During National Novel Writing Month a couple of years ago, I wrote a novel about a family affected by domestic violence. It was pretty good, but I lost it in the big computer crash of 2010. It was upsetting, but I figured there was a reason for it.
Night after night, when I went to bed, the story of Piper Phillips continued to play over and over in my mind. Finally, one night, I got up at midnight, pulled out my laptop, sat in my old comfy rocking chair for three hours, typed furiously, and Around the Next Corner was reborn.
I finished it, edited, sent it to three friends for review, and changed some things based on their suggestions.
Then, I submitted it to a publisher. They immediately offered me a publishing contract, but I had to pay a fee, which I couldn't pay.
So, I sat on it for a few months, mulled it over, and submitted queries to a few agents.
Rejection after rejection came, which I hear is "normal."
So, what do you do with a story you really want to tell? I can tell you what I did. I published it on Amazon Kindle. You see, this book doesn't revolve around me at all, but it tells a story about a girl who gets involved with an abusive man and what happens because of it. It also revolves around the love and support of family.
I hoped by writing this book it would help someone in an abusive relationship and know that she can have a good life.
