her. Yes, she nearly had taken it but she didn't. And so, figuring that was the last word on the subject, I never sent it out again. But I decided to send it to Dawn. Miracle of miracles, she liked it! Took it on, though I'd only written three chapters. (I promised to finish the book in a few months.)

I've had a few agents, but never anyone like Dawn!  When my manuscript was done and she'd edited in her careful way, she sent it out. Shortly after, Crooked Lane Books took my Haunted Library mystery series. I was asked to come up with a pseudonym—something I'd wanted since I was in elementary school—and my book was soon published.

I was totally amazed by the wonderful acclaim that DEATH OVERDUE received! I found myself laughing at each favorable notice, every terrific review. Was this really happening after all these years? Who knew that creating a librarian in charge of programs and events as a sleuth would be so popular? And having DEATH OVERDUE selected as an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel last year was indeed an unexpected honor.

All this took place over a span of many years. The thing that amazes me is that I persevered. I kept on writing through rejections and near misses and simple bad luck. Like many other writers, I've had my personal battles—the death of a spouse, fighting stage four lymphoma--but I continued to write. Not because I'm heroic or brilliant, but because I chose to. I think that those of us who publish books have all killed our share of dragons, our disappointments to get past. And those who want to be published must continue to do the same.