Mollie Blake - My route to publication

Welcome to author, Mollie Blake who has popped along today to tell us about her route to publication.

Firstly I would like to thank Elaine and her colleagues at the RNA for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this blog.

From finance director to mostly full time mum to published author of erotic romantic thrillers –

where to begin? I’ll begin with an ending. Ending a career in finance to become a very part-time pension trustee and a nearly full time mum was like a dream come true. But unlike the dream of being a mum, in which I still delight —at least most of the time—the dream of staying at home surrounded by housework and the odd bit of PTA and church volunteering didn’t last.

What to do with the next part of my life became a constant question. With more “me time” than I had ever had, as our child settled into primary school, I started to read fiction as opposed to technical accounting and legal publications.  I read Fifty Shades, and yes, I did enjoy most of the story. I went on to read a lot of other erotic fiction together with Russian classics, comedies and thrillers.

By now I was reluctantly approaching fifty and needed a distraction. Instead of just reading a book I decided to try to write one. Having no idea where to start—I was a numbers girl, remember—I Googled “How to write a book” and came across an American blogger, whose overall message was “Just start.” So I did. Thinking about the books I enjoyed, there was a mix of romance, thriller and sexy scenes. I attempted to combine these and wrote my first romantic erotic thriller. To begin with friends and family were shocked by the explicit sex scenes, and to this day one of my sisters cannot read my books. But then, and I’m not sure if this is a compliment or not, they were surprised by the fact that I could actually write a good story! Their encouragement and my own indulgent pleasure in writing urged me to carry on. Two years and two books later I sent my manuscript for The Secret At Arnford Hall to Black Opal Books, an American small boutique publisher. I can’t tell you the number of butterflies in my stomach when I got an email to say they loved my story and my writing style.

However, the offer of a contract came with a caveat. I had to make two changes. My original version of The Secret At Arnford Hall was apparently too much for the sellers in the States to take on. Although I don’t agree with every change an editor wants to make to my manuscript, I did agree to amend my story. I know I made the right decision and after great editing by Faith at Black Opal Books I have a better story. All five books are now under contract with the publisher and I am working on my sixth. I am delighted to be a full member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the International Thriller Writers’ group. I never forget that my priority, the reason I left work, is my son, with my husband a close second. For that reason I love the flexibility that being an author with Black Opal Books provides.

About Mollie:

Living in the heart of Cheshire, Mollie is a regular mum of one son and wife of one husband. Her stories are filled with provocative romance and laced with suspense. Guilty of a love of reading, swimming, fast cars, Prosecco and chocolate, she warned her husband – she kisses better than she cooks.

Book Blurb:

The Secret At Arnford Hall – A Cheshire Love Story

Gabriel Black didn’t give a damn about the world. Until, that is, his seven-year-old son enters his life for the first time. The young boy brings daylight into the darkness of Gabriel’s world. But a single parent needs a distraction. And this single parent has no limits when it comes to getting what he wants…

Grace McGuire lives with a dark secret—one that, if revealed, will destroy her new life. Then her world collides with that of forceful Gabriel Black, a multi-millionaire with a secret of his own—a secret Grace is determined to uncover, for her sanity and all she holds dear.

Links:

Amazon

Facebook  

Twitter       

Website    

Thank you, Mollie and good luck with your next book.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com