Just so you know, this is not a long story made short. Read only if you feel you must... 

Somewhere around 1999, I got inspired. I wish I could tell you I had a vision or an amazing dream that brought about that inspiration. But if I'm going to be honest with you I must tell you that my inspiration simply came in the form of a deeply profound thought: "Heck! I want to write a book!"  

So I sat down at the old desktop in the basement and pounded away at the keyboard until I had a chapter finished. It was called "Indoor Recess" (the chapter is now called "Blind Eyes") and it was bad! Really bad! Of course, at the time I thought it was pretty good. 

I'd never considered publication, so I just took my time with the story. It took me about six years to finish the first draft all of which, besides that first chapter, was written in my closet. I kid you not. And, thinking back, it was a good thing at the time that I wasn't just a literal closet writer, but a figurative one as well - I'd have gotten nothing but rejection notices if I'd gone public and tried submitting my early stuff! And trust me, I got enough rejections after I'd polished the manuscript to what I had thought was a high-gloss shine! (Actually, I'll let you in on a little secret: when I finally did write query letters to publishers, I hadn't even thought up the ending yet! It was a good thing they only wanted to see the first three chapters.) 

It wasn't until a friend of mine started badgering me about finishing up the book and trying to submit it to publishers that I even considered taking it out of the closet. But, being the serious procrastinator I am, I just said, "Yeah, yeah. I'll get it done." Six years later...  

The badgering persisted. So, I finally got the manuscript done (except the last chapter) and then spent about six months researching my face off about how to get a publisher to even glance at a manuscript written by a no-name. I vowed, right from the beginning, that I would not self-publish, no matter what, so I memorized individual publisher's submission guidelines, the "Do's" and "Don't's" of submitting manuscripts, books on the subject, articles on the web, and anything I could get my hands on to make me feel like I wasn't completely loopy for even trying to attempt such a long-shot! Once my brain was full of all the information I could absorb and I knew I was as ready as I would ever be, I made the leap and sent out packages specific to publisher requirements - even to ones who said they weren't accepting manuscripts from no-names. 

Then, according to my infinity hours of research, I had at least six months to wait before I even heard anything (which would most likely be a rejection notice, they all assured me) from a publisher. Which was great for me, considering I still had an ending to figure out! 

Well, a few weeks later, I got a favourable email from a small publisher in the U.S. stating they wanted to read the whole manuscript! Yikes! I didn't have a whole manuscript! Freak out time! 

And then a few days later I got another email from a publisher in Canada wanting the completed manuscript. And then about a week after that, I got an email from Simply Read Books in Vancouver, also wanting the full meal-deal. I was up the creek! 

Now, before you think all I got was positive feedback, let me assure you there were plenty of rejections tossed in with those heart-stopping emails - on a daily basis! Actually, the rejections kept coming in for months after.  And I've kept each one! I remember actually cherishing my first rejection letter that came from a big N.Y. publisher. "I've made contact!" I exclaimed, hugging the impersonal form letter. My husband and kids thought I'd lost it. (FYI - I'm not crazy. I didn't do that with every rejection letter. The novelty of 'making contact' wore off after that first one!) 

So, considering I needed to send my 'completed' manuscript off to three different publishers, I quickly slapped together a panic-induced ending and shipped them off. (Sorry to break it to you, this way, Dimiter. But I'm sure you knew at the time that the ending sucked.) Pressing the "send" button on my email was the scariest thing I've ever done. My "baby" was now in the hands of complete strangers! Strangers that had the power to make a final judgement and totally and outrightly reject my six years of blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, maybe not the blood part, but the sweat and tears, definitely. 

One of the three publishers did the deed and hung my sweat and tears out to dry. But not too long after, Dimiter Savoff of Simply Read Books called one night. I thought my husband was playing a cruel joke on me when he said, "There's a publisher on the phone for you." "That's not funny," I said as I took the receiver. But within a few minutes I was laughing! I couldn't believe what the guy on the other end of the line had just said to me. All I heard was, "I want to publish your book," and then my mind shut off and I didn't hear anything else - except something about going over details once I had the contract. What? A contract? A real, live contract? And this from a publisher who'd said they weren't accepting submissions from no-names!

Once I hung up the phone and the intitial "celebrations" with my family died down and the days turned into weeks with not another peep from the publisher, I had convinced myself that the man on the phone had either called the wrong person or had changed his mind. I wasn't going to get published afterall. Time to embrace the rejections that were still coming in. 

But a real live contract showed up in the mail a few weeks later. I read it about fifty times (the first twenty-five times because I was still in shock and the last twenty-five times because I was trying to make sense of it) and then I had a lawyer read it over before I signed it and sent it back. And then I cried. My "baby" wasn't mine anymore. For the first time I could see why some people would rather self-publish. And to be honest, the process of self-publishing is probably a heck of a lot easier and faster. 

Now, before you write me off as just being "one of the lucky ones", well, maybe there's some truth in that, but let me assure you, I can't even begin to try counting the hours I've put into this whole process. It has been nothing short of hard, hard work - right from the moment I started researching publishers to the never-ending editorial process. You may have heard it said that writing the book is the easy part. Well, let me tell you that is the absolute truth! There have been so many times over the years when I've totally felt like giving up and trashing the whole crazy idea, just because it's been such hard work. Now I feel I can put the "blood" back into "blood, sweat, and tears"!

But you know what? I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had during the past few years for anything. I've learned great lessons about the importance of researching and doing your homework, practicing your craft, perseverance, determination, and hard work. And the greatest lesson I've learned is how it is possible that a "no-name" like me can earn a chance at publication when the things mentioned above are taken seriously.  

As an added bonus, I've had two of the best editors ever: Colin Thomas and Kallie George. Colin is the most brilliant first editor anyone could have. He helped point out holes and weaknesses in the story all while boosting my confidence in my abilities. He helped propel me forward into the long editing process that was ahead. Kallie is an editing goddess. She is patient, encouraging, insightful, and thorough. She leaves no stone unturned and as made me work harder than I've ever worked before. I can truly say that Smudge's Mark wouldn't be what it is without the guidance and input of these two fabulous individuals. 

So, like I said, this isn't a long story made short. But quite truthfully, I wouldn't want to shorten it anyway.

Claudia