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Jacqueline C. Thomas - Romance Novelist

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Archives for January 2021

Something Really Special

January 14, 2021 by jackiecthomas 1 Comment

Where greasy burgers are eaten, and broken hearts mend.

This time last year I was finishing up writing a new romance novel. With the wave of the #MeToo movement I really began to think about the knight on the white horse trope. In fact, I even wrote an earlier blog post about it, asking who sits on the white horse and preforms the rescue in the era of #MeToo. I consider myself a feminist . “In real life” I am not one for a man to swoop in and rescue me. However, I am a pushover for the concept in a romance novel. Irony, I know. So I began to think what a book would look like where rather than one person rescuing another, what if the love interests rescued each other?

So I began to write a novel unlike any other I’d ever written before. This novel featured two people deep in their own struggles. It was a challenge to write because how was I supposed to make two people so damaged, yet ready to fall in love? This book stretched me as a writer. I was instantly invested in this book as I began to write, due to the characters, they’re raw, hurting, and honest.

I put the book away for almost a year before I read through it for the first time, and I have to say, the ending of this book knocks me off of my feet every time. I ADORE the ending to this book. Authors are constantly told to write the book they’d want to read. Man, this book is one I wouldn’t be able to put down, and I haven’t been able to put it down the few times I’ve read through it.

With the mediocre sales of Quarantine Stories, I decided to put out a full novel to self-publish on Amazon. I knew that a short story collection would always be a hard sell. I don’t read short story anthologies, I prefer a full novel. So with that goal in mind, I did my last copy edit and developmental edit to get it ready. It was SO MUCH WORK this time around. Normally I love editing but with this book, it was a heavy lift. I don’t know if it took more time because I really felt that I owed to the characters to get it right, or the fact that I copy edited and developmentally edited at the same time, but it was a lot of work.

Last night I finished this mammoth rewrite/ edit and I walked away from my computer completely in awe of the story. I love that these two “broken” characters find hope in each other! It’s gorgeous, guys.

So here’s the special part. Today I had to leave the house to run a few errands. This is a big deal because no one on my house goes out these days with Covid being so bad in our area. I ran my errands and picked up lunch to go. As I walked back to my car with my lunch in my hand, I thought I’d take it up to the lake front (Lake Michigan) to eat it in my car. My normal parking spot wasn’t going to work today so I set off West down the coast. As I drove, I remembered there are two significant scenes that take place where I was driving to. I had not planned it at all! As I drove I smiled thinking of the two characters in my footsteps, or me in theirs. I pulled up to the lake front and ate my lunch where they ate theirs. And so here is the really crazy part, as I was sitting there eating my lunch the song If I Say by Mumford and Sons came on the radio. I listened to this album as I originally wrote the book. That song is my characters song! I didn’t take it as a sign or weird woo-woo. I simply enjoyed the moment, and to be able to do that these days is something really special.

In closing, I am happy where I am in my writing journey, and excited for the future. The plan is to most likely self-publish this still unnamed manuscript. That being said, I also have a full manuscript out to an agent so that may throw everything happily up into the air. I will keep you all posted and hopefully come up with a title for this special book soon.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Full Manuscript Request!

January 7, 2021 by jackiecthomas 2 Comments

A early “finished” draft of Sailing in Silicon Valley.

A lot happened yesterday for me as an American. I like many of my fellow Americans sat glued to our television not believing the images being broadcast of the insurrection and seige at the Capital. However, this post isn’t about yesterday’s events in Washington D.C. Something else happened yesterday for me personally– something big. I got an email from a literary agent requesting the full manuscript of Sailing in Silicon Valley. Amidst the chaos going on, I opened my email as my phone buzzed to notify me of the email. My husband was sitting on the couch, and watched in confusion as I shot up from my chair and began to scream hysterically.

The pure joy against the carnage that was happening on the television was indescribable. I grabbed my laptop and went over the manuscript one last time, double checking, and triple checking for errors that I had possibly missed. With a deep breath and a trembling hand I sent my full manuscript off to the agent. Along with the manuscript I sent my deepest hopes and wildest dreams of it being a success. It was the oddest sensation, to finally have something I’ve so desired, yearned for, worked for, cired over, and beat my head against my desk for to finally happen.

This morning I woke, feeling an emotional hangover from the events of the day before. Then I remembered, an agent asked for my full manuscript. The heaviness of the emotions from the day before seemed to lift. I know what happened yesterday in D.C. is incredibly serious, and lives were lost, but if this past year has really taught me anything it is to celebrate the joys in life. I also know that there is a 50/50 chance that the agent won’t like the full manuscript and I am doing my best to temper my enthusiasm. But for today, I am allowing myself to be really excited and enjoy the moment.

I remember last year about writing about how your query letter only has to work once. I compared the perfect query letter to mixing a great cocktail. Each component to the letter needing to be mixed just right. I guess I may have got the cocktail right. Even more important I am glad that the manuscript piqued interest. So for the first time ever I feel like I have moved to another step in the process of making a dream in my life come true. Even if the manuscript is passed on, I at least have got the chance to know what a full manuscript request feels like. I will tell you it feels incredible, amazing, and it is pure JOY.

Filed Under: Querying, Romance, Sailing in Silicon Valley Tagged With: Querying, Sailing in Silicon Valley

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