Probably there’s not a writer on earth who won’t relate to Jan’s roller coaster ride of submission and rejection, and hope for the same ultimate acceptance. Of less universality might be Jan’s thoughts on which leg of this ride came making it. Is it in the first full manuscript requested? The offer from a publisher? The sight of your own book cover? Or something else–a moment that gets at the exchange between reader and writer, and the reason we’re all doing this in the first place.

Thanks for asking me to visit you today Jenny! Oh! What a question! There have been many little happy steps during my publishing journey, it is hard to pinpoint that one, special “made it” moment after I had finished writing my novel, Veiled Virtues.

First, there were the queries to agents. I had several happy moments during that stage when four agents asked for the full manuscript. All of my hard work had paid off! People wanted to read the full! But, wait. Three rejections. Waiting for the fourth…. But no! Jeanie wanted to be my agent! Wow! I signed a contract for representation, yay!

Next it was time for Jeanie to work her magic. One rejection. Two rejections. Three, five, ten. Wait! Great news! MuseItUp Publishing wants the full! I was so excited a publisher was truly interested. And the next day I was offered a contract. Break open the champagne! That was in April, 2011. The contract stated a tentative release of February, 2012. What??? So long? Hadn’t it been long enough? Ah, patience is a virtue, so they say.

Each week that went by, I worked on edits with two different editors. So much editing! At long last, I received the final galley. Ahhh, huge sigh. When I got the first cover art mock ups, I felt the release date creeping up ever so closer. Really? Is this for real? And then it happened. I got THE email.

“Congratulations, you’ve been published.” It was for the ebook on Amazon. What??!? Sure enough, there was my book. For sale on Amazon. I raced out to the publisher’s website, and it was for sale there too, cover, excerpt, author bio and all. I emailed all my friends and family.

But guess what? None of those were my “made it” moment. Nope.

About ten days after my book had been released, I visited a post with an interview of me that had been done the week before. There, in the comments was my “made it” moment. Some person I have never met had posted:

“Great interview. Reading it and loving this book so far.”

Wow.

Jan Fischer Wade is an attorney (please don’t hold that against her!) and author from the Lincoln, Nebraska vicinity. Jan also owns KidStock Consignment, a seasonal consignment sale in Beatrice, Nebraska. She and her husband, Scott, have two children and two Irish Setters, so life at home is very rambunctious.

About the Book…
Veiled Virtues is a young adult novel that follows our heroine (and recent high school graduate), Paige, to England where she house sits for the summer. While there, she starts experiencing increasing episodes of déjà vu, hearing voices and gets the feeling she’s being followed. After her journal is stolen, and the house in which she is staying seems haunted, her fear and confusion lead her to find answers in the town’s eclectic new age store, run by Nathaniel Brightmore, a gorgeous young local. Paige is indeed being stalked, and with the help of a group of modern day knights, she embarks on a fight for her life. The novel is a bit of a romantic fantasy and paranormal mystery all rolled into one.