Authors' Journeys

Michele Dunaway

I sold my first book as part of an editor appointment at the 1999 RWA national convention in Chicago. It's rather funny. I never owned a watch, so I showed up early like they say you are supposed to, checked in, and when some rather harried and stressed out volunteer told me to get in line and go in, I did. I was so nervous that I asked the editor if I could read her my pitch. Before I began, she said, "What line?" in this rather tired tone. See, she'd been moved to the line that spring and had tons of people trying to pitch her stuff for her old line. So I said, "Harlequin American" to which she perked up and said, "Really?" and I said, "Yep, Sandra Marton told me I had one and Marie Ferrarella told me you were the new editor." Both were true, and both authors had simply been kind enough to email me the information since I was a fan who loved their books. But before I could read my pitch, that harried volunteer was back. Seemed she'd put me in early, so I was in someone else's time slot! When they realized I was next, RWA just swtiched us since I'd already started. So I read my pitch, the editor requested it, and then we had about five minutes of chat time. So she asked me what Harlequin American books I'd read in the line lately (uh, none), so I named the Judy Christenberry book I'd picked up in the goodie room the day before. Then we talked about the lines direction--much safter. I got home from conference, mailed the book within the week, and in the middle of September (yep, that's all it took), I got the call--and wasn't home. There was a 212 area code on my caller ID on a Friday afternoon. I had a local chapter meeting and everyone told me I'd sold, but I refused to believe it until I'd heard it directly. So I got the call Monday at work, and went screaming out into the office--the school nurse where I taught thought someone was dying. The funny part is, during that call, the editor she said, "I met so many people that day, can you remind me who you were?" So I replied, "The one in the wrong time slot" to which she replied, "I remember you!" But I sold the next one before convention 2000 and A Little Office Romance came out in October 2000, so I guess my mishaps turned out okay. (I never did tell her about the tray of dirty breakfast dishes that my purse caught--and upended--after leaving that appointment..)