How I Got Here—Short Fiction

When I sold to Echelon Press, they offered a short story program to keep their authors in the reader’s eye between novels. I sold several short stories to them that I’d written early in my writing, while I exercised my plotting and characterization and exorcised ideas that couldn’t sustain full novels. I also wrote a few new short pieces, with forays into fantasy and futuristic romance. When erotic romance started taking off, I tried my hand at that, too. Pirate of the Stars remained on bestseller lists two years after publication.

Short fiction is how I sold to Amber Quill, too, and my oldest daughter gets credit for the story that did it. My friend Megan Hart encouraged me to enter the erotic romance contest, and I had no ideas until my daughter said one day, “I wish money grew on trees.” The story of a colonized planet whose economic system was dependent upon leaves from one particular tree flew from my head to my fingers and became The TreeKeeper. Since then, I’ve published or contracted for eight additional stories with Amber Quill.

I’ve been very happy with my small press experience. Both publishers put out high quality products, and I’ve learned a great deal. But my goals are higher, farther, faster.

Which is WHY I “got here.”

Tomorrow: How I Got Here—Writing Life