While we hoped to get more guest bloggers online this year, life ran away with our time. We will do much better next year, especially since we have reacquired long-lost time management skills. However, our inability to get our act together does not dwarf our ability to make others suffer. Thus we introduce guest blogger, Jill Monroe, who is celebrating the release of her first published novel.
Jill has been our hard-nosed critique partner for several years now (and they say long distance relationships don’t work). It was just a year ago that we lamented lack of editorial response to her brilliant work with Jill (via phone, email, IM, and smoke signals). A week or two later, we celebrated her first sale. We’ve tagged along as she went through contract negotiations, copyedits, title changes, cover art, blurbs, reviews, Amazon rankings, acquiring an agent, and driving to Texas and back.
Jill is widely known as a mentor to other writers, a tireless volunteer, and morale booster. And while we support this selfless public image, we felt it was time the world knew the real Jill, the Jill we know (frankly, her mother would be appalled). Since her book will reveal the shocking truth about the mind of Jill Monroe, she’s agreed the game is up. It’s time to share everything and more. We lured her into this gig by telling her she could talk about her journey from “I want to write a book” to “I’m holding it in my hands”, but don’t let that stop you from asking her tough questions about her work or anything else that comes to mind — we never have.
