Persistence Pays Off!

Guest Post by Bonnie Schroeder*

“A decade ago, I sent a short story to “The Bark,” which is a super-cool, glossy magazine for “dog people.” They rejected it, but the editor wrote a note on the form letter: “We encourage you to keep writing, as you have an interesting voice.”

Those words sustained me through many dark times when I questioned my goal of getting published. This year, after my short story “Vigilantes” took First Place in the Idaho Writers Guild’s Short Story contest, I decided what the heck, let’s try again.

Less than twenty-four hours later, I got an email from “The Bark,” offering to publish my story–and they even paid me for the rights!  It is a short story about a lonely widow and a dog locked inside a car on a sunny day.

This has been the highlight of a busy year so far. In addition to the Idaho Writers Guild contest, I had a flash fiction piece published in Rose City Sisters

Furthermore, I have finished a solid draft of Turn Back the Clocks, my new novel, for which I’m seeking a new publisher. Alas, Champlain Avenue Books, the fine company that published my first two novels, has ceased operation, so I’m back on the hunt. Never fear, I’m determined that this book WILL be published, one way or another. I think it’s an important story and one that has real relevance for our time. So stay tuned!

That’s what’s going on in my world. Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.

Cheers, and I’ll let you know WHEN Turn Back the Clocks is in print.”

*Bonnie Schroeder is a former member of The Writers In Residence and has posted here many times in the past. (Use the search box in the upper right to find her posts.)  Since her move to the great North West, she has opted out, but follows the blog and says she misses our monthly lunches.  We have promised her a special spot when her next novel is published, with a “tell all” about the extraordinary research that went into it.

November has been a busy month for Bonnie. She has committed to extra duties in her new Toastmasters Club as well as participating in the National Novel Writing Month challenge,  a joint venture with a friend where each does a quarter of the 50,000 words.

Bonnie’s website: Bonnie Schroeder Books

This article was posted for Bonnie Schroeder by Jackie Houchin

Author: Jackie Houchin

First, I am a believer in Jesus Christ, so my views and opinions are filtered through what God's Word says and I believe. I'm a wife, a mom, a grandma and now a great grandma. I write articles and reviews, and I dabble in short fiction. I enjoy living near the ocean, doing gardening (for beauty and food) and traveling - in other countries, if possible. My heart is for Christian missions, and I'm compiling a collections of Missionary Kids' stories to publish. (I also like kittens and cats and reading mysteries.) View all posts by Jackie Houchin