How I Started Writing . . . by Kate James

I always wanted to write. While I was attending university, I started two manuscript. But after graduation, my career took off and those partially finished manuscripts were relegated to a storage box in my basement. Fast forward a number of years. My husband and I were on vacation in the Caribbean. My husband likes to sleep in a bit when he's not working, but I’m always up early so I use the time to catch up on business-related e-mails, read or find other ways to occupy myself. I was sitting outside by our pool one morning, sipping my coffee, when I happened on a notice for a short story writing competition. I wrote the story, entered it in the contest and placed 52 in my category. Now that might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but the contest received over 12,500 entries! Still, I put it aside. (Ultimately the short story became my first Heartwarming book, A Child’s Christmas.)

A few months later, it’s my birthday and I am opening the gifts from my husband. I am a very hard person to buy gifts for because there’s not much I can think of that I want or need, and I virtually never give hints. Yet, my husband almost always finds the perfect gifts for me. On this particular occasion, one brightly wrapped package contained a beautiful white laptop. I smiled graciously at my husband and thanked him profusely, all the while thinking what the heck do I need another laptop for, when I have a perfectly good one from work that’s with me nearly 24/7?

But my husband knew better than I did. As I spent so much time on my work laptop, the last thing I was inclined to do was use it more during my free time to write a book. The fact that my personal laptop was white instead of the normal business black, made a world of difference, too. It didn’t look or feel like my work computer, and it created an entirely different mindset.

In six months, working very early in the mornings before work and late at night after our evenings ended, I wrote my first book, Silver Linings. Six months later, I had a contract and another six months after that, my debut novel was in print and in book stores! Silver Linings did well considering the publisher was a small press. It received first place honors in two out of two reader’s choice contests as well as some other recognitions. The fall of that year, I took the most significant step in terms of career change. I left my “day job.” I am still involved in business but not on a full time basis, enabling me to put considerably more time and energy into my writing and associated promotional efforts. It also gave me the opportunity to seek a relationship with a larger publisher, and I am thrilled to be now writing for Harlequin.

I suppose the moral of the story is that my husband knew best, and I owe him a big thank you! That white laptop was the start of a very enjoyable journey for me.

The Truth About Hope has just been released and is available in print and e-book formats.

Buy Link

Next up will be the first book in my K-9 trilogy, When the Right One Comes Along. It's scheduled for release in October, with the second book following in January 2016. I am grateful to the York Regional Police and PC Jim Hilton and his explosives detection canine partner, Max, for their invaluable assistance with my research.

As always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below, or contact me through my website, on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy reading!

Kate