Follow The Yellow Brick Road: The Day I Got “The Call” by Kimberly Kincaid
photo credit: Robin Gansle
Anyone who knows me can tell you I am all about the shoes. So when I started out on the journey toward publication a little over four years ago, it was a bit like slipping on those ruby slippers and taking the very first step on the yellow brick road. Only (and anyone who’s been on this road can tell you!) the shoes weren’t always so sparkly, and the road didn’t always glow with promise. And those inevitable rejections? Flying monkeys if I ever saw any! In fact, I was up to my eye teeth in them when I packed my bags for the Romance Writers of America’s annual conference last year. Maybe it just wasn’t going to happen, I thought. Maybe I’ve had enough.
And then my phone rang.
Now this was twelve hours before I got on my flight to go to LA, and I was scheduled to pitch to two different editors. I figured my agent was calling to wish me good luck, or maybe offer some last-minute advice. I felt eerily calm as I picked up the phone. After all, editors never make an offer right before a huge national conference, right? But then my agent uttered the phrase I’d been waiting (and dreaming and hoping and pleading and dreaming some more) to hear for three long years: “We have a three-book deal on the table.”
I know for a fact that I screamed. I’m pretty sure I said “Oh my God!” about a thousand times. I know I asked “Are you sure?!” (because my agent laughed and said, “Yes. I’m sure.”) So after we worked out the logistics (during which I kept asking, “Are you sure?!”), I had a brief chat with my editor where everything was finalized, and I hung up the phone a published author.
Then the real fun began.
The first people I told were my three daughters, ages 10, 7 and 5 at the time, and they promptly flung themselves at my various limbs for the biggest, best pile-on group hug ever. Then I called my husband, who actually thought I was messing with him (and as soon as he realized I wasn’t, he left work to come home early, bless his hero heart!) I told my critique partners, who squealed as loudly as I did. And then I got on that plane to LA.
There is something truly magical about being able to tell your chaptermates, your friends, and your mentors that you’ve achieved your dreams face-to-face. As writers, so much of our communicating is done online, since we’re literally all over the globe. But being able to have an impromptu champagne toast with friends (cough *in Vicky’s hotel room* cough) and meet my editor in person a mere day after selling made it priceless. My yellow brick road to publication took three years, four manuscripts (six if you count the two under my bed that will never see the light of day!) seven online writing courses, countless agent queries, and even more countless submissions…but it only takes one yes to reach the Emerald City.
And lest you think the journey ends with that yes, let me be the first to say that landing that publishing deal is really only the next road what I hope will be a lifelong journey for me. It’s a good thing, too. Because honestly—I love the ruby slippers!
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Love on the Line
e-novella
Curtis Brown Digital
February 24, 2013
Violet Morgan puts the personal in personal chef, catering to clients who want the full cooking experience rather than a culinary drop-and-dash. But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.
For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.
Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?
Kimberly is giving away an e-book copy of LOVE ON THE LINE to one random commenter. Share your favorite foods, foodie romances or ask Kimberly a question.
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Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance novels that split the difference between sexy and sweet, taking the traditional idea of boy-meets-girl and infusing it with a sassy magic all her own. She believes in fiery yet flawed characters destined for a crash-course in falling in love– usually the hard way– and injects her trademark humor as well as poignant touches into her writing to create her stories.
Kimberly’s writing journey has led down some bumpy roads (that first manuscript is under the bed, where it is very likely to stay), but there has been some fresh pavement too (her second manuscript earned her very first contest final, and landed the fantastic Maureen Walters at the Curtis Brown Literary Agency). One thing is certain — the wild ride of being a writer is a lot richer in both its ups and downs because of friends and readers along the path.
When Kimberly’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to eclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. She resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters.
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