No Work Is Too Small: A Romance Writer’s Journey

By LaVerne St. George, https://www.LStGeorge.com

I started out with pencil in hand… or so my older sister tells me. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. My first book was “Michael Visits the Planets” (already a Trekkie!), a crayon picture book. As a middle-schooler, I submitted a book based on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” series (which was politely rejected). I wrote articles for the school newsletter. I’ve been in the “word business” a long time.

In college, my aunt sent me a copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s “The Flame and the Flower.” I caught romance fever and never looked back.

I got my undergraduate degree in biological sciences and was certified as a medical/scientific librarian (more words, more writing). I worked for the U.S. Navy, pharmaceutical companies, and university libraries.

Along the way, I began to craft romance stories and joined Romance Writers of America. I sent out proposals and got a lot of rejections. After 40 of them, an editor’s personal letter suggested my story was too “light.” But I found Avalon Books, and within two weeks, my first romance novel, “A Private Proposal,” was accepted. It was published and distributed to U.S. libraries. This experience taught me the value of finding the “right fit,” whether it’s with an agent, editor, or publisher.

I was on my way. Or so I thought, until I had to pivot dramatically. My mother became ill, and my sister and I became long-distance caregivers. Caregiving and my job were now my focus. I still read, but my writing time dropped to a minimum. Eventually, I left the corporate world and created Open Book Communications, an information services business, as a sole proprietor. After my mother’s passing in 1996, I felt the need to share my experience as a long-distance caregiver.  After researching  and writing it, in 2008 I was able to indie publish “Caring for a Distant Parent.” I created an affiliate company, OBC Eldercare, to cover consulting and books in this nonfiction area.

My Romance Publishing Journey

In the mid ‘90s, my consulting business was in full swing. One day I was driving to work, and ideas were floating. Suddenly, characters and the entire plot of a novella dropped into my head. Fifteen minutes later, I was writing what I could remember at lightning speed. I finished “Carousel Magic” in a few days, and submitted the manuscript to the Romance Writers of America ROBIN AWARD in the Best Easy-to-Read Romance category. To my delight…it won!

There was no self-publishing yet ¾ barely an internet — and the only publishing options were traditional houses and vanity presses. When it was published by Signal Hill Press, I took it as a sign to keep going.  “Carousel Magic” had pulled me back to the light, which to me is romance.

I completed another book after that: “The Master’s Plan,”a contemporary, spiritual romance with a disabled hero. Between 1998 and 2000, I received 10 rejections in the traditional market. I persevered, and during the next decade, I published the book at one vanity press, two traditional small presses, and as an indie book on CreateSpace.

I joined Facebook, and eight sweet romance authors on the platform (when it was brand-spankin’ new) decided to publish an anthology of stories. Since I had experience in self-publishing, I created Open Book Romances as another business affiliate, and “Autumn’s Kiss” appeared in 2014.

The anthology opened the floodgates. Between July 2018 and now, I launched a sweet contemporary romance series with three books, with a fourth planned for later this year and #5 planned for 2027. I’ve self-published two more novels for the spiritual/Christian market: one contemporary and one historical. In early 2027, I’ll be launching “Courtship of Lies,” a Regency romantic mystery.

My Writing Process

I am a super-plotter. I need a plan. I write in scenes. If I know now what the ending looks like, I write it.

Here’s the overall sequence:

1. Idea to Background (Characters, Settings, Research, Set up writing schedule)
   • Background is stored in a 3-ring binder and on a computer. Backup on paper is never a bad idea.
2. Plot (Structure, Tropes, Themes, Possible Scenes)
   • For software, I use Scrivener, Aeon Timeline, Writers Blocks, Chunky Method, and Excel spreadsheet templates from other authors. I can go old school with index cards, Post-its, paper templates
3. 1^st Draft – write with no editing, in scenes, not necessarily in order.
   •   2-4 hours per day 4-5 days per week
4. Rest (1-2 weeks)
5. 2^nd Draft (edits, updates) – repeat.
   • May rewrite twice more, add or delete scenes, shuffle into chapters.
6. Send to first readers and professional editor
7. Make corrections
8. Publishing/Promotion – 2–3-month process

Even though that’s my typical process, I’ve learned to take advantage of it when inspiration strikes, as I did with “Carousel Magic.”

Have you noticed I don’t stick to one genre? I’ve worked with three agents over the years, and all have accepted the variety, as long as all the books stay in the “sweet/wholesome” category. My one dream is to have something, anything, adapted for television. I’m working with an agent now who produces for Hallmark.

My Writing Philosophy

I may never be a bestselling author. I’m a good writer who interweaves genre elements and finishes one book a year. Maybe. Finding my audience is often a challenge.  

But I believe “No work is too small.” That’s a quote from “Madeleine L’Engle Herself.”

In her book, which is a reflection on the writing life, Madeleine L’Engle describes how Jean Rhys, a British novelist, once told an interviewer that all of writing is a huge lake. Feeding the lake are great rivers: bestselling authors, writers whose textbooks become standards. And streams of writers who produce technical manuals, post informative blogs weekly, or create compelling mystery series.

And there are trickles like me. I also feed the lake. The lake is what matters. Feeding the lake is a writer’s gift to humanity. This is our legacy. So, when an idea reaches out and burrows its way into my brain shouting, “Me next!” that is my call to start writing again. No matter what you write, keep going. My experience has taught me that you never know where it will lead you. May you always remember that no work is too small to feed the lake.

Award-winning author LaVerne St. George is known for her delightful, sweet, and inspirational romances with relatable characters. Her training as a librarian fuels her research, and she enjoys sharing her writing experience and love of romance with any audience that asks her. When not writing, LaVerne enjoys crocheting, word search puzzles, vacation spots close to home, and romance novels with a touch of mystery.