Meet and Greet Sherri Shackelford -- Guest Post!

A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul.

She is represented by Pam Hopkins, of Hopkins Literary Agency.

My first book (and hopefully not my last) releases in June from Harlequin Love Inspired Historical. Winning the Widow's Heart was my fifth completed manuscript. Let me tell you, if I can get published, anybody can! Of the ten writers who will read my book, nine of them will think they could write a better book. The tenth person will think they could write a WAY better book. And they're probably right.

I didn't step into writing with an English degree. I didn't write stories as a child. I was a stay-at-home mother of three when I decided to write a book. I loved to read, and I loved to read romance. That was my only qualification. Well, and I wrote good emails. My friends and family enjoyed my emails and said I should write. But a humorous accounting of my son's mishap with red nail polish isn't easy to parlay into a full length novel.
Then I picked up a book by Pam Crooks at my local paperback swap. Lo and behold, she was from my city, and she even mentioned the writers group she belonged to on the back cover. After weeks of vacillating, I finally screwed up my courage and sent her an email. In August of 2007, my knees shaking, I attended my first Heartland Writers Group meeting. Pages written thus far: 0.

Here's the thing: Writing a book is easy. Writing a good book is hard. My first book was a contemporary, because people told me not to write historicals because they required too much research. My contemporary was a mess. I had so much plot crammed into those 55k words, I could have written a series.
My second book was aimed at the historical market. I loved those sexy Victorian novels. Turns out, I don't write very sexy. My third book was a dark Victorian. I entered a few of these in contests, and received mixed, but not great, feedback. Then I had it!! I started writing a book that just clicked. It was funny, and fast-paced. My critique partner even gave me the name of her agent. I had arrived!!

No one else liked that book. I was crushed. I spent almost an entire year with fits and starts of new manuscripts. Revising old manuscripts. Toying with a sweet Regency. Quitting. Starting over. Then quitting. In December of 2010 Harlequin sponsored a contest called: So You Think You Can Write (SYTYCW). They didn't want anything you'd shopped around already. You had to write something completely new.
I had a scene in my head: I knew it was winter. The heroine was having a baby, and the hero was searching for an outlaw. SYTYCW gave me a pass.  Except the characters wouldn't let go. In January 2011, I sat down and made a list of my strengths and weaknesses. Then I made a list of who was currently expanding their lines, or actively seeking new authors. I kept coming back to Harlequin Love Inspired Historical.
I was writing an inspirational, and I hadn't realized it. I revised the first scene, wrote a synopsis, and got down to work. In February, for my birthday, my critique partners gave me the registration fee for the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and the contest fee for the ACFW sponsored Genesis contest. I semi-finaled, then finaled.

In June, the contest coordinator wrote to say one of the judges, from Harlequin, wanted the full manuscript. Hallelujah! Then the contest coordinator wrote back to say it was a mistake. They wanted a different manuscript. I can't even tell the crushing weight of disappointment. I wanted to give up. I wanted to yell at the person who had made the mistake. Instead, I kept writing.


I'm glad I did. The following morning, a Senior Editor from Harlequin contacted me requesting the full from the Dixie First Chapter Contest. It turns out that editors talk to each other. From what  can tell, the editors had divided up the requests, and that's why one editor withdrew her request. Four weeks later,  exactly four years to the day after I joined HWG, Harlequin offered to buy the book.

I'm happy for every twist and turn in the road. (I've only given you a sampling here. Believe me, there were others!) I learned my process. I learned that  knowing what you don't want is just as valuable as knowing what you do want. I learned that failure can be just as fleeting as success. I'm glad every day that I didn't sell that first book. And not just because my heroine cliff-dived to escape a killer in the last, pivotal moment.
I'm grateful because I appreciate every moment.

Sherri Shackelford
Journeys of faith, love and laughter.
sherrishackelford.com
Winning the Widow's Heart
June 2012, Harlequin Love Inspired Historical