Writers get asked a lot of questions. Where do you get your ideas? How many stories have you written? How much do you make on your books? (Um, probably don’t ask that one, LOL.) Are you published? And so on… But the one I get asked the most is how long it took to write my book. So. Below is my journey for A HEART’S DESIGN, timeline style 🙂
Spring 2004: While pregnant with my oldest, I had this crazy idea to write my own book. I mean, why not?! So I did. It was fun. And cathartic. And thrilling. And I saved all those precious words on my trusty floppy disk 😉
December 2004: Put my story away. It wasn’t close to finished, and I had no idea if it ever would be, but I was cool with that. I had a brand new, squishy baby!!
Summer 2013: Two more babies later, and that story kept poking at my subconscious. It probably didn’t chant- write me, write me, write me…but maybe? So I pulled that masterpiece out.
Also Summer 2013: Realized my story maybe wasn’t quite a masterpiece. Um…at all, Haha. But I still loved it.
Winter 2013/2014: Attended my first writing conference with my sister-in-law (also a writer!). Loved it. Happened to meet a few other writers at our lunch table. We formed Gabba, a writing group that helped launch me on my serious path as a writer.
Early 2016: On a whim, my AP (accountability partner) and I decided to enter our manuscripts into an online contest called Pitch Wars. There were over a thousand entries, and though I’d had a few requests to read, I was certain my sweet romance wouldn’t be chosen. AND THEN IT DID! (Thank you Scarlett Cole for falling in love with Jase and Madison!) This was a pivotal point for A HEART’S DESIGN. It’s where I first began to query literary agents (they represent the interests of an author and handle all contract and subbing.)
August 2017: I got an email from an agent asking if we could set up a time to talk. (In the writing world, it’s known as ‘The Call!’) It was a HUGE moment for me. (This came after dozens of agent rejections… Those months before getting ‘The Call’ were definitely filled with a lot of tough days.) That call led to me signing with my agent, Dawn Dowdle. She is fantastic.
March 2018: Signed my very first publishing contract with Stacy Holmes at The Wild Rose Press. (I smiled for a week straight. Also, she is LOVELY.)
August 5th, 2019: A HEART’S DESIGN will release into the world!
So. There you have it. The timeline for my first book. It took almost 7 years to get A Heart’s Design to this point. Fifteen years if you count the time I put it away for those cute babies 😉
Natalee
Natalee Cooper 
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