Dedicating a story...

I thought long and hard about the dedication for my first inspirational romance, Dreams Do Come True, which was released yesterday by White Rose Publishing. After thinking about dedicating it to everyone who's ever read any of my writing, I decided to go for a dedication that also fit the story. What did I finally choose?

To all writers struggling with rejection: Never give up hope.

I've spent years receiving one rejection after another. Dreams Do Come True was rejected twice before White Rose Publishing offered me a contract. Even though there were times I thought I'd never receive a contract from a publisher, I couldn't give up my dream. That perseverance (some might call it stubbornness) is what made me keep submitting even when it seemed pointless. I'd gotten to the point where I expected a rejection from every submission I made, but I also made sure each of those submissions was as perfect as I could make it.

All the hard work of learning the craft of writing and rewriting nearly everything finally paid off. Last year, two of my short stories were accepted for publication by non-paying markets. I know that doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, but those were my first pieces of fiction published, and one of the markets had rejected my work in the past.

With the confidence those acceptances gave me, I pulled out Dreams Do Come True (which had previously been rejected) and did a little rewriting and polishing and submitted it to White Rose Publishing (which was still the White Rose line of The Wild Rose Press at that point). I had a good feeling about it, sure this would be the publisher for my story. Then I received the email from the editor telling me it was good as far as it went, but I needed to make it longer.

Big sigh. I had absolutely no idea how to make it longer. I'd written the story until the ideas stopped coming. So, I spent a few days praying, thinking, and discussing it with my critique partners. To my surprise (and relief), the ideas started flowing. I added a few thousand words, wrote a much more satisfying ending, and sent the new and improved manuscript to the editor. Her response? She gave me a contract!

With a writing history like that, and since the heroine of Dreams Do Come True is a writer struggling to find a publisher, I had to dedicate it to all the writers going through their own struggles on the road to publication.

All I can say is this: If I can do it, so can you. All it takes is willingness to work hard, learn everything you can about writing and storytelling, and accept constructive criticism. I have yet to hear of anyone who writes a perfect first draft. Even the most well-written manuscript will come back from an editor with a few markings.


Blurb:
Aspiring author Cassie Teague has been rejected…again. As she considers giving up her dream of getting published, a handsome editor walks into her life and makes her wonder if God has more in store for her than just writing.

Acquisitions editor David Jameson wants more than just Cassie’s book. But will office politics destroy his hope for the future?

Dreams Do Come True by E.A. West is available now from White Rose Publishing.

Meet E.A. West

Hi, everyone! I’m E.A. West, a new author at The Wild Rose Press. I’m so excited and honored to be a part of White Roses in Bloom. In a future post, I’ll tell you all about my White Rosette, Dreams Do Come True, that’s coming in July. Today, however, I’ll tell you a little about my journey to becoming an author.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of countless authors who have been writing since they could hold a crayon. I’m not one of those authors. My story is a little weirder. I’ve always been a voracious reader, consuming books, magazines, and box labels when nothing else was handy. I learned to read at the ripe old age of three, and I still can’t get enough of the written word.

Storytelling is another love of mine that goes back to my childhood. I spent hours creating imaginary worlds and scenarios. Unfortunately, my friends couldn’t enjoy the stories because I couldn’t explain my imaginings well enough; I have learning disabilities in languages. I know you’re all thinking I could have written the stories down and worked to make them understandable, but there’s one problem: I hated writing. I did everything I could to avoid it most of the way through school.

Then my freshman year of high school, I took a writing class. I needed the English credit, and my parents insisted I needed to learn to write properly. I didn’t mind too much, since I had several friends in the class as well. As the class went on, I made a shocking discovery. I liked writing. It enabled me to communicate what I was thinking in a clear manner. My favorite assignments involved writing character sketches and other fiction writing.

That’s when I learned my love of books and storytelling extended into writing stories as well. During the course of high school English, I wrote my first novel. I learned a lot more about writing after I graduated, and I’m still learning new things today.

One thing that makes me like so many other authors is my current love of writing and the fact that I can’t not write. Writing is a major part of my life, and I’d go nuts if I didn’t write. My imagination still works overtime, just as it did when I was a kid, but now I have a medium that allows me to share what I’m thinking with others.

Have a blessed week!

E. A. West
Where Love and Faith Meet