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You see, Harlequin rejected Ivy League Cowboy three years ago. I had written the book with Harlequin in mind. It was my 2007 NaNoWriMo project and it spawned two sequels. I kept the word count to around 50K to work within the Harlequin lines I was considering.
These books about the sexy McCray brothers were special to me, and after the rejection from Harlequin, I held onto them. I couldn't let them go just anywhere. Meanwhile, I made a name for myself as an erotic romance author.
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The rest is history. Ivy League Cowboy, A Cowboy and a Gentleman, and Rodeo Queen released in November 2011, December 2011, and January 2012, respectively, to excellent reviews and respectable sales.
As for Harlequin's rejection of Ivy League Cowboy? Well, the readers have spoken. And to those of you who love the characters of Bakersville, Colorado, three new books are coming beginning in November!
To learn more about Musa and how they differ from other publishers, click here.
To purchase the McCray Brothers books, click here.
What a great story! I'm so glad you persevered, Harlequin missed out. Loved watching you walk up to receive your award. WOOT!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! :) I loved reading about this, Helen. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Helen. And yes, Musa are a cool publishing house. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that story! Congratulations! MUSA sounds like a wonderful place to be. I, too, have some rejected characters (award winners) I'm hanging on too. I pray my sweet peeps end up with as nice a home!
ReplyDeleteMore books! I just did one of those silent screams you have to do when you don't want your kids to ask what you're so happy about. They wouldn't understand. :-|
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