Things I Learned When I Took a Leap of Faith:

 How a Category Romance Author Found Her Way  While Writing her First Single Title Book

by Guest Alison Stone

When my agent called to tell me that Waterfall Press, the inspirational imprint of Amazon Publishing, was offering me a contract on my first single-title book, Pointe and Shoot, I was equal parts elated and terrified. I was elated because they offered me this contract based on a proposal, which is “author-speak” for the first three chapters and the synopsis. I was terrified because I had never actually written a book longer than 55K words, the length of my Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense books.

Eek.

Let me give you a little backstory. I have a degree in engineering and well, I approach things a certain way. When I got the idea to write novel-length fiction back in the late 90s, I studied the market.  I discovered that the romance genre dominated the market. Then I learned of Harlequin’s dominance within the romance genre. So, I approached my new adventure, like I approached everything: very methodically. I read across all the lines at Harlequin and decided I really enjoyed their romantic suspense lines. After much trial and error, I finally landed a contract with Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense and have written nine books for them so far.

I enjoy writing for Harlequin, but a few years ago, an idea came to mind that wouldn’t leave me. This idea would not fit into the Love Inspired Suspense line.

Then, serendipitously, I was in NYC for the RWA conference in 2015 and my agent mentioned Waterfall Press, a new imprint of Amazon Publishing was actively looking for new authors. Bam! I had to write my new idea and submit it to them. So, I went home and furiously wrote the first three chapters for what I affectionately like to call my Dance Moms meets Blue Bloods book and e-mailed it to my agent. Things moved surprisingly fast from there and by October, I had sold Pointe and Shoot on proposal.

Eek.

That’s when the fear set in. What had I gotten myself into? Over the years, I had honed my skills as a category writer. Although I read single titles voraciously, I had never written one.

Gulp.

So, I prayed and got to work. Along the way, I learned a few things:

(1) Don’t fix what’s not broken.

Pointe and Shoot is my twelfth contracted book. I know how to do this writing gig, right? Just sit down and write like I’ve always done. This book is longer, but I can still use the same methods I’ve always used. Jot down some notes about the characters, the big plot points (that I know) and start to write. Stop about three chapters in, re-read, revise and then keep writing. Stop about half way through. Lather, rinse, repeat. I don’t ever know the full story until I reach the end. Once I’m there, I go back and revise and layer the story to make sure it all makes sense. I’ve learned that no matter how much I want to plot an entire book, I can’t seem to. My best ideas come during the process of writing. So, I sat down and wrote Pointe and Shoot with the same method that I wrote all my previous books.

Helpful hint: I love the book Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing: By Libbie Hawker. I don’t plot all the way through, but her book is great for keeping me on track. (I could probably write an entire post on all the ways this book has helped me, but for now you’ll have to trust me. Pick it up. It’s a quick read and full of useful information.

(2) Try New Things  

Since this book was “bigger,” it gave me the opportunity to try different things. Love Inspired Suspense has certain reader expectations which is a great thing because readers who like these books flock to the line over and over again. However, those reader expectations must be met by the writer.

 In my newly contracted book, I had the chance to try different things. For one, I could play around with viewpoints. I had a lot of fun writing through the eyes of the villain. I may have even written in the point of view of one of the victims.

(3) Explore subplots

In Pointe and Shoot, I was also able to explore subplots more in depth, including one in which the heroine has to care for her ailing mother.

(Media image © Unsplash via Canva.com)

(4) Let go of perfectionism

My job is to write the best possible book that I can write at this moment. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Oh, this was huge for me. I’ve always been a perfectionist. (But far from perfect.) Through the process of writing a different kind of book, I’ve learned that the only way I could finish this book in a timely manner was to get out of my own way. I had to stop listening to the doubts crowding my mind and just write the book.

(5) Editors are there for a reason

We’re not alone. Whether you self publish or are traditionally published, there are editors available to help us along the way. Waterfall Press paired me with a wonderful developmental editor who really “got” my book. Her suggestions for changes were spot on. So, instead of getting writer’s block because you’re worried you’re going to do it wrong, do the best you can at this moment, and then send it off to your editor. The editor’s fresh perspective will let you know if you’re on the right track.

(6) You need to jump

While I was mulling over this post, as I tend to do, I came across a video of Steve Harvey, a comedian, TV host, and actor. In the video he talks about jumping. About taking risks. He says that God has given us each a gift and the only way we’re going to soar is if we have enough faith to jump. Sure, we might get bruised as we fall, there’s certainly a chance for that, but we have to trust God. We have to trust that our parachute will open. On the flip side, you can always play it safe—and be sure to never get hurt—but if you never jump, your parachute will certainly never open.

Media image ©Marketplace Designers via Canva.com

(7) I can handle far more than I thought I could

When I was blessed with the Waterfall contract, I was also in the middle of a three-book contract with Harlequin. Yes, I agree, it was a wonderful problem to have especially after how long it took me to finally get published. However, remember how I mentioned that I’m very methodical? I’m also very linear in my thinking. I like to start something and finish it to completion. However, now with multiple deadlines, I learned that I can write more than one book at a time. Sometimes this meant working on Pointe and Shoot in the morning and Plain Sanctuary in the afternoon. Other times, it meant working on one book for days when approaching a deadline, then switching back to the other book when I was done. My parachute opened! So, don’t define yourself by what you’ve always done. You might surprise yourself. Or maybe you might realize it’s not your thing. But at least you tried and you’re not left standing on the edge wondering, what if I had jumped?

Thank you for inviting me to visit Seekerville again, Missy Tippens. It was very fortuitous that this month was “Face Your Fears.” I’ve faced mine – in writing out of my comfort zone—and I hope you’ll face yours too.  Have you ever tried writing in a different genre or out of your comfort zone? If you’re not a writer, have you ever made the leap to try something new and lived to tell the tale? If so, tell me about it. One random commenter will win a signed print copy of Pointe and Shoot.

Pointe and Shoot:

The dance world can be ruthless – even deadly.

Jayne Murphy has always put family first. That’s why she abandoned her dream of joining the police force to run her ailing mother’s dance studio.

When one of the studio’s most talented instructors dies in a car crash, Jayne isn’t convinced it was just an accident. Relentlessly pursuing her hunch, she teams up with Officer Danny Nolan, the best friend and partner of her brother Patrick, who died in the line of duty. Haunted by Patrick’s death, Danny has begun to question whether he should still be a cop at all.

As Jayne digs deeper, suspects emerge, including the victim’s clingy ex-boyfriend and a jealous foe from the cutthroat dance world. Her evolving insights into the case rekindle Jayne’s passion for police work. Danny, too, feels a renewed sense of purpose…and a definite attraction to his unofficial partner, which seems to be mutual. Now, if Jayne can only keep herself out of harm’s way, she and Danny both might get a second chance—with their careers and each other.

Bio:

Alison Stone left Buffalo, New York and headed a thousand miles south to earn an industrial engineering degree at Georgia Tech in Hotlanta. Go Yellow Jackets! She loved the South, but true love brought her back North.

After the birth of her second child, Alison left Corporate America for full-time motherhood. She credits an advertisement for writing children's books for sparking her interest in writing. She never did complete a children's book, but she did have success writing articles for local publications before finding her true calling, writing romantic suspense.

Alison lives in Western New York with her husband of twenty years and their four children where the summers are absolutely gorgeous and the winters are perfect for curling up with a good book—or writing one.

Besides writing, Alison keeps busy volunteering at her children's schools, driving her girls to dance, and watching her boys race motocross. 

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