Debut Author ~ Meg Moseley

Meg Moseley’s first published novel is scheduled for release in the summer of 2011 from WaterBrook Press. She and her husband are former homeschool parents who are enjoying their new status as grandparents and almost-empty-nesters. Living north of Atlanta, Meg and her husband often take his motorcycle into the North Georgia mountains. She sits behind him and plots new stories while he does all the work.
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Meg, you’ve just recently received word of your first contract...as in, I could count the minutes. First of all…congratulations!! While your book is not scheduled for release until next year, I wanted to let our readers meet you, hear your thoughts about all you've been through. Can you describe the thoughts/feelings that went through your head when you got the call?
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Thanks for the congrats! I’m delighted to be with WaterBrook. When I first heard that they were going to buy the book, it was a happy but calm moment. I told my husband: “Hey, guess what? WaterBrook wants to buy my book.” No shrieking, just contentment. It felt so right. The right timing. The right publisher. The right editor. I couldn’t be happier.

Wow...that's neat. What a great feeling that must have been, though I'm sure it came after a lot of hard work. Can you tell us the steps you took getting to this first sale?

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For years, I’ve been in writing groups and critique groups where I’ve had wonderful friends and mentors. I received a ton of well-deserved rejections, and I learned to love rewrites. I signed with Chip MacGregor (Elizabeth: Yay, Chip! He's my agent, too.) a little over two years ago, and he patiently helped me find my niche. Still, we got one rejection after another.

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I went through a brief but intense time of discouragement. I told the Lord that I had no perfect offerings. I placed this novel on the altar, not with pride but with sorrow because it was the best I could do and it still wasn’t good enough. But I kept slogging along, looking for ways to make it better. I didn’t know that while I was plodding my way through the discouragement, WaterBrook was preparing to make an offer.
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How long did you write before you sold your first book?

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About thirteen years, if you count all the time I spent on the terrible, awful, no-good novel that I started on a legal pad before I had a computer. That’s the book I call The Plotless Wonder.

Everyone’s journey to publication is different. Now that you’ve walked that road, what tips can you give to authors still hoping for that first contract?

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Pray a lot and take good care of your relationships. I’ve made relationship blunders that I regret. Find a good writing group. If you find someone who’s willing to mentor you, be teachable. Take advantage of books and online resources, too. Conferences are great for fellowship and networking, but I could have learned the basics of the craft for a lot less money just by reading pertinent blogs and books. And read, read, read good fiction. Read in your genre, read outside your genre, but whatever you do, read. Good fiction is a gift from God, a master storyteller Himself.

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Don't worry...Meg will visit The Borrowed Book again when her book is released. In the meantime, enjoy this first glimpse of a budding new author. Visit her on the web at www.megmoseley.wordpress.com.