My Path Less Traveled by Barbara Rae Robinson

I've never done anything the easy way in my life. Why should I now? My writing path has been strewn with rocks at times, but I've persevered and I'm still writing.

I look at my milestones as the decisions I've made and the paths I've taken over the years. The rocks have been the obstacles.

I rejected the career in science my high school counselors had laid out for me. I got married right out of high school. Six years later I started college as a freshman and finished with a master's degree in English while married, raising children, and running a household. I give thanks to my saint of a mother who took care of my kids.

While teaching English, I made a momentous discovery. It came about strangely. I was thumbing through a copy of McCall's magazine and came across a short story by Barbara Robinson. I remember having a sinking feeling. She was writing under my name. How could I use that name? Mind you, I'd never written a word of fiction at that point, but I made the decision that day that when I was published, I'd publish under my full name: Barbara Rae Robinson.

I started writing my first novel the summer before I quit teaching. I sold the fourth book I wrote to Harlequin in 1992. Love Me Not, by Barbara Stewart, was published in March, 1994. Harlequin insisted on pseudonyms back then.

By the time the book was published, I was so sick that I couldn't finish writing another book for over 17 years. A big rock in my path.  

The next three books I wrote were rejected. The last rejection, from a Harlequin editor, called my writing old fashioned. Margie Lawson, at a Rose City Romance Writers workshop, showed me what the problem was, my stilted language. My English teacher voice was not suited to writing romantic suspense.

To fix that problem, I took online classes from Margie Lawson and Rhay Christou. And even traveled to Margie's mountain for an immersion class. I learned a lot. And I'm still learning.

I have since written four more books that are in various stages of editing. I'm writing a romantic suspense series set in Portland, Oregon, featuring a PI agency and the people who work for that agency. My next goal is to indie publish the first three books in the spring. I'll be getting covers made soon and will upload them to my website: www.barbararaerobinson.com.

Blurbs for the three books are already on the website and a cover for the first book that will be replaced.

I'm still discovering my path. And I'm joyfully watching where it will lead me.

BARBARA RAE ROBINSON

Bio

 Barbara Rae Robinson lives in the country southwest of Portland, Oregon, with her high school sweetheart, who is still her husband. She spends her mornings writing and the rest of the day living. The rocks now have morphed into pebbles. And the path still awaits.

Thoughts on Collaborating and Writing

By Judith Ashley

Judith Ashley

When Sarah Raplee and I came up with this topic, we thought it fantastic. As I sit down three hours before this post goes live, my thoughts carom towards “What were we thinking!”

I’m fortunate to be a co-author along with Sarah and Diana McCollum of the anthology, Love & Magick and I’ve submitted a short story for inclusion in another anthology due out in November. So, I do have some perspective on collaborating on an anthology.

Robin Weaver’s post on critique partners deals with another aspect of ‘collaboration’ and I encourage you to read it if you haven’t already. Robin’s sense of humor shines in this piece.

What bubbles up from the “girls in the basement” (a phrase Barbara Rae Robinson uses) is a different form of ‘collaboration’.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “Collaborate” as “to work jointly with others (as in writing a book)” and “to cooperate with an enemy force that is occupying one’s country”. Neither definition fits so I’m adding a variation to the first definition:

My informal network of friends and other writers with whom I’ve shared thoughts and feelings about writing (characters, plots, turning points, etc.), difficulties with formatting and other technical aspects of being self-published, and now that I’m published, the dreaded ‘marketing and promotion’. Because I have this informal network, I’m able to write the book(s).

I am grateful to the collaboration with

Everyone in the #ftb forum who offers support and suggestions and cheers me on.

My co-authors Sarah and Diana with whom I’m now learning LOTS about marketing and promotion after having learned LOTS about self-publishing.

Windtree Press authors, especially Maggie Lynch and Paty Jager for more ideas, support, and mentoring.

Then there are my friends who have listened to me talk about the Sacred Women’s Circle series for over a decade, read some of the chapters and my VBF who listened to me read the entire Book Three chapter-by-chapter as I wrote it.

And now a new circle of collaborators of a different kind who are reading my books and writing reviews.

Each and every person along my path to publishing has made a difference, has contributed something to my process and the final products and in that way they have collaborated in writing, finishing, publishing and marketing my books.

Thank You!

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series by checking out http://judithashleyromance.com
http://windtreepress.com

Check out the month of June at http://freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com to read a series of short stories, three of which are directly related to the characters in The Sacred Women’s Circle series. Enjoy!!!

Copyright © 2014 Judith Ashley