About Time's Captive

As with every aspect of my life, Time's Captive came to be under less than normal circumstances.

I began writing seriously (in pursuit of publication, not just for my own pleasure) in 1991. Long before I reached that point, we found ourselves surviving one of the hottest summers I'd ever imagined in Austin, Texas. Luckily, Austin sits on a huge aquifer that is located smack-dab in the middle of town called Barton Springs. Whoever engineered the site was a genius. One side is all civilized with a playground, gift shop, bathhouse, even a children's train. The other side has been left untouched - raw and real. One weekend, I lounged on the grass, watching my children play in the pool, and the dream that became Time's Captive was born.

"How would it be," I wondered, "to cross the Springs, climb up that bank and step into the meadow on the other side and cross back into time? What would I find there?" The seed was planted, but I had no idea what to do with it. Yet. Its season hadn't come.

Three years and a move to Detroit later, with the germ of Time's Captive keeping me awake at night, I met Emma Merritt at the Greater Detroit RWA chapter conference. Someone had the foresight to ask her how she came up with ideas for new novels. She chuckled, and then she was off, tossing them out right and left. "They're all around you," she said, "you don't have to strain yourself. But choose something new and different. Don't write to be commercially viable. Write about things you've never seen in print before." Then, out of the blue, she made a comment that stuck with me. "Did you know that the Comanche only held one Sun Dance? Ever. Now why is that, I wonder?" I didn't hear another word. By this time, I'd done enough research to know that I wanted to write about the Comanche, specifically dealing with the point at which they metamorphosed from "Lords of the Plains" to "Wards of the State," but was the Sun Dance a part of that change?

I'll never forget the day I stumbled upon the historical detail upon which I could pin my story and learned that the solitary Sun Dance was at the very heart of the matter. Goosebumps, chills and thrills raced through me. I wanted to run through the office building shouting, "I found it! It was there all the time!" Of course, I'm much more restrained than that. I waited until I got home. My kids' response? "Great, Mom. What's for dinner?"

A week later, I presented a rough story outline to my critique partners, Lucy and Marsha, and was met with stunned silence.

"What about this other book you've been working on for three years?" Marsha asked.

"It'll have to wait. This one's more important," I told her. "It won't let me sleep at night." I'd already started writing it; I couldn't stop.

As we parted company that night, Lucy stopped me. "This is a huge project you're taking on."

For a moment, I let myself look down the years, which yawned ahead of me like a long, poorly lit tunnel, and the work, tears and frustration stretching ahead of me was almost overwhelming. Lucy smiled and said, "Break it into smaller parts that you can deal with individually."

"Yes," I said. "I'll have the Prologue for you to read next month."

Don't let me kid you. It has not been smooth sailing. Upon reading my Prologue at our next meeting, Lucy announced that my warrior was a wimp, ripped my pages in half and told me to start over. I did, and was so surprised by the result, that I entered it in the Wisconsin RWA's FabFive contest (before Lucy even got to read it!). Two months later, I arrived at critique meeting to find Lucy on the phone with my husband. I'd had a phone call. I needed to return it now. I did and found out that my prologue - the only pages I had written - had finaled in the contest. It went on to take 2nd Place, the first of many awards Time's Captive would earn over the coming years (see list below).

I owe many thanks to many people over the next few years. My husband and children accepted my dedication to this project with amazing resilience. They ate a lot of pizza and canned soup and never once complained. They were always ready to nod and smile when I needed to read them "just one little bit." For Mother's Day one year, they bought me a wonderful painting by Chuck DeHaan, depicting a warrior and his horse about to cross a stream. The painting has come to symbolize the book in all our hearts.

As a result of my entry in the FabFive contest, I became close friends with Sabina Fox and she, too, has had a profound influence on Time's Captive. Lucy and Marsha and I maintained our critique group until just after I finished Time's Captive in 1997; their advice and support has been a mainstay. We've remained in close touch and, even though we all live in different states now, we're reviving the critique group. Marsha's retired and writing mysteries and Lucy plans to write non-fiction regarding her experiences as a psychic.

I made many friends in the Greater Detroit chapter of Romance Writers of America, and remain in close touch with several. Peggy Mims and Sharon Pisacreta adopted me as a fellow "Crab" and have worked hard ever since to keep me motivated and focused on the writing process. Deb Vargas, Marie Allen, Penny McCusker, Shelly Thacker, Jeanne Savery - all encouraged me to keep working on "that wonderful Indian book," as Jeanne called it.

Time's Captive has been a labor of love. I continue to enjoy studying Native American culture. My husband frequently says, "Quit researching and do more writing!" Many things slowed down the writing process -- my childrens' teen-age/college years and my demanding day-job -- but eventually I finished the manuscript. What a thrill! Almost as wonderful as winning the Romantic Times/Dorchester contest.

1996 was a big year for Time's Captive. It was chosen as a finalist in Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest. That year it also took first place in its category in the NOLA (Northern Louisiana RWA) and the TARA (Tampa Area RWA) First Impressions contest. Despite Time's Captive's success, several agents and editors rejected it. Discouraged, I put the manuscript aside and tried to move on.

