The start of another month means one thing: Fiona Cassidy’s next installment about what it takes to become a published author. If you’ve missed Fiona’s previous entries you can read them here: Where It All Began and What’s The Story? and Agent Provocauthor and You’ve Got Mail and The Write Factor. We now present to you the sixth article of twelve… enjoy! We’ve also moved the series to Tuesday mornings due to Saturday’s being American Saturdays. We’re hoping the new day will get us a bigger response because this is a fab series. Our thanks, as ever, go to Fionnuala for writing this series for us!

It was the summer of 2007 when I decided to totally change my writing style and pen a brand new novel! We were on holiday in rainy, windy Donegal at the time and the children were all driving me nuts as they moaned, fought and slowly sent me drifting closer to a home for the bewildered as I wondered how the hell I was going to keep them entertained and myself sane (not necessarily in that order!) I made a flippant comment to my beloved that I should write a book about it because you couldn’t make it up and he matter of factly answered and told me that that was exactly what I should do. He also handed me a twenty euro note and told me to go and get my hair done and chill out. I obliged (naturally) and can say that as I sat in the hairdressers that day and let the young girl at the sink massage my scalp and ease my tension that at that moment Anyone for Seconds? was born! It didn’t get its title until much later but it was where the bones of the story formed in my head!

I’ve already talked about how frustrating it can be to get so close to something only to be let down at the last minute and it had been happening quite a lot so after I had picked myself up and dusted myself off I adopted a new approach. I took a deep breath and put the book, I had been writing, in a cupboard in my kitchen where it would remain untouched for a long time, turned on my laptop and put the idea that had flourished over a sink on a dismal wet summer’s day into practice. I had received quite a bit of feedback as a result of my fervent ache for an agent and publisher and every single review of my work that had been written had said the same thing…I was funny…I had excellent comedy timing…and my writing was warm and witty so I thought I’d exploit the fact and write a romantic comedy. My writing before this had had funny moments and a series of one-liners but was probably a lot more serious and written in a more literary vein. I had always enjoyed reading funny books that made me laugh out loud but supposed I had never explored the idea that I would have the skills to write one myself!

The book which was originally entitled ‘Some Mother’s Don’t Ave ‘Em’ (I must have been drunk when I came up with that one!) was written in around nine months but left sitting for a while as I struggled to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for another series of crushing rejections. I finally decided to submit it in October 2008 and on doing so only sent it to one publisher, Poolbeg Press, in Dublin. At that stage I was tired looking for an agent as it seemed like an insurmountable task. I had been told that getting an agent was actually more difficult than securing a publishing deal and was readily agreeing with the person who had made the statement. I decided to cut out the middle man and as Poolbeg are one of the few publishers who still accept unsolicited manuscripts the first six chapters of my creation joined the ‘slush pile’. I literally sent my manuscript out on a wing and a prayer and tried to forget about it as I knew only too well what the cycle of manically checking emails and post could do to one’s nerves! The logo stamped letter from Poolbeg arrived on 28th December 2008 and as I ripped open the seal I was already steeling myself for the generic letter telling me that they weren’t accepting submissions and wishing me all the best with my future endeavours! It was with great delight, however, that I discovered that this was not the case and that they were actually requesting the full manuscript. I remember whooping with delight and thinking that the news couldn’t have come at a better time! I was pregnant and having terrible sickness and other related problems and it cheered me up when I was at a very low ebb. I spent the next few weeks meticulously tidying up my manuscript and editing myself into a frenzy whilst still battling with a horrendous pregnancy. I’ve heard people say that women can be very creative when they are ‘with child’ which seemed to be true in my case as I ended up re-writing the last 30,000 words in that time and being much happier with it! I pressed the send button near the end of January and got an email back to say that Paula Campbell had received it and would get back to me as soon as she had read it.

I probably wouldn’t have had any fingernails left if events in my personal life hadn’t taken an unfortunate and very traumatic turn at that stage. My pregnancy had been very difficult and different to my others and as a mother I had my own suspicions that all wasn’t well. I had had a scan at seven weeks that had brought us the uplifting sight of a tiny heartbeat but when I requested another scan at twelve weeks the worst was to be confirmed. The baby that my partner and I had wanted so much, to be company for our other daughter together, had died in the womb. I was devastated and went into mourning and couldn’t have cared less about anything. The next few months were a blur where I mechanically continued to care for the other children and tended to the house whilst feeling empty and dead inside. Gradually, though, with support from family and friends and a wonderful partner I got through it and by the start of April was starting to feel semi-normal again. I had made some decisions and decided to apply for a new job and on the 9th April went for a job interview at the same college complex where my partner worked. I had received some upsetting news on my way to the interview and by the time I arrived the mascara which had been so carefully applied that morning was positioned around my chin and I was in a ferocious temper and feeling very confused. My partner, Philip, pulled me together, tidied me up and waited outside the interview room for me and it was with great delight that I accepted the job offer that was to be forthcoming later that day! We went out to celebrate and on coming home I absentmindedly checked my emails in a friends house. And there it was…my magic email…which has been saved, printed out and practically framed! My email from Paula Campbell offering me a three book publishing deal with Anyone for Seconds? to be released in November of the same year with two more books to follow! I couldn’t believe it and even yet sometimes still have to pinch myself! Everyone has their dreams and ambitions but they don’t often come true in numbers and in such spectacular fashion! I have a vague recollection of sitting late that night on my living room floor with my partner swigging champagne from the bottle (the glass no longer a necessity) whilst talking animatedly on the phone to all my friends still not quite daring to say the words out loud in case it was all a dream! My hard work had paid off! The journey had been long and fraught with difficulties and obstacles but at last I had arrived! This was my moment and I was going to embrace it with both hands!

Next stop…find an agent, negotiate the contract, sign on the dotted line and let the fun begin!!

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