At this time three years ago I finished my first novel and was preparing to query agents, a quest that began in earnest in January 2007. It was a true rollercoaster ride, marked by the highs of requests and the lows of many, many rejections. I found my first agent three months later in April 2007. She was (and is) passionate, dedicated and hard-working. However, that book (commercial women’s fiction) was rejected by more than 19 editors.

The summer of 2007 I wrote my second novel. It went on submission in the late fall. We had a few big nibbles, but again, no sale.

I finished my third novel in spring 2008, but put it aside to try my hand at a non-fiction proposal, this time working with a different agent. That project went to editors in the summer of 2008 and generated much interest, but in the end no offer.

In the fall of 2008, I started querying anew for my third novel — also women’s fiction — and found my current agent in just two weeks. We spent the next month polishing the manuscript, but then decided not to submit that year because the economy went into a tailspin. Meanwhile, I was writing and revising The Mockingbirds. I showed that to my agent in winter 2009. She called me up after reading and said, “This is the book we’re going to sell.”

Then I revised it for her and she took it out to editors. She was right — that is the book we sold.

So for all the writers out there writing or querying or waiting to hear from editors, keep the faith! And keep writing. You might not hit with your first book, or your first agent. But if you believe in yourself and your stories, keep putting your butt in the seat every day and write, write, write.