"Eat, Sleep and Pray": An Author remembers the road to publication

American novelist, Elena Maria Vidal, author of Trianon, Madame Royale and The Night's Dark Shade, writes about the long and difficult road between starting a novel, finishing it and getting it published. It is a long and drawn-out process, which I myself am familiar with - as I am with the rejections!

"It was a turbulent time in my life, as I was undergoing a major career change. I had no computer, no internet, and little money. Nevertheless, I was imbued with the desire to tell the story of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette as it had never before been told, shedding a new light upon the gravely misunderstood King and Queen. I wrote ten hours a day, stopping only to eat, sleep and pray. Before I even completed the final manuscript, I began sending out query letters and sample chapters to every publisher I could think of. Rejection after rejection came. I knew in my heart that somehow Trianon would be published although at the time it seemed futile."

Every novel has a different road to publication and it's true to say that for every one which reaches the reading public, there are a hundred which do not. Thankfully, Trianon was one of the ones which made it! And deservedly so.

For this blog's review of Elena Maria's first novel, Trianon, click here. A review of its excellent sequel will be posted in the next couple of weeks.

For an interview with Elena Maria, click here.