In 2012 I wrote a book and sent it to a literary agent with an expectation she would absolutely love it and send it to a big publisher and give me my big break and set me on my path to being a bestselling author. Instead she posted it back to me with a note “this is not strong enough for the current literary market”.
For those who know me, I don’t like to admit defeat, so I found a way and published it myself the following year. What happened next was a big life lesson, one we all learnt as young children reading the book The Little Red Hen.
The Little Red Hen is an American fable first collected by Mary Mapes Dodge in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1874. The story is meant to teach children the importance of hard work and personal initiative.
In other words, work hard, take the initiative and don’t wait for other people to make your dreams come true!
On the eve of me releasing my 7th novel to the world, I find my own variation of the words of The Little Red Hen ringing in my ears:
Who will help me?
Not I.
Not I.
Not I.
Then I will do it, all by myself!
Actually, that’s not quite true. I have had a lot of help from my family, friends, beta readers and the supremely talented creative people who made my words into a book – Jason from Polgarus Studio and my beautiful cover designer, Lara, from Indie Lime.
Rhiannon’s Last Look will go live on Amazon Kindle tomorrow, 2-11-24. If you have pre-ordered, you will open your Kindle and ta-da – it will be there!
You can order signed print books via my online bookstore.
Melissa x
How many times a day does the thought ‘if only’ run through our minds?
Detective Rhiannon McVee is buried in ‘if onlys’ as she sacrifices her relationship with her cowboy Mac to make it her life’s work to solve Australia’s growing number of missing cold cases. When her young prodigy, Constable Zoe Chesney, disappears in the remote outback, Rhiannon is faced with the biggest ‘if only’ of her career.
If only she could untangle the web of lies, deceit and murder her missing people have weaved before it’s too late.
If only. If only.