Time to celebrate, Cigars members! My sister NEC member has sold to Blaze, so help yourself to a piece of cake while you read her story about getting The Call and join us in celebrating her accomplishment! We couldn't be happier for her! -Sam

Karen's Call Story....

First of all, a huge thank you to Sam and the lovely ladies at Cigars for letting me share my exciting news here! I just sold my first Blaze novel to Brenda Chin! The book is called Flyboy, and the hero is a sexy Navy test pilot.

In 2005, I was a contest diva, entering as many RWA contests as I could in an effort to get my name out there, and get my work in front of editors and agents. I entered two contests where Brenda was the final judge, and in both instances, she chose my entries as the winners. When I got my score sheet back for the first entry, I was thrilled to find a handwritten note from her telling me how much she liked my voice, my writing style, and my characters. She said when the book was published, she would be the first in line to buy it.

Unfortunately, the book wasn't right for the Blaze line.

I recalled the proverb, "If the mountain won't go to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain," and decided right then and there I would write a book for Brenda. Over the next couple of months, I wrote the synopsis for FLYBOY (originally called FALLEN) and did huge amounts of research about Navy pilots, including an interview with two super-cute, super-sexy Super Hornet fighter pilots, and was treated to a personal tour of their fighter jet. They even let me watch as they suited up in their G-suits and survival vests, and gave me a fly-by salute when they finally rocketed into the skies.

At the National Conference in Atlanta, Harlequin hosted a birthday party for the Blaze line, and sponsored a contest for the "next great Blaze novel." I grabbed one of the forms and sat outside in the corridor, scribbled down my idea, and threw it into the box. Three days after the conference, I had a call from Harlequin. They wanted to see the full manuscript. Can you say PANIC? I hadn't even started to write the story yet.

Ten weeks later, I finished the manuscript. I'd read somewhere that when you put the words "The End" on a manuscript, you should immediately put said manuscript in a dark place for 2-3 weeks, then take it out, reread it, and revise, revise, revise. Within an hour of finishing the manuscript, I threw it into a Fed Ex mailer and sent it off to Brenda. That was in October.

Fast forward three months to January 2007. I was cooking dinner and wondering if the computer repair guy had called regarding my broken laptop. As I was listening to the messages, there was one from Brenda Chin. She said, "I just finished reading FALLEN, and it's really, really good. I'd like to talk to you about some revisions, but shouldn't be too difficult. I can see it pretty clearly."

I was shaking and making little squealing noises and my husband and two daughters came closer, wondering if I was okay. I couldn't even listen to Brenda's entire message; I began to cry and hung up the phone. My husband replayed the message. He knows exactly who Brenda Chin is, and immediately understood the hugeness of the event. So after we all screamed and jumped around for a few minutes, I sent an email to Samantha Hunter, asking for advice. She was amazing and immediately made me feel calmer and more confident.

The following morning I was at work, composing an email for Brenda when my cell phone began to ring, and it was her! Brenda is so incredibly nice. Talking to her is like talking to a good friend. She's warm and down to earth, and immediately puts you at ease. So while we talked about the revisions, she never actually said, "I want to buy this book." I understood any deal was contingent upon the revisions being approved. It took me about four weeks, but I eventually got them done.

On Sunday, I emailed the revised manuscript to Brenda, and then waited. I can't remember the last time I felt so unsettled. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. On Tuesday morning, she sent me a cryptic email; we needed to talk about the manuscript. She said she would call me that night or the following day. Lurid visions of being cruelly rejected haunted me. I was a mess.

I was driving home from the city yesterday afternoon when my cell phone rang. It was Brenda. She said she loved the revisions! She wanted to buy the book! I promptly blew through a red light and nearly got side-swiped by one of our infamous Boston drivers before I gathered my wits enough to pull off to the side of the road. I think I mostly just laughed hysterically and kept saying, "Thank you, thank you!" She was complimentary and enthusiastic, and said she really loved my hero. I'm biased, but I have to agree. He's pretty hot. I drove the rest of the way home in a happy daze.

It was absolutely one of the best moments of my life.