About the same time, we moved to my hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah, where I joined the Utah Chapter of RWA (URWA) and let myself become immersed in coordinating their Great Beginnings and Heart of the West writing contests. I also formed a new critique group with Jennifer Peterson and Amber McKee, but moving on was proving difficult. I felt I'd done everything right with Time's Captive; I'd begun to lose faith in myself as an author. Then out of the clear blue, Sabina (who missed the characters) and Jennifer (who'd heard about the mss in critique meetings) asked to read Time's Captive. Their requests came within days of each other, but I didn't find that significant until they got back to me afterward. Both strongly recommended that I dust off the mss, rework it and begin sending it to publishers again. Astonished, I re-read the mss myself and agreed: it deserved another chance.

Once again, I entered Time's Captive in contests, where it took several second place awards, but no firsts. Discouraged, I pondered what to do. Amber gave me a swift kick in the butt, crashing my pity party and motivating me to give the manuscript one last re-work. I then entered it in the 2003 Romantic Times'/Dorchester Publishing's New Voice In Romance contest. For some reason, I felt very uncertain entering Time’s Captive in this contest; I didn’t think it had a chance in hell because the contest was sure to draw hundreds of entries. With all the emphasis on the dark side of paranormal (vampires, warlocks, werewolves, etc.), I mainly entered in the hope of getting some critical feedback. If it didn’t final, I planned to submit it to one or two publishers. If the novel failed to generate any interest, its spot on the closet shelf awaited.

Given my low expectations, you can imagine my surprise when I received a request for the full manuscript from Dorchester Publishing a month later. The request was a “form memo” with my name and the date handwritten. Still, I didn’t get my hopes up; the memo specifically said not to! Another month passed while I tried to keep my mind off the manuscript under consideration. I was almost too successful. Kate Seavers left me a voicemail message one morning, but I was in South Carolina awaiting the birth of a new grandchild. My husband very calmly relayed her message on a Saturday.

I was a nervous wreck by the time I reached Kate by phone on Monday morning. The only part of the conversation that I remember is her telling me something like: “Your novel, Time’s Captive, has been selected as a finalist in the contest.”

Everything after that is a blur – except that I told her I’d try to attend the Awards Luncheon in Kansas City on October 17th. The baby was due October 8th; it was going to be a tight squeeze, especially if my daughter was late again! Luckily, my grandson literally kicked his way out of the womb on September 22nd, leaving me plenty of time for spoiling before the Awards Luncheon.

As a contest finalist, the first fifty pages of Time’s Captive was linked to Romantic Times’ website where Romantic Times’ Booksellers Who Care and readers could read all three entries and vote for their favorite. I read Lauren’s Eyes, the entry of fellow finalist Norah Wilson, with a sense of resignation, certain that I was reading the winning entry. Friends and family agreed that she would be tough to beat.

On Friday, October 17 th, I sat with a group of “Lollies” (authors who write for Leisure and Lovespell), who all held their breath with me while Tim deYoung, Vice President of Dorchester Sales & Marketing, announced that Norah and I had both won; we tied for first place.

The trip to that stage was one of the longest journeys of my life. I have no idea what I said in my “acceptance speech,” I was too busy fighting back tears and staring at the gorgeous cover poster of Time’s Captive. I was thrilled! I was also stunned, but elated and numb, too. After the luncheon, amid flashing lightbulbs, many friends came forward to congratulate me, new fans introduced themselves, and I met Kathryn Falk! And when I returned to my room to make phone calls, two dozen roses waited—gifts from my wonderful family. Who could ask for a happier ending?

Ah, but that wasn’t the end. Before I left Kansas City , Kate Seaver told me that Alicia Condon would be editing Time’s Captive. I’d heard so many good things about Alicia over the years that I looked forward to working with her. I wasn’t disappointed. She made the process seem smooth and essentially seamless – even when surprises cropped up. Now, we’re close to the release date – just four months to go -- and the advance reviews are coming in great! I’m looking forward to many more firsts:

seeing Time’s Captive on the shelves at my local bookstore;
autographing my first copy;
hosting my first contest;
explaining to fans where the idea came from; and,
telling my grandchildren, “Grandma wrote this book.” (Of course, I won’t let them read it for a long, long time!)

You’ll be able to read it yourself, come July, and decide if it was worth all the angst. I certainly think so. In fact, I consider it the book of my heart.

LIST OF AWARDS

2005
FIRST PLACE The Gayle Wilson Award Of Excellence Contest (Paranormal)
FINALIST. Texas Gold Contest (Paranormal) East Texas RWA
FINALIST. Booksellers’ Best Contest (Paranormal) Greater Detroit RWA (GDRWA)
FINALIST, FF&P PRISM Contest (Time Travel)
FINALIST, Colorado RW Award Of Excellence (Paranormal)

October 17, 2003
Co-Winner, New Voice In Romance Contest, Romantic Times/Dorchester Publishing

July 2001
Second Place, Dixie First Chapter Contest (Paranormal/Futuristic)

August 1996
First Place, Tampa Area Romance Authors, First Impressions Contest (Time/Travel/Paranormal)

1996 Golden Heart Finalist

1995
Honorable Mention, The Emily, W. Houston RWA (Paranormal)

March 1995
First Place, The NOLA, North Louisiana Romance Writers, Inc. (Historical)

1994
Second Place, Fabulous Five, Wisconsin RWA (Historical/Gothic/Time-Travel)

Time's Captive, ISBN 0-505-52602-6, can be ordered at any of your favorite bookstores or on-line at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A- Million or Dorchester.

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LAST UPDATE: 9/21/2005