The Long, Hard Road to the First Sale

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By Trish Milburn

It’s been a little more than 13 months since I got the call that I’d sold my first book. That book, Heartbreak River, will come out next April under my Tricia Mills pseudonym. But my first book to be published, A Firefighter in the Family from Harlequin American, written under my real name, hit shelves this week! There’s nothing like seeing your book on bookstore shelves for the first time. All the hopes, dreams, tears, frustrations, rejections packaged together in one 209-page book.

There were definitely times when I’d begun to doubt I’d ever see this day. Back in the early years of writing and submitting, the rejections made me sad and wonder if I had any talent. But what I didn’t know then was that I still had a lot to learn about crafting novels and about the publishing business. Eventually, I began to final in RWA chapter-sponsored contests, even won some. But I couldn’t crack the ultimate unpublished contest – the Golden Heart. Not for eight years worth of entries. But then came 2003 and a call that changed me forever. Someone on the RWA board of directors (I’m sorry I can’t remember who) called to tell me that I’d finaled in the Golden Heart for the first time. And not only did I final, I double finaled. I remember sitting down on the edge of the bed, shaking, nearly crying. And then I went squealing and dancing through the house.

It’s easy to think that a Golden Heart final means The Call is right around the corner. For some, that proves to be true. But not me. I did continue to final in the Golden Heart for the following four years as well. I even won twice – for Romantic Suspense in 2004 and Young Adult in 2007. Neither of those books have sold. In fact, I believe I hold the record of most GH finals with eight. That still seems totally unbelievable to me. I’ve loved finaling in the Golden Heart each time because it’s an honor, an accomplishment, and I’ve gained some of my very best friends as a result of finaling in the contest. But if I’m being honest, there was another side to finaling. I began to wonder if that was my plateau, if the Golden Heart was going to be the pinnacle of my “career” and that I didn’t have that little extra something that would bring about a sale. That was a hard thing to consider.

But it wasn’t. And when I saw my book on a store shelf for the first time last Thursday, I wasn’t running a fever. But it was a dream – a dream come true.

For more information about Trish and her work, visit www.trishmilburn.com.

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