In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I'm giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the timeline of drafting, editing and submitting (and editing and submitting again) that led to finally getting a publication deal for my new novel BEFORE & AFTER YOU & ME.

It has been quite a long journey filled with ups and downs to get here! And I think it’s really important to hear the real stories behind others' success. In fact, many times books aren’t published in the order in which the writer wrote them (which has certainly been true for me!)

In this episode you’ll hear:

What inspired the idea for this story 12 years ago.
How I played around with the structure, setting and POV.
Ways I took feedback to make my book better while staying true to myself and my vision for the book.
What I feared would happen if I made any big changes to the book.
The discouragement after making it to an acquisitions meeting at a big publisher but not getting an offer… and how I was able to learn from that experience and later get a publication deal with my wonderful publisher Owl Hollow Press.
The process of working with amazing editors to get the book to the next level, which helped me grow so much as a writer.

So even if it’s a long journey to get YOUR book out into the world, who knows what's around the next corner. Just keep moving forward, find that next stepping stone and don't give up on yourself. You never know what opportunities and excitement are waiting for you!

BEFORE & AFTER YOU & ME is available for preorder now – just search Dallas Woodburn on Barnes and Noble or Amazon!!! Publication date is officially May 7th!

And I'd love you to join us in the Thriving Authors Book Club, a virtual monthly book club where you not only get to read incredible new books filled with heart and wisdom, you also get to have a Q&A with the author and peek behind-the-scenes into their author journey! Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/552eb3b1cf96/bookclub
Our February book is The Story That Made Us Stronger by Maureen Wise (pen name Iris March). Learn more about Maureen (and her other wonderful books) at her website. And you can listen to my interview with Maureen on the Thriving Authors Podcast here.

Episode 54: Interview with Melanie Hooyenga

Thriving Authors PodcastBy Dallas WoodburnApr 02, 2022