When One Writing Door Shuts, Another Opens

Okay, it's a cliché--but one that's often true. When one door closes, another one opens. In my experience, writers tend to focus on the failures--i.e., the closed doors--instead of seeing the other opportunities that might arise in the wake of failure. Often, what we writers see as failure is something that's not within our control. Rejections from editors had publishing houses, even failing to be a finalist in a contest, these things often have little to do with our writing skills or determination.

Last summer, I came across a submission call for an anthology that interested me. Until this point, I'd written paranormal romance exclusively, but the anthology was for contemporary romance short stories with the theme of underground clubs. I seized the chance to branch out into contemporary romance; I wound up writing not only my first contemporary, but also my first erotic romance, Tempted by a Kiss. The anthology got cancelled due to lack of submissions. Failure, right? A door slammed shut in my face.

Not quite. The editors told me they really enjoyed my story and encouraged me to submit it elsewhere. I started checking out publishers' websites, but most don't accept short stories or they wanted short stories longer than mine. I kept searching, though, and eventually submitted the story to The Wild Rose Press, which published it in December 2015. Tempted by a Kiss has become my best-reviewed book to date. But the journey didn't end there.

I loved the underground club I invented for Tempted by a Kiss, which I named Dance Ardor--so much so I decided to write a novel version of that story, as well as another novel connected to it only by the presence of the club. Now the latter novel, Dangerous in a Kilt, is competing on Amazon's Kindle Scout site for the prize of a publishing contract with Kindle Press. If I'd never seen that submission call, would I have ever expanded my horizons to include contemporary and erotic romance? It's impossible to say, but I'm sure glad I saw that call. And I'm glad the anthology got cancelled!

Yes, you read that right. I'm glad I got rejected. Bigger opportunities opened up because of it. Failure and success are often a matter of perspective, and I prefer to focus on the positive and keep striving to achieve, even when some doors close in my face. After all, there's usually an open window nearby.

Dangerous in a Kilt

A feisty American. A hot Scot. Passion ignites.

Good-girl Erica Teague is out on bail, charged with a crime her ex-lover committed. Her desperate bid to experience one wild night of sizzling sex, before her trial and certain conviction, lands her in the arms of Lachlan MacTaggart, a hot Scot with a secret past. She can't resist his offer to enjoy one month of sex and companionship with no strings. But when their hot fling gets personal, can their passion free their imprisoned hearts?

Vote for it on Kindle Scout:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/TA1FZK0NG2X7

Bio

Anna Durand is an award-winning writer specializing in steamy romances populated with spunky heroines and hunky heroes, in settings as diverse as modern Chicago and the fairy realm. Her romances have to date won eight awards and her novel Intuition was a 2016 RONE Award nominee, while her short story Tempted by a Kiss was a finalist in The Romance Reviews 2016 Readers' Choice Awards. Dangerous in a Kilt won first place in the 2016 Great Beginnings contest, contemporary romance category.

Website/Blog: http://www.annadurand.com/

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