Unsolicited Advice - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

My husband had the cover of MOUNTAIN FIRE put on my birthday cake to celebrate it's release! (Forgive the poor quality of the photo...)

On November 1, 2012, two days after my 45th birthday, my very first romance novel was published. MOUNTAIN FIRE had been several years in the writing, and I am still extraordinarily proud of it, though I have to say I am a MUCH better writer now, LOL.

The reason I bring this up, though, is the topic for this week’s Blog Hop:

What advice would you give yourself when you first started writing?

I sold MOUNTAIN FIRE to the first small press that I submitted to. I was thrilled, to say the least. And while I didn’t have real hopes of making the bestseller lists, I did think it might be the start of a career that at least paid for itself.

And so I think that would be the advice I’d give myself twelve years ago: Be Patient and Enjoy the Ride.

I’m still waiting for that breakout moment. For that book that resonates with readers and inspires them to tell their friends. For my backlist to take off and start paying for all the sweat and tears that went into it.

But despite the lack of monetary reward, I really am enjoying the ride. I have met amazing authors who I call friends, though some of us have never met in person. I’ve learned a lot about writing and marketing romance and being persistent. And I’ve felt the thrill of getting a scene or sentence or word just right after struggling with doubts and blank pages.

I know other authors who started publishing around the same time I did and who have seen remarkable success. But my path is not their path, and I’ve had my own highlights and rewards. And that’s okay.
​
If you looked back to yourself a dozen years ago, what advice would you offer? I’d love to hear it. Then hop over to Jill Haymaker to see what advice she'd give herself.

---

Read all my books (and 1.5 million  more) for free with a KOBO PLUS subscription!

Get All-You-Can-Read Romance for a monthly fee that’s less than a couple of fancy coffees. Unlimited downloads, all genres, keep them as long as you subscribe. Check it out here!

Available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Europe, and more! Just go to https://www.kobo.com and search for Brenda Margriet!

---

Get the Peakview Series Box Set Books 6-8 Today!

Spend an entire year with your favorite residents of Peakview, Colorado as you enjoy these 3 new romances set in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.